I have been a member of the Green Party for more than 20 years. Our presidential candidate is Dr. Jill Stein, who is polling at between 1% and 2% in most swing states. That doesn’t sound like much, but in this year’s very tight contest for president, it could determine the outcome of the election.
A portion of Dr. Stein’s support comes from those who oppose Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on their policy towards Israel and Palestine. These voters, led by the Abandon Harris movement, have thrown their support behind the Green Party candidate, who is leading Harris among likely Muslim voters in several states.
The philosophy behind refusing to choose “the lesser evil,” is nothing new, and I have long disagreed with the approach. This year, the danger is particularly acute, as a Trump win will be especially harmful to Muslims, immigrants, and minorities in the United States (i.e., my clients), as well as people in Palestine. It will also set back the third party movement and cause great harm to our democracy.
First, in terms of democracy and civil society, Donald Trump is, himself, the threat. I won’t rehash all the ways Mr. Trump is unfit to lead our nation. I doubt anyone who reads this blog supports his bid to return to the White House. But I will note that for people like my clients–immigrants and refugees from majority-Muslim nations–this election is about life or death. Mr. Trump has threatened mass deportations if he wins the presidency, he would reinstate the Muslim ban and block refugees from “infested countries.” For the former President, scapegoating refugees and immigrants is like breathing: They are “destroying our country,” “poisoning our blood,” they are “vermin.” We have seen this story before, and we know how it ends.
A group of Muslim scholars aligned with the Abandon Harris movement has written—
We may not know what the future holds, but we know this: we will not taint our hands by voting for or supporting an administration that has brought so much bloodshed upon our brothers and sisters…. We want to be absolutely clear: don’t stay home and skip voting. This year, make a statement by voting third party for the presidential ticket.
Jill Stein too wants voters to believe that they do not have to choose a “lesser evil,” that she represent a third way. This is false. Polling data demonstrates that she will receive less than 2% of votes, and so she cannot win this election. Maybe you don’t believe the polls. Maybe you also think that global warming is a fraud, that cigarettes don’t cause cancer, and that vaccines cause autism. If so, you are probably voting for Donald Trump. But if you live in the real, evidence-based world, here is some (non) news: Global warming is real, cigarettes do cause cancer, vaccines do not cause autism, and the Green Party candidate has no chance to win this election.
Perhaps–like the Muslim scholars–you see your third-party vote as making a “statement” against the current Administration. But that argument fails as well. If you don’t like the corporate policies of, say, Starbucks, you can stop buying their coffee and hope that the economic impact of losing your business will cause them to change their ways. But that’s not how it works with elections. “Boycotting” the election because you oppose the “lesser evil” only serves to empower the greater evil. It’s as if boycotting Starbucks would encourage that company to continue the very policies you oppose. In other words, boycotting the election will have the exact opposite effect of what was hoped for.
Refusing to support the lesser evil will also harm people in Palestine. With a Harris Administration, Muslims would have channels of communication available. Their voices could make a difference. Does anyone believe that Trump 2.0 would listen to those concerned about Palestinians? Further, a Trump Presidency would put the entire Muslim American community on defense. The community and their allies will be preoccupied with survival and less able to advocate for overseas causes.
Finally, there are other ways to oppose the current Administration’s policies aside from withholding support for Ms. Harris. You can vote for the Green Party for down-ballot races (as I do). This demonstrates opposition to the Democratic Party without helping elevate Mr. Trump. Indeed, as I see it, voting for a third-party presidential candidate will actually set back progress towards a more viable multi-party (as opposed to two-party) system. For a third party candidate to succeed in office, she needs a foundation upon which to govern. We need third-party governors, mayors, members of Congress, etc. This is how a movement is built: From the bottom up. It takes time, patience, and commitment. And while I understand that time is in short supply, I also understand that failing to elect any third party candidates will do nothing to achieve the movement’s goals. In short, the Green Party’s focus on the presidency distracts from the real work of building a viable alternative to the major parties that the Abandon Harris movement opposes.
We live in a democratic republic. If we had a different system—like a parliamentary democracy—voting third party might make sense. Once the elected officials are in office, they themselves would have to make the compromises necessary to forge a ruling coalition. But in our system, we, the people, elect a President. We have to make those compromises ourselves. And of course, making compromises is not easy—not getting your way never is, particularly when the stakes are so high. But that is our system, and for now at least, this is our choice: Vote for Kamala Harris or for Donald Trump. Jill Stein is just a dangerous distraction from reality.
Evening,
What could be possible reasons for expediting green card processing after asylum have been granted?
Regards
Hi Jason
I attended my asylum interview 2days ago in Newark. Officer said they will mail decision. I had a pending renewal EAD application for like 6 months. Suddenly today got email from my USCIS that there is an action in your EAD application and the status says “an USCIS officer in looking into the application “ is it just coincidence or have any relevance with the interview.
Thanks in advance
I am not sure, and I have little confidence in the online messages. It is pretty rare to get a decision in two days, but you will have to wait for the paper decision to know for sure. Good luck, Jason
Thanks Jason. Do you have any ballpark idea how long it might take to get the paper decision based on your current experience?
Hello Jason,
I hope you are doing well. The court approve my case on November/2023.
I have applied for my and my family green card on 04/2024 ans still didn’t get any response.
I’m just wondering can I or my attorney do any thing in this regard.
Thank you
Asylum M
Assuming you have the receipt, you should be fine. I doubt there is much you can do, as these cases normally take a year or two. If you wanted to try to expedite, I wrote about that on January 29, 2020 and maybe that post would give you some ideas. Take care, Jason
Thank you so much
Hi Jason
A RFE for my I-730 was issued late August requesting evidence for bonafide marriage. I mailed all the required evidence and it was delivered to the USCIS four weeks ago(tracked).
To this day, online status still says “RFE was mailed”
I want to ensure if USCIS got my RFE response and they just forgot to update RFE status online.
When i try to get hold of an agent via phone, it is impossible to talk to anyone and when I try the chat, they say, “Due to the sensitive nature of Section 208.6 protected cases, case inquiries on Form I-730 can only be done by phone through the USCIS Contact Center.”
The deadline for submission is in two weeks so I don’t know how can I get confirmation that USCIS got my RFE response. Should I re-send a copy of RFE response one more time in same address stating why I am sending it again if they had already received the first one? I am so frustated with the whole situation.
Can you please suggest?
I would be very surprised if it has not been received, but I guess you could re-send it. If you do that, include a cover letter indicating what happened – you were not sure they received it, and so you are sending the same package again. I guess there is no harm in that, and as long as they see the cover letter, they should not be confused by the duplicate filing. Take care, Jason
Hello Jason, Thank you for your help as always!
I am an asylee and my wife is scheduled to make an appointment for an interview at US consulate as part of the follow to join process for asylee family member . Does she need to provide I-864 (affidavit of support ) at the interview? USCIS didn’t request i-864 when I was filing form I-730. so i guess that is not required for asylees? But It is listed as a requirement on the consular email , so I was a bit confused. May be they are sending standard email for all migrant visa applications??
The I-864 is not required, but sometimes the email is a standard email they send to I-130 (as opposed to I-730) beneficiaries. Take care, Jason
Hi AMEX,
Just wanted to know how long did take for your I-730 to be approved and your family to be scheduled for interview. Thanks
That person may respond as well, but we are seeing the USCIS potion of the process take 1 to 2 years, and then the consular part varies depending on the country – in most cases, maybe 2 to 6 months. You can try to expedite the process. I wrote about expediting in general on January 29, 2020, and about the I-730 process on January 13, 2020. Take care, Jason
USCIS took one year. The consular took 3 month.
So it’s not worth it to engage them in good faith.
I don’t really buy that, though I think Jill Stein in particular has some very strange skeletons in her closet, including an association with Putin and a fondness for Assad in Syria. Take care, Jason