Crashing the Party : From the Bernie Sanders Campaign to a Progressive Movement

"A leading activist-scholar on what's next in the Sanders revolution. Bernie Sanders shocked the political establishment by winning 13 million votes and a majority of young voters in the 2016 Democratic primary. Since that upset, repeated polls have judged this democratic socialist to be the most popular politician in the United States. What lessons can be drawn from his surprising insurgent campaign? Longtime author and activist Heather Gautney was a Policy Fellow in Sanders's Washington, DC, office and a volunteer researcher and organizer on his presidential campaign. In reviewing what enabled Sanders to reach out to an unprecedented number with a socialist message--and what stalled his progress--she draws lessons on the prospects and perils of building a progressive movement in the United States. Gautney's poignant account of the role that race and class played in this election cycle, her anatomy of the conflicting dynamics of movement and electoral ambitions, and her clear-eyed analysis of the Democratic position following Trump's victory will serve as a useful starting point for many readers newly aware of the limitations of the Democratic Party and the immensity of the challenges ahead."--Provided by Amazon.com Senator Bernie Sanders won 13 million votes and a majority of young voters in the 2016 Democratic primary, giving a consensus unbeatable party favorite, Hillary Clinton, a shockingly close challenge. He emerged from the presidential election as the most popular politician in the US, despite being a 75-year-old self-professed "democratic socialist." What lessons can be drawn from this surprising but-in the end-losing campaign, and what to make of the direction the Sanders movement has gone since the election? Vermont native Heather Gautney is a senior policy advisor to Bernie Sanders in his Washington, DC office and was a senior researcher on his presidential campaign. The author and editor of several books on social movements and American politics, she brings her scholarly expertise and left politics to bear on the scenes and conflicts she witnessed from inside the campaign and inside the Beltway. This is both an insider's sympathetic view of the Sanders phenomenon and a skeptical left scholar's view of its limitations. In reviewing what enabled Sanders to reach out to an unprecedented number of people with a socialist message, she draws lessons about the prospects and perils of building a leftist movement in the United States. Gautney's reflections on the role that race and class played in this election cycle and analysis of the prospects and perils of the Democratic Party will advance the passionate debate over how to build a progressive opposition to Trump and a lasting left movement in America. A Bernie Sanders campaign advisor reflects on the legacy of the senator's presidential run Senator Bernie Sanders shocked the political establishment by winning 13 million votes and a majority of young voters in the 2016 Democratic primary. He emerged from the contest against Hillary Clinton as the most popular politician in the US, despite being a 75-year-old self-professed "democratic socialist." What lessons can be drawn from this surprising but—in the end—losing campaign? Vermont native Heather Gautney was a legislative fellow in Sanders's Washington office and a senior researcher on his presidential campaign. The author and editor of several books on social movements and American politics, she brings her academic expertise and left politics to bear on the scenes and conflicts she witnessed from inside the campaign. In reviewing what enabled Sanders to reach out to an unprecedented number of people with a socialist message—and what stalled his... Foreword By Adolph Reed, Jr -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- Crashing The Party -- The Campaign, Part 1: Democratic Socialism -- The Campaign, Part 2: Identity Politics -- The Convention, The General Election, And Its Aftermath -- Conclusion : Campaigns End, Movements Endure -- Index. Heather Gautney ; With A Foreword By Adolph Reed, Jr. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.