'The dirty stay': The DSA’s tea party strategy

In Focus delivers deeper coverage of the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. Published daily by senior writers and experts, these in-depth pieces go beyond the headlines to give readers the full picture. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces here.

Michael Harrington called it “the left wing of the possible.” Beneath the slogan lay a practical reality. American socialists had no viable alternative to the Democratic Party. The two-party system, ballot-access laws, fundraising networks, and the institutional gravity of a party that had absorbed much of the Left all pointed in the same direction. Work within the Democrats or remain on the margins.