The mood of the country as a whole favors this moment. (It also favors DT but that’s a different story.) Bernie’s movement hasn't really been about him. It’s about the millions of mostly young people who see through the artifice of politics and government as it has been practiced in their lifetimes. They want it to change into something resembling the promise of democracy. Many, but not all, of them may not be able to articulate it to themselves or the general public but they feel the yearning deeply. Bernie’s role has been to articulate it for them on a world-wide stage. He has done so in a way that gains respect and attention from much of the country, especially millennials. It’s long been well known that this class of the populace (those born between around 1980 and 2000) is taking over as a principle force in the cultural and political life of the US. And yet, the cultural and political life of the previous generation (boomers) still has momentum and has become “the establishment.” Hillary best represents that momentum, which is why she will probably (and certainly must) win the presidency.
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| The Corner |
And yet, the pendulum is swinging the millennial’s way. If there is going to be a real revolution, where the establishment is gradually replaced by the Bernie revolutionaries, the revolutionaries (millennials) will still need a spokesperson AND a leader. Bernie can take on that role, at least for a while. His prominence and energy will keep the gadfly function active and visible and part of the national conversation. Sure, someone else may come along and represent it better, but until then Bernie’s continuing role is to be the leader of an important emerging constituency
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