Reply #18: Historically, it was new parties that moved existing ones... [View All]

[IrateCitizen]

Case in point -- Woodrow Wilson's reforms and FDR's New Deal. Many of Wilson's reforms were things that the Populists and Progressives had been calling for for many years prior to their implementation. Even more so, many of the planks of the New Deal were things that the Socialists had been pushing for for many years prior to their enactment. In fact, much of the impetus behind the New Deal was to effectively defuse any appeal that the Socialists might have, as they were picking up some mayoral victories by that time.

And the strategy worked. The Democrats offered some reforms, the Socialists faded away, and then business resumed as usual. Maverick political parties are not much different than radical social movements in this country. They are absorbed and commoditized over a period of time, rendering them basically ineffective.