Third Parties and the Left: Problems and Prospects


A panel recorded at the Left Forum at Pace Univeristy in New York City on 18 March 2012. Aired on April 10, 2012 on the Radical Minds radio show.

Audio Recording

Panelists

Katie Robbins (Healthcare NOW)

Nikil Saval (n+1)

Jason Wright (International Bolshevik Tendency (IBT))

Lenny Brody (Justice Party National Steering Committee)

Moderated by Ed Remus

Description

Electoral politics are a longstanding problem for the U.S. left. In recent decades, a number of parties have formed as an alternative to the Democratic Party: the Labor Party, the Green Party, and now, the Justice Party. However, these parties risk becoming little more than networks of activists or pressure groups on the Democratic Party, and it still remains unclear whether a serious electoral challenge to the Democratic Party is possible. Radical Minds is pleased to air an edited recording of a panel organized by the Platypus Affiliated Society, which investigates several contemporary approaches to electoral politics and draws out the theories that motivate Leftist third parties. The major speakers, Lenny Brody of the Justice Party and Jason Wright of the International Bolshevik Tendency, consider how the historical achievements and failures of third parties bear upon the present.

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