The narrative that we “can’t” win in November is getting repeated in all corners of the echo chamber.

Look: we CAN win. We can. We can do it right now. It’s just a matter of getting people to recognize that we can do it.

Greens have been ballot qualified to secure at least 400 electoral college votes in every single presidential election since Ralph Nader’s runs in 1996 and 2000. In 2000, we were on the ballot in 43 states – the year that everybody set their hair on fire and told us we “couldn’t possibly ever” win, and a vote for Nader was just throwing your vote away.

Since 2004, even at our leanest, we’ve still been ballot qualified such that we can clear at least 400 electoral college votes, out of 270 needed to win the presidency.

We can win. The reason we don’t, is because we buy into the lie that says we can’t.

Stop listening.

Sources:

• Nader’s 2000 Campaign:
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Nader_presidential_campaign,_2000
• Green Party Ballot Access, 2004-16: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Party_of_the_United_States#Presidential_ballot_access

So, a couple of friends have felt the need to once again tell me how I’m going to destroy things if I vote for Jill Stein.

Here’s the reality you’re just not getting, well-intentioned Democrats – and, heck, even the not-so-well-intentioned.

My vote doesn’t belong to you.

It doesn’t belong to the “best interests of the country,” according to you.

It doesn’t belong to the “best candidate” according to you.

It doesn’t belong to the “lesser evil” candidate, according to you.

It doesn’t belong to the Democratic Party. (It doesn’t belong to the Green party, either, but they’re not attempting to shame me into voting for their guy.)

My vote belongs to me. Not you. Not your party. Not anyone else. Me. Whether you like it or not, whether you accept it or not, my vote doesn’t belong to you. You DO NOT have a say in the matter, even if you think you should. You don’t.

I’m going to vote for candidates that best represent what I think is best for the country. You’re entirely welcome to disagree, amongst yourselves. You can all pat yourselves on the back, secure in your knowledge that you’ve done the right thing, according to you.

But you really can’t see that I’m doing the same thing?

Bullshit.

My vote is not a protest against your candidate.

My vote is not a vote for the other guy.

My vote is mine – I will use it in the way I see fit.

Whether you realize it or not, my vote is not open to majority whim. It belongs to me.

And no one else.