Concession

My Concession

I had recorded this on video but where I am located at the moment, the connection timed out multiple times for upload.

This announcement ends my campaign.

I congratulate former and president elect Donald Trump on his victory. Like him or hate him, this is the proper thing to do in my position.

My campaign had several points to it which remain quite valid.

I did receive a few dozen votes from around the country. Not enough to move the needle and I am sure some of those were not counted.

This is the first point. As former president Jimmy Carter has pointed out, we do not have a functioning democracy in this country. You should have the right to vote for anyone you choose and have that vote counted. I don’t care if you vote for Mickey Mouse, that vote should count. Too often, it does not. A write-in vote should be just as valid as any name on a ballot and in no way should it depend on fees paid to state electoral commissions dominated and dictated by the two major parties.

Not only are write-in votes generally discarded but, once again, the Democrats managed to get the Green Party completely removed from ballots in multiple states. This is in addition to Republicans (generally but not solely) engaging in voter suppression. Voters removed from rolls. ID laws. Gerrymandering. Laws against transporting other people to voting locations. Inadequate polling locations, especially in low income areas. Inadequate ballots. Malfunctioning machines. Lack of same day registration. The list goes on and on.

The other point was key, which were my policies, which did include steps for improving voters rights. However, they also included ending conflicts, improving foreign relations, utilizing true diplomacy, reducing military spending, improving and stabilizing the economy, creation of millions of living wage jobs, improving affordability and access to medical care, women’s rights, human rights, affordable housing and many other issues with realistic concepts which would benefit all Americans. I am the only candidate who has addressed purchasing power rather than simply wages, with clear explanations why the constant pursuit of higher wages will always be a losing battle if we do not concern ourselves with purchasing power. Higher wages mean nothing if inflation exceeds income gains because you are still worse off. We have decades of hard evidence to prove this.

Whether or not I was ever elected, my goal was to illustrate what real positive policies look like. That they are reasonable, rational, realistic and possible. Instead, we keep going in circles every election cycle with the same empty talking points, the same concepts, going back and forth between two parties owned by the same elites and enslaved to the same corporations. That is who they serve. Not you.

It did not matter which of the two major candidates won. The economy will continue to decline, ever more rapidly. The wars will continue, expand and intensify. The military budget will continue to climb. The national debt will continue to rise, except for the gutting of social support systems serving the most vulnerable among us even as the numbers mount higher by the day.

Whether I will try again for 2028 is a decision which I will leave to the future.

As things are, I will continue doing what I can as an activist, with as strong of a voice as I can be for the working person, for the disabled and disadvantaged in this country and beyond. We must all understand that we do not live in a vacuum and isolationism will not solve any of our problems but make them far worse.

I hope you will continue fighting this battle with me because I am far from done.

Thank you for your attention, your support, your donations, your time, your votes.

With great love and respect from a fellow American,

Russell Meyers