There is a seismic shift happening in American politics. The status quo will no longer do, and many are beginning to question the prevailing narratives that have dominated the discourse in recent decades.

More and more young people, for instance, have seen through the myth that the United States is some sort of paragon of freedom, justice, and liberty. For them, it no longer suffices that our gaze remains permanently fixed outwards, at the rest of the world and its problems, rather than focusing on what we can do in our own backyard to make a difference.

There is an increasing awareness regarding the threat of climate change and the need to meet that threat with widespread, systemic changes that can galvanize the nation and make us reclaim an international leadership role that carries with it some measure of dignity.

A lot of noise is being made about the need to de-militarize our police force, reduce inequalities in the realms of race, sexuality, gender, and income & and wealth status, and to reform an American electoral system that is antiquated and showing signs of decay.

Truth be told, it’s a frightening time to be invested in politics. No one likes getting their hopes up only for them to be crushed, as was the case when Hillary Clinton beat Sanders to the nomination, and again when she lost to Donald Trump.

We’re seeing similar signs repeat this time around. An entrenched Democratic Party elite — complete with its media cohorts — are terrified of Bernie Sanders’ momentum and the movement of small-donors and grassroots activists that prop him up.

This sort of situation is a nightmare for the more neoliberal wing of the party that refuses to abandon its big-dollar donors and their closed-door agendas.

What the media onslaught against Sanders and his supporters demonstrates, as well as the nervousness with which his own party treats of his presence, is that they made a difference in 2016 and the four years since and that they are continuing to make a difference even now.

As a younger voter — I’m 26 years old — I am deeply concerned about whether or not the Democratic Party will become a force in American politics capable of pursuing progressive social and economic change that can meet the demands of climate change.

It seems as if there are two paths the party can walk. One in which the momentum that Sanders has brought to the table is embraced, which necessitates becoming a party that stands up for working-class people at the expense of its traditional wealthy backers, or one in which the Sanders wing continues to be marginalized and ignored, creating anger and resentment, making another Trump victory likely.

As of right now, the Party seems shockingly tone-deaf.

With Biden flopping in Iowa, elites have begun to pool their resources behind Pete Buttigieg. He now has the most exclusive billionaire donors of any Democrat.

This should be cause for concern among anyone serious about tackling the challenges ahead. We should ask ourselves if a candidate so beholden to America’s wealthy elite is capable of breaking free from their influence when the time comes.

For me, it’s no contest.

Bernie Sanders has demonstrated — over the course of his lifetime — an unceasing commitment to his values, despite being marginalized by mainstream politicians and the media as a result.

That is more important than ever right now, because we don’t need another president that conducts back-door deals with billionaires before jumping in to make the necessary changes that are going to lead us out of this mess.

We need a president whose values have been worn on his sleeve since the very beginning.

If the Party can’t reform its image to appeal to working-class voters, the Party will lose those voters to Trump and the GOP, just as they did in the 2016 general election.

It’s as simple as that.

Right now, who wins the nomination is still a toss-up. But the Party’s biases are showing once again. Should Sanders sweep critical states in the beginning, it will be a true test of character as to whether the other candidates and the Party’s rank and file are capable of endorsing Sanders.

For me, how they react to a Sanders upsurge will determine whether or not I have any faith left in the Democrats when it comes to being a party of the people, by the people, and for the people.

I would really like to remain a Democrat, to contribute to their victories, and to have faith that they can affect a shift in American politics that will revitalize our democracy, empower the dispossessed, and make us a world leader when it comes to tackling climate change and developing green technologies.

Whether or not I can maintain that faith depends on how the Party treats Sanders and his supporters going forward, and on how fair they choose to play ball should it start to seem like a Sanders victory is likely.

It has been shown, via the organizations and activists that have already endorsed Bernie, that he is the only candidate capable of creating a broad enough coalition to make things like Medicare for All and a Green New Deal feasible.

No other candidate enjoys such far-ranging, grassroots level support.

The Party can choose not to believe in the power of grassroots organizing, but that surrenders the very principle of democracy itself to cynicism and the elites who gain from spreading a pessimistic narrative about American politics.

I believe that we can become a healthy democracy, a functioning republic, and a world leader that we can all be proud of.

For me, the only path toward that vision is through Bernie Sanders.

If the Democratic Party wants to not only remain relevant in the coming years, but find in itself the spirit of justice exemplified by the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. and other notable activists, it must accept that Sanders has the moral high ground when it comes to starting from the ground up, not taking orders from the top-down.

This is a battle that will shake the Party to its core. What will we discover at the end of it all?

For everyone’s sake, I hope we see that our good overcomes our evil, that our commitment to service overcomes our greed, and that our need to care about others overcomes our apathy and disillusionment.

Can the Democratic Party become an active agent in making that reality? Time will tell.