By CASSIDY DESTEFANO
Staff Writer
Portraying 63 year old Jill Stein, mock election candidate and sophomore Emily Woods of Middletown said she is working to inform Communications High School students of her ambiguous political party.
Woods said she was initially interested in participating in the 2012 Mock Election because she considered it an “exceptional opportunity” that other high schools may not provide. She said she was enticed by the fact that Stein was the only female representative and the idea that voters would be less likely to have a predetermined opinion regarding the Green Party.
“I want to try and expand people’s [political] horizons,” she said.
According to mock candidate Stein, the Green Party’s main and recurring stance on politics is that governmental activity should be environmentally rooted. In other words, all government’s decisions should be centered on the overall up keeping and conservation of planet Earth. Green Party members are advocates for the belief that if America keeps using resources the way we currently are, they will eventually dwindle down and die out by the time 2040 is upon us, explained Woods.
“What’s the point of having a different form of government if all they are going to do is kill you in the end?” she said.
As for Stein’s specific presidential platform, the focus is on actual environmental issues. She strongly dislikes “fish abortion”, and has plans to implement a National Tree Hug Day.
While her focus is on the environment, mock candidate Stein seems to be unfazed by the significantly larger Republican and Democratic parties. To her, Libertarian Gary Johnson poses the biggest threat, representing the only other minor political party.
Stein also indicated tentative future plans to form a coalition with the Republican and Democratic parties against Johnson.
Recently, the real candidate Jill Stein was confronted by officials for causing unrest at the second presidential debate.
In defense of her candidate, Woods said that the second presidential debate was a “mockery of democracy” and excluded any party that was not Republican or Democratic.
If elected, CHS candidate Stein pledged that her first action as president will be to make the White House operate entirely on solar panels.
Stein’s official campaign slogan for the 2012 Mock Election is “Go green, vote green, Jill Stein,” a phrase that she feels adequately summarizes her political stance.
Despite the obscurity of her party, Woods is not planning to back down.
“They need to watch their backs,” she said, “because I’m not afraid to get arrested for keeping our citizens in mind.”