A Future to Believe In

A Future to Believe In

by Cindy A. Matthews

'Tis the season to enjoy caroling...

 

Happy #Bernie 2016 New Year!

Bernie meet up in Lakewood, Ohio.

I can hardly believe it... We've made it to the end of 2015 and Bernie Sanders is set to take on his Democratic challengers in the Iowa caucuses in just a few weeks. Who would have guessed so many millions would flock to Bernie when he first announced he was running for the White House in late April? I know I'm awestruck by the overwhelming enthusiasm expressed by Bernie supporters throughout the country and abroad. Everyone is looking for "a future to believe in" and Bernie Sanders gives us all a solid chance at obtaining that future.

Light up the night for Bernie!

When I came across Barb and others on Facebook back in the spring, I felt relieved to learn that I wasn't the only person in Northwest Ohio who admired Bernie Sanders. I wasn't the only one who thought, "If Bernie ever runs for president, I'm voting for him!" But little did we realize how many others in this mostly rural portion of the Buckeye State were also interested in learning more about the progressive senator from Vermont. We have held meet-ups and debate watch parties. We have phone-banked (I'm told this is a verb) and brightened the night with Bernie's Light Brigade. We have collected signatures to put Bernie on the ballot in Ohio and some of us (lucky me!) have volunteered to become Bernie delegates at the Ohio Democratic caucus on January 5. We have become involved in bringing about that "future to believe in" because we believe in it wholeheartedly, and it's all because of Bernie Sanders' leadership.

New Year's celebrations often revolve around making resolutions or goals to meet for the year to come. Have you made any detailing how you're going to help Bernie Sanders' campaign? Are you going to pass out flyers? Participate in a phone bank? Help people get to the polls on the primary day? Don't be shy. Tell us in the comments below what goals you've set to help bring a truly progressive agenda before your fellow voters.

Debate Watch Parties can be fun.

Do you have any predictions for 2016? Corporate media broadcasts at this time of year love to do "the best of" shows and make predictions of how events will unfold in the coming year. What predictions will you make regarding Bernie's run for the White House? What predictions do you have on how Bernie's run will affect your life in the coming years? Please feel free to share them with us in the comments section.

And as we close out the first seven months of The Bernie Blog and plunge madly forward into the new year--the election year, no less!--let's reflect back on some of those "best of" moments from our early efforts to support Bernie's campaign. Great rallies, great speeches, great debate moments, great promo events, great photos, great graphics, great memes, great articles, great haikus, great writers, great blogs, great instructional videos, great filks, great music videos... Oh, there are so many wonderful and original Bernie-inspired songs! Wouldn't it be great if there was an award called the "Bernie" (sort of like the Grammy, Emmy or Oscar) to bestow upon all the creative Bernie supporters who have enriched our year?

If you're interested in helping get an "awards program" together, please contact The Bernie Blog at thebernieblog2016@gmail.com We could ask for nominees in various categories and set up an online poll to allow the people to vote for their favorite song, photo, meme, blog, etc. Also, what would a "Bernie Award" look like? Should it be patterned after an Oscar statuette? Your suggestions are needed.

Keep feelin' the Bern, folks. It will be a happy 2016 for us all because we truly have a future to believe in once Bernie Sanders is in the White House.

Here are some possible nominees for the "Bernies". Can you think of others? Tell us! Email us or put them in the comments below. Thank you.

The second 100 days of Bernie's campaign in photos--awesome and inspirational! https://medium.com/@BernieSanders/photo-gallery-the-second-100-days-of-the-bernie-sanders-presidential-campaign-64ae88cf3121#.7hqk72qxn

Best original artwork?
www.jaeilchoart.bigcartel.com

A fantastic live streaming network for the 99%: http://live.bernie2016.tv

A info-packed article about how well Bernie's doing:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-hanley/10-ways-bernie-sanders-do_b_8850824.html

A respected pro-Bernie reporter, H.A. Goodman:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/h-a-goodman/bernie-sanders-won-the-debate-defeated-the-dnc_b_8851816.html

More catchy songs about Bernie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzgBkpY-6mE&list=RDdzgBkpY-6mE





 
Here's a potent short video that would make a great TV commercial:

Happy New Year from all of us at The Bernie Blog! 

Let’s Exercise Our Brains for Bernie!

Barb's "Bernie Bush"

Are you feelin' the Bern? Don't forget that Tuesday, October 13, 8:30 p.m. ET, is the first Democratic Debate on CNN. "Berners" (Bernie Sanders supporters) are sponsoring Debate Watch Parties all over the country. Go to the national events map and type in your zip code to see where there's a Debate Watch Party near you that you can attend. Can't find one or want to host your own? Even if it's just you and your family, please register your party at the site so Bernie's campaign can see just how many supporters he has. And if you take photos and want to share them with others, feel free to email them to us at thebernieblog2016@gmail.com and we'll post them on The Bernie Blog. Thanks.

This week on The Bernie Blog we hear from a rather unique perspective. A canine perspective...

Buster Brown Town is Professor Emeritus, Department of Odd Human Behavior, Dogville Academy, and Founder of Dogs for Humanity, a not-for-profit with the motto: “We may not be human, but we are humane.” We asked Professor Town to tell us why he’s supporting Bernie:

“That’s easy! I’m a dog. We’re Man’s Best Friend. We don’t care if you’re rich or poor.  We don’t care if you’re white or black or brown or yellow or red; we don’t care if you’re straight or gay or male or female or young or old; we love you all.  Also, we’re pack animals. We want everyone in our pack to do well because that’s how the pack survives. Bernie is the only candidate who thinks like a dog.  We refer to him affectionately as Saint Bernard.”

Let’s Exercise Our Brains for Bernie!  

 By Buster Brown Town

Time to get in shape for the elections! Let’s start by exercising some Good Old Yankee Common Sense.

Today’s question is: Why do so many everyday working people vote Republican? Why don’t they like Bernie Sanders?

Here are some things Republicans voted for in recent years (and Bernie voted against): Tax cuts for the rich. More benefits for multinational corporations. More spending for the military (not to be confused with more spending for vets, which they oppose).

Here are some things Republicans voted against (and Bernie voted for): Paid sick leave, paid vacations, maternity leave, overtime, healthcare, workplace protections, collective bargaining rights, quality education, decent paying jobs, clean air and water, safe food and drugs, veteran benefits, student loan debt relief, voting rights, sensible gun control laws, fair housing, protections from consumer fraud and predatory lenders, freedom of religion, unemployment insurance, retirement benefits, birth control, child care, equal rights.

So unless you’re rich, a multinational corporation or a military contractor, why would you vote Republican?

Ever since the robber barons wrote their own script for the American Dream and hired Ronald Reagan to play the role of president, you’ve been lied to, hoodwinked, bamboozled and bombarded by razzle-dazzle, misinformation, scare tactics and all kinds of brainwashing schemes. All of this is brought to you by the oligarchs who own all the major media, most of the economy and a large number of your so-called “public servants.”

So, when someone like Bernie Sanders comes along and lays out a common sense case for getting back to the same policies that made postwar America great, that created a booming economy with a strong middle class, he’s accused of being a “commie” or a Soviet-style socialist. Forget about that! He’s got two basic ideas:

• 1. Make the rich pay their fair share of taxes.
• 2. Invest our tax dollars to help every day, hardworking people like you.

Does that make sense?

If your answer is “No,” you may have a Common Sense deficit. In that event, take Groucho Marx’s advice: “A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five.”

Or fetch your dog.

Bio: Mr. Town is a professor of odd human behavior at Dogville Academy. Buster blogs for Bernie, bites billionaires and will bark for food. His web site and his Facebook page can be found at the following links:  Busterbrowntown.com

https://www.facebook.com/buster.browntown?fref=ts