To the Editor:

Just because third parties haven’t made inroads in presidential elections doesn’t mean there is no place for them in American politics. A pragmatic progressive third party would recognize that a presidential bid is futile and would strive to elect representatives and senators who could caucus with the Democrats. This would push the Democrats to the left the way the Tea Party now pushes the Republicans to the right. Here are a few parties worth imagining:

The Occupy Party. There is something nostalgically charming about a revival of the idealistic but politically impotent theatrics of the 1960s left, as these days almost all the crazy people are on the right. But the Tea Party is a political force, and the Occupy movement is not, because the Tea Party backs candidates. Stop occupying the streets and start occupying the Capitol.

The Realitarians. Realitarians base their conclusions on facts and valid arguments, regardless of where they sit on the political spectrum. Stephen Colbert was largely correct when he said that reality has a liberal bias. But not always. A Realitarian would reject Obamacare’s reliance on the private sector because free market forces in the health care market always drive the price up. It doesn’t matter why; it’s a fact. Realitarians would also acknowledge politically incorrect facts about radiation, genetically modified organisms, Palestine and so on, regardless of where they sit on the political spectrum.