Green Party candidate Cornel West defended his decision to run on a third-party ticket, claiming that a Democratic administration would only be a “postponement of fascism.”
In an interview with Politico, West defended himself against accusations from the Left that his candidacy may be a spoiler. West argued that another term with a Democrat in office would only delay the apparent arrival of fascism, so progressives have nothing to lose. He pointed to the treatment of his ally, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), as an example of how progressives are mistreated within the Democratic Party.
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“I have a deep love for Brother Bernie. He really is a brother, and brothers agree and disagree,” West said.
“I think he was treated so unjustly and so unfairly by the Democratic Party. The lesson that I learned was that the Democratic Party, for the most part, is a corporate-dominated party that uses its progressives often as window dressing. Bernie was not given the kind of chance that he deserved, which is to say our efforts were not given the kind of fair chance that they deserved.
“By refusing to speak to the needs of the poor and working people, the Democratic Party helps to facilitate and enable the Trumps and the DeSantises and others,” he continued. “So, you end up with neo-fascism being in some ways dependent on neoliberalism and vice versa.
“That cycle, going around and around, means that we’re going to end up with fascism sooner or later,” West declared. “Every Democratic administration will just be a caretaker and a postponement for fascism to come. I am profoundly anti-fascist, and therefore I am trying to get at the roots of fascism.”
West also said that he felt compelled to run in the first place because he believed the choice between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden was intolerable.
West, though polling low, has enough progressive support to poach a significant number of progressive voters from Biden, possibly costing Democrats the general election.
A recent poll from Echelon Insights found that at the current pace, West is looking at the possibility of becoming the deciding factor in the 2024 election if the contest is between Trump and Biden.
The poll found that Biden would take 43% of the vote against Trump’s 42%, if the choice is just between the two. When taking West into consideration, Biden’s share of the vote drops to 42%, with West taking 4% of the vote. Trump emerges triumphant with 43% of the vote.
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Trump’s lead in swing states is further solidified when West is involved as well. Trump takes 48% of the vote, and Biden’s share drops to 40% from 41% if just between the two.
“There is always a danger a third-party candidate can impact the Electoral College results, particularly if they receive enough votes in a battleground state or states to change the outcome,” David B. Cohen, a political science professor at the University of Akron in Ohio, told Newsweek. “In a close election, Cornel West could well be a spoiler.”
