I was at Hofstra University on Long Island in 2012 protesting the Obama-Romney debates the day Jill Stein was arrested for trying to enter the grounds of the presidential debate. Dr. Stein and her running mate Cheri Honkala were shackled to chairs for 8 hours.
Jill Stein has been dedicated to overturning the corrupt duopoly for years. It feels ridiculous to even have to say this, but Jill Stein is not secretly collaborating with the DNC to undermine a 3rd Party movement by hiring @PeterDaou. And she's not naive or stupid either.
Cornel West has been a lifelong scholar and activist for racial and economic justice. He fought against South African apartheid. He fought against Israeli apartheid. He has fought for racial justice in Ferguson. he has vowed that he's in this race till the end.
And @peterdaou was an a**hole in 2016 when he worked for Hillary. He continued to attack leftists into 2017. He blocked me back then. In 2020 he did an interview with @briebriejoy and owned up to the damage he did and apologized.
Since then I've had many long conversations with Peter about his evokution and what we need to do to fight the establishment and move forward. I consider Peter a friend, but more importantly, I know and trust his commitment to moving past the duopoly.
Jill Stein and Dr. West picking someone with experience with national campaigns, who is firmly aligned against the corrupt two party system, means they are serious about running a real campaign and taking it all the way
Jill Stein has been smeared as a Russian agent. Cornel West is being smeared as a secret Trump inflitrator. To think they are not serious about a 3rd Party run makers no sense to me.
Some people I look up to and respect have different views on this. I understand that but respectfully disagree. I still think Cornel West's candidacy gives us an opportunity to galvinze a movement against a toxic system of capitalism and endless war.
I have long believed that electoral politics is not the only answer, that we have to push within and outside of the electoral system to make real gains. Most Americans don't want either Trump or Biden to run. The system has failed us.
If there is a chance of making progress in our fight, I'm taking it. I don't expect that people have to see things the way I see them. But to those who are skeptical but remain open, I would hope that we could wait and see what this campaign does on the ground.
That is the true test. I'm giving them the chance to show that they are willing to do the work on the ground to coalesce a real working class movement to kick ass on a two party system that really doesn't care whether we live or die.
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