Third party candidates can be force for change
Columnist Paul Krugman recently asserted that no one cared if voters chose a third-party candidate. Nothing could be further than the truth.
History has been replete with examples of third parties producing forward-thinking ideas, and when supporters vote for these parties, it helps convince the parties in power to consider those ideas.
Mr. Krugman further uses “guilt by association” when he mentions Jill Stein’s campaign in the same breath as criticizing one of the Libertarian Party’s more extreme planks. Her campaign has everything to do with Bernie Sanders’ progressive ideas and nothing to do with either Donald Trump or the LP’s more dogmatic positions.
He also says Hillary Clinton has “staked out progressive positions.” That may be true, but you must believe she has disavowed many of her former positions to accept that.
The problem is that neither major candidate can be trusted to tell the truth. We are left with no other choice than to vote for another candidate. As for me and my wife, we have chosen the honest and and caring program of Jill Stein and the Green Party.
Stephen Pendleton, Visalia
This story was originally published October 13, 2016 at 3:06 PM with the headline "Third party candidates can be force for change."