It didn’t work that way for the Greens in 2000, and it didn’t work that way for the Reform Party in 1992 or 1996, or for the Socialist Party in the ‘teens and ‘20s, etc. Third party presidential runs have a uniformly terrible track record for actual long-lasting change.

I addressed the general topic of public funding above, but I want to address the specific topic of down-ticket races. Federal funding is for presidential nominees, period. The Green Party cannot use it to promote themselves as a party or to find or promote down-ticket candidates.

Or maybe Democrats can learn that nominating terrible, unacceptable candidates has consequences.?

The amount of public funds available for a general election candidate maxes out at $20 million. In order to receive these funds, the candidate may not accept private donations — their spending is strictly limited to $20 million plus $50k out of the candidate’s own pocket.

What we currently have are two parties who are competing for 51% of the likely voters, which means that they feel they have to verge center in order to cater to the most people. But being the most centrist party, and being the most appealing to the broadest group of people, actually makes them a worse party.

This makes them competitive - as it stands, the greens are seen as fringe and thus attract shitty, weird fringe candidates. The stronger they are, the better candidates they attract, and the better competition they are for the democrats

You display an astounding lack of understanding of electoral politics. We have a winner take all system, which makes it difficult for fringe-y parties to get a foothold, precisely because they are fringe-y. If the Green Party gets 6% of the vote, that won’t make it more likely to appeal to the overwhelming majority…

Exactly, and beyond that he literally had to beg and plead for his Vice Presidential nominee to get the nod- the same VP candidate who most mainstream outlets keep asking why he isn’t the one at the top of the ticket.

This is what people don’t seem to get about politics. Most of us can find plenty of things we don’t agree with about Hillary’s stances on things (hell, or Obama’s), but that’s going to happen in a country of 300+ million people. Hillary has to do her best to be mild enough to not entirely turn off Republicans, true…

The Green Party isn’t going to suddenly attract good candidates because it gets public funding. This idea that public funding is some sort of panacea is absurd.

The reason it’s seen a single unacceptable is because the candidate you’re voting for sucks. She doesn’t know the first thing about governing. Why should I want a party to receive federal funds when that is the best candidate the game can put forward?

The left did discuss HRC’s flaws as a candidate very intensely during the primary where Bernie Sanders was extremely competitive. So competitive in fact he was able to have a great deal of say in the Dem Party Platform and HRC is now most notably championing his debt free college plan. HRC has been so vetted and so…

I am totally with you. This “lesser of two evils” trope is tiring. Its not, I’m ecstatic to be voting for her, I wished it was her in 08.

Yes.

Same. I hate that the overwhelming media message about Clinton voters is that we’re all reluctant about it. But I’m certainly not! I honestly can’t think of anyone I’d rather vote for (other than Obama again) in this presidential election.

This guy is the centrist, sane candidate they got from pulling their shit together. He thinks drivers licenses might maybe have a good reason to exist, for instance. He was even a governor!

At the start of the election cycle everyone that I am friends with was pretty respectful, willing to listen to others. Sure, most of us had our clear favorites and hopes for the future but no one was squaring off with others and then slowly the ugly starting creeping in and here we are. I have unfollowed or unfriended…

As Sam Bee described, people should be wary of repeating Maine. Disillusioned democrats went for independent votes and now the Republicans are in charge. The governor has called up reporters to leave some... “special” voicemails.

I loved how this segment very clearly laid out why Jill Stein and Gary Johnson are terrible candidates for president, but I wish that John Oliver would give Clinton a little more credit than he has this election season. He said that you should feel gross after leaving the voting booth regardless of who you vote for…

Seriously, dude? SERIOUSLY???