> socialists should consider running in dem primaries as socialists with no
> moderation of their views in attempt to move dems to left... <snip>
socialist who wins dem primary (which
> isn't that likely if socialist refuses to moderate views to accommodate
more
> voters) ain't gonna receive any help from 'her/his' party in general
election.
> .. but that socialist may have contributed to expanding 'democratic
dialogue'
> by espousing consistent anti-capitalist perspective...
The Socialist Party of Wisconsin (SPUSA) usually runs candidates in races for Milwaukee County Executive and Mayor of the city of Milwaukee. In the 1999 race for Country Executive (a "non-partisan" election), Dave Schall, a poli sci professor and Secretary of the SPW, got about 20% of the vote. SPW candidates sometimes do about as well in mayoral races.
Don't know that it's done much good. In a special election this year, that office was won by a Republican for the first time that I can remember. (Although the election is "non-partisan," the party affiliations of the candidates are of course known to the voters). Schall ran again, but he didn't get his act together in time and had to mount a write-in campaign, which of course went nowhere.
btw, Milwaukee had a Socialist mayor as recently as 1960, Frank Zeidler, who is still alive and kicking.
Jacob Conrad