#Recount2016 detritus: Jill Stein, her pricey lawyers and her future

Jill Stein. Gage Skidmore/Wikipedia

I thought I was done last Saturday, when Greg AtLast weighed in after the Michigan recount got nixed, but, we have new information to talk about.

Jill Stein has provided us a financial status report from Recount 2016. One interesting item there, and one other interesting item.

The interesting financial is that, of the $7.33 million she raised, more than 20 percent, or $1.6 million, went to lawyers. I guess Bob Fitrakis, David Cobb and other mouthpieces and advisors weren't exactly doing pro bono work.

There's actually another interesting financial. She got that from 161,300 donors. That's $45 and change per donor. And, yes, it may well be more total, and more per-donor, than her election run. (I'll check as I have more time.) I suspect one-third of those donors, and 40 percent of the amount, were from Clintonistas refusing to accept defeat, since, Stein bucked a Green Party executive committee vote and recounted only three states that Donald Trump flipped red from Barack Obama 2012, despite New Hampshire and Minnesota being just as close. Detailed backstory on all that at this post.

Interesting non-financial?

The future of that donor list. It's Stein's, not the Green Party's, for the reason above.

She hasn't said what she plans, but the story notes it "could be sold to others or tapped for future efforts."

Via Liberal Values Blog, this shows the reality of undervotes.

Meanwhile, further refutation of Greg Palast's conspiracy theory about undervotes, or of bad machine scanning of ballots, even? Wisconsin set a record for write-in votes. People just didn't like either Clinton or Trump, even while caring enough to vote in other races.

If that "future effors" includes a third presidential run (of which I've heard speculation) absolutely not. I'm already on record against that. The Green Party doesn't need a Norman Thomas or Harold Stassen. Or a Ralph Nader, for that matter. Or a Pat Paulsen. If the party can't find a better candidate in 2020, then maybe, per Mark Lause and my analysis of him, it's time to move on to another third party of the left.

The "sold to others"? What others? Back to the national Green Party? Per the "backstory" link, to Progressive Democrats of America? (She'd do that, I'll bet.)  To Bernie Sanders' "Our Revolution," which, if the Texas branch's "names" are any indication, is probably little different than PDA, so far?

Pass. (But, with a question — how much is a donor list like that worth? And a second question — if Stein sells it, who gets that money? Capitalist profit for her?)

I'm glad I didn't give recount money. And, in 2020, I'll give to the party, not to its presidential candidate, even if that candidate is indeed a better one.