Don't Let Anyone Tell You Democrats Are Different Than Republicans

[Razard86]

Leo likes to make small distinctions between Democrats and Republicans and say that Democrats are more towards good than Republicans and sure you can make that argument. But overall both parties serve corporate interests. So let me ask you, if you have two people running for election and one guy will give you scraps from the table and then give the rest of your resources to the rich and the other will deny you the scraps and give it to the rich can you really say one is less corrupt? Sure in terms of percentage of corruption the scrap giver is less corrupt but in terms of being corrupt both are corrupt.

So it is based on what lens you choose to look at it with. The lens I choose is corruption is corruption no matter how small it is. When you avert your eyes and play the lesser of two evils you can become evil. Sure sometimes in life you have two unfavorable outcomes available and you have to pick the lesser of two evils, but you DO NOT build your entire political system on the lesser of two evils. 

America probably needs a 3rd or 4th political party like they have in Europe where this way they can break up the corporate control of power. Until America can rid itself of corporate control it is going to just be a Country that serves Corporations and engages in throwing scraps out sparingly. Now I personally believe this political system will collapse because throughout history all corruption eventually EATS ITSELF because corruption is not sustainable. We will see what arise from the ashes.

Bonus: It's sad that this old video below is STILL RELEVANT!!!

 

Edited May 5, 2023 by Razard86

[Husseinisdoingfine]

I'm here with you,

I'm probably at this point going to either abstain from voting or vote for the Green Party Maaaaaayyyyyybe I'll vote for the PSL, but they're not as big as the Greens.

I am so sick of so called ''''''''Leftists''''''''' in name only such as Leo and Vaush continuously screeching at me to vote for the current Democratic frontrunner, an 80 year old man who can't make coherent sentences and should be in a nursing home rn. Even Obama stacked his cabinet and admin with banking executives.

Either way who wins, Middle East is bombed and scatted w/ U.S. military bases, Palestinian human rights violations ignored, and the Oligarchs continue to win.

 

[Leo Gura]

It's not a small distinction. Conservatives are a good deal more corrupt. Just look at the current Supreme Court situation and the whole MAGA movement.

You are never going to get some ideal or perfect party. Politics is all about picking the better of imperfect options, so everything hinges on making proper small distinctions. Although I wouldn't even say that the distinction between Dems and Repubs is small right now.

Edited May 6, 2023 by Leo Gura

[Buck Edwards]

They're radically different. Dems understand people issues better. Whereas Republicans focus way too much on money and public appeal. 

 

[abundance]

No they aren't the same. Since the time I've been cognizant of politics, Republicans have gotten us into war, crashed the economy and fumbled national crises. It seems as though for the past two decades Democrats are the ones come in and clean things up that the prior Republican admin screwed up. 

And Trump... was able to do so much damage in the 4 years of his presidency.  Appointing justices who later eroded abortion rights and challenged student loan debt relief that could benefit millions. Mishandling the pandemic. Eroding regulations that keep us safe. Getting us out of the Paris agreement. And all the other insanely corrupt things he did as president. 

Edited May 6, 2023 by abundance

[Jodistrict]

In foreign policy they are the same.  They both support forever wars and a policy of hegemony.  This is the establishment position.   Biden is pro war.  He strongly supported the invasion of Iraq and he is now using Ukraine in a proxy war with Russia, instead of using his influence to negotiate an end to the war.   The only major political candidates that have pushed back on this warmongering policy are Trump and Robert Kennedy, Jr.  

Edited May 6, 2023 by Jodistrict

[RareGodzilla]

I don't think they are inherently the same. The main problem is that their campaing is financed by the same people. That's why there is little difference in terms of foreing policy. 

[abundance]

Which party absolutely refuses to pass any meaningful gun legislation?

Which party doesn't acknowledge climate change and refuses to do anything to mitigate it?

Which party consistently seeks out ways to suppress the votes of minorities and young people?

 

No, they're NOT the same. And I'm tired of this bothsidism crap. Sorry, but after the events of this weekend the Republican party is illegitimate in my eyes as a political entity.

 

Edited May 8, 2023 by abundance

[Jodistrict]

Most of the world doesn’t understand the fine distinctions of America’s domestic squabbles and see no difference between Obama, Trump, or Biden.  It always ends up in some place being bombed.

[hoodrow trillson]

On 5/6/2023 at 0:59 PM, abundance said:

No they aren't the same. Since the time I've been cognizant of politics, Republicans have gotten us into war, crashed the economy and fumbled national crises. It seems as though for the past two decades Democrats are the ones come in and clean things up that the prior Republican admin screwed up. 

And Trump... was able to do so much damage in the 4 years of his presidency.  Appointing justices who later eroded abortion rights and challenged student loan debt relief that could benefit millions. Mishandling the pandemic. Eroding regulations that keep us safe. Getting us out of the Paris agreement. And all the other insanely corrupt things he did as president. 

It's refreshing wading through garbage posts to find some sanity on this forum.

100% facts.  But shockingly no one wants to point out the obvious?  Usually it's absolutely drowned out by whataboutisms.

[ndm678]

At the local/state levels there is a difference between the Donkey and Elephant. But on the national scene, there is only one party, I call it DC United. 

The state I live in has been in a battle with a utility corporation. The state has legislatively defeated this corporation very ambitious plans. Utility corporation donates to both parties campaigns. Utility company gets to do whatever they want, they bought and paid for those courts a loooong time ago. 

Egotistical, self centered, greedy Americans elect egotistical, self centered, greedy Americans. People are surprised by this ??.

These people come from American families, American Schools, American Churches, American universities, and worked for American corporations. This is the best we can do. You get what you put in. Garbage in, garbage out. - Butchered George Carlin Skit.

[thenondualtankie]

Both parties serve corporate interests, yes. I'd say picking the lesser of two evils is a completely valid argument though. As Leo pointed out, you're never going to have a perfect party, i.e. every party will fall into your "corrupt" category.

I'd also like to point out that European parties also basically serve corporate interests. Another point is that in a given country, there always statistically ends up being two major parties. They've done studies on this. 

[Leo Gura]

Saying that both parties serve corporate interests is like the most simpleton political analysis of all time. Please just stay out of politics at that point.

Edited May 12, 2023 by Leo Gura

[Hardkill]

OP, have listened to Noam Chomsky’s on take on the difference between both parties? 

Even though both parties have been captured by businesses interests, then Republican Congress Party has always served corporations and the top 1% of Americans much more so than the Democratic has. 

Democratic at least has gotten much more good things done for the good of the country by far the GOP. Obama became the first truly liberal president we had in terms of policy since Nixon’s presidency from 1969-1974. Furthermore Biden has arguably now gotten even more liberal policies done than Obama did and has accomplished more good if not great things for the country compared to any other president since JFK/LBJ in the 1960s. Unlike most Democrats, most Republicans, especially the MAGA Republicans just keep trying to destroy our country by constanly passing tax cuts and deregulation policies for the rich, deregulation policies that destroy the environment and worsen climate change, undermining people’s social security and healthcare rights, anti abortion laws, pass racist and undemocratic voter suppression laws. Democrats as a whole have continued to fight for and expand people’s freedoms, racial equality, social justice, democracy, pro-environmental policies, taxes on the rich and corporations, healthcare rights, and so on and so forth.

Right now, the Republican Party has been perceived as being more out of touch, anachronistic, and tyrannical, than the Democratic Party.

Edited May 12, 2023 by Hardkill

[Razard86]

On 5/12/2023 at 1:34 PM, Leo Gura said:

Saying that both parties serve corporate interests is like the most simpleton political analysis of all time. Please just stay out of politics at that point.

Leo, the entire cause of every political problem is corporate interests. Stay out of politics? LOL you are hilarious. You know your entire conscious politics video that I didn't listen too? Why didn't I listen to it? Because it literally cannot happen as long as politics are in bed with corporate interests. If you look at the Spirit of the Constitution that was written it was about doing the best it could to prevent too much concentration of power. Corporate control over both parties was NOT always a thing. It became this way over time. 

Was there discrimination in the early days of government based on race and class back then? Sure but those distinctions were backed by limited opportunities for education due to wealth being a huge factor since lack of social resources existed. But do we have those issues today? Its almost non-existent in most areas if anything we have so much access to information lots of false information can be generated.

So what does this all mean? It means we have enough intelligent people that we can pick from to put in office but because of Corporate Control we cannot even pick viable candidates. If you understood how hard it is to even gain FUNDING to run you would understand that the system itself is BUILT to be corrupt and no matter who you elect they are LIMITED by the system. 

So at this point it doesn't MATTER who you elect, they will only be able to do small minute changes that cannot make lasting change. As a result what usually happens America votes in the opposite party even if that candidate's small changes were beneficial. The NUMBER ONE reason America does this is because the Democratic Party is beholden to corporate interests!!

You can't see that because you want to push the lesser of two evils options. I could go REALLY indepth here if I wanted too and crush your opinion. For example if you understood the political relationship African Americans have with the Democratic Party you wouldn't be saying that snarky ignorant remark you just made. It's not your fault, since you have lived as a white man you don't know the African American perspective but had you known it...you would understand what is being presented here. The Democratic Party right now for example has a tenuous relationship with the Black Male Race, they are literally being held together by the Black Female Race in terms of the minority voting that is in danger of being lost. They were able to appeal to Black Female voters by offering more business and political opportunities but this past election cycle they lost a HUGE amount of Black Male voters. Now because I fit that demographic and HEAR their concerns I know EXACTLY why they lost it. 

You know why? Because in the eyes of a poor man, with limited opportunities corruption is corruption he doesn't see any distinction. The African American history with the Democratic Party can best be described as many failed promises. As a result they will continue to lose the vote of more and more African American Male voters. Unless they can bring in more of the white vote to offset that they could see themselves losing more and more. What has made the Democratic Party appear distinct is there ability to appeal to the common man, but when the common man starts to view you as elitist then all bets are off. Again they dropped the ball with Bernie Sanders, let's hope the next candidate free of corporate control that comes again they do the right thing and push him forward.

If the Democratic Party wants to be taken seriously they MUST cut ties to Corporate Interests and they had a CHANCE with BERNIE SANDERS and they squandered it due to fear!!

Edited May 20, 2023 by Razard86

[Danioover9000]

@Razard86  What do you think about a third or fourth party systems instead of two party system in the USA?

[Leo Gura]

9 hours ago, Razard86 said:

Leo, the entire cause of every political problem is corporate interests. Stay out of politics? LOL you are hilarious. You know your entire conscious politics video that I didn't listen too? Why didn't I listen to it? Because it literally cannot happen as long as politics are in bed with corporate interests. If you look at the Spirit of the Constitution that was written it was about doing the best it could to prevent too much concentration of power. Corporate control over both parties was NOT always a thing. It became this way over time. 

Was there discrimination in the early days of government based on race and class back then? Sure but those distinctions were backed by limited opportunities for education due to wealth being a huge factor since lack of social resources existed. But do we have those issues today? Its almost non-existent in most areas if anything we have so much access to information lots of false information can be generated.

So what does this all mean? It means we have enough intelligent people that we can pick from to put in office but because of Corporate Control we cannot even pick viable candidates. If you understood how hard it is to even gain FUNDING to run you would understand that the system itself is BUILT to be corrupt and no matter who you elect they are LIMITED by the system. 

So at this point it doesn't MATTER who you elect, they will only be able to do small minute changes that cannot make lasting change. As a result what usually happens America votes in the opposite party even if that candidate's small changes were beneficial. The NUMBER ONE reason America does this is because the Democratic Party is beholden to corporate interests!!

You can't see that because you want to push the lesser of two evils options. I could go REALLY indepth here if I wanted too and crush your opinion. For example if you understood the political relationship African Americans have with the Democratic Party you wouldn't be saying that snarky ignorant remark you just made. It's not your fault, since you have lived as a white man you don't know the African American perspective but had you known it...you would understand what is being presented here. The Democratic Party right now for example has a tenuous relationship with the Black Male Race, they are literally being held together by the Black Female Race in terms of the minority voting that is in danger of being lost. They were able to appeal to Black Female voters by offering more business and political opportunities but this past election cycle they lost a HUGE amount of Black Male voters. Now because I fit that demographic and HEAR their concerns I know EXACTLY why they lost it. 

You know why? Because in the eyes of a poor man, with limited opportunities corruption is corruption he doesn't see any distinction. The African American history with the Democratic Party can best be described as many failed promises. As a result they will continue to lose the vote of more and more African American Male voters. Unless they can bring in more of the white vote to offset that they could see themselves losing more and more. What has made the Democratic Party appear distinct is there ability to appeal to the common man, but when the common man starts to view you as elitist then all bets are off. Again they dropped the ball with Bernie Sanders, let's hope the next candidate free of corporate control that comes again they do the right thing and push him forward.

If the Democratic Party wants to be taken seriously they MUST cut ties to Corporate Interests and they had a CHANCE with BERNIE SANDERS and they squandered it due to fear!!

1) I said nothing against fighting corporate corruption.

2) No party will ever succeed without corporate interests, because corporations are integral to the functioning of society and the economy. Just blindly hating corporations is extremely foolish and bad politics. Corporations serve so many positive and vital functions in our society.

It's not that Democrats are stupid, it's that you're too stupid to understand how society actually works. Which is why you keep losing elections. You lose elections because your ideology is utterly impractical and unworkable. But you are too ignorant to understand that.

Edited May 20, 2023 by Leo Gura

[Hardkill]

On 5/20/2023 at 2:19 AM, Razard86 said:

Leo, the entire cause of every political problem is corporate interests. Stay out of politics? LOL you are hilarious. You know your entire conscious politics video that I didn't listen too? Why didn't I listen to it? Because it literally cannot happen as long as politics are in bed with corporate interests. If you look at the Spirit of the Constitution that was written it was about doing the best it could to prevent too much concentration of power. Corporate control over both parties was NOT always a thing. It became this way over time. 

Was there discrimination in the early days of government based on race and class back then? Sure but those distinctions were backed by limited opportunities for education due to wealth being a huge factor since lack of social resources existed. But do we have those issues today? Its almost non-existent in most areas if anything we have so much access to information lots of false information can be generated.

So what does this all mean? It means we have enough intelligent people that we can pick from to put in office but because of Corporate Control we cannot even pick viable candidates. If you understood how hard it is to even gain FUNDING to run you would understand that the system itself is BUILT to be corrupt and no matter who you elect they are LIMITED by the system. 

So at this point it doesn't MATTER who you elect, they will only be able to do small minute changes that cannot make lasting change. As a result what usually happens America votes in the opposite party even if that candidate's small changes were beneficial. The NUMBER ONE reason America does this is because the Democratic Party is beholden to corporate interests!!

You can't see that because you want to push the lesser of two evils options. I could go REALLY indepth here if I wanted too and crush your opinion. For example if you understood the political relationship African Americans have with the Democratic Party you wouldn't be saying that snarky ignorant remark you just made. It's not your fault, since you have lived as a white man you don't know the African American perspective but had you known it...you would understand what is being presented here. The Democratic Party right now for example has a tenuous relationship with the Black Male Race, they are literally being held together by the Black Female Race in terms of the minority voting that is in danger of being lost. They were able to appeal to Black Female voters by offering more business and political opportunities but this past election cycle they lost a HUGE amount of Black Male voters. Now because I fit that demographic and HEAR their concerns I know EXACTLY why they lost it. 

You know why? Because in the eyes of a poor man, with limited opportunities corruption is corruption he doesn't see any distinction. The African American history with the Democratic Party can best be described as many failed promises. As a result they will continue to lose the vote of more and more African American Male voters. Unless they can bring in more of the white vote to offset that they could see themselves losing more and more. What has made the Democratic Party appear distinct is there ability to appeal to the common man, but when the common man starts to view you as elitist then all bets are off. Again they dropped the ball with Bernie Sanders, let's hope the next candidate free of corporate control that comes again they do the right thing and push him forward.

If the Democratic Party wants to be taken seriously they MUST cut ties to Corporate Interests and they had a CHANCE with BERNIE SANDERS and they squandered it due to fear!!

I understand your anger. It still is despicable that African-Americans suffer from greater police brutality, unjust amounts of mass incarceration, economic inequality, and educational inequality, and subtle racial discrimination.

I also agree that Democrats ideally should be able to get transformative domestic policies done on the scale of Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon B. Johnson. However, looking back and having lately read so much on history of American politics since 1776, Democrats and liberals, never had such long-lasting supermajorities of liberals/progressives in Congress like TJ, AJ, Lincoln, TR, WW, FDR, and JFK.

Also, Corporate/neoliberal Dems since the late 70s such as Carter, Clinton, Obama, and Biden never had the support of extremely powerful liberal/progressive nationwide movements nor governed during times of crises that were as horrific or as catastrophic as the kinds that TJ, AJ, Lincoln, TR, WW, FDR, and JFK all had. 

Abe Lincoln presided over the entire American Civil War, which was the bloodiest battle/war in all of US history and had immense support from the abolition movement during a time when there only 34 to 36 states in whole USA and the southern half of the states tried to permanently split off from the northern half of the states.

Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and there respective parties governed during the Progressive era (1896 - 1916) each had nationwide support of liberal/progressive activists that arose from the Populist parties and other activist organizations during the 1890s and continued growing in America during the 1900s decade, and 1910s. Also, back during each of those decades, total US population was not even a quarter of what it has been since 2010. The reason why there was such widespread movement during the Progressive era was because of how much the bottom 99% of Americans were deeply suffering during the Gilded Age (approx. 1877 - 1896). The Gilded age caused the worse degree of economic inequality in US history, did not stop the development of the most excessive amount of monopolies that ever occurred in the history of all US economics, led to several periods of economic depressions and bank panics, allowed real child labor, let business owners get away with having the most unsanitary and abusive working conditions we ever had, created widespread pollution and the destruction of too much of the environment everywhere, contamination of foods and drugs in many parts of the country, resulted in historic levels of political corruption and violence, had decades of major social unrest throughout America, etc. Plus, during the late 1800s, the country was about as political polarized as we are now, and therefore had a terrible amount of gridlock in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Such gridlock meant that the government could not get much positive changes done for the country. Yet, there was much more political unity and bipartisanship amongst both parties during the progressive era because that was a time when the country had finally healed from the terrible political divide during the late 1800s, especially when the newer generations of Democrats and Republicans replaced the older generations of those who were in power before the 20th century. Also, Woodrow Wilson presided over WWI and was forced to have our country enter into it in 1917, which gave him even much more of a mandate during his 2nd term to transform our country again to the degree that happened during TR's two terms as president and Wilson's first term as president.

FDR and the Democrats in Congress took over the presidency and Congress during the Great Depression, which was probably the worst economic crisis we ever had in US history and was so much worse in many dimensions than both the 2008 financial crisis or the Covid-19 2020 economic crisis were. Plus, those Democrats were strongly supported by such powerful labor movements all over the country. Moreover, there was still much greater political bipartisanship unity with both parties during the New Deal era than there has been in recent times. Additionally, FDR and the Democrats in Congress not only had to help their foreign allies during the first two years of WWII they later on were forced to enter into the second world war by 1941 and fight in it until the end which was 1945. Like what happened with Wilson and the Democrats during WWI, all of those years of the US working together with our allies during WWII, gave FDR and his party even much more of a mandate for their party transform our country again during FDR's 2nd and 3rd terms as president, to the extent that already happened during his first term.

LBJ and the Democrats governed during a time when political bipartisanship consensus between both parties was at their peak in US history, when the power of labor unions were at their peak in US history, and when Dr. King and the civil rights movement had delivered such a shockingly powerful message to the whole nation that was effective enough to embolden Johnson to aggressively pressure congress for the series of historic civil rights and voting rights legislation that would end Jim Crow laws forever. Plus, after Johnson defeated GOP nominee for president, Barry Goldwater, in a major landslide due to Goldwater's perceived right-wing extremism along with LBJ's historic civil rights act of 1964, and the Democrats won even more seats in the US Senate and US House in the 1964 general election, Johnson and the Democrats did just end up with massive majorities of Dems in both the US Senate and US House in Congress, they got supermajorities of liberal Democrats in both chambers of Congresses. That gave Johnson and the Democrats even more of mandate to pass more civil rights and voting rights legislation and many of his other Great Society bills.  

Carter was president during the late 70s, which was when the New Deal coalition and the modern liberalism that had dominated American politics from the 1930s to 1970s dissipated gone and unfortunately got replaced by the new both the major conservative resurgence and the emergence of neoliberalism as the new dominant influence of US politics. This was all due to intense racial backlash from whites in the south and in rural areas of the country, the chaos caused by rebels in the late 60s and 70s who became disgusted and angry with the government/establishment especially after the events of the Vietnam War and the resignations of President Nixon and his first VP Agnew after they got caught with each of their major wrongdoings, the prevalence of horrific cults and growing number of sick and twisted murderers in America during the late 60s and all of the 70's, 70's stagflation which got to the worse it ever got by 1980, the very significant decline of labor unions since the 70s, increasing amount of foreign economic competition and off shoring of manufacturing businesses to other countries, the rise of right movements in the 70s such as the Christian Right, corporations and banks getting too much economic influence, rise of conservative think tanks, conservative federal level judges (including those in SCOTUS) in the 70s and 80s ruling in favor of allowing more corporate lobbying and big money in politics, etc. The political dominance of conservatism and neoliberalism of course really grew dramatically during the 80s with president Reagan and his immediate successor, H.W. Bush. After Clinton got elected president in 1992, he and his new third way centrist faction of Democrats took over the Democratic party, and unfortunately made the Democratic party cave even more to the pressure of neoliberalism in order to compete with the dominant force of Reaganism in the Republican party. Clinton and his party basically extended the Reaganism/neoliberalism regime and that of course. then, when Bush Jr. got elected president in 2000, he of course was more than happy to continue with what both Reagan and his daddy during their presidencies. By 2008, the Bush presidency, the do-nothing Republicans in Congress from 2001-2008, Reaganism, the war on terror done by Bush and the Republicans all turned to be historic failures.

Obama won the presidency and Democrats won a supermajority of Democrats in both chambers of Congress after the 2008 general election due to Obama's once in a generation level of charisma and a massive referendum on the Republican Party having been a total disaster for the whole country. During the Obama presidency, his administration and the Democrats in the Congress were able to shift the country back to the left with historic healthcare reform that no president before him except Johnson could accomplish, major bank regulations close to the level of FDR, passed a bill that reduced disparities between mandatory crack and powder cocaine sentences that had put blacks behind bars longer than whites, commuted the sentences of nearly 1,200 federal inmates, virtually all of whom were incarcerated for nonviolent drug crimes, and more. Obama unfortunately wasn't able to transform the country to the degree that FDR or LBJ did because he had supermajorities in both chambers of Congress for only 2 years and he didn't have the support of strong enough left-wing movements. Plus, the rise of the right-wing media has had too much influence over too many idiots in this country since the 90s. The right-wing media before the 90s never had much influence over people. Even after Trump became president in 2017, he and the Republican party failed miserably with repealing Obamacare (except for repealing the individual mandate). In fact, the Republicans struggled to get much needed legislation to the point of having been one of the least productive congress in all of US history even when they had control of the whole government trifecta. 

When Biden and the Democrats took back control of the presidency and both chambers of Congress by 2020, they were able to get so much positive changes by reversing many of the Trump era executive orders and making legislative achievements that were the most significant and sizable since the 60s. Biden also pardoned thousands of people convicted of weed use, has asked the Health and Human Services Department to try to reschedule marijuana from Schedule I to a Schedule II controlled substance, cancelled much student debt as much as possible, and signed other significant executive orders that further improved racial equity within the federal government and prisons in the US. According to a number of social science experts, Biden has already accomplished more domestic policy changes than any president since LBJ. If you think about it, this is quite exceptional considering that Democrats held only razor-thin majorities in both chambers during a period of intense political polarization during the years 2021-2023. Biden has been representing a transition from the "government is the problem" consensus since the 1980s towards social democracy like we had in the mid 1900s.

 

Edited May 22, 2023 by Hardkill

[Husseinisdoingfine]

I made a point in this thread about voting third party, @Razard86 I recommend you give it a shot in the next election. By third party, I mostly mean the Green Party.

 

Edited May 21, 2023 by Husseinisdoingfine

[Hardkill]

47 minutes ago, Husseinisdoingfine said:

I made a point in this thread about voting third party, @Razard86 I recommend you give it a shot in the next election. By third party, I mostly mean the Green Party.

 

What’s the point of voting for a third party that has no shot of winning? I don’t even think that the Green Party candidacy would even push the winner of the election to meet some of its demands. 

Furthermore, the Green Party has already done enough damage to this country. Ralph Nader, who ran as a Green Party candidate for president in 2000 caused Al Gore to lose to the disastrous George W. Bush. Jill Stein, who also ran as a Green Party candidate for president in 2016 was one of the main spoilers along with Gary Johnson, who ran as a Libertarian for president, who caused Hillary Clinton to lose to Trump.