Why Bernie Already Won

As a democrat living in Chicago, I’m privileged. My city bleeds blue, and considering Chicago’s 2.7 million citizens makes up half of Illinois’ population, Chicagoland democrats have spoken over the significant presence of Republicans in surrounding suburbs. This is not to say I don’t respect bipartisanship. It’s simply a fact that in my city, liberals have defined the culture of the area and determine its future. The 2016 election, however, changed how I view this liberalism.

Last summer when talk about the election and potential candidates grew, my support was naturally thrown towards Hillary Clinton. A reliable democrat, a woman, and the most foreign relations-savvy person for the job, I expressed my confidence in her because there was no reason not to. No one around me doubted whether she’d win the nomination and eventually the general election, and neither did the media.

In September, a mysterious senator from Vermont emerged in the public eye: Bernie Sanders. By this time, I was well inculcated in Hillary culture. I was at peace with this considering she was utterly untouchable; none of the plethora of Republican candidates posed the slightest roadblock in her seemingly merry path to the White House.

My exposure to Sanders is credited to social media. He is often labeled a socialist, and even as a liberal millennial, I’d been wired to be wary of this term. His Twitter teems with statements regarding economic inequality. This is inherently different from Clinton, who speaks of inequality in its most superficial elements. Sanders points to deeper, structural cracks in our framework. He has the power to connect everything from reproductive rights, Black Lives Matter, and the environment to economics.

From Wall Street to the West Bank, he’s unafraid to defy the establishment ideals of his party. The courage he has to transform his views before the others gives me hope in our politicians. He shows young people that it’s not enough to approach social injustice in a facile manner. He has effectively educated people decades younger than him about economic empowerment and has made fiscal corruption in American politics more transparent.

As November 8th draws nearer and we prepare ourselves for a Clinton Vs. Trump showdown, Bernie will not be in our rearview mirrors. He is a destination further along the road, a place we can reach in due time. He was privy to being labeled unrealistic, a dreamer, a communist, a socialist, and simply not a politician. And with this, he has forever changed the descriptors we use for American politicians, the way liberalism will ensue in the United States, and thus, how democracy will progress.

This past March was my first time voting and I didn’t join the majority I though I’d be among back in August. Illinois added to Hillary’s wide margin and California, New York, and other blue states followed. The primary season has been a testament to the bounds of our liberalism. We bled blue, but it was tinged with purple. Although these victories closed the chapter of Bernie’s presidential campaign, the conversation he sparked has only just emerged. And this victory is bigger than what Clinton or Trump will boast in November.