The good and the bad lessons we have learned from him:
1. You don't need Wall St money to run an effective campaign.
2. The word "socialist" doesn't equal poltical suicide.
3. The left can outperform Centrists and Republicans with independents both in actual primary votes and in general election polls.
4. Millenials are leftist and are at the forefront of a political realignment. In early 2015, polling data shocked us by showing that over half of them supported socialism. The data was criticized as getting Millrnials wrong. as it turns out , the polling was right.
The Millenial voter is set to become the largest voting block in the country. In their formative years (which is normally a voters 2-3 election cycles) , they are being shaped by Sanders and other leftists. Sanders is helping to build on that realignment that is slowly forming. This is a demographic tsunami headed toward both parties.
5. Identity poltics can't be ignored.
6. OWS and the populist left never really died. They went dormant and transformed. It will do so again.
7. Systemic corruption is pervasive.
8. the Democratic Party is facing its decline. So is the GOP. That an outsider come join the party and catch fire like this in such a short time is indication of how hungry the voters are. Especially when you consider both the 29 percent that now ID as Dem and the 43 percent identifying as indie.
9. negative campaigning is necessary.
10. the media is broken.
11. voter suppression is a bipartisan effort.
12. a political movement is about the followers, not the pol who leads them. In the top down approach , everyone assumes where Sanders goes , his supporters will follow. In the bottom up approach, it is more accurate to say in many places , Sanders volunteers were building infrastructure before the Sanders campaign had entered a state. It is also the case that Sanders supporters are policy wonks. Where sanders supporters go, therefore , is where the politics will follow.!
13. risk is necessary if the left hopes to grow as a movement.
14. parts of the dem base are straight up irrational. Even as the party is losing at every level except the presidency ( so far ) many Dems would irrationality want to play us vs them with left leaning indies rather than embrace their enthusiasm and new ideas. For that part of the base, party means joining an exclusive club rather than a place to accomplish goals for the people.
15. organization and infrastructure are paramount.
16. Clinton has no idea, outside of power,why she wants to be president. I know what Sanders vision is. I even knew what Obama vision was in 2008. I have listened to Clinton and watched her interaction with Sanders. She has never articulated a vision.
17. Our future is not certain. We make it and are accountable for it. The same is true of our past.
18. if you fall ,stand back up
19. Judgment matters
20. Authenticity is attractive