Which Side Are You On?

Bernie watches over me from the Black Men for Bernie bus as I march.

 Which Side Are You On?

by Cindy A. Matthews

The Peter, Paul and Mary song "Which Side Are You On?" keeps playing in my head. I bought the In These Times CD with the song on it at a recent library sale. It's was recorded about a decade ago, but it's a great recording full of songs about unions and workers and underdogs. Somehow the entire "Union Medley" feels appropriate to Our Revolution at this time. (Click on the link and sing along.)

 

Which side are you on? Are you on the side of the progressive political revolution or have you thrown in the towel and crawled back into your hole and given up? It's time to take a stand, folks! Our Revolution needs revolutionaries, not cowards. There's work to do and progressive candidates to support. So, let's stop licking our wounds and crying about injustices and do something about them.

Bernie has offered us suggestions (as have many others). Join his new organization called Our Revolution today and find out what all Bernie has in store in the coming weeks in transforming America and advancing a progressive agenda. He's also started the Sanders Institute to help educate voters and bring about more fair and balanced media. Brand New Congress is also helping to elect progressive candidates this November. Help them out!

But I realize we're human and it hurts. We were cheated and robbed of seeing the right person for the presidency, Bernie Sanders, made the nominee. Some of us aren't sure if we can keep fighting the self-serving politics of corruption and fear. (But we can.) First, let's get some of that anti-DNC angst off our chests with the following commentary and some photos from the Philly protests. 

The Party to Which We Belong

by Judy Cummings

In watching both the Republican and Democratic Conventions recently, I felt at a loss to know where I fit in. Seemed to me like a lot of folks manage to squeeze into a red, white, or blue party hat,just fine, but as I listened to the conflicting party views, one labelled “dystopian” the other labelled “hopeful,” I was pretty sure neither party was speaking to me.

I know come November I will be unable to vote a man into the presidency who has lied about his wealth, his care of others, and his love of our nation. Likewise, I will be unable to vote for a woman claiming to be a “change-maker” who is in the pocket of corporate interests, whose party rigged an election in her favor and and who stole campaign funding from those lower on the political rung to pursue her presidential agenda. (Realities that the mainstream media touch less than a bad case of poison ivy.)

Looking across the vast wasteland at both presidential conventions amidst all the hoopla, balloon popping, and talk of “hope for the new generation,” I did see one candidate for whom I might have voted. He sat quietly, sitting in a chair next to his wife, occasionally waving, as one speaker after another used his name in the hope of gaining his supporters. Yes, that candidate was the “impractical” Bernie Sanders. This was the real change-maker – but the one who will never be in the position to make the “changes” that corporate interests so fear.

Even as he sat there, I could see that he felt left out of the “party,” too. And, when the DNC delegates from overseas gave him 10 of their votes (the last one presented tearfully by his brother Larry Sanders), I knew that this candidate belonged to our nation, represented the values of this party, and had earned my vote as well.

Why did so many of the US expats vote for Bernie? Could it be that his ideas, “so outrageous and impractical in the US” are standard fair in Europe? Universal health care, labor rights and sick pay, parental time-off  are considered “rights” not “benefits” in many European nations, large and small. But, because of our privatization of everything from water to education to health care, these are not guarantees to the American people. In many cases these “rights” have not only cost Americans money, but have cost them their lives.

Who will make the change? The one who accepted millions of dollars in corporate money  (from Big Pharma and Energy) or the one who funded a campaign with $27 donations one at a time? Who is the one we can “believe in?” The one who syphoned donations from her party for local races to pocket it for her campaign – or the one who has set aside his personal interests to promote a progressive agenda for the nation despite the fact he will not be in a position to oversee this agenda?

In the midst of the hullabaloo and endorsements from one president after another, there truly is only one presidential candidate in this election. There is only one candidate who put the interests of nation above interests of self. And that is the candidate who had the humility to step aside in an attempt to unify a decidedly fractured party. That is the candidate who has spoken change from the beginning of his candidacy, not borrowed this idea to win progressive votes. That is the only candidate who is showing a true love for his nation but, sadly, he was not “partying” at his party's party. In my view, he is the only candidate that many Americans, voices now silent, feel deserves their vote: Bernie Sanders.

Bio: Judy Cummings is a middle class, grassroots citizen. She worked as a child-care specialist at a social service agency in the state of Illinois where she managed a family/early literacy program for newly-arrived families from seven nations. This program was funded by a state grant. Due to the ongoing bickering between Democrats and Republicans, Illinois has not passed a state budget in two years. Her position was terminated in March as a result. She currently is unemployed.

And now some words from a brave Bernie delegate who survived the convention.

This has been a very hard week and very great week all at once. I am sure you wondered if I had been swallowed up by the media rage and the social media blitz. Maybe you wonder if I lost my ability to use a computer, Facebook or went mindless.  In a way, all are true. I spent all my time totally absorbing and functioning and leading forth Bernie Sanders message, delegated to represent the 15,000 primary voters from NW Ohio.  I have written dozens of pages of notes and taken many photos.  

Instead of showering you with bits and pieces of the convention, I will soon spend  my observations, insights, concerns and opinions in an orderly way. Starting with the objective observations and ending with a role you can play in a stolen democracy!  For now, let me say that I am deeply moved by the Bernie effect and totally overwhelmed with the propaganda of the Democratic party. all at once. The tremendous emotional, mental and physical strain on all Bernie delegates of working for months with hundreds of dedicated Bernie supporters to see the steamrolling effects of a corporate media-driven propaganda machine appear to flatten has been extremely hard. We are not discouraged, though, and we're ready to reconstruct our activities for the transformation rises quickly on the rebound.  

All this I shall document with descriptions, photos and commentary.  It may take a few days, but that's because I prefer to make it meaningful, in context, valid in documentation and worthy of our friendship and our relationship.  You mean more to me than twenty sound bites from the floor and a dozen photos of Bernie T-shirts.  I take this very seriously.  

Thank you for understanding.  

Dennis Slotnick, Bernie delegate, 5th Ohio Ccongressional District 

And now a  few words from a marcher in Philadelphia.

Post-Philadelphia Thoughts
by Adrian J. Matthews

So, what did I bring back from the hot and dusty streets of Philadelphia? First, I got a sense of the amazing energy and enthusiasm on the streets and in FDR Park during the various rallies for Senator Bernie Sanders and Jill Stein. People are no longer tolerant of the "business as usual" attitude espoused by the two "main" parties. They are in the mood to break things, particularly the rotten political system in this country. The Revolution is going forward, and things will never be the same.

Second, it's now obvious the so-called Democratic Party is anything but. After 2008, Clinton drones infiltrated the party machine until it became just another wing of The Establishment Party, of which the GOP is the other. They are not two sides of the same coin; they are on the same side, that which favors the oligarchy. Bernie Sanders had no chance of becoming the Democratic presidential nominee. He could have showed up in Philadelphia with every state primary in his pocket and 100% of the delegates, and the DNC would still have contrived to shut him out in favor of That Woman. Everything the party did was to promote Shillary by the flagrant breaking and bending of laws and party rules. You only have to look at how Bernie's delegates and surrogates were treated during the convention to see how it was rigged. There are even rumors of an assault on Bernie Sanders himself and threats against his wife and family by thugs in the pay of Clinton.

Third, independent voters will not tolerate any accusations of "spoiling it for Shillary" or "letting Drumpfolini win." The Bifurcation Fallacy is now known and recognized. Attempts to make this election like others of the past, where the campaigning name-calling is set aside after the nomination "for the sake of party unity" are failing, and the party faithful can't understand why. Independent voters far outnumber the Establishment Party's two wings combined, and they are rejecting the pathetic attempts to force them to vote for the lesser evil. Green Party candidate Jill Stein is experiencing a surge in popularity the like of which has never been seen by the Greens in this country-- something that should make the oligarchs very worried indeed.

For myself, I'm Still Sanders. He's a man of integrity and honesty, a genuine public servant and man of the people. By running as a Democrat, Senator Sanders has exposed the Democratic Party to the world for the rotten edifice it is. I left behind any interest in the Democratic Party once the nomination was given to Shillary. As far as I'm concerned she and that other guy are now irrelevant. I will do my best to promote the peaceful and progressive policies espoused by Senator Sanders and Jill Stein, to work on a positive theme for the future and the betterment of humanity as a whole and not just for the 1%. It would be great if Bernie and Jill Stein combined forces, as I'm positive they would bury Drumpfolini and Shillary (along with what's left of her party after DemExit) and take the presidency. For the sake of sanity and world peace I hope it's so.

(Use of silly names is to prevent the two people I despise more than any other in the world from trending on Twitter and elsewhere).

Bio: Adrian J. Matthews is a published novelist, artist and avowed Democratic Socialist.
 

Which side are you on? Are you ready to join Our Revolution today? Whatever you do--keep talking about progressive issues and candidates. We can change our country and world if we don't give up.

We Are Marching For Our Lives

Some photos from the March 4 Our Lives (Monday 7-25-16) and some commentary from Ohio Bernie delegates Barb McMillen and Dennis Slotnick...

Thoughts on the DNC

by Barb McMillen, Bernie delegate Ohio 5th congressional district

Was watching the DNC last night and the tapes from the day before and started to think that the problem with the DNC goes beyond what we talk about - money, corruption, keeping people out. I took pride in being a Democrat my entire life. I fought for Kennedy, and Obama, Johnson, Robert Kennedy, Carter. 

The party itself is also made up of civil rights superstars and the convention itself is filled with people the party has advocated for - people with disabilities, poverty, absent social justice. So why did the parade of the vulnerable bother me? Why was my pride and spirit not raised?

So I began to think about the super stars - Barney Frank, Lewis, Cummings, the Clintons, whomever, and I wondered... They are all my age or older. Their issues are issues that permeated and defined the sixties. They made Change, were social and cultural warriors. They formed a team, a group of warriors who bonded themselves to the cause.

Think about that. Fifty to sixty years dealing with social issues successfully? They come to rely on each other, trust each other. They covet their power to define what issues get covered, who is meaningful and whom is not. 

They became institutionalized. Though they continue to fight the good fight, they became a closed system. And they fail to see how the world has changed. They fail to see they have narrowed the field of interest by aging commitments. The tower is no longer a tree. All fluidity is absent. The focus is to keep us going. And exclusion rather than inclusion becomes increasingly the order of the day.

So, here we are today. Corporatism is not an issue despite its ties to the party structure. Black Lives Matter is not an issue because All Lives Matter since we've been recognizing and handling civil rights issues for years. And the money we were grateful for to keep us going has become the money we demand to keep us going.

The danger of this televised truly Orwellian evangelical parade of the saved--disabled, women, people of color that marches across the screen like Jerry Lewis's Muscular Dystrophy patients--is that all these wonderful people have become the "objects" of the Dems intention and the visual proof of the demonstrable power they have to save you. 



They are all too invested. They need to find a way to become inclusive and alive to new issues. They are like that line from Fitzgerald describing Gatsby himself:  "He was a son of God—a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that—and he must be about His Father’s business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty." 

An update from Delegate Dennis Slotnick, Ohio 5th congressional district

I cant believe I  am at the same convention that the press was. Don't trust anything on the mass media. It's all stacked against Bernie. He was not booed this Monday afternoon. His comment was about supporting Hillary but that was not booing him. The crowd was not raucous. It was loving and energized and calmly and deeply appreciative of him. He did not struggle to get the attention to start speaking. He was humbly recognizing our reception. 

There as no unruly outbursts at all. There was no contention.There was some disagreement, but not chaos as media has suggested. More later. 

Beautiful chalk art outside of FDR Park

 

Protesters at the fence leading to the Wells Fargo convention area.

 "Bernie" marches with us!

 

 Protesting the Confederate (Mississippi state) flag hanging along Broad Street.

You Say You Want a Revolution? (Then Fight For It!)

Don't leave yet! Bernie hasn't conceded, people.
 
I thought I'd post this meme and information at the start of this week's blog to help clear up some of the confusion we've all experienced this past week. Bernie Sanders has not thrown in the towel--he's still in the running for the White House--but he has to play the game by the rules the DNC has set up in order to attend the convention. Yes, they're pretty dirty rules that were created (along with superdelegates) to keep the power in the party bosses' hands, but every candidate has to follow them or else they're not allowed to speak to the convention and have their delegates counted.  Bernie spoke to his delegates via a teleconference and assured them he wants and needs them all in Philadelphia. If he's not there, he won't be able to rally his delegates (and a few hundred more) to win the nomination.  So, Bernie is wise and played the "game" of standing on a stage with Mrs. Clinton in New Hampshire in order to keep his candidacy alive. Now that the "endorsement ordeal" is over, several informed persons have been helping those of us not versed in how Democratic Party politics work understand what he did and why he had to do it before the convention. Here's what they say:

As per DNC rules, a candidate with an active campaign is not allowed to deny an endorsement of another campaign. Doing so would result in forfeiture of said candidate's superdelegates, and the loss of access to the convention floor stage.

 Bernie is not conceding, folks! He has to play the game by the DNC's rules which state he wouldn't be allowed to take the podium at the DNC convention and his delegates wouldn't be allowed in if he didn't "endorse the frontrunner." (Those are the DNC's rules!) His campaign hasn't stopped--he didn't say "I quit/concede." Listen to what he said--he says we're going to the convention and we are. Have faith and read up on history: FDR in 1932 won a contested convention like this one. FDR "endorsed" his opponent on the first ballot and, four ballots later, he was nominated. FDR went on to win by a landslide--and won the presidency four times. So, don't panic. Stay the course and #feelthebern.

You must come to understand that the nature of politics is to subtract meaning from language. Although Bernie Sanders is a statesman, he's still a politician. Have a bit of patience, and wait for Bernie Sanders to make his case at the Democratic National Convention. By "endorsing" Hillary Clinton, Sanders is actively preserving his options and buying time.

 Q: Bernie can actually still win??

A. Yes. And if he wasn't still trying to win, he would have conceded. The only option he had to get to the convention with his delegates behind him and have a chance to still win was to do what he did today. He is not a traitor. He didn't sell us out. He did the only possible thing he could have done to keep fighting for the nomination.

Read this blog, and I guarantee you'll feel better: Ignore the mainstream media gloating. Bernie is still in it to win it!

There you have it. Now is not the time to quit, whine or throw a temper tantrum. Now is the time for all good Berners to get on their feet and march in protest and solidarity--in Philadelphia, your city, your neighborhood, anywhere you can make some noise and let the world know that #WeThePeople have spoken. #OurRevolution has begun and it will continue until we've brought about the progressive worldview that Bernie Sanders and all of us believe in. A future to believe in.

Now it's time for a "pep talk" and some words from two wise Bernie delegates on the eve of the convention.

https://youtu.be/ozq5PcqPQFA 
https://youtu.be/BGLGzRXY5Bw
You Say You Want a Revolution?

(Then Fight For It!)

by Bern Notice

It's time for a pep talk folks. At the beginning of this election season, we saw a lot of new voters calling for a political revolution. The number swelled and then more people jumped on the "political revolution" bandwagon. Hope was in the air, and we had a candidate we actually believed in. Times were good.

Then here comes the Sanders endorsement of Hillary Clinton. I saw a lot of people who were “the happy revolutionaries” all of a sudden fell into a fit of sadness or anger. Some actually said they would vote for Donald Trump. To say hearing a progressive say this is mind-blowing would be a profound understatement.

Welcome to the real revolution. I have said repeatedly that this is not a Bernie Sanders political revolution. This is our political revolution. Yet at the first sign of adversity you quit. You go home. You say you'll vote for Donald Trump.

If no one has said this to you, let me be the first: Political revolutions are hard. They are riddled with a lot of tears, frustration and heartbreak. No entrenched power ever surrenders it willingly, and it sure as hell won't do it the first time you raise your voice.

If you thought that political revolutions would come quickly and easily then you are insanely naive. I don't usually speak about myself, but in this case, I will make an exception. I'm no spring chicken, and I have voted third party for over a decade. I did so because I think that you should vote for a candidate not against one.

I thought that I was the only one willing to do so in spite of  popular thinking. Then along comes the Bernie Sanders campaign. For the first time in my life, I register as a Democrat because the platform he espoused is closer to mine than any candidate in the major parties has been in my lifetime. And, for the first time, I wasn't a single voice in a crowd but a chorus of many.

Please note, I changed for the platform. And now that Bernie has officially thrown his weight behind Hillary guess what I'm doing? I'm voting third party--again. Meanwhile, so many of those who claimed to want a political revolution are now ready to throw in the towel. I'm not. And I won't be until I'm in the dirt, and even then If I could I'd fight on.

I respect a people who will stand by their principles and fight for what they believe. I respect the people who fought for gay rights, civil rights, women's rights and other worthy causes not because it was easy but because it was right. Yet some so-called "political revolutionaries" who like to point to these people as their inspiration are so eager to say, "Screw it! I give up!"

The people who fought for and won equality didn't give up. Oh, and they faced arrest, water hoses, bullets, attack dogs and bomb threats. Some of you are willing to give up over a setback. Some of you think that this fight can't be won. You're wrong. It can be won, but we must persist.

So, to those of you who are throwing in the towel right now, I ask you "Who are you?" Are you the person who is willing to stand for something, or are you the person who quits when the going gets tough? You say you want a revolution, but do you really? If you do, then prove it. Don't quit. Fight for it and keep fighting. Vote third party. Write in Bernie if you want to, but for crying out loud take a stand. 

There is an easy way to know if you are a revolutionary or not. Revolutionaries don't surrender. They fight until their last or until the fight is won.

***

And now a word from two Bernie Delegates from Ohio's 5th congressional district.

Voice of Nature: Bernie Sanders in the White House
by Dennis Slotnick

In the calm and centered moments, when the noise and chatter of the race is distant, quietly we sit and envision President Sanders there in the oval office with his warm welcoming smile. There with his razor focus on the progressive agenda.

Just hold onto that vision for a moment. The rest is details. Details nature herself will take care of. And yet, we act. We go forth knowing that nature is on our side. Behold the transformation. For the nature of the times is with Bernie Sanders.

Here are the indicators:

Global warming with its droughts, floods, melting ice caps, record number of climate refugees, is calling out like never before for a close to the fossil fuel era. Only Bernie's message holds any hope of ending the carbon based energy supply.

Shrinking of the middle class, economic strain on college graduates, urban youth and working families, and the massive shift of wealth to the very few is unsustainable. Bernie's voice is loud and clear and gaining more and more support. The message not a fad, it is the truth.

On every issue, from fracking, TPP, single-payer health care and college education, the truth of an unsustainable corporate-dominated system is coming out. Only Bernie's message offers remedies.

Here is the evidence that people are ready.

It is contributions from the seven million in small amounts that fuels the campaign.

It is a massive grassroots operation, like never seen before, getting thousands of people politically engaged. It says the time is right for the transformation.

At evermore popular rallies, the message resonates over and over, reverberating between Bernie and audience like masterful music. And Bernie rolls on as the great conductor of the trends of time.

(Those of us who have been to the rallies and worked door-to-door and phone banks "feel the Bern" deep inside when someone else lights up with the message. There are few feelings more rewarding than to be in the sweet resonance of this lively transformation.)

I am inspired to resonate with Michael Grom, Ohio 15th congressional district Sanders delegate when he says, "Truth is on our side. There are millions of people along the east coast within a short distance from Philadelphia. We can turn this convention around." Michael and I share this quiet vision of Bernie in the White House.

This is why we are to keep clear in our centered moments the transformation is the need of the times; we create it with our thoughts and intentions. Not to mind what media says, the real news is that we are the future as we envision Bernie Sanders in the White House.

The rest is details. We attend to them and carry on his message. 

 And now a word from The Bernie Blog co-founder and Ohio Bernie delegate Barb McMillan.

Written to those who feel betrayed:
 

Bernie has not lied to us. Fifty years of putting himself on the line for his fellow human beings. How dare anyone berate his efforts. 

From the beginning he made promises, among them that he was going to run as a Democrat and not be a spoiler. This was the conclusion. He was not going to destroy the party and he was not going to berate HRC. He was pushing the progressive agenda and trying to open the party to the progressive future. He continued to fight after the votes were in, after his colleagues spit on him, after exhausted each day he fell into bed to start again. 

He has asked for a roll call at the convention. We need to have a show of our strength. We need to say from the inside of that convention center we are here! In numbers. A coward walks away crying, "They cheated." A courageous man says, "They fought effing hard, and we still have a chance to forward our goals."

I'm standing behind this man. His work has been heroic. He holds his head high. So do I. 

***

We'll See You in Philly!

 Here's a link to a page full of events in and around Philadelphia for the next two weeks: https://www.facebook.com/notes/1029197360493523/Philly%20Events/1068289859917606/ 

Check out our "March on DNC--See You in Philly" page on the sidebar for other helpful links.

Please donate to our GoFundMe campaign if you can help The Bernie Blog get to Philly. Thanks!  (And don't forget to chat with us if you see us there.)

Now, get yourself psyched up for the convention with this great anthem. We're still standing and we're #StillSanders. #FeeltheBern everyone.

 

Rocking the Caucus

Our two female delegates, Mary and Kay, flank "Bernie" on either side, while Alecia and I take the ends.

Rocking the Caucus

by Cindy A. Matthews

I'm not a political animal by nature. Never in a million years (not an exaggeration) would I have thought I'd "volunteer" to run as a delegate for Bernie Sanders to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia this summer. But when I told another Bernie campaign organizer back in early December which district I was in, he said, "You've got to be a delegate!" 

"Okay," I thought, "If Bernie needs help to win our state and I live in a mostly rural, heart-of-Republican-country congressional district, then I'm willing to go out of my comfort zone and do it for him. It'll be a learning experience."

One thing to be said for being a Bernie supporter: You learn a lot of new things in a very short period of time.

My husband and I drove approximately 50 miles to our district caucus site at a Knights of Columbus bingo hall in Marion, Ohio and only got lost once. Yes, we had to travel that far--so did many others, if not further. Some traveled upwards of 95 to 100 miles, one way. Looking at a map of the 4th Congressional district of Ohio, the word "gerrymander" springs to mind. 

Ohio U.S. District 4

You would be shocked to see that it begins in the Northeastern quadrant of the state just outside the western suburbs of Cleveland, zigs, zags and serpentine-crawls it way through the middle of the state hitting our Northwest county of Seneca, dips southeasterly again through Marion in the central area of the state and then makes it way westerly to Lima and then dives south to Sidney, just north of Dayton. In this manner, the Republicans have been able to carve out a niche and install a Tea Party/Freedom Caucus idiot--excuse me, gentleman--named Jim Jordan as our U.S. House representative. We are predominately rural, small town and suburban, yet in one Congressional district we touch upon the outer Cleveland, Toledo, Columbus and Dayton metropolitan areas. 

Not bad. All we're missing of the top five largest cities in Ohio is Cincinnati, and I'm sure Republicans are working on a way to zigzag in some of their 'burbs. You realize they can't have us rural/small town folks hooking up with an actual big city, don't you? Oh, no! We might be influenced to vote against the G.O.P. if we ever had contact with our big city neighbors.

Dave, one of our delegates.

The well-paying union jobs in our district have long gone to Mexico with NAFTA, and the family farms have all but withered away in the agribusiness takeover explosion of the last decades. You'd be pardoned to believe the Democratic base in this gerrymandered nightmare of a district isn't perhaps the strongest. I believed it, too, until I saw the enthusiastic Bernie supporters in the K. of C. bingo hall. People in our downtrodden district really love Bernie Sanders!

As we came into the hall, the Bernie supporters didn't appear to be in majority, but I learned later that the Hillary supporters had been provided transportation to the caucus by chartered bus, courtesy of a national union whose leaders have endorsed her. Even if we were slightly outnumbered, I can say for certain we were the liveliest and most enthusiastic group there. (Martin O'Malley's campaign failed to get the prerequisite number of signatures to be qualified for the Ohio primary ballot. I wasn't sure if any of his supporters were present or if they had migrated to one corner of the room or the other.)

The "Hillary corner" of the caucus had about twenty more people than our group my husband estimated, but they didn't strike me as the happiest of souls. The word "lethargic" comes to mind. Many were well-dressed. They didn't look like they were "working class" individuals but older, retired couples who enjoy a weekly steak dinner and a drink or two at their local country club… Not exactly working farmers or blue-collar factory workers or high school science teachers or nurses or college students struggling with overwhelming loan debt.

Jamie gives delegate Mary's Bernie stand-up sign a thumbs up!

Frankly, Bernie fans are my type of people. They're animated and came dressed in their t-shirts, hats, hoodies and wearing badges and carrying signs. They can't contain their enthusiasm for Bernie and how much they admire him and his progressive agenda. If I were throwing a party, I'd invite the "Berners" any day of the week. They're fun and friendly people. In direct contradiction to the mainstream media political pundits, we had a much higher percentage of women in our group than the Hillary camp. 

By contrast, the Clintonistas acted subdued, orderly. They just didn't display much pep. We didn't see any t-shirts, hats, badges or anything else that would designate them as fans of the former secretary of state. When an elderly couple wandered in a little later in the evening and sat in the back of the room (not huddling with either group), I thought perhaps when they saw all the cars in the parking lot they thought it meant it was Bingo Night instead of the Democratic delegate caucus. Maybe they really were a part of the Hillary caucus? Their subduedness and apartness fit in with that group's vibe.

To the detriment of all, the bingo hall had terrible acoustics. At half-basketball-court size, it wasn't big enough for the approximately 80 people present. Delegates were given 60 seconds to give their "stump speech" to persuade people to vote for them. Of course, the Clintonistas were doing likewise just a few feet from our tables… Bedlam! Neither side had a mircophone or a megaphone. Talk about challenging for the hard of hearing. I really had to concentrate to hear any of the speeches. 

When I caught one of the Hillary supporters behind us bellowing "I'm a FDR Democrat!" I just had to wonder why this older gentleman was sitting in the other corner of the room. Hadn't he heard Bernie's latest speech on Wall Street? It would have made FDR proud. Of course, an elderly voter probably doesn't watch You Tube or get online very often. More than likely, he watches the local news or gets his political fix from CNN or Fox. Another on-the-fence older couple I talked to earlier in the evening stated, "We love Bernie, but he's not going to win the primary." When I asked them if they'd watched any of his speeches or rallies online and did they know anything about the large number of people attending his events and how inaccurate the mainstream media polling data was, they looked at me with quizzical yet hopeful eyes. I'm happy to say they ended up caucusing with the Bernie group.

Our district gets to select four delegates per candidate--two male and two female--to be sent to the national convention. And what a long slate of names we had! We had eight women and at least six men to choose from--all very intelligent and enthusiastic candidates. It was a tough choice.

How did I do? Since I couldn't hear the first two ladies at all in the noisy hall when my time came to speak, I did like all mothers and schoolteachers everywhere do to get attention: I stood on my chair and projected loudly to our group. I got a nice round of applause, too.

Unfortunately, I came in third place in the female delegate election. I lost by one measly vote. Oh, well. At least I don't have to come up with the two or three thousand dollars to cover the costs of the hotel and travel to the convention in Philadelphia. (Whew!) I can cover the convention online and write about since I know four people from my area who can give me their insights. Odds are, not all four of our delegates will be able to attend, but you never know. Bernie could get 75% or more of the primary vote in Ohio. (Fingers crossed!)

We drove home after the caucus tired but energized. Later I learned that as the Hillary charter bus pulled out, they all "honked and waved" at a Bernie Light Brigade LED sign one our group was demonstrating in the parking lot. It seems everyone in the 4th Ohio Congressional district loves Bernie.

 *  *  *

Are you attending a debate watch party on January 17? Are you planning a Bernie meet-up for the live stream event from the man himself on January 23? Go to the national events page and type in your zip code to find an event nearest you. Better yet, sign up to host one yourself and invite all your friends, family members and fellow Berners.  #FeeltheBern and spread the word--Bernie's our next president!

Bernie's Light Brigade is planning another light up the night for Bernie, January 16. Find out how you can help out at the Reddit link and join in the fun.

The Rockland County BLB mix and matches signs to advertise Bernie.