Bernie Has Great Vision. He Is A Treasure. He Is Also A Terrible Organizer.

This Is A Lesson, And A Warning Sign, For The Future

Why You Might Want To Read This: we mistake hero worship of a Pied Piper and the thrill of rallies and protests, on the one hand, for long-term, permanent organizing, on the other hand. All of the elements are important in gaining power BUT require different skills.

Bernie Sanders has been out and about recently, drawing prodigious crowds around the country (Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Colorado and California) decrying the descent into oligarchy. He’s flooding my inbox as well, multiple times a week, with well-crafted but, way too long missives (yes, I also suffer from this problem, as this post demonstrates), always with a fundraising pitch at the end for his general campaign operation.

There is no more consistent voice for the people in the U.S. Senate than Bernie Sanders. He’s a national treasure.

At the same time, he’s a terrible organizer of a movement.

Bernie’s rabble-rousing gives us all a chance to consider what counts as effective movement organizing versus rabble-rousing.

These …