Hallo, meine Genossen und Genossinnen.  My present dilemma is in deciding between two commendable third party presidential candidates.  I welcome any input you may have.

Stewart Alexander is the nominee of the Peace and Freedom, Green, and Socialist parties, has been a perennial Socialist candidate for LA Mayor, Lt. Governor, and Vice President.  Now he's running as the triple nominee for president.  His background is in community organizing, particularly on environmental issues, he's a veteran who strongly opposes war, and he speaks incredibly well.  If I were judging on oratorical ability, there would be no contest.  My hesitation stems from his total opposition to every fundraising initiative on the California ballot when he ran for lt. gov., and a feeling that he is more an activist than a leader.  That's not a bad thing, but when compared to choice B it seems something of a deficiency.  His website (below this paragraph) is more a biographic than a policy sheet, but it links to the SPA's page which explains it pretty thoroughly.  Economic planning and collective ownership of all corporations, double the minimum wage and index it to inflation, full employment guaranteed, abolition of NAFTA, IMF and World Bank, public ownership of the energy infrastructure, and an employment non-discrimination act.  It's basically a shopping list of everything I want, but I have to measure that against choice 2's history of implementing parts of this, and arguing for much of the same.

http://www.stewartalexandercares.com/
Rocky Anderson, former 2-term mayor of Salt Lake City, leader of the impeach Bush movement and constant opponent of Bush's wars and Obama's expansion of the same.  He is a true environmentalist, calling for not only and end to subsidies for oil companies, but also for coal companies, and an end to fracking while investing in renewable energies, and subsidizing safe, sustainable wind and solar and geothermal energy.  no nuclear, no fracking, no dependence on fossil fuels.  On Rocky's watch, greenhouse gas emissions from SLC were down 31 percent, which won him a reputation as America's "greenest mayor".  On Gay Rights Anderson actually passed a municipal level ENDA while he was Mayor.  For all the importance of marriage rights, in my view the greatest obstacle faced by the LGBT community is the fact that our orientation alone is sufficient reason to fire or evict us in 29 states, and 37 states for the Transgendered.  This bill, the ENDA remedying that travesty was a big promise of the Obama campaign, and no word has been said about it at the federal level since June 2008.   Rocky has always been prochoice, and as a former Mormon, wins great respect from this Atheist.  I'll be interested to see if his new "Justice Party" expands to contest some local races, much like the PSL does.  I really think that in a few districts the right candidates could win the left away from the Democratic Party.  But successes are not on the table atm, so this is really just about picking who I think is the better candidate.

information on the justice party and Rocky Anderson can be found here http://www.voterocky.org/


As you may have guessed, I'm planning on supporting Rocky Anderson, (his record as an elected official who not only says the right things but does the right things is too good to pass up) but I'd really like to hear your thoughts.  Anyone?


I fully support both candidates' platforms, although I certainly prefer Alexander's comprehensive approach to economic issues and employment.  Alexander is also definitely the better speaker.