Welcome!
In the videos and responses below,
Justice Party Executive Director, Rocky Anderson,
responds to six commonly-asked questions about the Justice Party.
QUESTION #1:
I’m unhappy with the choices the Republican and Democratic Parties offer us,
but I also don’t want a third party to split the vote and be a spoiler
so the worst of the major party candidates win.
RESPONSE:
The Justice Party will run candidates at local, state, and national levels. There are some races where the so-called “spoiler” effect won’t be an issue. For instance, my successful races for Mayor of SLC were non-partisan. We didn’t run as nominees of parties--which is how I wish every race could be.
But third-party candidates have indeed made real, very negative differences by running in contested states.
The Justice Party, intent on doing what it can to make this a more peaceful nation, with greater social, economic, and environmental justice, will never stay in a race simply to qualify for matching funds in the next election. Nor will we ever play a part in electing the clearly worst candidates, like George W. Bush or Donald Trump.
If it is evident the Justice Party candidate cannot win in an election, it will withdraw in “battleground” states or districts where the races are closely contested. On the other hand, the Justice Party will continue to campaign in so-called “safe” states and districts, where the result is a foregone conclusion no matter what other parties might do.
That’s what any party truly committed to a better nation should do.
The Justice Party will run candidates at local, state, and national levels. There are some races where the so-called “spoiler” effect won’t be an issue. For instance, my successful races for Mayor of SLC were non-partisan. We didn’t run as nominees of parties--which is how I wish every race could be.
But third-party candidates have indeed made real, very negative differences by running in contested states.
- President James Polk was a racist slave-owner and shameless slavery advocate, who lied to Congress and to the public after he provoked Mexico and started the Mexican-American War. He did it, in part, to expand slave-holding territories and states so that slavery would never be outlawed by Congress. Polk would have lost his close race for the presidency had it not been for a third-party abolitionist candidate who split the vote in New York.
- Although Ralph Nader is a great friend and I admire all the amazing things he has accomplished for ordinary people in the U.S., it appears from most analyses that his continued participation in the Florida presidential election in 2000 could very well have been a factor in George W. Bush prevailing over Al Gore.
- And it appears that Jill Stein’s candidacy with the Green Party probably led to Donald Trump’s win over Hillary Clinton.
The Justice Party, intent on doing what it can to make this a more peaceful nation, with greater social, economic, and environmental justice, will never stay in a race simply to qualify for matching funds in the next election. Nor will we ever play a part in electing the clearly worst candidates, like George W. Bush or Donald Trump.
If it is evident the Justice Party candidate cannot win in an election, it will withdraw in “battleground” states or districts where the races are closely contested. On the other hand, the Justice Party will continue to campaign in so-called “safe” states and districts, where the result is a foregone conclusion no matter what other parties might do.
That’s what any party truly committed to a better nation should do.
QUESTION #2:
Why should we support another party, even if it better reflects our views,
if it is nearly certain that a major party will always win?
RESPONSE:
Great question. But your assumption is incorrect. The majority of people in the U.S. want to see another major party. If they would stand behind their desire, we could all contribute to achieving a far better nation. As long as so many people remain timid, assuming that the lock on power by the two major parties is unbreakable, corrupting money will always have its way and the duopoly Democratic and Republican Parties will continue to deprive our nation of what the majority of people really want. It’s high time we break the systemic lock on power that corrupting money has created in our politics!
Great question. But your assumption is incorrect. The majority of people in the U.S. want to see another major party. If they would stand behind their desire, we could all contribute to achieving a far better nation. As long as so many people remain timid, assuming that the lock on power by the two major parties is unbreakable, corrupting money will always have its way and the duopoly Democratic and Republican Parties will continue to deprive our nation of what the majority of people really want. It’s high time we break the systemic lock on power that corrupting money has created in our politics!
QUESTION #3:
What is it that the two major parties are not providing that,
as you say, most people want?
RESPONSE:
There are so many things the majority of people in the U.S. have wanted for many years, but have been denied by the Republican and Democratic Parties, working in collusion with one another.
Universal Health Care.
For instance, according to many surveys, most people in the U.S. want universal health care, but the two parties won’t even put it on the table for consideration. In one major poll, 63% of adult respondents said the government has the responsibility to provide health care for all.[1] We deserve what the people in the rest of the industrialized world have--essential health care for ALL!
Less Incarceration; More Rehabilitation.
Likewise, most people, including the majority of people describing themselves as “conservatives,” “liberals,” or moderates,” want much lower incarceration rates, with productive alternatives to incarceration whenever possible. One major poll reflected that 71% of people in the U.S. agreed that “incarceration for long periods is counterproductive to public safety due to the absence of effective rehabilitation programs in prisons.”[2] Another survey reflected that 85 percent of respondents support making rehabilitation the goal of the criminal justice system rather than punishment.”[3] Also, most people believe that the criminal justice system discriminates against poor people[4].
Yet our nation has, by far, the greatest incarceration rate in the world--with more people in jail and prison for drug-related offenses than all of the people incarcerated in Western Europe for all crimes combined! It is perverse--and it is racist. And it needs to change!
Affordable Higher Education.
Only 22% of respondents ages 18 to 29 believe that higher education in the U.S. is affordable.[5] The majority of people want affordable higher education, with an end to crushing student debt. In fact, several polls have shown that a majority of respondents support free college tuition at public universities, colleges and trade schools.[6] Yet the two parties have locked in an incredibly expensive education system and an unconscionable student debt system, unlike anything found in the rest of the industrialized world--and unlike anything that existed when I was a college student. Our young people deserve affordable education. And all who carry student debt deserve a solution that serves the interests of students and the rest of the public rather than only the interests of for-profit colleges and the banks!
End the War on Drugs.
A majority of people want an end to the wasteful so-called “war on drugs.” In fact, the majority of people in the U.S. favor decriminalizing drugs.[7] However, our foolish, self-destructive, cruel approach to substance abuse has been a product of collusion between the two major parties. Substance abuse should be handled as a public health and education challenge, not as another reason to put more and more people, disproportionately Black and Latinx, behind bars.
Climate Protection.
Most people--two out of three--in the U.S., for years, have wanted more effective action by the government to protect our climate and the earth’s inhabitants[8]—not just toothless, voluntary agreements and kicking the can down the road for others to deal with the climate crisis. Yet both parties have focused, instead, not on providing courageous leadership, but, rather, on cynical calculations regarding the political consequences of doing what was required to protect the climate and earth’s inhabitants. They have consistently exhibited disgraceful timidity in the face of a growing climate catastrophe. Through their ineffectiveness, both major parties have essentially been making war against later generations and those who are least capable of surviving the horrendous impacts of climate chaos. We all, including those not yet born, deserve far better from our political parties and leaders.
Integrity in the Campaign and Political Systems.
Most people from both major parties want an end to the corrupt campaign finance and political systems.[9] For instance 88 percent of people in the U.S. say political TV ads should be required to disclose who paid for the ad.[10] Yet the duopoly parties continue to benefit from it all, feeding from the same trough of corrupting money, doing the will of the wealthy as they undermine the public interest. This oligarchy must come to an end!
The list goes on and on of what the people of the U.S. want and how the duopoly Democratic and Republican Parties have deprived us of it. If we want to change it all, we can’t continue doing the same thing and expect a different result.
Reject the two major parties who have acted against the public interest for so many years, break the lock on political power created by those duopoly parties, and exercise your choice to support the Justice Party.
There are so many things the majority of people in the U.S. have wanted for many years, but have been denied by the Republican and Democratic Parties, working in collusion with one another.
Universal Health Care.
For instance, according to many surveys, most people in the U.S. want universal health care, but the two parties won’t even put it on the table for consideration. In one major poll, 63% of adult respondents said the government has the responsibility to provide health care for all.[1] We deserve what the people in the rest of the industrialized world have--essential health care for ALL!
Less Incarceration; More Rehabilitation.
Likewise, most people, including the majority of people describing themselves as “conservatives,” “liberals,” or moderates,” want much lower incarceration rates, with productive alternatives to incarceration whenever possible. One major poll reflected that 71% of people in the U.S. agreed that “incarceration for long periods is counterproductive to public safety due to the absence of effective rehabilitation programs in prisons.”[2] Another survey reflected that 85 percent of respondents support making rehabilitation the goal of the criminal justice system rather than punishment.”[3] Also, most people believe that the criminal justice system discriminates against poor people[4].
Yet our nation has, by far, the greatest incarceration rate in the world--with more people in jail and prison for drug-related offenses than all of the people incarcerated in Western Europe for all crimes combined! It is perverse--and it is racist. And it needs to change!
Affordable Higher Education.
Only 22% of respondents ages 18 to 29 believe that higher education in the U.S. is affordable.[5] The majority of people want affordable higher education, with an end to crushing student debt. In fact, several polls have shown that a majority of respondents support free college tuition at public universities, colleges and trade schools.[6] Yet the two parties have locked in an incredibly expensive education system and an unconscionable student debt system, unlike anything found in the rest of the industrialized world--and unlike anything that existed when I was a college student. Our young people deserve affordable education. And all who carry student debt deserve a solution that serves the interests of students and the rest of the public rather than only the interests of for-profit colleges and the banks!
End the War on Drugs.
A majority of people want an end to the wasteful so-called “war on drugs.” In fact, the majority of people in the U.S. favor decriminalizing drugs.[7] However, our foolish, self-destructive, cruel approach to substance abuse has been a product of collusion between the two major parties. Substance abuse should be handled as a public health and education challenge, not as another reason to put more and more people, disproportionately Black and Latinx, behind bars.
Climate Protection.
Most people--two out of three--in the U.S., for years, have wanted more effective action by the government to protect our climate and the earth’s inhabitants[8]—not just toothless, voluntary agreements and kicking the can down the road for others to deal with the climate crisis. Yet both parties have focused, instead, not on providing courageous leadership, but, rather, on cynical calculations regarding the political consequences of doing what was required to protect the climate and earth’s inhabitants. They have consistently exhibited disgraceful timidity in the face of a growing climate catastrophe. Through their ineffectiveness, both major parties have essentially been making war against later generations and those who are least capable of surviving the horrendous impacts of climate chaos. We all, including those not yet born, deserve far better from our political parties and leaders.
Integrity in the Campaign and Political Systems.
Most people from both major parties want an end to the corrupt campaign finance and political systems.[9] For instance 88 percent of people in the U.S. say political TV ads should be required to disclose who paid for the ad.[10] Yet the duopoly parties continue to benefit from it all, feeding from the same trough of corrupting money, doing the will of the wealthy as they undermine the public interest. This oligarchy must come to an end!
The list goes on and on of what the people of the U.S. want and how the duopoly Democratic and Republican Parties have deprived us of it. If we want to change it all, we can’t continue doing the same thing and expect a different result.
Reject the two major parties who have acted against the public interest for so many years, break the lock on political power created by those duopoly parties, and exercise your choice to support the Justice Party.
QUESTION #4:
I want to hedge my bets and make sure Donald Trump
or someone like him never wins again.
Therefore, I feel I need to continue to be a Democrat
or even join the Republican Party
so I can try to help change what’s happening to that party.
RESPONSE:
So does the Justice Party Steering Board, many members of which have retained their membership in one of the previously existing parties. Unlike other political parties, we do not ask that you necessarily resign your membership in another political party. We simply ask that you also support the Justice Party and participate in both our electoral efforts and our movement-building. There should be nothing exclusive about a party you choose to join! With growing support, the Justice Party will one day be a majority party fighting for what the public wants.
So does the Justice Party Steering Board, many members of which have retained their membership in one of the previously existing parties. Unlike other political parties, we do not ask that you necessarily resign your membership in another political party. We simply ask that you also support the Justice Party and participate in both our electoral efforts and our movement-building. There should be nothing exclusive about a party you choose to join! With growing support, the Justice Party will one day be a majority party fighting for what the public wants.
QUESTION #5:
What is the movement-building aspect of the Justice Party?
I thought you were a political party
that will just participate in political campaigns.
RESPONSE:
The Justice Party will run candidates in local, state, and national races—and build state affiliated parties.
But just as importantly, if not more so, the Justice Party focuses on engaging people, even members of other parties or of no party, to help bring about positive changes to further social, economic, and environmental justice.
We are building teams of people who will do more than engage in mouse-click activism so they will learn more about important issues, organize, and mobilize to push for change from the grassroots level. It’s this kind of movement-building—not just electing the right people to office--that has been behind most major social progress in our country, including the slave abolition, women’s suffrage, civil rights, and labor movements.
We must all get back to organizing and pushing, relentlessly, from the grassroots level. The Justice Party is unique among parties in focusing on powerful, organized, tenacious, effective action by ordinary people who demand change, including an end to the corrupting influence of money on our campaigns and political system.
The Justice Party will run candidates in local, state, and national races—and build state affiliated parties.
But just as importantly, if not more so, the Justice Party focuses on engaging people, even members of other parties or of no party, to help bring about positive changes to further social, economic, and environmental justice.
We are building teams of people who will do more than engage in mouse-click activism so they will learn more about important issues, organize, and mobilize to push for change from the grassroots level. It’s this kind of movement-building—not just electing the right people to office--that has been behind most major social progress in our country, including the slave abolition, women’s suffrage, civil rights, and labor movements.
We must all get back to organizing and pushing, relentlessly, from the grassroots level. The Justice Party is unique among parties in focusing on powerful, organized, tenacious, effective action by ordinary people who demand change, including an end to the corrupting influence of money on our campaigns and political system.
QUESTION #6:
Does it cost anything to be a member of the Justice Party?
How does a person join?
RESPONSE:
The Justice Party does not require any payment for anyone to be a member. Simply go to our website, www.justiceparty.us, and fill out the short form indicating you want to be a member. We make clear that we do not require anyone to resign from or repudiate any other party. We just seek your support for our grassroots organizing activities to push for the changes most people in the U.S. want—and to build the party to become a majority party that will honor our democracy and fight for what most people in the U.S. want—greater social, economic, and environmental justice.
The Justice Party does not require any payment for anyone to be a member. Simply go to our website, www.justiceparty.us, and fill out the short form indicating you want to be a member. We make clear that we do not require anyone to resign from or repudiate any other party. We just seek your support for our grassroots organizing activities to push for the changes most people in the U.S. want—and to build the party to become a majority party that will honor our democracy and fight for what most people in the U.S. want—greater social, economic, and environmental justice.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/09/29/increasing-share-of-americans-favor-a-single-government-program-to-provide-health-care-coverage/.
[2] https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2018/nov/6/polls-show-people-favor-rehabilitation-over-incarceration/
[3] Id.
[4] Id.
[5] https://www.highereddive.com/news/public-opinion-on-college-affordability-unchanged-in-new-poll/570141/
[6] https://www.freecollegenow.org/polling; https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/461106-majority-of-voters-support-free-college-eliminating-student-debt
[7] https://www.cato.org/blog/poll-55-americans-favor-decriminalizing-drugs
[8] https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2020/06/23/two-thirds-of-americans-think-government-should-do-more-on-climate/
[9] https://thehill.com/hilltv/what-americas-thinking/430985-pollster-says-campaign-finance-reform-is-a-bipartisan-issue
[10] Id.
[1] https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/09/29/increasing-share-of-americans-favor-a-single-government-program-to-provide-health-care-coverage/.
[2] https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2018/nov/6/polls-show-people-favor-rehabilitation-over-incarceration/
[3] Id.
[4] Id.
[5] https://www.highereddive.com/news/public-opinion-on-college-affordability-unchanged-in-new-poll/570141/
[6] https://www.freecollegenow.org/polling; https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/461106-majority-of-voters-support-free-college-eliminating-student-debt
[7] https://www.cato.org/blog/poll-55-americans-favor-decriminalizing-drugs
[8] https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2020/06/23/two-thirds-of-americans-think-government-should-do-more-on-climate/
[9] https://thehill.com/hilltv/what-americas-thinking/430985-pollster-says-campaign-finance-reform-is-a-bipartisan-issue
[10] Id.
