Dem
49
GOP
51
Many readers will have seen this picture from a Vladimir Putin-hosted banquet celebrating the 10th anniversary of Russia Today:
There's Vladdy right there, front and center, with everyone's favorite "loyal" American, Mike Flynn, seated next to him. And a few seats to Putin's left, basically right across from him, is then- and current-Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein.
What, exactly, was Stein doing there? You could ask her, but... she's not going to tell you. Certainly, Russia Today did much to promote her 2016 campaign, and is now doing much to promote her 2024 campaign. But exactly why she would rub elbows with, perhaps, the most dangerous and anti-American man in the world? Stein does not feel that people are entitled to that information. When reporters have tried to get some clarity, she huffily replies that it's a shame that it takes a Russian TV outlet "to actually be open to independent candidates in this country."
That's not the only way Stein has toted Putin's water, either. To give a second example, she gave a speech last weekend defending the "Uhuru 3" as advocates for free speech and for an anti-war platform. She did not see fit to mention that they were indicted as Russian collaborators (in fairness, a jury found them not guilty of collaborating with the Russians a few days later).
To give a third example, Stein landed an interview this weekend with Mehdi Hasan, on a platform called Zeteo (no, we've never heard of it, either). Taking a different tack on the now-infamous 2015 RT dinner, Hasan observed that since Stein broke bread with Putin: (1) Putin has invaded Ukraine, and (2) Stein has called Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal. Following from this, Hasan asked if Putin also qualifies as a war criminal. And Stein—you can read the full exchange in the linked article—bent over backwards to avoid saying "yes."
We have no idea what is going on with Stein. Is she desperate for the publicity she gets from Putin/Russia Today (even if Putin's goals are ratfu**ing-oriented)? Is she somehow on Putin's payroll, or otherwise deriving some sort of financial or other benefit from the Russian government? Something else? Only she really knows.
However, the Democrats have taken note of the fact that, in 2016, they ignored Stein, and then saw her pile up numbers of votes in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan that were greater than Hillary Clinton's margin of defeat. If you imagine a world where most or all of those Stein votes become Clinton votes, then Clinton wins 273 EVs and the presidency.
In view of this—and presumably also backed by polling that shows Stein pulling meaningful numbers of votes from Kamala Harris—the Democrats have decided that maybe they can't ignore Stein, and maybe they need to try to take her down a few pegs. So, they are working now to put out the word that she is—that's right—a useful idiot who is unwittingly doing Vladimir Putin's bidding.
Republicans have attacked some Democrats, most obviously Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), for being a little too comfortable with Russian ideology (translation: Sanders is a commie). Attacking Stein in this way would probably not work too well, since most or all of her voters presumably don't mind being thought of as far-lefty. On the other hand, hitting her as a Putin stooge implies that she (and thus her voters) are enabling a power-hungry warmonger. Now THAT is something that might actually stick in the craw of Green Partiers. Certainly, it can't hurt to try.
Incidentally, the Democrats apparently aren't too worried about Cornel West, at least not yet. But if they change their minds on that, they could theoretically hit him with the "useful idiot" label, as well. West has blamed the war on Ukraine on... NATO. Most people are laboring under the "delusion" that blame for the war belongs with Putin since he, you know, started it. But no, says West, it was NATO that goaded the Russians into invading Ukraine. It's a novel take, and one that could be used against West, if the Democrats decide that's worth pursuing. (Z)