As the lone Socialist member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Bernard Sanders is condemned to permanent minority status. Republicans abhor his ideas, and even many Democrats dismiss him as too radical to get anything accomplished. After twelve years in Congress, his passionate speeches continue to fall on deaf ears, and his well-crafted bills continue to be voted down, on the rare occasions when they are even allowed to come up for consideration.

Many people would become discouraged if they were in such a hopeless position, but not Bernie Sanders. One of the most important lessons I took away from his speech at School Without Walls was never to give up, even if it sometimes feels that you are shouting at the rain. When Sanders first ran for governor of Vermont as a third-party candidate, he got a grand total of 1% of the vote. He ran again two years later, and he got 2%. He ran in nearly a half-dozen more elections before he finally was elected mayor of Burlington, Vermont. It took some time for the city legislators to get used to dealing with an independent mayor, but once they did, the city prospered, and Sanders was reelected mayor several times before being elected to Congress. The money for his campaigns consisted mostly of small, individual donations; he rose to national office without taking a single cent from large corporations.

Of course, Sanders could probably rise much higher in politics if he moderated his views, joined one of the major parties, and accepted millions of dollars from big business. But if he did that, he would have to leave the field of public service and enter the field of corporate service. No matter how much electoral influence outside organizations are said to have, it will still be ordinary people who cast the actual ballots. Sanders proved, with his success, that a leader is simply an ordinary person who fights for the issues that are important to ordinary people. Sometimes it takes an aspiring leader many attempts to win a leadership position, but if this leader is persistent, listens to the people's concerns, comes up with solutions, and clearly articulates these solutions, he or she stands a good chance of being elected, even without lots of money or a party organization.

The most significant thing I learned from Sanders was that fighting for what one believes is right is worth any sacrifice. Bernie Sanders will never be president; he will never be Speaker of the House; he will never be Senate Majority Leader. But I doubt he has any regrets about his political career because he fought and continues to fight for the policies he believes will lead to greater equality and prosperity for all Americans. Many politicians fancy themselves as leaders and public servants but compromise their ideals for higher office. Thanks to Sanders, I now know that true leaders are public servants who compromise higher office for their ideals.

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