Green Party Presidential Candidate Makes Case in Roxborough

Addressing Green Party members at in Roxborough, Dr. Jill Stein argued to turn the White House green in November.

The presidential candidate for the third party rallied her base in an effort to secure ballot support and raise funds for the Green Party's campaign against President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger.

From Massachusetts, Stein ran against Mitt Romney in the 2002 gubernatorial race. With a background as a physician, Stein gained notoriety for her reports on toxic threats within medicine.

Stein is vying for the national nod, but is competing for the Green Party bid with comedienne Roseanne Barr, who has publicly voiced intentions on running. So far, Stein has won all eight Green Party primaries—Massachusetts, Ohio, Maine, Minnesota, Illinois, Arizona, Wisconsin, Virginia and New Jersey.

On the Issues

Stein came down hard against both parties and the electoral college, saying it limits the participation necessary for a democracy.

The candidate devoted a large segment of her talk Monday to her Green New Deal program. Similar to President Franklin Roosevelt's Great Depression era policy, Stein's plan is a large-scale, emergency jobs initiative that intends on creating 25 million jobs that are environmentally friendly and sustainable. 

"This ends the unemployment problem. It ends the recession. It jump starts the secure green economy for the 21st century, and it substantially combats climate change," she said.

Another key point for Stein is forgiving student debt as a kickoff to more publicly funded higher education.

"We've already bailed out the banks for trillions. Let's lift this indentured servitude from our students and help them out," she said.

Additionally, Stein laid out the following campaign beliefs:

• Against Wall Street bailouts
• Opposing cuts to Medicare and Social Security
• Bringing home military troops abroad and cutting the Defense Department's budget
• Decrease dependency on foreign oil
• Create more incentives for green jobs
• Favors marijuana legalization

Click here to read Stein's stance on all issues.

Getting on the Ballot

A main goal from her appearance in Pennsylvania was to achieve ballot access in the commonwealth and fundraise. To receive matching federal funding, she needs $5,000 from all 50 states. She also needs at minimum 20,000 signatures to appear on the Pennsylvania ballot in November.

"That's really the most critical thing we can do in the room is making sure every person we know... understands why we should be on the ballot in Pennsylvania," she said.

Stein's campaign relies on the free campaigning tools available in 2012, and is active on social media. She pointed to uprisings locally and around the world as a springboard for change.

"In the Arab Spring and the democracy revolutions in the Middle East, in the uprisings in Wisconsin, in the Occupy protests all over this county, we are seeing people peeling away from the establishment of political parties," she said.

"We need a tipping point, because we are up against the breaking point for the planet, for the people and the economy that depend on it."

What the Audience Thought

Attendees came to hear Stein speak from the city, Bucks, Lancaster and Montgomery Counties, in addition to further places, like Princeton and Connecticut.

Ross Levin, from Lafayette Hill, was home on spring break from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. He organized a Stein rally at school, and came to the party during Hugh Giordano's bid for state representative in 2010.

The Green Party appeals to Levin, 18, because of the party's stance against corporate fundraising and pro-environmental causes.

"One of the reasons I think our nation is in such a bad place is because there aren't third parties. New ideas are shut out of the political system. I hope that this year people wake up and start voting third party more often," he said.

Stephanie Hoffman use to live in Roxborough, and currently resides outside Princeton, NJ. A mother of two, she said Monday she wanted to learn a little more about Stein.

"I wanted to see how I could become more active in New Jersey... I want to show my children that we can have a choice, and that we can make a differences. I need to vote for someone who is going to do that," she said.

To view the Green Party's website, click here.