Inspired by this thread about a strategy to get the Democratic Party’s attention by registering Green (but only if you never vote in the primaries anyway). Sounds pretty meh. But what would work?
As I stated the problem in the other thread: other than the tactic described in the OP, what could American progressives* do, to shift the Democratic Party – that is, to shift Congress – never mind all that, let’s go straight to the real point, to shift American public policy in a more progressive direction?
Here’s the problem: See the Pew Political Typology, 2011 version. The Tea Partiers represent a popular but still a minority viewpoint in America (see the Staunch Conservatives, 9% of general public, 11% of registered voters); so do the progressives (see the Solid Liberals, 14%, 16%). Each group faces a common challenge in trying to leverage the country’s public policies their way, which a substantial minority can do, but it’s never easy, and it’s a whole lot easier from the center than from any fringe. If the Tea Party supports mainstream GOP candidates, they compromise everything they’re in it for; but if they take control of the GOP like they’re bidding to do, they’ll torpedo its general-election chances every cycle until they lose it again. Similar problem if progressives try to change the Democratic Party “from within.” Last time that happened was the New Politics movement that gave McGovern the nomination, and we know how that turned out, and how deeply it damaged the party’s prospects until 1992, when the Ogdamned but strategically-correct DLC took the helm.
And, of course, running one’s own third-party candidates is even more likely to insure the candidate you hate beats the candidate you can barely stand. (Unless we had instant-runoff voting, but that’s another discussion.)
So . . . Who has a better idea?
*For purposes of this thread I’m defining “progressive” as a position well to the right of “socialist” but well to the left of “liberal,” as explained in this thread of mine from 2008.