Portside

“Revolution soon come” seems like a fantasy. But Sanders’ view that nothing will change unless people rise up, demand change, go to the polls in large numbers and hold their representatives accountable is compelling. By not raising money from billionaires, not setting up a super PAC, by raising stunning sums in small donations (nearly $2 million after the Democratic debate), he isn’t just calling for a popular movement, he is helping to build it.

Sanders’ campaign has evolved from a longshot to a legitimate challenge in a very short time. The senator is drawing the largest crowds of any candidate and is gaining ground on Clinton in polls emerging from across the early voting states. Sanders rails against the “grotesque and obscene” concentration of wealth in America, has refused to have a Super Pac support him and is focused on wooing small-dollar donors.

The .01 percent includes wealthy individuals from both ends of the political spectrum, but there are relatively few in between and the numbers at the extremes are growing. And more money is coming from the right.

The super-rich have just bought another election. They own American democracy. Here’s how to take the power back.