The Tea Party, for better or worse, didn’t have big, signature policy initiatives. It wanted to eliminate earmarks, a relatively trifling matter. It opposed amnesty, although the Republican base always had this position. It hated the debt, which led to some serious proposals for entitlement reform but also much posturing to little effect.
Tea Party candidates usually defined themselves by their tactical maximalism and their style, especially a contemptuous attitude toward the establishment. This is why it slid so easily into Trumpism.
In contrast, it’s difficult to how to see how serious Democratic candidates for president are going to avoid endorsing Bernie’s ideas.
This will be good for Bernie’s project, but his own future is cloudy. If he runs again, he will get more scrutiny as a plausible contender rather than a guerrilla candidate. He won’t have Clinton as a foil, but numerous contenders who want to ape his substance as younger, less quirky, more polished candidates.
