Blaming the Greens

With the apparent results in the OH12 special election, the favorite pastime of the Democratic Party establishment--blame the Green Party--has once again reared it's ugly head. I know, I know: I am definitely in the minority among those who are left of center, but I still take a more contrarian view of this. (Elizabeth Bruenigs's column today in The Washington Post had an interesting take on this as well.)

For one thing,  so much of the discussion about this tends to drag Bernie Sanders into it, and this is bullshit. It makes me tend to dismiss other parts of the argument that might be worthwhile. But in the context of, say, the 2016 election here is a much-abbreviated list of reasons Hillary lost:

1. James Comey
2. Jill Stein voters
3. Hillary chose a boring and uninspiring running mate (aka "safe")
4. Hillary largely ignored the Rust Belt and didn't campaign there enough

One could say that all of these played a hand in the election results. My problem is that laying the blame primarily on #2 (as well as #1) makes it too easy to ignore #3 and #4 and other equally plausible factors. (I happen to think #4 was crucial. If Hillary had worked harder there, the Stein vote may have been moot, but that's just me.)

I am also just generally skeptical about deciding what are valid and invalid reasons for how someone votes. Or to even assume I know why someone voted as they did. It makes it too easy to construct straw men, which then make it easy to prove whatever you want to prove.

There have always been third and fourth party candidates. There is also a third to a half of voters that don't vote at all. Insulting the Greens or the Bernie Bros might make some folks feel better, but I'm not sure it's the way to earn votes.