People in Stein’s life have implored her to abandon her bid for president, lest she throw the election to Donald Trump. She’s on the ballot in almost every critical state.

While Ms. Stein condemns both “zombie political parties” as tools of Wall Street and war profiteers, her campaign has focused largely on hammering Ms. Harris, blaming the White House she serves for relentless violence in Gaza and Lebanon.

And Democrats, as never before, are focused on Ms. Stein.

The party has prepared a negative ad blitz for the election’s final weeks, its first-such effort ever directed at a third-party candidate. Fearful that Ms. Stein might divert critical votes in places like Michigan, Democrats are also pressing their case on billboards plastered recently across swing states:

“Jill Stein Helped Trump Once. Don’t Let Her Do It Again.”

She dismisses the “spoiler mythology” that has come to define her mainstream identity, noting — accurately enough — that some of her supporters would never back Ms. Harris anyway.

She says that Democrats would do well to look inward, disputing that she bears any responsibility for Mr. Trump’s fortunes, then or now.

“Those conversations never go anywhere,” Ms. Stein, 74, said in a wide-ranging interview.

    • @FancyManacles
      22•13 hours ago

      To draw votes away from the Democratic party nominee at the behest of her Russian donors. NBC News Link about the infamous dinner.

      • @[email protected]OP
        -9•13 hours ago

        Stein has already been cleared of colluding with Russia. Your image is ten years old.

        The reason you might not be aware of this is the /Politics mods banning people who debunk it.

        • @FancyManacles
          3•7 hours ago

          You’re right, it was 2015, but as a simple layman I was aware of Russian meddling by the time this dinner happened. So if Jill and the Green party weren’t aware of how bad this would look, and how worthless an olive branch to Putin would be, then at the very least they’re too incompetent to be worth a vote. Unfortunately I did not know about this gaffe by the time of the election and even voted for Stein in that election, which I still regret.

        • DominusOfMegadeus
          -3•13 hours ago

          No one is even talking about past collusion accusations. We are talking about right now.

          • @[email protected]OP
            0•12 hours ago

            It would be helpful to not leak a ten year old image in a seven year old article if there was evidence. Do present it.

            If Stein was truly colluding with Russia the Democrats would have had a legal foot to bar her from running. And they would not need to make up crazy conspiracy theories which rely on censorship.

            • @[email protected]Español
              0•9 hours ago

              Everyone I don’t like is a Russian asset, the Democrat’s guide to political discussion

    • @Xaphanos
      7•13 hours ago

      My take:

      To demonstrate that there is a more leftist population in the US public than is regularly recognized and shift the entire discussion in that direction.

      To create a strong alternative to the major pro-corporate parties that is more in line with the rest of the liberal parties around the world.

      To oppose the highly organized far right.

      No, I won’t vote for her this year. But I can appreciate the above goals.

    • @theunknownmuncher
      2•13 hours ago

      To not have the kompromat that Putin is holding over her be released publicly?