The Left can win the next election, just look at who they are running against. In the long run the Leftist strategy will not be a winning strategy, just look at the far right and how the Republicans are losing support from their more logical members. If the Left would have run a less flawed candidate they would have won.

A large group of people are social liberals and on the national level, fiscal conservatives. They have no party to vote for without feeling they are throwing away their vote.