As someone who has long been a fan of Bernie Sanders and who petitioned him to join the Democratic Party and run against Barack Obama in 2012, I have been following with interest the rapidly growing momentum of the Sanders for president campaign. Various bloggers here and elsewhere are doing a great job shining a spotlight on Sen. Sanders' grassroots strategies and support, his principled stances on the issues, and the unfairly dismissive tone of corporate media coverage of his candidacy.
There are a few points I would like to add to the discussion, based on anecdotal observations and reflections on the big picture of what Sanders' decision to run for president means for American politics and the nation's future.
1. Bernie Sanders is the candidate who will generate viral buzz and excite apathetic voters in this election cycle. Every so often, a presidential candidate comes along who speaks truth to power (or pretends to), captures people's hearts and minds, and gets lots of young, new, or occasional voters interested in bothering to go out to the polls who normally don't care much about politics or don't believe their vote can make a difference. Other candidates in recent memory who have inspired this vibe include Ross Perot, Ron Paul, and Barack Obama. Most of the time these kind of candidates don't even get beyond the primary. Occasionally, as with Obama -- the black guy with the funny name in 2008 -- they do, and even win it all.
We don't know yet whether Bernie Sanders will peak at Ron Paul levels, Ross Perot levels, or maybe... just maybe... ride a wave election fueled by populist anger and demands for real change all the way to the White House. But one thing is for sure: Bernie is the one in 2016 who will motivate the average pissed-off American voter -- or non-voter -- to use their ballot to "send a message" to the bought-and-paid-for, business-as-usual politicians in Washington. Bernie is passionate about issues a lot of ordinary middle-class and working-class Americans care about. He exudes a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is attitude. He lights up social media and fires up crowds. Whether he gets 15% or 50% of the vote, America will #feelthebern.
2. Bernie Sanders will have significant crossover appeal to populist Republicans. Believe it or not, there are a surprising number of disgruntled conservatives with an anti-establishment independent streak who like Sanders and will consider voting for him. Personally, I have already encountered several such people among my large network of acquaintances on Facebook and elsewhere. Some of these people are unfamiliar with Sanders and are shocked to discover that they agree with many of his views when they hear what he has to say. Others already know about Sanders and respect him for his strong positions against crony capitalism and corporate welfare, corruption in the banking system, and the legalized bribery of politicians by ultra-wealthy campaign financiers.
Bernie Sanders is smart to focus his campaign around economic issues rather than social issues or identity politics. This will enable him to appeal to a broad base of Americans from all political backgrounds. Many Democratic candidates nowadays tend to shy away from economic populism and instead focus on gender politics or appealing to specific ethnic groups. Bread-and-butter economic issues that matter to everyone are the basis for a winning electoral coalition. Remember the "Reagan Democrats"? If Sanders plays it smart and sticks to his core message of populist economics, in 2016 we may be hearing about "Sanders Republicans" -- and the Democratic Party will end up bigger and stronger as a result.
3. The Sanders campaign will be a place where a new generation of political activists can learn from and join forces with their elders. Compared to most politicians running for president, Bernie Sanders is getting up there in years, and much of his support comes from seniors who believe in preserving, strengthening, and expanding FDR's New Deal and LBJ's Great Society programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Also he tends to attract a lot of Baby Boomers who were active in liberal politics in the 1960s. In many ways, Sen. Sanders represents the last hurrah of early-to-mid 20th century progressive political ideals and experience.
Meanwhile, Sanders' passionate support for political and economic reform attracts the younger generation. I have both talked to and heard stories of Millennials who are starting to feel energized about politics again after the disappointment of the Obama presidency -- or perhaps for the first time -- as a result of Bernie Sanders' entrance into the presidential race and his advocacy of bold ideas such as free college education and strict policies to prevent economic exploitation by the banks. The Sanders campaign could be a potent mix of young and old, in which the wisdom and experience of seasoned liberal activists from decades past will inform, equip, and inspire a new generation to carry the torch forward in decades to come.
4. The Sanders campaign may give rise to a new wing of the Democratic Party and political leaders of the future -- if he does well. If the young Sanders activists feel that their efforts bear significant fruit, i.e. even if their candidate doesn't get elected president, but if he does well enough in the primary so that he really gives Hillary Clinton a run for her money and shakes the Democratic Party to its core, this may signal a generational shift in the party. A new "bench" of young, rising liberal populist Democratic leaders may emerge who will have got their start in politics in the Sanders campaign. To be frank, the party could really use this, to get away from the stale, corporate-funded, overly cautious approach of most well-established, careerist politicians on the Democratic side of the aisle, to find a new direction that resonates with average Americans and build a solid base of leadership for the future.
BUT... And this is a very important point....
5. If Bernie Sanders is crushed in the primary by Hillary Clinton, millions of liberal Americans -- especially young people -- may turn away from electoral politics as the answer to America's problems. It's not often that a principled, articulate, experienced statesman runs for president on a substantive platform of fearlessly taking on excessively concentrated wealth and power, helping working families, and preserving the American dream and a broad middle class.
If Sen. Sanders can't get much traction in his run for president, it probably shows that the age of meaningful democracy in America is over; that messy hair and mass media disapproval disqualifies a Rooseveltesque statesman from ever again ascending to the presidency; that the Millennial generation's growing suspicion is true, that politics is dirty and ineffective as a method of creating significant positive change in society; and that, as a new generation of Americans gives up on trying to use the U.S. federal government as a tool for good, American civilization could slip into a long twilight of growing public distrust, inequality, instability, crumbling institutions, and who knows what else in an unfortunate, but presently still avoidable future.
Vote wisely, and vote your conscience. 2016 may be a year when those two factors are in perfect alignment.