Nancy Nelkin: Jill Stein could make Trump president again

Jill Stein, the Green Party presidential candidate, should put country first, drop out of the race and direct voters to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris. She has no path to the presidency. She is not on the ballot in every state, but she can tip swing state Electoral College votes to former president Donald Trump. It happened in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania in 2016, when Stein got more votes than Trump’s margin of victory over Hillary Clinton. I wonder how those voters felt about President Trump’s performance on their key issues.

Does it advance Green Party values to put a climate denier and fossil fuel fanboy in the White House now? In 2004, David Cobb, the Green Party candidate, chose not to campaign in swing states and directed his voters to vote for the Democratic candidate. Stein doesn’t seem to care if she is a spoiler helping Trump, and that makes her a traitor to Green Party values.

Stein also has a strong position about protecting Palestinians, but if she gives Electoral College votes to Trump, will that be a better outcome? Trump famously said that Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should “finish the job.”

Plus, this is not the year to cast idealistic third party votes, even in blue states. We need a large margin of victory for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to reduce election challenges from Trump loyalists. As historian and activist Rebecca Solnit advises, “Voting is not a valentine. It’s a chess move.” Vote for the environment and a chance to still have a say in our government!

Nancy Nelkin

Easthampton