It’s hard to predict if Bernie would have beaten Trump. The GOP likely has a binder full of opposition research ready to go if Bernie had become nominee, with enough “scandals” and “socialist scare quotes” to mobilize their base even more. Meanwhile, Sanders didn’t even get more votes in the primary.

And yes, Trump winning in 2016 was a huge blow, with a lot of momentum from things like the Comey investigation and a more divided left base than on the right.

But it’s not fair to say that we should turn our back on politics, as this is exactly what causes the “will of the people” to not be heard. If young people want to be heard, they should vote in the same numbers as the older generations, and think strategically about which choices bring the highest benefit in the real world. Voting for someone who represents your ideals with no chance of winning is worse than voting for someone who only partially represents them but has an actual chance of winning. At least until first past the post is eliminated.