I live in a somewhat older neighborhood in the suburbs outside of Denver. When I caucused for Obama eight years ago, I was one of the younger Democrats present for my precinct and I was then in my mid 30s.
Last night, my precinct had around 25% of caucus goers who (to my eye) were under 30, almost all of them turning out to support Bernie. The way he has motivated young voters nationwide has been well documented. In my precinct those young people who spoke were articulate, committed Sanders supporters, yet respectful of the Hillary caucus-goers as well. (Our precinct ended up splitting our county delegates evenly). But here's what really excited me.
Two of these young, early 20s Bernie supporters offered their services and were selected as our new precinct committee people to the county Democratic party. Feeling the Bern wasn't just about the presidential race, they were ready to step up to the ongoing work of party building - coordinating volunteers, registering voters, walking the precinct with other Democrats and supporting our candidates up and down the ballot.
This was one precinct in one county in one state. But if Bernie is inspiring these young people and others like them to truly get involved in politics, to carry on the fight for their values and interests beyond a single night or single race, to recognize that the political revolution is about more than just electing a president, then he is helping build a brighter future for our party and our country. Thank you, Senator Sanders!