Christina Tobin, Founder and Chair of the Free and Equal Elections Foundation, interviewed the ice cream and social justice pioneers on the Free & Equal Network, one of the foundation’s many initiatives.
The three discussed the humble origins of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and the era of social justice Ben & Jerry grew up with in the ‘60s. They talked about some of the reasons the anti-war movement has died down since then, such as the two-party system co-opting the energy of peace movements, and the dire need to continue to grow the principled peace movement that exists right now—a movement no longer fooled by establishment politics.
Ben & Jerry stated that they supported Dennis Kucinich for President, and all three contend that he is a truly honest and principled man who gave voters a real choice to end the wars. Ben & Jerry have routinely lobbied Congress to significantly reduce military spending and plan on continuing to do so.
Also discussed were Ben & Jerry’s plans to support the GMO labeling initiative in Oregon this fall and their victories in states like Connecticut and Vermont. In response to questions regarding Unilever, Ben & Jerry’s parent company, has stated that their successful activism for no-strings-attached GMO labeling laws cancels out Unilever’s backing of anti-labeling efforts. Tobin agreed and encouraged people to look for the good in their noteworthy actions for social justice and to judge Ben & Jerry as individuals.
Next, the three discussed how the Democratic Party serves the war machine by directing the energy of the peace movement into a dead end direction by supporting the current two-party system. Since election reform is an issue that Ben & Jerry have been fairly quiet about, Tobin felt compelled to ask them about their views on election reform, the two-party system, the Commission on Presidential Debates and more. Here’s what they had to say on voting and elections:
"The idea that the Commission on Presidential Debates only allows Democrats and Republicans is a disservice to the country, and it's just another example of how the Republicans and the Democrats are running the show." - Ben Cohen
"People are getting less excited about voting, whether their vote matters, if the candidates running are going to represent me. It's astounding that we can only get 50% of eligible voters out to vote, it's a statement on how people do not think the system is working." - Jerry Greenfield
This interview comes at the helm of Free & Equal endorsing Gov. Gary Johnson’s lawsuit against the Commission on Presidential Debates, which states that, since Gov. Johnson got over 15% in a scientifically conducted national poll (as per the CPD’s requirements), he was legally supposed to be included in the main presidential debates alongside Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Ben & Jerry coming out in favor of restoring integrity to elections and the media’s coverage of elections is huge!