Are you saying Sanders hasn't via caucusing and running hasn't tried tried to pudh the Dems for about 30 years?
He has.
He also carefully cut a deal with the Dems in Vermont that lets him run in the Dem primary and then reject the nomination and the Dems don't run someone against him.
(The understanding appears to be that if he loses the Dem primary he doesn't run as an independent against the Dem nominee because both he and the Dems know running third party would fuck them both for their long-term goals.)
He ran as a Dem in the Dem primary for President as well and didn't run as a third party independent because it would fuck his long-term goals.
I have my issues with Sanders, but he's not an idiot about how the system he is in works. You don't become a career Washington insider without that understanding.
The problem is the money people have taken both parties. Nina Turner's opponent had REPUBLICAN donors running commercials for her. For a Democratic primary.
Parties run ads against the other party all the time.
Nina Turner has run twice now and failed.
Again, though, as far as I can tell, she's smart enough not to run third party and fuck up her long term goals.
They not going to just let it happen without a massive fight.
Who is "they" here?
But yes. The major parties are not going to give up their entrenched position without a major fight.
That's why I say either building a third party, taking over a party completely, or radically overhauling the voting system to change the structural incentives is the work of a decade or more.
Look at the Conservative Movement. They launched a "we need to take over the GOP" project back in the 60s. They got control by 1980 with Reagan and got complete control only recently. That's a half-century plan.
Val, the USA is in rough shape. And its going to get worse. Its going to get ugly. There is, imo, no point having faith in either party anymore. And there is a steadily growing contingent who feel the same. And that battle is coming.
What do you
mean by this?
This is always your problem Butler.
People have accused you of being an accelerationist before and I have sometimes believed them and sometimes not.
So no putting words in your mouth or assumptions.
Say what you mean.
If what you mean is "people have lost faith in both parties, the only way forward is overthrowing the government/civil war" then fucking say that.
If you mean "a third party will magically rise up out of the disaffected but we don't have to do any work to make that happen" then say that.
Etc. Etc.