Four of the presidential candidates made a stop in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the past weekend, in an effort to secure the vote for themselves in Wisconsin’s primary, April 5th. One of those candidates was Bernie Sanders.
I will start out by stating that, yes, I support Bernie Sanders, so my views of the rally are likely biased to some extent. No, that does not mean that I necessarily support everything that he does, like the concept of free public college. I would, however, like to be able to graduate without being in crippling debt for the next decade or two afterward. Otherwise, why even go to college if it’s just going to set you back financially? If anyone is going to make college affordability a priority, I think it’s Bernie. So while I don’t align completely with his views, I align closely enough with them to think he’s worth hearing out. Many other liberals believe that he’s a good candidate for ensuring equity and freedoms to all voters, and not just the majority of white voters who are looking to pay less in taxes or bomb the ever-living shit out of ISIS. He’s proven himself as a politician who sticks to his beliefs rather than flopping around for the sake of gaining votes. So when I found out that he was stopping by my university to give a speech, my inner political fangirl squealed.
The doors were scheduled to open at 10am, so my roommate and I arrived about an hour early. The line was incredible. It was snowing that morning, and since our campus runs along the Chippewa River, the cold gusts of wind were awful. Standing outside for about 2 hours in the freezing cold was not fun, and the line didn’t move very quickly because in the arena, every single person was being sent through metal detectors, emptying their pockets, and having their phones and bags checked. Security was no joke. But the 2 hour wait made for good conversation amongst fellow Sanders supporters. I was pleasantly surprised at some of the conversation I heard around me; there was a Trump rally scheduled to take place later that day, which was a popular topic of discussion. But instead of using hateful language when speaking about Trump supporters, I heard conversation about cultivating tolerance. “We aren’t that different, we should all be talking about solutions rather than yelling at each other” was something that particularly surprised me. I understand that there are some differences amongst voters that can’t be solved in a single discussion, but I appreciated the positivity and tolerance surrounding me. Not to mention the buttons. All the political buttons! People were selling pro-Bernie buttons to folks in line, with quirky slogans like “Babes for Bernie” or colorful ones with the words (perhaps ironically considering who’s currently leading the GOP at the moment) “Love Trumps Hate”. I’m a dork and can’t resist adding a fun button to my oversized, thrift store denim jacket, so I bought some for my roommate and I.
My thighs, butt and toes were going numb, so I was ecstatic to get in the door. Justin Vernon, aka the singer/songwriter Bon Iver, is from Eau Claire, and opened for Sanders at the event. Overall, the event itself was great. The entire arena was packed with thousands of people. They even played on the “Feel the Bern” slogan by playing “Burn Baby Burn” at one point as people filed in the doors. Sanders came to the podium and for roughly an hour covered his main points and values; universal healthcare, expanding mental healthcare and working towards ending the mental health stigma, decriminalizing marijuana, free public college tuition, training militaries in Middle Eastern countries that are affected by ISIS as a way to tackle terrorism without having the U.S. engaged in perpetual warfare, etc. He discussed the income disparity in the country, and the unfairness of how our country can afford to bail out Wall Street and big banks, yet can’t tax corporations in order to guarantee healthcare, a living wage, and adequate education to its citizens. After all, is it really fair to call ourselves the “greatest nation in the world” if we’re sick, uneducated, and living below the poverty line due to low wages? Some people might argue that these things aren’t “rights” but rather privileges, which would make sense if everyone was born with the same opportunities and access to resources. But the reality is that life isn’t fair, and if we truly want to ensure equal rights for all, we need to ensure that everyone is given the access to a good education, good healthcare, a good support system, etc.
Overall, the rally was unforgettable experience. Whether Sanders wins the primaries or not, I’m happy to have seen him speak. I’d encourage anyone interested in politics and the future of our nation to tough it out through the long lines at these types of rallies to see a political candidate give their two cents, and, most importantly, vote!
