This "Nader" talking point is convenient

[RufusTFirefly]

104. Two different philosophies. Both necessary. Both effective

Think about the people who changed this country who weren't directly affiliated with either party. Imagine if Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., had been Congressman Martin Luther King instead. I truly don't believe he would've been anywhere near as effective.

Further back in history, even though he was kind of a crackpot, in 1934, Dr. Francis E. Townsend devised what was known as the Townsend Plan. It was a scheme whereby every American over 60 would receive a monthly government allowance of $200 that they could spend but not save. The idea was to lift senior citizens out of poverty while stimulating the economy. Townsend Clubs popped up all over the country. At one point there were more than 5,000. It is widely believed that Townsend's focus on the plight of senior citizens jump-started the Roosevelt Administration's creation of Social Security. (Roosevelt, after all, initially ran as a budget balancer, not a deficit spender.)

Of course, it was LBJ who signed the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act and FDR who signed the Social Security Act. And so, although "outsiders" played a key role in changing the course of the country, it was essential to still have reliable Democrats within the party who could transform movements into policy and law.