Sen. Sanders was instrumental to transforming the policy agenda within the Democratic Party. In presidential politics, Democrats had spent several decades since Ronald Reagan's victory in 1980 shifting to the center in an attempt to avoid being branded as too far left.
Even President Obama, who pushed one of the boldest domestic agendas since the 1960s, was extraordinarily cautious in the way that he framed his government plans and avoided ideas that could be labeled as too radical. Rather than single payer national health insurance, for instance, the
Affordable Care Act relied on regulatory mechanisms, online markets and expansion of existing programs -- such as Medicaid -- to provide better coverage.
Sanders rejected all that. Together with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, he offered a robust and vigorous defense of government as a solution to our problems. He pushed for Medicare for All, free college and a Green New Deal, as well as other forms of aggressive government intervention, without apology.
Sanders has shown that the future doesn't have to be about big donors even without a system of public finance being put into place. At the same time that he rails against the role of private money in politics, Sanders has also helped revolutionize campaign finance.
When the history books are written, Sen. Sanders will end up being remembered as a hugely consequential figure.
He also called on Democrats to remember their historic
commitment to working class Americans, demanding a
higher minimum wage and more stringent
workplace safety rules.
In other words, Sanders forced the party to debate these proposals rather than having debates on the terms that Republican defined. As a result, the party's conversation shifted dramatically to the left.
Sanders also mobilized a new generation of Democrats into party politics. He built a movement behind his campaign,
A majority of his followers are younger Americans who have been turned off and distrustful of politics but now see the possibilities of what our democracy can still offer. He has excited them with his moral clarity and passion for fighting against corrupt political structures. He has persuaded them to vote, to organize, to donate and to think that politics is worthwhile.
In 2020, the campaign has also done a remarkable job of
turning out the Latino vote, a crucial constituency in the next few decades. Through all of these efforts, Sanders has spawned an exciting generation of younger politicians, such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who will be important voices of the future.
Given the severity of the health crisis we are facing, Sanders might even live to see Medicare for All become the law of the land.