Bernie’s Revolution – Will it be a Movement or a Moment?
Watching the DNC convention, I can see that most of those in attendance are excited and ready to get to work to try to realize one of the most progressive platforms to be adopted by a major U.S. party. The Democratic platform was in large part based on input from Bernie Sanders and his supporters. This is as much his platform as hers.
Yet, there is still a loud, but vocal minority of delegates who more interested in expressing anger and disapproval at the results. Think of Cornell West who was asked to participate in the development of the platform, yet he walks away and endorses the Green Party candidate. Or, you have Nina Turner getting 15 minutes of fame and then some in order to dutifully play the role of a Democrat still on the fence as to who she might support for President. However, expressions of anger without direction, purpose and, most importantly, only serve to make those who are yelling a part of the problem they are complaining about.
The question I wonder is whether Bernie’s revolution will ultimately be seen as a movement or a moment? Were Bernie’s supporters invested in his ideals, which have now been incorporated into the party’s platform? Or, was Bernie himself simply being used, yes used, by his supporters as a convenient vehicle for expressing rage irrespective of his policies?
Right now. In the midst of a Presidential election with a would-be demagogue running as the Republican candidate, the underlying issues of the election will get overshadowed. The protests themselves often get muddled and create confusion as to what is being advocates as was the case when you had TPP protestors disrupting speeches by Rep. Cummings and Lewis as they addressed the concerns of BLM activists.
However, when it is all said and done, will Bernie’s movement endure? Will Bernie himself remain engaged and continue to try to work to get progressive Democrats elected? Will Bernie’s supporters remain invested in pressuring Congress to pass bills that incorporate the Democratic party’s platform? Or, will they both retreat, disengage, and complain from the distance in elections to come?
In short, the real measure of whether Bernie’s revolution is a movement or merely a moment is where will Bernie and his supporters be during the 2018 midterms. That could be the pivotal year where a movement emerges from the background of a Presidential campaign and transforms Congress. In 2010, a CNBC/Fox inspired Tea Party halted the progressive trajectory of the Obama presidency fresh off the adoption of the ACA, saving the U.S. auto industry, creating a consumer protection agency, and adopting the Dodd-Frank act. Can Bernie’s movement offer a similar change in 2018 albeit in a progressive direction?
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Millions of others will too. It's going to be a good thing, to ensure Hillary does everything she said on that stage tonight. 
