Bernie Sanders’ moving rally was deemed a little too much for some after his geriatric tirade on our admittedly broken political and economic machine knocked a fellow man unconscious. Partway through his speech on youth unemployment, a crowd member collapsed, promptly killing the optimistic atmosphere that seemed to be permeating the illustrious Fox Theater. Thankfully, the spirit of the rally quickly picked back up when the man walked offstage, allowing Senator Sanders to return, proclaiming, “I didn’t realize my oratory was so powerful.”
Senator Sanders started the night a unique twist which would seem tacky if attempted by any other presidential candidate; he spoke about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Bernie rarely spoke about himself, failing to even mention his own attendance at the first March on Washington. He instead stuck to spreading the ideas that Dr. King strove for, ideas that Bernie still thinks America can accomplish today. Sanders wanted to make sure the people of today remember what this great man, who grew up only blocks away from the rally, stood for. Sanders said, “Dr. King was a great leader because he understood a profound truth…real change always takes place from the bottom on up, never the top down.” Bernie was intent on making it known that though this "political revolution" may be called radical by some today, in reality it is moderate in comparison to the values preached during the Civil Rights movement, a time everyone can hold in high regard for its policy changes. Sanders made it clear he wants to usher in a new wave of Civil Rights, striving to focus on both ensuring basic economic and human rights for everyone.
The Senator did not shy away from his firm stances on gender based issues. He made a rousing call for fairness in the workforce when he declared, “I hope that every man in this room tonight will stand with the women fighting for pay equity.” This short and sweet call to arms was met with yet another standing ovation from the entire audience, accompanied by a deafening chanting of his name. After outlining more of his points on gender equality, Bernie used this time to take a rare shot at the Republican Party. ”Many of you have heard my Republican colleagues and Republican presidential candidates talk about ‘family values.’ They just stay up nights worrying about families, especially if they are very wealthy families who can contribute to their campaigns.” It seems the Republican candidates are about to start “Feeling the Bern” as Sanders shows he is not afraid to let loose more remarks.
Two subjects Bernie Sanders cannot be accused of shying away from are racial and economic-class issues. As Will Penniman, a fellow attendee and Georgia Tech student put it, “I got the feeling that he was a lot more personally invested in income inequality, Citizens United, healthcare, and veteran rights; the stuff he’s worked most closely with in congress.” This sentiment appears to ring true for most, if not all rally participants, as illustrated by the thunderous commendation Bernie received when he proclaimed, “As a result of the disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision, the Supreme Court said to the wealthiest people in this country ‘It's okay guys, you already own much of the economy, now we’re going to give you the opportunity to buy the United States government.’” Sanders then proceeded to open the can of worms that is Super PACs, ensuring the crowd that the source of his campaign finance is not from some wealthy Wall Street executives, but rather the working class people who are giving what they can. Sanders did not shy away of the implications of this either, proclaiming, “My campaign does not represent the interests of the largest corporations and the wealthiest people." Bernie then went on to share an important conviction that, if elected, “no nominee of mine to the United States Supreme Court will get that position unless he or she is loud and clear in saying that they will vote to overturn Citizens United,” a sentiment unmatched by any of his current opponents.
Over 5,000 people waited at least an hour in line in the cold to crowd into the Fox Theatre to see Bernie. Like him or not, there is no denying the momentum of his movement. There is no denying the passion of his followers. There is no denying the ugly truths of his message. Sanders’ speeches are resonating with more and more people every day because the honesty of this grass roots campaign is hard to ignore. Bernie Sanders may be the next underdog story to emerge from the Democrat party, and if this rally is an indication of what’s to come, the next president of the United States may have just hit his stride.
