There’s two problems with that. Maybe three.
First, are those progressive candidates really progressive, or are they just anti-Trump reactionaries*, mouthing the appropriate slogans to get elected? This is the easiest thing to check on and deal with, but it’s still a real issue.
Second, are they immune to corruption? The behavior patttern of political machines is to propagate the machine, which means co-opting everyone who joins the party and converting their personal morals and values into an extension of the party’s survival effort. As Lord Acton said, power corrupts, and the way to power inside a political machine is to align your goals with those of the party.
And, finally, is it really easier to reform an old dog that’s set in its ways, or to train a puppy?
If you look at the sheer amount of time and money that was spent spreading lies about Jill Stein, you can see that the political machines are afraid of the tiny little hippy party… there’s good reason for them to be. Green parties are the only ones making the real problem of human survival their core campaign issue, despite attempts at greenwashing of the industrial war parties.
* I’m an anti-Trump reactionary myself, it’s not an insult.
