Parties and Change
In American history, change has come about through lots of different means.
Third parties have forced the major parties to compete for votes by addressing certain issues. The Populists and Progressives followed this path.
Highly organized grassroots movements have gained influence over one of the major parties, especially when they had minority status and were looking for a way to return to power. The religious right is the most recent example here.
Major parties have tried to reach out to new voters "from the top," usually getting them from the pool of swing voters. This is the DLC path.
Admittedly, the above analysis is really general and may not hold up in the eyes of real historians. Democracy for America has set itself on the second path. Was this the right decision? I think it was, because the Democratic base already agrees with our core principles (as do many Republicans), and they're just afraid to fight for them. What do you think?
Third parties have forced the major parties to compete for votes by addressing certain issues. The Populists and Progressives followed this path.
Highly organized grassroots movements have gained influence over one of the major parties, especially when they had minority status and were looking for a way to return to power. The religious right is the most recent example here.
Major parties have tried to reach out to new voters "from the top," usually getting them from the pool of swing voters. This is the DLC path.
Admittedly, the above analysis is really general and may not hold up in the eyes of real historians. Democracy for America has set itself on the second path. Was this the right decision? I think it was, because the Democratic base already agrees with our core principles (as do many Republicans), and they're just afraid to fight for them. What do you think?
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