Well, this is probably going to be a disappointing night for us Sanders supporters.
So I thought before the polls close, let’s take a minute to appreciate what Sanders’ candidacy has already accomplished:
— it’s brought a genuine alternative to neo-liberalism into the national spotlight;
— it’s inspired millions of young people to imagine new possibilities for the role of government in this country, and motivated them to participate (now let’s just hope they come out to vote in both the primaries and in the general);
— it’s exposed the complicity of centrist Democrats with the corporate control of our politics, and it’s made that a central campaign issue in a way I have never seen before;
— it’s provoked what has been a (sometimes ugly, but sometimes fruitful) discussion between black and white progressives about our common causes, our misunderstandings, and our modes of communication (I’m sort of ducking from potential pie here, but I really do think, despite everything, that these conversations are incredibly valuable. How else can we move forward TOGETHER if we don’t engage with each other, even when it’s uncomfortable or frustrating to do so?);
— and it has sparked the beginning of a profound movement within the Democratic Party.
Which brings me to…the article I just read in New Republic by David Dayen.
Bernie’s Army is Running for Congress
Many people (here and elsewhere) have criticized Sanders for not engaging in the hard slog of building the party, supporting downballot candidates, creating the platforms that will make possible the changes he proposes.
Many people (here and elsewhere) have noted that he ALWAYS acknowledges that the ‘political revolution’ is not about him, but about US, that he’s not naive or unaware that the revolution we need will be hard communal work.
I like this: Bernie’s Army. He has articulated what so many of us on the left have been feeling, and he’s articulated the platform that others can identify with, build on, and see to fruition*. He has (re-)introduced these ideas into our political life, given them new life, and shown that they resonate.
So: the article. Bernie's Army is Running for Congress.
The article profiles 3 congressional candidates who all represent the Sanders/Warren wing of the party: Lucy Flores (running for Nevada’s 4th district), John Fetterman (PA-Sen) and Zephyr Teachout (NY-19).
Bernie Sanders’s political revolution is predicated in part on mobilizing the public to change the direction of the country. Naysayers carp, and not without reason, that this is impossible, with Republicans having a lock on the gerrymandered Congress for the near future. But to change that state of affairs, you need Sanders Democrats—progressive leaders willing to compete for marginal seats and battle from inside the Capitol Building.
The army is out there.
Victory is not assured for any of them. But their perspective is starting to win inside the party. It’s focused on taking pride in bold ideas, and on a hard-nosed belief in doing the difficult work of building coalitions to advance them. The legacy of the Sanders moment, no matter the fate of his presidential campaign, will be captured in the fortunes of those who carry it forward at all levels of government.
“In New York, we built the Erie Canal,” Zephyr Teachout says. “People have a sense of possibility. For a while that was shut down, and now it’s open again.”
This is just the beginning.
*Needless to say, I don’t intend this diary as some kind of dirge for the Sanders campaign. It’s not over.