We need a left-wing tea party

What this boils down to is what winning looks like. Groups like Emily’s List, the PCCC, Working Families Party and the rest exist explicitly because of the diversity failings and substantive timidity of the Democratic Party. Together, these groups help push the mainstream party further to the left. Each group plays a distinct role—Emily’s List explicitly elects pro-choice Democratic women while groups like the PCCC press an economic justice agenda. But no one push will do it. Instead of criticizing one group or another for loyalty to its piece of the progressive agenda or fighting to rank whose issue or strategy is “more progressive,” isn’t there something better everyone could be doing?

Maybe it is the WFP model—getting involved in local races, grooming candidates early on, and eventually electing genuine progressives to higher and higher offices (maybe not the governor’s mansion yet, but NYC mayor at least…). Or maybe all these groups could agree to throw down extra hard together when candidates come along who check off all the boxes—who are strong on every progressive issue and add essential diversity to our supposedly representative democracy. Maybe then we’d spend less time bickering and more time winning—and have more candidates worth fighting for in general, so Elizabeth Warren wouldn’t be so damn lonely.