2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Expecting Sanders Supporters to "Close Ranks?" [View all]HereSince1628
(36,063 posts)Let's look at that problem of getting influence...
The Dems are behind 8 seats in the Senate. Because of the degrees of freedom involved, when you gain a seat you also take away a seat from the other side. So a change of 1 is actually a change of 2...
To protect SCOTUS from Trump, OR to give the Dem President power to seat a justice requires confirmation by the senate and it's control. That means leveling the balance of the senate by winning 5 seats. Five seats that were progressive, and one of them is already expected to go to Feingold. That leaves progressives to identify and swing 4 more seats to have -REALLY- important influence in the senate.
Four.
Millions of identifiied Bernie supporting progressives giving 27 divided by 4 dollars to progressives challenging seated republican senators, isn't impossible and it would surely have an influence.
Need I mention Canova's run against DWS?
Progressives must win influence through the existing process, but it's entirely possible to be in a position of more and better influence on the party after the 2018 midterms.