Many activists and writers on the Left welcomed Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’s announcement that he would challenge former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination.

The April 30 declaration of a number of Occupy activists and others, calling themselves People for Bernie, was emblematic:

We are activists and organizers trying to build a broad, effective movement for democratic change . . . To that end, we support Bernie Sanders in his bid to become the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party. We stand firmly behind Senator Sanders as the strongest progressive possibility in the race right now. His commitment to our values is one of long-standing commitment.