The single biggest barrier to extending the movement to the rest of the population is the mainstream media. Bernie won big among the younger voters, but Biden won just as big among the older voters who actually vote. The main difference I see is the older demographic watches cable news while the younger demographic gets their news from the Internet.

I am a member of a Quaker meeting, a group that has a long history of progressive social activism. Talking at a pot luck with someone my age (early 70’s) who shares my values, he said he really liked Bernie and all he stood for but realized he could not win, so to get rid of Trump he was going to vote for Biden. Listening to him was like listening to MSNBC. So I asked him where he got his news. Answer: MSNBC, CNN, and NPR, all of which he saw as reliable left news sources. (I was horrified.) That prompted me to compile a list of news sources everyone needs to be aware of on the Internet. See it here: http://www.lcurve.org/writings/Media.pdf. [I also just now published a version of the list on Medium. See it here: https://medium.com/@davidchandler_61838/alternative-sources-of-news-and-information-544671479bba ]

As for the author’s disillusionment over whether Bernie’s movement is the “real deal,” there may be a maturity factor going on here. Bernie’s movement IS the real deal, but real movements are generational struggles. It’s not one shot then give up. Watch “Not For Ourselves Alone” for the saga of how women got the right to vote despite overwhelming opposition at every turn. Ultimately the people with the old ideas die out and new generations emerge that solidify the change. Next election 4 more years of old people will have died off and 4 more years of young people will replace them. The challenge is to inspire and empower the young recruits to actually engage, vote, and demand change. Revolution is the work of ants!