[GPSCC-chat] Jill Stein finished 4th with 0.3% of the vote

[Spencer Graves]

On 11/11/2012 9:53 PM, Tian Harter wrote:
> On 11/11/2012 07:59 PM, Spencer Graves wrote:
>> I haven't seen the election results posted here: 
>> "www.greenpartywatch.org/2012/11/07/jill-stein-election-results".
>>
>>
>> "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Stein_presidential_campaign,_2012" 
>> says that the Green Party nominee was on the ballot in states 
>> representing 49.6% of the electoral college in 2004, 68.4% in 2008 
>> and 87.2% in 2012.
>>
>>
>>       That's modest progress, but we'll need something much more to 
>> break the current duopoly.
>>
>>
>>       Spencer
>>
>>
> Meanwhile, the duopoly has gotten creakier and the national debt has 
> grown to incomprehensible levels. I'm baffled by what it takes to get 
> people to pay attention to the situation. Twenty years ago it was very 
> predictable that things would get worse for as long as people trusted 
> things to be okay. Sad to report that the prediction was good. Maybe 
> more people will wake up to the fact that green values are a useful 
> part of the solution.


       Cheer up:  Things could get simultaneously worse and better: The 
runaway inflation in corporate welfare is continuing.  The average 
annual income (GDP per capita) has doubled in the US over the past 40 
years, but the median family income has increased only about 23% (0.5% 
per year), and dropped in 2010, the last year for which I've seen 
figures.  If that decline continues, we will start to see options for 
more serious radical change;  this seems likely to me.


       However, I'm concerned that the ultra wealthy will be able to 
turn this discontent into a populist rebellion so far Right that it 
could make the Tea Party seem liberal by comparison -- possibly leading 
the US to launch a preemptive nuclear war against Iran or 
who-knows-who.  Alternatively, that discontent could come to the 
Greens.  Unfortunately, we are neither sufficiently well organized nor 
tech savvy to be able to overcome our financial deficiencies to beat the 
big money in their desire for more crony capitalism -- which suggests to 
me that thermonuclear war may be more likely than the US voting Green.


       Spencer

>
> I've sort of concluded that people need to see the value of *Green 
> Values*(TM) in their own lives before they are willing to vote for 
> them in the public arena. That's why I like to tell people "stop 
> voting for oil companies at the gas pump." Unfortunately, too many of 
> them see the the limits on their mobility instead of the "unlimits" on 
> their future that saving fuel gets us.
>
> I'm a bit sour on the system right now. Maybe we could have done more 
> if there were candidates making the case all summer, but top two 
> scratched that. I'm thinking the answer is to be a movement party, but 
> that seems to take a huge leap of faith from lots of people that are 
> happier sitting on their asses. Not sure what to do about that.
>
> I agree that Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala are the best candidates 
> we've had since Nader. Hopefully that means that the rest of the 
> National Greens are getting it on what makes a good Presidential 
> Candidate. Maybe then we'll continue to progress on that!
>


-- 
Spencer Graves, PE, PhD
President and Chief Technology Officer
Structure Inspection and Monitoring, Inc.
751 Emerson Ct.
San José, CA 95126
ph:  408-655-4567
web:  www.structuremonitoring.com