Changing the class nature of a centuries-old capitalist party
You're reading this backwards. The parties are capitalist because the country is capitalist. It's a consequence of the prevailing economic system, not the force behind it.
Any new party will be just as vulnerable to the temptations created by public-private revolving doors, corporate money and manpower, and the ambitions of its less ethical members as the existing two. There will be nothing incorruptible about a New American Labor Party's leadership, should it ever gain enough traction to start winning seats. No more than the DSA or the Greens have been immune to temptation.
Despite the electoral success of progressive Dems, the party on the whole is continuing to track to the right!
The biggest right-shift of the party occurred in the Reagan Era, when the DLC began its take-over by running candidates and winning races in historically labor-friendly midwestern states. The FDR/LBJ wing of the party lost out to the Clinton wing in the same way the Liberal Republicans were ousted by the Tea Party.
Progressives are just now beginning to stake claims to the party leadership again, and this sub's response is "Bernie didn't win! Fuck it, let's do the Ralph Nader thing again!"
If there's one thing folks like Bernie Sanders, Ron Paul, and Donald Trump have consistently demonstrated, it's the third parties are a losing game. At best, you still end up caucusing with a Big Two party. At worst, you get Nader-ized and you end up alienating your would-be base by the "spoiler" tag.
You're reading this backwards. The parties are capitalist because the country is capitalist. It's a consequence of the prevailing economic system, not the force behind it.
Any new party will be just as vulnerable to the temptations created by public-private revolving doors, corporate money and manpower, and the ambitions of its less ethical members as the existing two. There will be nothing incorruptible about a New American Labor Party's leadership, should it ever gain enough traction to start winning seats. No more than the DSA or the Greens have been immune to temptation.
The biggest right-shift of the party occurred in the Reagan Era, when the DLC began its take-over by running candidates and winning races in historically labor-friendly midwestern states. The FDR/LBJ wing of the party lost out to the Clinton wing in the same way the Liberal Republicans were ousted by the Tea Party.
Progressives are just now beginning to stake claims to the party leadership again, and this sub's response is "Bernie didn't win! Fuck it, let's do the Ralph Nader thing again!"
If there's one thing folks like Bernie Sanders, Ron Paul, and Donald Trump have consistently demonstrated, it's the third parties are a losing game. At best, you still end up caucusing with a Big Two party. At worst, you get Nader-ized and you end up alienating your would-be base by the "spoiler" tag.