Who could win as a Green party candidate?

[Feanorcurufinwe]

I think the only way the Green party could win the Presidency is if they fielded a candidate with instant name recognition, with low negatives, who could somehow excite the nonvoting majority, and enunciate the Green platform without alienating the middle of the road voters. Does such a person exist? Who is it?

[thom1102]

1. No body...

Both parties would pounce on any viable Greenie with a chance to actually win. Besides, they would be in an impossible position to govern from. Greenies have to win some seats in Congress, and then Caucus with the Dems (kinda like Bernie Sanders) in order to wield any real influence. Once that happens, then they can look to the Presidency, and have a real chance. Just my HO

[Ediacara]

2. well....

If the Dem nominee, and all of his/her primary rivals died in a freak accident on Hallowe'en right before the election. AND if Bush and Cheney and any other big name Republican ALSO die in a freak accident on Hallowe'en of 04.

THEN, the Green candidate MIGHT win, although the Libertarian may get more votes.

Other than that unlikely scenario, there's no way in hell a Green will win the presidential election.

[SyracuseDemocrat]

3. No Green could ever win...

and I'm really glad about that. I have hated the Greenies ever since November 7th, 2000, and I don't think I'll ever stop hating them.

[mike_c]

6. ahhh..., the true spirit of modern democracy....

Blame the party the democratic left fled to, not the party that alienated them out in the first place!

The Green Party USA's time to be a serious contender for the WH isn't here yet, IMO, but they have every right to exercise their democratic perogative and work toward that day. Hating them for that says more about you than it does the Greens, I'm afraid.

[Nazgul35]

7. the only way that day will ever come...

is if the Green party replaces the democratic party...and this has happened only once in US history...and the issue was slavery...

or change the voting laws....and i'm sure everyone owuld be very happy to have a seperation of powers/federal system with proportional electoral laws...cause we dont have enough grid lock...

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

10. Or

if the Greens work from the bottom up...electing local officials...then statewide officials...then Congress...then the Whitehouse...

Instead of the top down. Just some advice from a sympathizer.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

11. It does seem like a better way to go than just having a sacrificial lamb

It does seem like a better way to go than just having a sacrificial lamb every four years.

[jiacinto]

4. No one

nt

[BayCityProgressive]

5. Well

I think the Greens would have to have a caucus in congress to move the center further left before they would ever have a chance. Also, many people attack them here for running a pres. candidate but many state laws say that a party must collect 5% of the vote from a presidential or governers race to remain on the ballot, so they really have no choice. If Democrats were really worried about them as spoilers they would change these laws but the two major parties like having a monopoly on the American people. I am not a big fan of the Democratic party although I almost always vote for them. The Greens have just as much right to exist as any other party, no one owes their vote to the Democrats.

[dpbrown]

8. No one

The people who vote (fewer than half of those who are eligible) are such creatures of habit that for them, sticking to the knowns versus the unknowns makes a near-term victory for a third party impossible.

If the electoral system is changed, then over time candidates can be judged more on their positions, but there is a great deal of inertia in the system keeping reform (and real knowledge-seeking) out of the system.

[tameszu]

9. In '04?

Bush is who would win if the Greens fielded a candidate who got more than marginal attention.

I don't want to offend the Greenies, but basic knowledge of the structural and institutional components of the U.S. gov't and electoral system suggests that neither it nor any third party have any chance of winning the presidency in the near term.

The Green movement is viable as a bottom-up political movement. It needs either (1) one of the 2 major parties to collapse; or (2) electoral reform, for it to have any hope of winning control of one of either the federal excutive or legislative branch of gov't.

Then again, if for some awful reason, the Dems run Lieberman or someone else as divisive and uninspiring and get crushed, while the Greens run a decent campaign with someone who has a reasonably moderate and constructive platform (for a Green--say, someone with Wellstone-like policies) and manages to get the 5% popular vote needed for matching funds, the Greens might conceivably be able to force the Dems out of business by '08, especially if Bush does an especially bad job. But this is a very high-risk strategy for progressives...

[DrFunkenstein]

12. Cornel West

Wishful thinking.

<>

[goodhue]

13. Dennis Kucinich

DK could win as a Green party candidate assuming he is also the Democratic party candidate. Other questions: Could a Democratic party candidate win if there is a Green party candidate? What Democratic party candidate would ensure that there was not a Green party candidate? Should not the Democratic candidate who forecloses a Green party candidate be substantially more electable because of it? The answers are transparent but will apparently remain unspoken until the moment is upon us. The revolution will not be televised.

[DrFunkenstein]

14. Who Would Nader Pick?

NOVAK: You indicated that you think Dennis Kucinich would be a pretty good presidential candidate. Any of the other nine Democrats you think would be a good candidate?

NADER: You want me to rank them?

NOVAK: Just name another one that you think is good.

NADER: It all depends on how strong the base is for the citizens. They're not good, per se, unless they're representing a mass movement. I like John Kerry, for example. I knew him when he came back from Vietnam as a young veteran. The question is how much better would he be if the people were mobilized, if more people voted. And I don't see any of these candidates exciting a lot of people.

NOVAK: Ralph Nader, thank you very much. Appreciate it.

[poskonig]

15. Warren Beatty, Danny Glover

eom

[genius]

16. No one

The only way the Greens will win is by re-registering as Democrats and supporting Kucinich.

[VoteClark]

17. The Green Party is to narrow to ever win

The only way a Green Party could be President is if a Democrat won and later changed their party affilication. Or if they some how got elected Speaker of the House and the President and Vice President died together.

J4Clark