Bernard Sanders is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, but he’s just Bernie to Vermonters. Many people across the country have underestimated Bernie, but this is a mistake. He is the longest-serving Independent in United States congressional history with 16 years served. He was mayor of Burlington, the largest city in Vermont, for eight years. Currently, Bernie is a Senator that has made this beautiful state an even better place to live. He is the senator of a small state, and he has radical reform policies that he would enforce. Bernie supports taxing the wealthy, universal health care and free public universities. However, he has surprisingly reached out to such an enormous number of people that the distance between Bernie and Hillary Clinton is decreasing. Currently, he is ahead of Hillary in New Hampshire, a small victory that will hopefully lead to more.
Bernie Sanders isn’t the usual presidential candidate. He refuses to campaign with negative ads or talk poorly about his opponents. Instead, he wants to focus on the American people and what changes he would like to make. He hasn’t spent millions of dollars on advertising his campaign like his competitors. He relies heavily on social media to reach out to supporters. Although, within 24 hours of the announcement of his run for the Democratic presidential nomination, he raised more than $1.5 million. He has drawn crowds of thousands upon thousands of people on the West Coast, most significantly an estimated 27,500 people in Los Angeles. The odds are against Bernie Sanders, but like he said, “A political revolution is coming.” Change must be made, even if it’s not him leading the country.
Most people in Vermont have some kind of tie to Bernie. He wasn’t born in Vermont, but he has had such an impact on our state that I think of him as an honorary Vermonter. My dad coached his son in basketball many years ago and even played against Bernie in a parent basketball game. Also, a few people I know have had internships or been pages for Bernie at the statehouse. Every year Bernie has an essay contest open to all high school students about the Presidential State of the Union and which issues are the most important and why.
The favorite connection I have with Bernie Sanders was going and seeing him announce his run for the presidency. It was a humid day and a group of my friends and I went to downtown Burlington after one of our last days of high school. The parking was crazy because people all over the state had made the trek to see Bernie’s speech. We arrived early because we wanted to have a good spot to see him. Lake Champlain was a perfect back drop, especially because Bernie played such a big part in designing the waterfront area. There was a lot of people. And many came from different walks of life. There were people of all ages and ethnicities represented. When Bernie Sanders walked on stage, the audience erupted into applause. He talked with such passion and conviction that we held onto his every word. Bernie Sanders may be the underdog against Hillary Clinton, but as a person who has grown up with him as an influential political figure, I know that he will not give up without a fight.
