It's the End of the World As We Know It (And We'll Feel Fine)

Whoa, the map of the U.S. has broken out in a rash of blue dots! What's it all about? Go to http://map.berniesanders.com and see if there is an Our Revolution (Bernie Sanders) livestream event near you on August 24. If there isn't one, why not host an event yourself? Do it! Because...

It's the End of the World as We Know It 

(And We'll Feel Fine)

by Cindy A. Matthews

Song lyrics have a weird way of getting caught in my head lately. I can't get them out, either.

The chorus of the R.E.M. song It's the End of the World As We Know It keeps going through my mind, but not for the reasons you might think. I'm an optimist, so I'm not thinking about how a Trump presidency will bring about Armageddon (sorry) or how much I despise and loathe the treachery and corruption of the Democratic Party (because I do). I'm thinking that this particular election cycle will herald a significant achievement that's taken almost two centuries to bring about, and I can't wait for it to happen. 

Yes, I'm dreaming of the death of the establishment's "two party system" in the United States of America. (Thom Hartman explain this well in the video below.)



Thank you so very much, dyed-in-the-wool Democrats and Republicans alike.  You've actually done it! You've accomplished what many said could not be done. You've actually shown the U.S. electorate--indeed, the entire world--what childish, self-serving, greedy, racist, warmongering, entitled, corrupt corporate whores you really are. For this I--and many other Berners--will be eternally grateful to you. You've shown that, other than your monikers being spelled differently, your two groups are essentially the same where it counts, spiritually bankrupt and devoid of all morality.

So, thank you once again for at last being honest with yourselves and with us, the long-suffering American voters. We at last know that we can't--and won't--be guilt-tripped and bullied into voting for either of your corrupt and loathsome candidates.  You've made it very easy for us to vote third party and feel good about it. Bless you. 

Jimmy Dore sums it up well in this video. Truthdig does likewise in this article.

 

Even my hometown paper deep in the heart of Trumpland, the former Republican Courier and now just The Courier, wrote an editorial saying how third party candidates were necessary this election and voters should be able to vote for a candidate who doesn't make them "cringe." Wow. This admission comes from the newspaper among the first to endorse a third party upstart named Abraham Lincoln a few years ago. These times, they are a changin'!

My advice to Berners, Greens, Progressives and others is to watch the videos I've posted this week and discuss them with your friends, families and co-workers. Talk about how, once we've been made aware of the mental manipulation the so-called "two party system" has practiced for many decades,  we can't be easily bullied and scared into supporting either of their demon spawn. You can even give them a link to this blog and tell them I told you to use the words "demon spawn" to describe their candidates if you're really shy. (Go ahead. I've had my share of nasty emails already this election cycle. But first show them this funny Lee Camp, Redacted Tonight, video. It'll chill them out.)

 

If anyone dares throw the ubiquitous, "You must vote for Candidate A to avoid electing Candidate B," line at you, here's the link to our blog posting with a piece about the logical fallacy of that argument. If they throw anything at you about how, "Hillary is  more honest and trustworthy than Trump," please show them this page with links to the recent DNC e-mail Wikileaks scandal and the many, many, many (how many "manies" can I put?) off-putting controversies surrounding the Clintons and their so-called charity, The Clinton Foundation. 

You have my permission to tell anyone who bullies or scolds you, "Cindy told me to tell you that voting for the lesser of two evils is still voting for evil, and I'm not doing it."  If they tell you that Bernie didn't tell us to vote our consciences, send them to this video. (It's also posted on last week's blog.) If they ask you who "Cindy" is, tell them you don't know, but she seems like an all right chick running a progressive blog, and in spite of receiving nasty emails, she's harmless enough.

Whatever you do in the coming weeks and months, don't stop talking about the political revolution and how we all should become a part of it. (Sign up to host a Bernie live stream event here.) Your enthusiasm will inspire others to join us and bring about a future to believe in where we'll all feel fine.

It's the end of the world as we know it--and it's about time, isn't it?

*** 

Now, we take a closer look at putting the greater good over choosing the lesser of two evils.

Voting Green: It’s Not Just Win Or Lose, 

It's How You Play The Game

by Brandon L. Mouser 

"We understand the difference between a neofascist catastrophe and a neoliberal disaster... But we reject both." ~Dr. Cornel West

One of the pro-Hillary talking points this election cycle has been about "winning." It goes something like this: We live in a two-party system and there are only two legitimate choices. H.R. Clinton is the only candidate who can beat the Republicans and she is going to win, anyhow, and the third party alternatives are automatically losers. So, if you want to be a part of the winning team, you need to vote for H. R. Clinton. If you vote for a third party candidate then you are voting for a loser, and your vote is going to help elect Republicans because you are not siding with the winner. Any alternative to the two-party duopoly is unrealistic, impractical, immature, naive, fantasy, a bad choice... On and on it goes. We have been hearing this talking point from the mainstream media, from Democrats, from friends, from internet trolls, and even from Bernie Sanders himself. I call this the "win or lose narrative."

Of course, the entire regime of the two-party establishment depends on this false dilemma. It depends on keeping the masses entrenched in the ruts of shallow political theater, fighting socially-constructed boogeymen that distract from the real boogeymen. If Democrats are terrified of Republicans and Republicans are terrified of Democrats, their voters have a scapegoat to blame for all of our social problems. If Americans are focused on inter-class conflict then they have less time for class conflict; i.e., political ideology is being manufactured to keep us from achieving class consciousness and cultivating the sociological imagination.

What many progressives have come to recognize this year is that the

mainstream narratives are hollow. Consequently, we are skeptical and rarely impressed by the pundits and talking heads.

Going beyond the mainstream establishment's script, the main problem with the win or lose narrative is that progressives have already lost this election. We lost when the Democratic primaries were rigged and voters were disenfranchised. We lost when the FBI and Justice Department failed to deliver justice to H.R. Clinton. We lost when President Obama (our supposedly-progressive president we all worked so hard to elect in 2008) refused to do anything about this and stopped listening to the People.  We lost at the Democratic National Convention as progressive delegates were mocked, mistreated, and censored (and what was left of the Democratic Party essentially cheered for Republicanesque speakers and principles, including nationalism and warmongering). We lost during the roll call when we finally recognized that all of our Democratic Representatives were part of the problem. Progressives are feeling the loss, too, which is why so many Berniecrats could be seen crying throughout the convention, and the internet has been filled with anger and despair.

This is one of the main reasons that the win or lose narrative does not affect us in the way that many people assumed it would. As progressive voters, we have nothing left to lose at this point. We have hit bottom.

Of course, as Cornel West so eloquently expressed in his speech at the Green Party Convention, the win or lose narrative is short-sighted for so many

reasons. First and foremost, it is based on a bureaucratic formula that frames "winning" in statistical terms rather than spiritual or moral terms. Consequently, the win or lose narrative is a product of the neoliberal ideology itself, and it focuses on short-term victories and gains rather than putting elections and social movements into a more historical perspective. In reality, "winning" here is actually a perpetual loss--as "winning" requires us to accept the status quo rather than pushing for real change.

In other words: hegemony is maintained by defining "winning" as bowing down to our corporate masters, year after year, so that we might avoid risk by voting for the lesser evil and, somehow, feel good for voting for the candidate who actually won. The Republican Party is essentially a gun held to the head of every intelligent voter, and the Democratic Party is the purple authority figure who comes in and saves the day. After the charade, the 1% and all of our corporate masters go back to business as usual, and the American People breathe a sigh of relief. Nothing changes.

The win or lose narrative also keeps us from voting for the candidates and platforms that we really want. Anything that is not part of a mainstream party platform gets framed as illegitimate and unrealistic.

Real change? Impossible! You apparently need Democrats to make it happen, and they are not going to make it happen, so there.

Therefore, our social movements are castrated and hindered by the fact that most Americans worry more about winning an election than the actual content of the elections or who they are voting for or why. Nietzsche once said (and I am paraphrasing here) that the question is not "freedom, from what?" but rather "freedom, for what?"  Americans need to ask themselves this question: "Democracy, for what?" For if all that our elections have become is just a defense mechanism from the latest man-made evils, then we are not really a democracy at all.

This is one of the things Hillary Clinton supporters just could not fathom this election cycle. They had internalized the official narratives and talking points so much that all they seemed to care about was voting to protect their own interests. They could not understand the millions of progressives who actually wanted to vote for something and demanded real change. Issues, facts, evidence--all this became secondary to mainstream Democrats--the real fight in

their eyes was a last stand against an apocalyptic boogeyman. Progressives were just an additional threat.

Under the win or lose narrative, morality is also secondary. Evil becomes acceptable because "winning" evil is framed as better than "losing" evil. Voters accept a fascist warmonger because it is a purple fascist warmonger, which isn't as bad as a red fascist warmonger. Corruption? Corporate pollution? Well, it is just something that goes with the territory, but think how much more corruption and corporate pollution there could be!  No universal health care? Just imagine if the red fascist warmonger took away everyone's health care!  Note that few people in this game actually sit down and refuse to vote for a fascist warmonger, nor refuse to support a candidate that will not take a stand against corporate pollution. No one votes for a candidate that is promoting universal health care. Because, again, morality is secondary in "win or lose." It is something that can be dealt with down the road--right now we need to worry about being on the winning team.

The reason that we are seeing fundamental changes occur this year is because progressive voters are finally seeing beyond the win or lose narrative. We are finally recognizing that winning isn't everything, especially when a so-called victory is really just another loss. Seeing through the Democratic ideology, we have seen the truth about the Democratic Establishment--and there is no going back. We are becoming more than just registered voters: We are becoming moral agents who vote. We are asking the philosophical question: "Democracy, for what?" We are dreaming and taking action. We recognize that voting for a fascist warmonger is voting for a fascist warmonger, regardless of their party affiliation. 


 
If I vote for Jill Stein this November, she might indeed lose the election. But, again, I have already lost an entire political party. Wins and losses are always happening in life. The question is now really about how I handle this loss. Do I give up and forfeit my morality to the win or lose narrative? Do I vote for immorality, or do I keep marching forward as a moral agent and pushing for change? By voting for Stein, at least I can tell my grandchildren that I didn't support fascism (during a time when too many Americans were blindly accepting it), and that I was working hard to make this country better. At least I still walk away with my moral integrity. More importantly, voting for Stein could lead to the Green Party becoming a more viable alternative, set them up for federal funding and ballot access, help get them into future presidential debates, and set them up for future election cycles. Voting for Stein now could help sustain this social movement, even if it morphs into something larger down the road. All of this seems more worthwhile and productive, at least for me, than helping a fascist warmonger to get elected president by voting to "win."

Sometimes losing is really a victory, and vice versa.

Bio: Brandon Mouser is a public sociologist and philosopher who lives and works in Indiana. Much of his academic work focuses on understanding inequality and social problems. Growing up in a small, rural factory town in Southern Indiana, he has dedicated his life to fighting for working families.

***

So many of us Berners are over the two party system. We've had enough! We've witnessed election corruption up close. (Read Ava Kennedy's story about what she experienced at the Reno, Nevada caucus -- We Are Not Living In A Democracy.)  We've found our voter registration "switched" without our knowledge. We've been forced to wait in hours in line to vote or traveled a distance only to find our polling place has been closed. Face it--we've had it with the criminal tactics of the establishment parties. 

Fortunately, we're the majority of American voters as the above graph shows. We are independent voters, voters who know our minds and will vote our consciences. We will not be ignored. This is the year we take back our government and restore our democracy. Our Revolution has come of age. Be a part of it. 

We'll see you at the livestream meet-up on August 24th.

Sorry for the Inconvenience: We Are Changing the World

Sorry for the Inconvenience: 

Thoughts on the Political Revolution

by Cindy A. Matthews

Sometimes things get messy before they get better. If you've ever been in a birthing suite and watched a birth or given birth to a baby, you'd agree. Things worth waiting for in life aren't always neat and tidy and convenient. Good things can cause a lot mess and inconvenience, but deep down mothers know the birthing pangs are worth the wait.

We're witnessing the birth of a Political Revolution. We are changing the world. For the better. For all of us. It's not going to neat and tidy. And it sure as hell isn't going to be painless. We revolutionaries don't apologize for the inconvenience. We ask you to come along with us for the ride... The ride to a New America, a New World, a Better Place for Humanity. 

Yes, some things must die in the process so that other things may live and flourish. Change is never easy, but it is often necessary. Living things change and grow. Grow along with us. Cast fear aside and simply grow.

It's a world worth changing, a world worth healing. Welcome Bernie Sanders to the White House. Be a part of the change.

***

"I offer my opponents a bargain: if they will stop telling lies about us, I will stop telling the truth about them." — Harry S. Truman

It's been a rough week, what with all the unpleasantness in Nevada at the caucus, but you have to admit there was great news as well. Congratulations to Bernie for his big win in Oregon and his "statistical tie" in Kentucky. Onward to California and the other June 7th primaries!

To give you an idea where Bernie's campaign is at this point, check out this fun web site of facts: https://BernieSanders.com/Revolution/

We are changing the world, and things might become inconvenient for us--for a time at least. So, before we dive into the messy stuff, let's lift our spirits with an inspirational piece...

St. Bernie of Earth
by River Ananda

This is a piece inspired by Bernie's compassion towards the poor, elderly, the underdogs of the world. His commitment to truth and his service to elevate the suffering of others regardless of race, caste or creed is the hallmark of a true Saint. 

To be a saint is not necessarily to be perfect, but a perfect tool for the people of the times. To walk the razor's edge in truth at all cost for others who cannot. I believe Bernie is a true Jedi master full of wisdom. As he walks the path of righteousness he has to negotiate and associate with the Dark Side of the corporate slavery visited upon us. Our truth has substance, and their fear is a illusion hollow by nature. Truly he is a master alchemist and diplomatic genius. 

Perfect balance to bring us out of the darkness and to transmute suffering created by greed, war and a lack of compassion. The more responsibility he has, the greater our ability to heal the planet. As the leader of the free world, together we shall rise in unity.
 
He is We.
Wonderful and great is the Saint of Vermont,
Bernie Sanders
                      

Bio: River Ananda is a devotional singer, songwriter, graphics design artist, environmental consultant for humanitarian organizations and a blessed father.

***

Now we look at an "inconvenient truth" of our broken political system.

Postmortem:  The Democratic Party

by Samuel Wolf

The Democratic party as we know it needs to cease to exist.

It is no secret that in 1992 Bill Clinton was involved in a think-tank concerning the future of the Democratic party.  The belief then was that the party was too idealistic, and it was not a good recipe for winning elections.  Bear in mind that we had just come through twelve of the most devastating years for the poor and middle class due to the billionaire friendly policies of Reagan and Bush.

The conclusion of the Clinton-involved think-tank was, in order to retain  power in America, the Democrats had to move to the right and befriend the policies of Reagan.  This was in response to the Republicans moving to the bizarre-religious-extreme-right, a group now known as the Tea Party.

We had suffered through three long horrible  Reagan/ Bush administrations noted for the bankrupt idea of "trickle down" economics, massive deregulation, arrogant neglect of the poor and middle class, subtle but very real racism, the "war on drugs", the rolling back of the social contract initiated by Franklin Roosevelt known as the New Deal, and attacks on environmental protection.  We must not omit an unconscionable embrace of the fanatical Christian "Born Again" evangelical movement. (Do we not have a Bill of Rights separating church from government?)  "Greed is good," was their credo.

I was ready to welcome back the Democrats who, I hoped, would begin to right the egregious misdeeds against the American people perpetrated by the Reagan/ Bush national nightmare.  At least I hoped the social guarantees instituted by FDR could be renewed and strengthened by the party in which these progressive ideals were born.  Sadly, I was deceived and quickly proven wrong.

The Clintons oversaw an era during which more wealth was transferred from the poor and middle class to the very wealthiest people, banks, and corporations in such a short time than ever before in the history of the world. This benefited corporate profits while allowing these greedy criminal anti-American corporations to export decent American jobs to China and other unfriendly nations to save money. 

 In another exercise of  "subtle" racism, the Clintons championed a draconian crime bill. (Remember the Reagan "War on Drugs"?)  America has become the nation of the most incarcerated persons, mostly people of color, for terms commonly ten years or more.  In 1997 Bill Clinton's FDA chief modified regulations to permit advertising of prescription drugs on TV, a disgusting and immoral practice not allowed elsewhere in the civilized world.  

Perhaps worst of all, in 1999 Bill Clinton supported a Republican initiative to repeal Glass-Steagall, a law instituted to prohibit commercial banks from involvement with speculative investments, insurance and other non-banking activities allowed by investment banks.  The law was passed in 1933 to protect depositors and instill confidence in the banking system.  The repeal of Glass-Steagall led directly to the banking abuses, causing the Great Recession of 2007-2008.  The economic fallout from that greed-induced disaster is still felt today in our sluggish economy and a decade long period of historically low interest rates, which  hurts people who rely on income from savings.

Somehow, between 1992 and 2016, Bill and Hillary Clinton who both came from modest circumstances have managed to amass a fortune which puts them in the top one tenth of one percent of the wealthiest Americans alongside guess who--Donald Trump.  By the way, over the years the Clintons have not been shy about accepting generous contributions from the same Donald Trump.

So, with the destruction of the Democratic party and its principles as we know it, in 1992 we embarked upon a de facto one party system with each party representing groups of corporations, sometimes backed by both parties.  The myth of elections these days is a smokescreen for the continual peeling off of wealth from the bottom to the very top where it is needed least.

These years have seen a disgraceful greedy neglect of our infrastructure.  This is perhaps exemplified by the lead water in Flint, Michigan, and other poor places perpetrated by greedy criminal politicians trying to save money in poor neighborhoods and then covering up these crimes.

Another name for a one party system is dictatorship.

Progressives and the Sanders campaign have shown there are many, many of us out there fervently committed to rescuing our country. We need to make a choice.

1.  Bring the Democrats back to their base issues in support of the American people.  The Sanders campaign is an attempt to fulfill this dream.

2.  If the Clintons get a third or even a fourth term, then it is clear the Democrats are already dead and a viable, new party must be born.  There is a natural coalition of progressives, independents, and disenfranchised and alienated Democrats and Republicans who have had enough of this billionaire bullsh*t and who need and want a reform platform.  We are loyal tax-paying Americans who have waited too long for our voice to be heard.  Perhaps the Sanders political revolution has sounded the wake-up call.

As for me, if Bernie is unable to secure the nomination, I pledge to not cast a vote for Trump or for Clinton--birds of the same feather with contrasting styles and similar substance.

Be on notice one-party billionaire crooks: Your days are numbered.

Bio: "My name is Samuel Wolf.  I am 64 years old and a resident of Wells River, Vermont.  Myself, my wife Diane and my two adult daughters are enthusiastic Bernie supporters. We have all been to rallies and donate regularly. I am proud of my daughters as this is their first foray into politics, and they are avid supporters.

I started a blog at 3curley3.blogspot.com called Random Musings of a Berned Out Stoner. I was feeling angry and betrayed when I wrote the piece, which attempts to explain my feelings. I hope readers are enlightened by it and not offended by my somewhat strident tone."

*** 

This Woman is Bernie Strong!

a weekly commentary by a female Bernie Supporter

Isn't it about time we voters weren't "inconvenienced" by bought-off politicians? This week's This Woman is Bernie Strong! commentator has come up with a plan that is sure to please most Americans.

$1 Million Dollars and Not a Penny Less
by Florence Lince

Election season is upon us, and as usual, Americans are voting backwards. I mean they are giving their vote away for free to the candidate of their favorite party or the lesser of two evils. The question is, "Why on earth are we giving our vote away without the candidates giving us anything in return?" I mean, would you give $25,000 to a car manufacturer in the hopes you will get a car one day? Of course not. I would hope not. One can always hope.

Before you so freely give away your vote, ask yourself this: When have the American people received the benefit of the many campaign promises candidates spew while they are trying to win over your vote? These candidates all promise us the moon but seldom deliver, always blaming their lack of follow-through on the other political party and their obstructionism. Why don’t they follow through?  

Because they don't have to. 

We continue to vote year after year on the winds of hope and fake promises that are never fulfilled. These politicians are laughing at us and our gullibility. They don’t have to follow through because the American memory is short, and it's getting shorter all the time.

Here is my message to the two presumptive front runners, one who is stealing the election from Bernie Sanders, the best candidate for the job, and the other candidate who is taking their party on a joy ride of epic proportions. If you want my vote in November it will cost you $1 million, up front, in cold hard cash. I will even sign an affidavit stating that you will have my vote in November. We can keep the agreement just between us if you wish.

Let me be crystal clear. Without the money I will not be voting in November. Neither of the establishment candidates have ever done a damn thing for me, and I am too old to take empty promises for what you promise but most likely won’t deliver. If more Americans would take the time to realize we are encouraging our country's bad politics, because we give our vote away before anyone has done anything for us, perhaps more would get done in this country.

For all of you who will pooh-pooh my idea, since paying for votes is illegal, let me remind you that the Supreme Court legalized unlimited campaign finance funding and super PACs. A politician's vote is always being paid for.

I am a female voter, born and raised in this country. My family has been here for several generations. I have no health care and no vehicle, and I have no job. The money (if you so choose to pay me) will be used to get a car so that I can get a job and pay for health care so I can live a long and full life. 

$1 million. I think my vote is worth that much.

*

It is, Florence. Our votes are all worth much, much more than what we think. Think of your vote and the votes of all the millions of other ordinary Americans struggling to survive...  Money alone can't buy "elections" if we don't back the oligarchs' bought-for candidates. Money can tamper with elections, rig elections, and thwart justice for a time, but it can't convince anyone it is "democracy", now can it? Keep spreading that thought to others and watch the Political Revolution grow! --The Friends of Bernie Sanders

***

The "yooj" June 7th primary sweepstakes is almost here. Sing some new words to a classic 60s protest song and celebrate Bernie's Eve of Election. Keep phonebanking, texting, Facebanking, canvassing and sharing Bernie with every voter you meet. Don't stop! #FeeltheBern and we'll #SeeYouInPhilly 

The Bern

 The Bern
By Cindy A. Matthews
Photos by Adrian Matthews

(Note: This is not your typical piece about a Bernie Sanders rally, religiously citing the main points of his stump speech. I’m assuming you’ve watched a few of his rallies online at Bernie2016TV or even the one or two rallies C-span or a local station may have broadcast. This story is about how a Bernie supporter experiences a rally.)

Oh my… Our first chance to see Bernie Sanders in the flesh! He’s coming to within a hundred miles of us!

Those were my thoughts upon reading an online press release for Bernie’s upcoming rally at Eastern Michigan University’s Convocation Center. It was only 48 hours away--the rally, that is. We didn’t know there would be a rally there until the rally date was almost upon us. In fact, most others we met there said they’d had less than 24 hours notice. But this lack of prior knowledge isn’t unusual I’ve been told. Bernie is crisscrossing the country, trying to hit as many early primary states as possible, and his campaign staff is throwing these events together as fast as they can. So, with very little preparation and a lot of nervous jitters, we set off for the 90 mile trip to Ypsilanti, Michigan early on an Arctic-cold Monday morning in February.

We estimated it would take an hour and half to get there from our rural home. Toledo rush hour traffic was light and cooperated as we circled the city. With a big push we made good time and only got turned around once in town in our search for E.M.U.’s Convocation Center. (Becoming lost is usual for us. Old people, old car, no GPS, and Google Map print-outs aren’t always crystal clear on directions.) It was at least two hours or more until the scheduled doors opened at 12:30 PM, and we had no problems finding a parking spot at the arena. Grabbing our sign and stuffing everything in our pockets (no backpacks or purses allowed), we ran to the line which was already occupied by one to two hundred people already. The Convocation Center has a capacity of 9500, so we felt certain we’d get in and see Bernie.

What’s it like to stand in a line that grows and grows and grows by the minute? What’s it like to stand outside for hours on cold, slick pavement in 20 degree Fahrenheit weather with a nasty damp quality to the air and a wind chill somewhere in the single digits? Honestly, it sucks. While we were glad we could actually see the front doors of the building in the distance, I can’t imagine how frustrating it must have been for those a quarter mile away, a half mile away or a full mile away. 

Yes, that video of the long line at the rally you’ve seen online is accurate and not fabricated. The line actually did go for about a mile. We know this for a fact since we were directed to head that way to go home by the traffic cops, and we noted the extra mileage from our original route on Hewitt Drive to Huron River Drive where you see the line in the video turning the corner. This alone gives credence to the report of 10,000 attendees at the rally and the rumor there had been some overflow folks stashed somewhere. All I can testify to is there were a helluva lot of people in Ypsilanti excited to see Bernie Sanders.

The thing that kept the “Berners” going (while waiting patiently for the rally to start and simultaneously suffering potential frostbite) was the camaraderie. We chatted about Bernie and his ideas. We chanted “Bernie” occasionally. We were entertained by Hare Krishna members who danced up and down the line beating on their drums and wearing the saffron-orange robes and beads. (Thank goodness they wore closed-toes shoes and not sandals.) 

This event being hosted by Eastern Michigan, a medium-sized university campus located next door to the University of Michigan, a mega-sized university, there were college students in the line. Surprisingly, there were a lot of other ordinary town folks, too. Now remember, we and most others didn’t know Bernie was coming to Ypsilanti until a day or two in advance. There wasn’t much time to get time off work, arrange babysitting (and we saw quite a few young ones from “Bernie Baby” up to school age), or get out of a scheduled college exam. Somehow, ten thousand people thought it was important enough to do all this at a moment’s notice. Talk about commitment to a cause!

The group of young people in front of us told us they’d all lied about needing to go somewhere important to get out of their minimum wage jobs so they could see Bernie. They knew their boss wouldn’t give them the time off to see a candidate he didn’t agree with, and he certainly wouldn’t have given all four of them the same time off. But, somehow, they managed the time and stood in line with us, wearing inadequate clothing and shoes. As a mom of twenty-somethings, I worried about their health. A sweatshirt hoodie with no coat, hat or gloves in single digit wind chill temps for several hours isn’t enough to ward off frostbite. They told us they like Bernie’s position on the “Fight for 15”. Think how better clothed and fed these young adults would be with decent paying jobs.

There were “middle-aged people” like us there, too. I did a high-five with a gentleman who yelled “Old People for Bernie!” The ages, races and socio-economic spectrum of Southeastern Michigan were all represented. Despite what some political pundits have insinuated, Bernie Sanders brings in men, women, young, old, white, black, brown, yellow, red (our friend in front of us said the local Hurons were represented), retiree, college student and working class alike.

At last they let us inside the building--blissful warmth! The Convocation Center probably isn’t the best heated place, but after being outside for so long in the damp cold it felt great. I wish we had attended Bernie’s Cleveland rally back in November since it occurred before Bernie received his Secret Service detail so I could compare the security measures, but alas we missed him then. This rally was a good example of what security will be like from here on out. 

They opened the doors around 12:20 PM and suddenly you felt like you stood in a crowded airport terminal--in fact uniformed TSA agents manned the walk-through metal detectors and handled the wands. Everything has to come out of your pockets and be put on the table for inspection. This includes all your metal-backed campaign buttons, which have to be unpinned from your coat, hat, and shirt before you can go through the detector. (That was a challenge for yours truly with her multitude of Bernie buttons.) However, we made it through security in record time (much better than an airport scan) and scrambled for a good seat to see the main event. Volunteers passed out “A Future to Believe In” stickers and some signs, taking contact info from newbies who hadn’t yet joined the political revolution online.

We ended up sitting directly across from the podium and behind the press risers, which held approximately 50 photographers (with about 30 reporters on their laptops to their right on the floor). Not the best spot in the house, but far from the worse spot. Convocation Center is a basketball/hockey arena and it has “blind spots” in its corners where your line of vision to the stage is blocked. Like most sports arenas, the acoustics sucked and a person standing on a stage across from you by several dozen yards appears the size of an action figure who can fit in your hand. The electronic screens above were used well, so we could see Bernie in close-up.

Of course, I really wanted to see Bernie face to face (even shake his hand) but that wasn’t meant to be. The volunteers and others they let stand on the concrete floor in front of the podium stage had to do just that--stand up for two hours until the rally began and then stand through the hour and a half long rally. Physically, we wouldn’t have been able to endure it, and you’d have to really “love your neighbor” to enjoy being squished in the mob as it pressed closer and closer toward Bernie during his remarks. This is when you really start to notice the Secret Service. 

The men in black  (I didn’t notice any female agents but they could have been there) surround the stage/podium area and also the “mush pot” of humanity standing on the floor. Their steely eyes scan the crowd constantly, and they immediately envelope Bernie when he walks off stage. They are the only people not cheering or smiling, so you know they’re busy. As well as the Secret Service and TSA agents, there were campus cops, local sheriff’s deputies and arena security personnel in the building and on the grounds. No exaggeration, but this is probably the most policed event I have ever had the privilege to attend.

Waiting for the rally to start, we chatted with our seat neighbors and learned more about how they came to become followers of the senator from Vermont. An older gentleman behind us introduced himself and said he was a “learner” who wanted to know more about Sen. Sanders. He had been reading about Bernie in the print media (and it appeared he’d read alternative print publications that report more on Bernie than the mainstream ones) but he wasn’t fully aware of Bernie’s online presence. His ears really picked up when we discussed how only about six corporations own (and manipulate) over 90% of the media outlets in our country. We gladly filled him in on the independent web sites and Bernie videos to check out. 

A young working man behind me said he’d been listening and watching Bernie videos online that friends and acquaintances had sent him and they got him thinking, “This is a politician we can trust. He thinks we’re intelligent voters.” College students seated around us tended to be leaning toward Bernie’s policies on solving their student loan debts and free college tuition. I probably should note that in our section of the arena we were in the minority, that is, we were most noticeably “white” in a sea of African-American faces. Yet the mainstream media wants us to believe Bernie doesn’t reach--and attract--black voters? Boy, have they got that wrong!

Scanning the arena, I noted that Bernie attracts Muslim women wearing their traditional head scarves as well. Bernie attracts grandparents, middle-aged parents, and young parents with babes in arms. Who doesn’t he attract? Oh yeah, selfish and greedy Wall Street billionaires.

The rally began about ten minutes later than scheduled. University of Michigan Health Care nurse Katie Scott from the Michigan Nurses Association came on to give her brief introductory remarks. Her 11,000 member union has endorsed Bernie. She said she was happy Bernie supported universal health care so nurses and other medical professionals could practice their calling to heal the sick without the hassles and greed of private insurance companies. We spotted a big sign stating, “Physicians for Bernie” in the crowd as well.

After Katie stepped down from the microphone there were lots of false starts, and we wondered if Bernie was in the building yet. The Secret Service agents give nothing away. You cannot tell when Bernie is actually there until the last second, and in a crowded and noisy arena, you can’t tell he’s in the room until you spy the top of his shiny head and ring of white hair popping up between the outstretched arms of his cheering fans. So, just as I was about to sit back down to regain my breath the cheers began again. Our man has arrived! Everyone jumped to their feet and screamed and stomped on the bleachers below us, rattling and echoing in the hard concrete arena a million times over. I’m amazed Bernie isn’t deaf yet from all these loud outbursts of adoration.

Jane Sanders, his wife, appeared among that ocean of humanity, too. She waved to the crowd and then quickly exited the stage. I couldn’t see her from where I sat, but my husband said she stood at the back of the stage and filmed the crowd with her tablet device. I suppose some of Bernie’s campaign ads feature Jane’s video of crowd reactions? Cool!

Bernie’s voice cracked a bit at the beginning of his speech, but it grew stronger and more solid as he carried on. I didn’t think about it until later, but perhaps his voice wasn’t gravelly due to stress. After all, he’d been speaking in Nevada the night before and at multiple rallies for days on end. I believe his voice sound rough at the start because of emotion. His first remarks outside of saying how glad he was of seeing such a great turn-out and how “Yooj” (which we all echoed several times to much laughter) it was, was a statement of where he’d been earlier in the day and the reason behind his delay: Bernie had gone to Flint first. 

I suppose we can claim to be the first rally audience to hear Bernie’s statements regarding the parents he spoke to in that beleaguered Michigan city, poisoned by its public water, and how it’s adversely affecting their children. Bernie appeared heartbroken. The way he paused and took a breath between words, describing how horrified and sad he felt when a parent told him how her child’s mental abilities had slipped away over the past year, a child who had been a  good student until now… 

I’ve just come from a meeting, which was one of the most difficult meetings that I have ever attended in a long political life, where I’ve seen a lot and I’ve heard a lot. I’ve just met with seven or eight residents of Flint, Michigan. I’ve obviously read the newspapers, been somewhat involved in the issue, but I didn’t really did not know how ugly and how horrible and how terrible what is going on in that community. It is beyond my comprehension that in the year 2016 in the United States of America we are poisoning our children.  (...)

I just talked to a mother who has a kid who was very bright--she did schoolwork very, very well. In the last two years she’s seen her child’s ability to do schoolwork markedly deteriorate. Can you imagine being a mother seeing your own baby’s, your own child’s intellectual development deteriorate in front of your very eyes? And that is happening all over that city. All I can say right now--and I don’t want to be overly political--I’ve called for Snyder’s resignation, that’s fine--but if the local government can’t protect those children, the state government can’t protect those children, then the federal government better get in and do the right thing.

 

I wish I was closer to the podium to see if tears had flooded Bernie’s eyes. It sounded to me like they had.

As a parent and grandparent, Bernie really gets it--he gets how it hurts to not be able to take care of your babies and the betrayal you feel because the very institutions you were taught to trust have betrayed your trust, mainly because you are poor and black and your Republican governor and his rich campaign donors could care less. Bernie called for Governor Snyder’s immediate resignation to a deafening roar of approval. I hope Mr. Snyder heard us in Lansing and steps down.

The remainder of Bernie’s talk fell along the lines of “change doesn’t happen from the top down, but from the grassroots up.” We are the grassroots--we are the people, he informed us. We are us not me. Bernie repeatedly emphasized that it will take a movement and that it can’t be just about one person, the president, to bring about positive change in our government or our world. We all need to be involved in the process. We need a political revolution.

Bernie Sanders is the true leader of our political revolution. 

The ten thousand souls who braved the sub-freezing cold in Ypsilanti, Michigan on a Monday morning are the beginning of the revolution. We have more in common than we’ve been led to believe by the corporate billionaire capitalists, the mainstream media manipulators of public opinion and the establishment political party apparatchiks. We, the people, will vote together for Bernie Sanders in 2016. A mile long line, minimum wage jobs, overbearing student debt and cold weather won’t stop us.

We feel the Bern and its warmth extends to all.

***

Nevada Caucused and We Canvased 

(and Phone Banked) 

The Toledo Bernie Light Brigade and other Berners at the IBEW Local 8 Union Hall this past Saturday.

While Berners caucused out west, at the IBEW  Local 8 Union Hall in Rossford, Ohio we phone banked and canvassed for Bernie. It was our first venture in canvassing and we'll admit--it's tiring! But we had a beautiful spring-like day  so it was a great day to be out walking and knocking on doors. (Why oh why couldn't Monday in Michigan have been as warm?) The best thing of all, the Bernie supporters we talked to were really feelin' the Bern. So, don't lose heart! Keep phone banking, canvassing and talking about Bernie to your friends, family and neighbors. Bernie is on a roll and soon we'll be seeing him in the White House. #AmericaTogether is going to vote #Bernie2016!

***

This Woman is Bernie Strong! 

My name is Elizabeth Habib. I'm in my late twenties, married, a Type 1 Diabetic, and a band director split between one middle school and two elementary schools in Fresno, California. Education, gender equality (any equality in general), the economy, and health care are the biggest reasons why I love Bernie Sanders and 100% support his policy ideas. I'm tired of women like Madeleine Albright and Gloria Steinem daring to question the reasons behind my political convictions. Just because Hillary Clinton is a woman does not mean I need to support her. I don't agree with Clinton; I do agree with Sanders. I feel the Bern.

Well said, Elizabeth! If you're a woman who feels the Bern, send us your testimonial and photo today. Email them to thebernieblog2016@gmail.com
Thank you and #FeeltheBern

And now a song that demonstrates what Bernie Sanders has been talking about...