Jill Stein delivers scathing response to Harris-Trump debate and urges Green alternative
New York, New York - Green Party presidential nominee Dr. Jill Stein delivered a scathing response to Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump's first 2024 debate on Tuesday and urged voters to turn away from the two-party system.
"This is a debate between the parties of war and Wall Street who agree with each other on the fundamentals of our economy and on the fundamentals of our foreign policy – basically a foreign policy based on endless war and the endless war machine, which then in turn costs half of our congressional budget," Stein said during a live broadcast Tuesday night.
Stein slammed Harris and Trump for failing to address the crises of poverty, housing and homelessness, health care costs, student debt, privatization, and militarism as they took the debate stage in Philadelphia earlier that evening.
The Green Party is running to bring a new vision to the Oval Office, one that centers human rights at home and abroad.
"We are the alternative that you won't hear about. We are the solutions that Democrats and Republicans refuse to discuss," Stein said.
"In particular, the Democrats approach us by trying to shut us down, to silence us, to cancel us, because they're very threatened by the fact we actually provide real solutions here instead of just parroting Republicans or moving to the right or providing no policies at all."
Addressing the root causes of migration
In her post-debate remarks, Stein accused both major-party candidates of failing to provide solutions that address the root causes of key issues, with immigration a case in point.
"That migration crisis that Donald Trump loves to endlessly bash immigrants over is basically a consequence of US foreign policy, which is driving people to our shores for refuge. And sadly, we see the Democrats, who at one time stood up for principles of justice for immigrants, for addressing the underlying drivers, we don't hear about that anymore at all," Stein lamented.
She went on to detail how the US has historically sought to undermine and overthrow democratically elected leaders in Central and South America in favor of rightwing dictators, driving genocides and social upheavals which have left many with little choice but to leave.
Trump's response to Southern border crossings has been to demonize migrants and threaten mass deportations. Harris' approach has been to promote a so-called "border security" package which would send even more law enforcement to the borderlands and increase ICE detention capacity.
A Green administration, Stein promised, would end the War on Drugs and weaken violent cartels by legalizing marijuana on Day One and proceeding to decriminalize all drugs after that. Instead of investing in walls, funds would go toward building the necessary infrastructure to process asylum applications quickly and to provide people the papers they need to go to work right away.
"Border security is not obtained by a wall," Stein insisted. "Border security is achieved by, number one, decompressing the migration crisis by eliminating the drivers of that migration crisis."
Ending the Gaza genocide
Stein has made Palestinian freedom a cornerstone of her campaign. After Tuesday's debate, she once again criticized both Harris and Trump for enabling the destruction of Gaza by vowing to continue military and diplomatic support to the apartheid state of Israel.
The presidential hopeful said her administration would enact a weapons embargo on Israel and prioritize the return of stolen land and homes to original owners in the West Bank, in adherence with international law.
"If we turn the White House into a Green House and make the world a better place by doing that, on Day One – or I should say, actually the day after the election – I pick up the phone and I am calling [Israeli Prime Minister] Bibi Netanyahu to tell him the genocide is over."
The Green Party nominee also blasted Democrats' and Republicans' violent responses to anti-war protests in the US as an attack on the rights of free speech and assembly. She rejected equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism as a means of silencing dissent.
"As a Jew, I would say that if you say it's antisemitic to oppose genocide, in my view, that is the most antisemitic thing you could possibly say," Stein said.
"I say it is a core Jewish value to oppose genocide. It is a core Muslim value to oppose genocide. It is a core Christian value. It is a core human value."
Investing in real solutions
By significantly reducing the US military budget, the Green Party wants to redirect government spending into meeting the true needs of the American people, including social housing, reparations for Black Americans, Medicare For All, and major climate investments.
On Day One, Stein said she would declare a climate emergency and unleash $1 trillion in funds to begin implementing the party's signature Green New Deal, which calls for a 100% clean renewable energy transition by 2030, massive investments in green businesses and infrastructure, and an end to fossil fuel extraction.
She contrasted her response to the global climate crisis with the Biden-Harris administration's Inflation Reduction Act. The policy – which Harris touted on the debate stage – set aside $369 billion for green energy projects while mandating continued oil and gas drilling.
The major-party candidates also failed to adequately address the health care crisis, which remains an existential issue for many Americans despite the introduction of the Affordable Care Act under Democratic President Barack Obama.
"We didn't hear about Medicare For All," the Harvard-trained physician said. "They don't want you to know about Medicare For All because it not only provides care for everyone, it also saves one out of every three health care dollars."
The Green Party promotes a publicly-owned, democratically controlled health care service, which would cover reproductive, dental, hearing, vision, and chronic care. Stein said such a system would expand health coverage while also reducing costs by half a trillion per year.
These transformative solutions are by no means out of reach. Stein encouraged supporters to reject the two-party system and to continue organizing for justice, because if the 2024 election cycle has proved anything, it's that anything can happen.
"We have a perfect storm for building our power right now," she urged. "Let's seize the moment together."
Cover photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire