By Alex Hayes & Joe Mogavero Special to the chronicle
From SNL’s “Bern Your Enthusiasm” to the endless coverage in the media, Bernie Sanders supporters have felt the excitement and stinging disappointment after his campaign’s near defeat of Hillary Clinton in the Iowa Caucuses. But caucus results, close as they may appear, do not always accurately foretell the results of upcoming primaries.
First, Sanders’ support comes primarily from white voters, and Iowa is the third whitest state in the union (upcoming New Hampshire is second). Second, because Iowa is a red state, moderate voters usually register as Republicans. Consequently, those that register as Democrats are generally further left than those in blue and swing states. As the primary season continues, Sanders’ revolutionary campaign appears on track to fall to the Clinton Empire, not withstanding a traditionally slow-moving party establishment.
When Bernie loses, voters will have two options: Say goodbye to Sanders’ “revolution” and succumb to Clinton’s corporate cronyism, or come home to the Green Party by voting for presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein. The Green Party of the United States and all its allies support ecological awareness, corporate decentralization and progressive, single-payer health options such as Medicare for all—and we will continue to do so long after July 2016. In the face of economic and social inequality, we cannot afford to continue choosing the lesser of two evils every Election Day.
Now, more than ever, it is imperative that we lay our support behind a strong third-party before the corporate interests of two-party rule throw middle class America by the wayside. In 2016, cast your vote for the right woman: Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein.
Alex Hayes is the Vice-President and Joe Mogavero is the Treasurer of the Green Party of Hofstra University.