Call me a progressive, a realistic one. If Bernie Sanders is going to truly start a revolution, his followers cannot just go home after they vote and wait for him to do all the work, because we have a Republican Congress that has gerrymandered their home states to allow them to stay in control.

The young, idealistic, well-intentioned supporters who are feeling the Bern are like so many others who get fired up every four years in presidential elections. Unfortunately, few, if any, will be there afterward to do the hard work of calling and writing their legislators or running for office themselves. They will become disillusioned with the way their government fails to work for the people. So they will not show up in force at midterm elections to defeat those who are in the pockets of big corporations, the National Rifle Association, and Wall Street.

It is sad to say, but Sanders’ revolution will not be sustained in order to get the “establishment’’ out of office on any great scale that will make a difference as quickly as these hopeful revolutionaries would like. With this rigged system, progress will have to come slowly, as it has during Barack Obama’s tenure, one in which obstructionism was the GOP’s mantra.

Impatience and naivete will be the downfall of this latest revolt.

Linda Garrity

Charlestown