The Assets

Timing. There has been a good deal of social science research on what propels political movements, and Sanders appears to be in a moment where conditions are ripe.

In the 1977 journal article “Resource Mobilization and Social Movements: A Partial Theory,” noted social scientists John McCarthy and Mayer Zald argue that while frustration with the status quo is a necessity, a movement’s ability to secure resources and retain energy are the best indicators for success down the road.

Mobilizing supporters, swaying fence-sitters into sympathizers and laying out clear, concrete goals are key elements of successful movements, according to McCarthy and Zald.

The conservative Tea Party movement, which has been a potent force in Congress, has used these tactics to powerful effect. Tea Party representatives recently ousted House Speaker John Boehner, for example.

Sanders would do well to replicate the battle plans of the far right, McCarthy and Zald say.

According to The Atlantic, the Tea Party tactics have historical precedent and are exactly what Sanders has called for: rallies, protests, town halls, email petitions and call-in campaigns.

In a number of ways, the Vermont senator is prepared to mount a grass-roots battle that could be as powerful as that of the Tea Party movement.

1. Organizing Events and Mobilizing People

Sanders first grabbed headlines as a candidate with huge rallies in liberal strongholds across America, and he has held the largest gatherings in the modern history of politics. He has spoken to more than 1 million people over the course of the campaign, including 28,000 people for one event in Brooklyn, before the New York primary.

Mass mobilization is one of the few avenues Sanders has offered when asked to explain the success of “the revolution” – and for good reason.

Street protests are an effective tactic, as the Fight for $15 has demonstrated with recent wage wins in New York and California.

If Sanders could coalesce similar numbers of people for Washington marches or phone drives, he would likely push policy.

2. Connecting with Voters Online

The Tea Party had 3.5 million Facebook fans to dispatch in their push to shut down the government in 2013, and they reportedly made 60,000 calls to Congress, jamming phone lines and causing chaos.

Sanders has an even bigger pool of supporters to pull from should he return to Congress and seek to make change through legislative channels. His Senate Twitter account has grown exponentially over the course of his campaign, and his presidential page is even more closely watched. In total, Sanders has nearly 4 million Twitter followers, and 3.7 million likes on Facebook.

The weekend before the New York primary, the Sanders’ volunteers and staffers made 3 million phone calls.

Sanders is also a popular figure on the aggregation site Reddit. The campaign recently hired Montpelier resident Aidan King, a Reddit guru whose r/SandersForPresident page is one of the most popular forums on the site.

While internet activism is generally considered less effective than street protest, Reddit proved a potent force in defeating SOPA and PIPA, two Senate bills first championed by U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy that would have increased government oversight of online content.

3. Fundraising

Sanders’ fundraising ability is unprecedented in American politics. Through mostly small-dollar donations, Sanders has raised more than $200 million. In March he out-paced Clinton, bringing in $46 million to her $30 million. Clinton has raised more than $250 million, but through much larger donations.

Sanders could use any residual campaign money toward a future Senate race, though he has never had difficulty raising what he needs to run in Vermont.

Or he could set up a social movement organization, like MoveOn.org, capable of fundraising and organizing. Another option would be to support an organization that would fund progressive candidates, as permitted under Federal Election Commission rules.

The campaign is also in possession of a valuable resource for organization and protest — donor data. According to Senate rules, Sanders could migrate his long presidential donor list — which today tops more than 2.2 million — to his Senate office. That would allow him to notify a much larger audience about his progressive proposals.

Sanders cannot enact any sort of meaningful change alone.

However, the campaign has connected with effective grassroots leaders across the country.

Among them: U.S. Rep. Paul Grijalva of Arizona and Cook County Commissioner Chuy Garcia from Chicago who have fought for Latinos. Atlanta Rapper Killer Mike and former Ohio State Sen. Nina Turner have energized young, black students who want police reforms..

With the campaign now making draconian cuts, some of organizers may be lost, including Robert Becker, Sanders’ former Iowa State Director, who worked in Cairo during the Arab Spring.

There are organizers with ties to groups like Occupy Wall Street, 350.org, the Fight for $15, and Black Lives Matter who are also working for Sanders.

A number of left-wing activists hope to tap voters who have been inspired by Sanders.

Kshama Sawant, the first socialist elected to the Seattle City Council in a century, was instrumental in pushing through a $15 minimum wage in the city. She said Sanders’ run has “electrified a generation,” but she is concerned that Sanders could squander the opportunity to build a movement.

“Sanders has provided a political education for a huge mass of people,” Sawant said. “Now we must teach how to organize, how to build forces, which are very, very important parts of fighting against capitalism.”

She said whether Sanders wins or loses the nomination, he should organize a conference of street politicians from all around the country to establish a comprehensive plan for progressive change.

A consortium of pro-Sanders groups, including the Democratic Socialists of America and the National Nurses United, have set into motion plans for a convention in Chicago this summer called “The People’s Summit.”

A number of other activists said Sanders’ campaign is likely to strengthen already existing organziations, said Jose Martin, a former leader in the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations.

“We actually have somebody who is a real presidential contender who would listen to the people, and the protesters,” Martin said. “He may not be the most malleable, but he will listen.”

Still Martin cautioned that “the left should never think that an elected official can be their savior.”

Deray McKesson, a prominent activist with Black Lives Matter lost a bid for mayor of Baltimore, also sees a political atmosphere where ideas pushed on the street can quickly get adopted into electoral politics.

“We’ve spent eight months bringing awareness to a crisis, and so much of the movement has been about telling the truth in public, by putting our bodies in the streets,” McKesson said about the influence of BLM. “In office today, you can make the changes and do the concrete things.”

In another sign Sanders’ ideas may live on, Kelly Magnan, executive director of Vermont’s Progressive Party, said she has been inundated with calls over the last few weeks from people wanting to start Progressive parties in their own states.

Magnan has talked to political organizers across the country, from Colorado to Florida, and Kentucky to New Jersey.

“What I would suggest is that when an insurgent candidacy stirs things up or makes something happen, it’s because there is a need for it, an unaddressed reality in our politics,” said John Nichols, a progressive journalist at the Nation. “That need is what propels the movement.”