In the wake of  Bernie Sanders’ remarkable presidential campaign, many of his supporters are now wondering what comes next. There are many potential answers to that question, but one thing that seems abundantly clear to us is that if America does indeed have a progressive Future to Believe In, it will be forged by a movement built from the bottom up rather than the top down.

Sanders made a strong start in this direction, winning 43 percent of the popular vote during the Democratic presidential nominating contest, amassing nearly 1,900 delegates, winning 23 states and raising $230 million in mostly small donations. The Vermont senator’s insurgent campaign mobilized hundreds of thousands of young people and energized many older liberals in a way few observers believed possible when he launched his long-shot bid for the party’s presidential nomination. In so doing, he demonstrated conclusively that there is ample space on the American political spectrum for progressive thought and action.

But he didn’t win. Hillary Clinton did, and she’s the nominee. Despite the antipathy many hold for her, Job One for progressives is to make sure that Donald Trump, with his odious brand of proto-fascism, does not take the White House. There have been occasions in the recent past when liberals thought that it didn’t really matter who won; 1968 and 2000 are two that come to mind. The Democratic candidates in those years were Hubert Humphrey and Al Gore, neither of whom inspired much enthusiasm on the left. Richard Nixon and George W. Bush were elected instead, and the rest is disastrous history.

As Sanders recognized in his full-throated endorsement of Clinton, Trump could do incalculable damage in four years. He could affect the nation’s course for decades just by his appointments to the Supreme Court, to say nothing of his reckless nonchalance in addressing numerous complex problems. And the hint of menace and violence associated with his campaign suggests that official or mob repression of opposing views is far from beyond the realm of possibility during a Trump presidency.

If Clinton prevails — and that is far from a sure thing — she will undoubtedly be indebted to Sanders supporters who played a decisive role in electing her. Progressives will have leverage to push for the kind of change Sanders advocated, either as part of the Clinton constituency or by moving outside it, or both.

By itself, of course, electing Clinton does nothing to build a lasting progressive movement. Those who came of political age during the Sanders campaign must face a hard truth, which is that leading a politically active life requires making a commitment that does not come and go with the election cycles. Politics is played day in and day out, year in and year out, at the local, state and national level. Young progressives need to take note of the famous maxim associated with the one-time Speaker of the House, Tip O’Neill: “All politics is local.” Becoming involved in local issues, seeking and serving in local office, organizing at the grass-roots level and forging coalitions with like-minded advocacy groups is the way political movements are built and sustained and its future leaders are developed. Already some young Sanders supporters are running for seats in the Vermont House. The opportunities to effect change are not limited to electoral politics, either. Right here in the Upper Valley, there are numerous issues that need to be addressed, starting with the urgent need for more affordable housing and to end homelessness, as well as to improve access to mental health care and to combat opiate addiction.  

Making a commitment to living a political life implies several others. Staying informed through reputable sources is one, including sources that do not share your viewpoint. The echo chamber is no place for political discussion. And it must be remembered that while social media provide unprecedented opportunities to stay connected with like-minded individuals and facilitate political action, they are by no means a substitute for political action. They are only a tool, although a powerful one, as Sanders demonstrated.

Sanders also showed that his brand of populist progressivism has surprising appeal to Americans long thought to be hostile to the left. For instance, he did well in the primaries with white, working-class males. That suggests that if his youthful supporters want to have lasting impact on the nation’s economic, social and political life, they need to put down their smartphones and start talking face-to-face with  people who may be situated very differently in life than they are and seek a fuller appreciation of their struggles, anxieties and resentments. It could be a fruitful conversation and essential to building A Future to Believe In.