Bernie Out - Now What? 8 April 2020.

Today, the unfortunate news came that Bernie Sanders dropped out of the 2020 race. Bernie said, simply, "I cannot in good conscience continue to mount a campaign that cannot win and which would interfere with the important work ahead of all of us".  This leaves a lot of Progressives disheartened. We no longer have a Progressive candidate in the race, and aren't sure where we go from here. Many of us have been asking ourselves, "Now what?"  This may be depressing for many of us, but we should still have hope.

2024 is only four years away, and we have a lot of work to do!

We have to think about what Bernie fought for, and what this movement has meant to us. The campaign motto that Bernie put forward, "Not Me, Us" has never had a more profound meaning than it does not. This campaign, this movement, was never about one man. It was about us, and what we can accomplish together. Four years ago, ideas like a Green New Deal, Medicare for All, a $15 Minimum Wage - they were looked at as crazy, insane, and impossible. But we dreamed, we fought, we asserted, and now they are no longer fringe ideas. They are now realistic goals to fight for and attain. The movement didn't end with Bernie, it began with Bernie.

So, now what?  

I believe we progressives have several things we can do, as we fight on and look forward to 2024.

Think Local: County/City Level 

Candidates: Look at the ballot and get to know your local county and city candidates. Examine their platforms. Find progressive candidates running at the local level and support them. Fight for them. Donate to them. Volunteer with them. 
Local Party: Get to know the local liberal parties. Fight for progressive ideals.  Get to know the party leadership and bring progressive ideals to the table.  It all starts from the grassroots.  Be the grassroots.

Think Local: State Level

Candidates: Look at the ballot and get to know your state candidates.  Check out their platforms. Find progressive candidates running at the local level and support them. Fight for them. Donate to them. Volunteer with them.  Here in Arkansas, for example, there is a candidate named Dan Whitfield.  He's an independent, but he fights for Bernie's agenda.  Find candidates like that!
State Parties: Get to know the state level liberal parties. Fight for progressive ideals and get them added to their platforms.  Get to know the party leadership and bring progressive ideals to their table. Again, be the grassroots.

Coalition Building

We progressives are a large voting bloc.  We are unified in what we want out of the future.  And just because Bernie is out of the race doesn't mean our passion is going away.  It doesn't mean our movement is dying.  It doesn't mean we are going away.  We are here to stay.  Continue to unite with progressives.  Continue to stand firm, and stand strong.  Brainstorm.  Think of what we can do moving forward.  Learn from 2016.  Learn from 2020.  Our movement has been going strong, and we can learn a lot about what works, and what doesn't work.  Continue to get together, spend time together, get to know each other.  Keep our networks strong, and active.

Draft Candidates/Run For Office

Remember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez? Rashida Tlaib? Ilhan Omar? Ayanna Pressley?  These were local people in their various communities who were drafted, ran for office, and won.  The Justice Democrats campaign has a great drafting/nominating program that helps people at the local level prepare to run for office, and eventually run a campaign.  Our progressive voices can run for office and bring our ideals and values to elected offices.  If you have passion for change and want to run for office, do it!  If you know someone you think would be a great change maker, nominate them!  Local/State/National elections happen frequently, and there are a lot of places that people can fit into.

Onward and Upward!

We may not have won 2020.  It's an unfortunate truth.  But we must persist.  We must fight onward.  Our message will not die.  Our movement will not end.  Today, we can lick our wounds.  But tomorrow is a new day.  And 2024 is only four years away.  We have a lot of work to do.  Let's continue to stand together.  Let's continue to fight.  And let's build a brighter future for our children.  And our children's children.  And so on and so forth.  We can do this, together.  When we stand firm together nothing can stop us.  Nothing can kill our dreams.  Nothing will end our fight.  The country deserves better.  People deserve health insurance.  Workers deserve a living wage.  The planet deserves a Green New Deal.  And we will fight for the next four years to ensure that happens - in our local offices, at the state level, and all the way up to the White House.