Electoral campaigns must be understood as movement-building opportunities, not just vote-getting exercises.
The Sanders campaign wasn't just about electing a president—it was about building a movement that could outlive any single election.
Book summary
Current BestsellerGoodreads FavoriteAward-Winner / Critically Acclaimed
Bigger Than Bernie
by Meagan Day & Micah Uetricht
How We Go from the Sanders Campaign to Democratic Socialism
A field manual for transforming campaign energy into durable democratic socialist institutions.
4.3(850)Published 2020
Topics
Democratic SocialismMovement BuildingPolitical OrganizingElectoral PoliticsInstitutional PowerVolunteer ManagementPolitical Education
Reading companion
How to read Bigger Than Bernie with Readever
Read this book chronologically, following the progression from campaign mobilization to institutional building. Use Readever to highlight specific organizational models and volunteer retention strategies. Focus on understanding how to create sustainable structures that can weather electoral defeats and continue building power between election cycles.
Things to know before reading
- The book assumes familiarity with the Bernie Sanders campaigns and democratic socialist organizing
- Focus on the practical organizational models rather than just the political analysis
- Many examples come from Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) chapters and other socialist organizations
- The tone is honest about challenges and failures as well as successes
Brief summary
Bigger Than Bernie in a nutshell
Field notes on scaling the Sanders movement into clubs, unions, and policy labs that survive elections and build lasting working-class power.
Key ideas overview
Bigger Than Bernie summary of 6 key ideas
The book argues that electoral campaigns are just the beginning—the real work is building durable institutions that can sustain socialist politics between elections and build lasting working-class power.
Local chapters and branches are the building blocks of durable socialist power.
Without strong local organizations, socialist politics remains ephemeral and dependent on charismatic leaders.
Political education is essential for developing class consciousness and movement discipline.
You can't build a socialist movement without socialists.
Socialist organizations must be multi-tendency and capable of internal debate while maintaining unity in action.
A healthy socialist organization needs both internal democracy and external discipline.
Building working-class power requires engaging with labor unions and workplace organizing.
The working class isn't just an electoral constituency—it's the social force that can transform society.
Socialist organizations must develop their own media and communication capacity.
We can't rely on corporate media to tell our stories or communicate our politics.
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Book summaries like Bigger Than Bernie
Discover similar journeys
Learn how to build durable socialist institutions that outlive electoral campaigns.
This summary gives you practical strategies for transforming campaign energy into permanent democratic socialist infrastructure. You'll learn how to build local chapters, develop political education programs, and create institutions that can sustain movement momentum between elections and build real working-class power.
Deep dive
Key ideas in Bigger Than Bernie
Key idea 1
Electoral campaigns must be understood as movement-building opportunities, not just vote-getting exercises.
The Sanders campaign wasn't just about electing a president—it was about building a movement that could outlive any single election.
The authors argue that socialist electoral campaigns should be designed as movement-building projects that recruit new organizers, develop political consciousness, and build infrastructure that can continue working after election day. Campaigns should prioritize developing volunteer leadership, creating political education programs, and building relationships that can form the basis of permanent organizations.
Remember
- Use campaigns to recruit and train new organizers, not just get votes
- Build relationships and infrastructure that can outlive the election cycle
- Develop political education alongside electoral mobilization
Key idea 2
Local chapters and branches are the building blocks of durable socialist power.
Without strong local organizations, socialist politics remains ephemeral and dependent on charismatic leaders.
The book emphasizes that national movements need strong local foundations. Local chapters provide spaces for political education, community organizing, and leadership development. They create opportunities for members to develop skills, build relationships, and engage in meaningful political work between elections. Strong chapters can weather national political shifts and continue building power locally.
Remember
- Local chapters provide stability during national political shifts
- Chapters create spaces for leadership development and political education
- Strong local organizations can implement socialist policies at the municipal level
Key idea 3
Political education is essential for developing class consciousness and movement discipline.
You can't build a socialist movement without socialists.
The authors argue that political education is not a luxury but a necessity for building a durable socialist movement. Study groups, reading circles, and political education programs help develop shared analysis, build movement discipline, and create a common political culture. This education helps volunteers understand the strategic context of their work and develop the theoretical tools to navigate complex political situations.
Remember
- Political education develops shared analysis and movement discipline
- Study groups create spaces for developing theoretical understanding
- Education helps organizers understand the strategic context of their work
Key idea 4
Socialist organizations must be multi-tendency and capable of internal debate while maintaining unity in action.
A healthy socialist organization needs both internal democracy and external discipline.
The book explores how socialist organizations can balance internal debate with external unity. Organizations need spaces for members to discuss strategy and tactics while maintaining enough discipline to act collectively. The authors provide examples of how organizations have managed internal differences while building effective external campaigns.
Remember
- Create spaces for internal debate while maintaining external unity
- Develop processes for resolving strategic disagreements
- Balance democratic decision-making with effective collective action
Key idea 5
Building working-class power requires engaging with labor unions and workplace organizing.
The working class isn't just an electoral constituency—it's the social force that can transform society.
The authors argue that socialist politics must be rooted in working-class organization, particularly in labor unions. Engaging with unions, supporting workplace organizing, and building labor-community coalitions are essential for building the social power needed to challenge capitalism. The book provides examples of how socialist organizers have successfully worked within and alongside the labor movement.
Remember
- Labor unions provide crucial organizational infrastructure for working-class power
- Workplace organizing builds power at the point of production
- Labor-community coalitions can win significant reforms
Key idea 6
Socialist organizations must develop their own media and communication capacity.
We can't rely on corporate media to tell our stories or communicate our politics.
The book emphasizes the importance of building independent media and communication infrastructure. Socialist organizations need their own publications, social media presence, and communication channels to shape political narratives, communicate with members, and reach broader audiences. This media capacity helps organizations weather hostile coverage in mainstream media and build their own political identity.
Remember
- Independent media helps shape political narratives
- Communication infrastructure is essential for member engagement
- Media capacity builds organizational identity and reach
Context
What is Bigger Than Bernie about?
Bigger Than Bernie provides a comprehensive analysis of how the energy and enthusiasm of the Bernie Sanders campaigns can be transformed into durable democratic socialist institutions. The book moves beyond electoral politics to explore how socialist organizers can build lasting power through local chapters, political education, labor organizing, and independent media.
Drawing on interviews with organizers from across the democratic socialist movement, the authors provide a detailed roadmap for building organizations that can survive electoral defeats and continue building working-class power between election cycles. The book covers everything from chapter development and volunteer retention to political education and labor organizing.
Rather than presenting a single organizational model, the book explores multiple approaches that have been tried within the democratic socialist movement, analyzing both successes and failures. The authors are honest about the challenges of building socialist organizations in a hostile political environment while maintaining an optimistic vision of what's possible.
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Review
Bigger Than Bernie review
Bigger Than Bernie fills a crucial gap in the literature on contemporary democratic socialism by focusing on the organizational challenges of building lasting power. The book's greatest strength is its practical orientation and grounding in real organizing experience.
The authors provide honest assessments of both successes and failures within the democratic socialist movement, avoiding the triumphalism that sometimes characterizes movement literature. Their analysis of how to balance internal democracy with external discipline is particularly valuable for organizations struggling with these tensions.
Some critics might wish for more detailed case studies of specific organizational models, but the book's breadth makes it accessible to organizers working in different contexts. The writing is clear and engaging, making complex organizational concepts understandable to readers without extensive organizing experience.
- Provides practical strategies for building durable socialist institutions
- Grounded in real organizing experience and honest about challenges
- Accessible to both new and experienced organizers
- Balances theoretical analysis with practical guidance
- Offers multiple organizational models rather than a single approach
Who should read Bigger Than Bernie?
Democratic socialist organizers and activists
Political campaign staff and volunteers
Labor union organizers and members
Students of political science and social movements
Anyone interested in building lasting political power
About the author
Meagan Day is a staff writer at Jacobin magazine and the author of Maximum Sunlight. Her writing focuses on democratic socialism, labor organizing, and social movements. She has been involved in socialist organizing for over a decade and brings both journalistic and organizing experience to the book.
Micah Uetricht is the managing editor at Jacobin and the author of Strike for America: Chicago Teachers Against Austerity. He has written extensively about labor organizing, social movements, and democratic socialism. His previous work has focused on the intersection of labor and socialist politics.
Both authors have been deeply involved in the democratic socialist movement that emerged around the Bernie Sanders campaigns and bring firsthand experience with the organizational challenges of building durable socialist institutions.
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Final summary
Bigger Than Bernie provides an essential guide for anyone serious about building democratic socialist power that can outlive electoral cycles. The book moves beyond the excitement of campaign moments to focus on the hard work of building durable institutions that can sustain socialist politics through both victories and defeats.
By focusing on practical organizational strategies—from chapter development to political education to labor organizing—the authors provide a roadmap for transforming campaign energy into lasting working-class power. While the challenges are significant, the book demonstrates that building democratic socialist institutions is not just possible but essential for creating a more equitable and democratic society.
Inside the book
Bigger Than Bernie represents a crucial contribution to the practical literature on democratic socialist organizing by focusing on the organizational challenges of building durable power. The book's emphasis on institutional building rather than just electoral mobilization makes it particularly valuable for organizers looking to create lasting change.
The authors' honest assessment of both successes and failures within the democratic socialist movement provides valuable lessons for organizers at all levels. By exploring multiple organizational models and approaches, the book avoids prescribing a single "correct" way to build socialist power while still providing clear principles for effective organizing.
What sets this book apart is its focus on the transition from campaign energy to institutional stability. The authors understand that the real test of a movement is not its ability to mobilize for elections but its capacity to sustain organizing work through both victories and defeats. This long-term perspective makes the book an essential resource for anyone serious about building democratic socialist power that can actually transform society.
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