The establishment pushing against him is a good thing. Think about what happened the first time Trump announced his candidacy. Voters love to vote for candidates that the establishment hates.
And a party willing to not put all its resources to preventing them from winning. Mamdani’s example is inspiring, and he’s likely going to win, but part of this is because his opponents are all toxic. In a more serious contest this sort of party meddling can and will tank progressive candidates to the benefit of Republicans.
They’re going to tank the progressive candidate regardless of whether or not they run as a Democrat. You have to take away power here, not just try to beat it. Winning primaries, and also actual party positions, both makes them weaker and us stronger. That’s way easier than trying to take both the Democratic Party and the GOP in a general.
I think we just need to outwork those fuckers and 20% turnout in the primaries just isn’t going to cut it. The number of people who support progressive policies dwarfs the number of people who vote in the primaries. Until that changes, a 3rd party isn’t going to do shit.
They’re going to tank the progressive candidate regardless of whether or not they run as a Democrat.
True, which is why it’s important to have a free hand to fight back. It’s a lot harder to attack the Democratic Party as the hopelessly corrupt institution it is from the inside than from the outside. It’s easier to organize as a third party than as a group of individuals in a big tent organization that wants you gone, and that way you can take more radical action and use more radical rhetoric than when you’re in one way or another beholden to the party apparatus. For example a third party would be able to do things like organize protests, civil disobedience and strikes (which should be a hallmark tactic of any self-respecting leftists opposition party), attack establishment Democrats for being sellouts, run even when party sabotage tanks your primary campaign, put a whole organization’s weight behind favored candidates rather than individual endorsements and play hardball when you don’t get your way in government like centrists like to do so often. Of course splitting the vote under FPTP can lead to Republican victories, but with smart risk control this can be mitigated at less cost than cooperating with Democrats. Now technically most of these things can be done even as part of the Democratic Party, but they just aren’t, so founding a new party with principles and organization conductive to leftist action will result in a generally more effective party apparatus. Meanwhile trying to take over the DNC certainly offers a more attractive prize, but it comes with a whole spider web’s worth of strings attached.
Honestly, if someone decided to execute me for any of my behavior in Middle School, I’d take my punishment without complaint. It’d be a just sentence tbqh
Exactly. They’re going to get the votes of the people who only pay enough attention to vote Working Families in the general election. We just need to replace those candidates with progressives in the primaries. It’s shouldn’t be too difficult with the current <15% attendance. Mamdani saw a whopping 30% turnout.
We need a new progressive party
The establishment pushing against him is a good thing. Think about what happened the first time Trump announced his candidacy. Voters love to vote for candidates that the establishment hates.
Nah, we just need to co-op the current blue party and drag liberals along for the ride. Just need people willing to run on progressive policies.
And a party willing to not put all its resources to preventing them from winning. Mamdani’s example is inspiring, and he’s likely going to win, but part of this is because his opponents are all toxic. In a more serious contest this sort of party meddling can and will tank progressive candidates to the benefit of Republicans.
They’re going to tank the progressive candidate regardless of whether or not they run as a Democrat. You have to take away power here, not just try to beat it. Winning primaries, and also actual party positions, both makes them weaker and us stronger. That’s way easier than trying to take both the Democratic Party and the GOP in a general.
I think we just need to outwork those fuckers and 20% turnout in the primaries just isn’t going to cut it. The number of people who support progressive policies dwarfs the number of people who vote in the primaries. Until that changes, a 3rd party isn’t going to do shit.
True, which is why it’s important to have a free hand to fight back. It’s a lot harder to attack the Democratic Party as the hopelessly corrupt institution it is from the inside than from the outside. It’s easier to organize as a third party than as a group of individuals in a big tent organization that wants you gone, and that way you can take more radical action and use more radical rhetoric than when you’re in one way or another beholden to the party apparatus. For example a third party would be able to do things like organize protests, civil disobedience and strikes (which should be a hallmark tactic of any self-respecting leftists opposition party), attack establishment Democrats for being sellouts, run even when party sabotage tanks your primary campaign, put a whole organization’s weight behind favored candidates rather than individual endorsements and play hardball when you don’t get your way in government like centrists like to do so often. Of course splitting the vote under FPTP can lead to Republican victories, but with smart risk control this can be mitigated at less cost than cooperating with Democrats. Now technically most of these things can be done even as part of the Democratic Party, but they just aren’t, so founding a new party with principles and organization conductive to leftist action will result in a generally more effective party apparatus. Meanwhile trying to take over the DNC certainly offers a more attractive prize, but it comes with a whole spider web’s worth of strings attached.
Do both. People on the inside bolstered by support from outside groups. We are Legion. We can execute such a strategy.
This edible construction material gets it!
And people to show up and vote in the primaries for the above mentioned candidates!
If I had a dollar for everyone who complained about Dem candidates but didn’t vote in the primaries, I’d probably deserve the guillotine.
Nah, it’s cuz of that other thing you did in junior high.
Honestly, if someone decided to execute me for any of my behavior in Middle School, I’d take my punishment without complaint. It’d be a just sentence tbqh
Teenage turds make the best adults.
We get it by taking over the Dems and forcing all the Goldwater Republicans in charge currently to join what remains of the Republican Party.
Exactly. They’re going to get the votes of the people who only pay enough attention to vote Working Families in the general election. We just need to replace those candidates with progressives in the primaries. It’s shouldn’t be too difficult with the current <15% attendance. Mamdani saw a whopping 30% turnout.