Descriptions of what it felt like to be at the Bernie Sander's kickoff

[karynnj]

As CSPAN and MSNBC appear to have covered the speech -- and I hope the speeches of people who worked for him over the years, Bill McGiben, and both Ben and Jerry, I thought it might be better to describe how much fun it was talking with the other people there and then cheering for Bernie and the other speakers.

This afternoon in Burlington seemed like it does every time there is a festival at one of the two large parks. Everyone seemed happy and excited as they walked from the town or the various parking lots -- or the volunteer staffed "secure bike parking" for people arriving via the many miles of a bike path that runs along the lake.

Today was the hottest day so far this year -- and it was humid, but there was still a wonderful breeze coming from the lake. I hope the angles used for the media showed how magical the lake view is - with a clean sparkling lake and the Adirondacks in the distance. (We've lived in Burlington for 2 and a half years since we retired here and love it even more than we expected to -- and our expectations were very high!) I hope they carried the end of Bernie's speech where he spoke of how he and others fought to make what was them some unsightly railroad property on the lake into the gorgeous people's park we were in. He initiated changes that were part of why Burlington is such a wonderful town.

As to the crowd, there were people of all ages - including a healthy portion of long term residents of Burlington, who lived through the time he was mayor. To me, seeing and talking to some of them was a very interesting experience. They knew Bernie as a person, a mayor and later as both a Congressman and a Senator. I knew - even in the short time I've lived here - how accessible he is. He has had many town halls - and is excellent in that format. He also lives here and many people have noted that he is always ready to talk to people - even when picking up things at Hannafords.

There were also many college age people - even though the 3 colleges are long past the end of spring semester. The atmosphere was friendly - like everything I have ever gone to here is. Things like an older couple getting two Ben and Jerry's to offer to a mom there with two young kids and a baby -- that absolutely made the kids' day were typical.

Now, the reality is the party and the media are heavily behind HRC. It will be hard for anyone to be a serious challenge to her. That said, Bernie's speech recalls pure Rockwell American values and FDR policies - including wanting to have a BIG infrastructure project that would both create good jobs and repair our crumbling infrastructure. I suspect that if Bernie really does what he says with town halls and going door to door in Iowa, NH and then other states, there is a chance that his message AND HIM AS THE MESSENGER could resonate. If it does, it will be a major triumph of democracy over money.

Before I went, I liked Bernie and I have not especially liked the Clintons for years, but I was resigned to HRC being the candidate. It may be the glow of a beautiful late afternoon/ early evening, but I am now excited in what Bernie could mean the country.

[Mnemosyne]

1. Thanks for this, Karyn! I feel an excitement with Bernie that I haven't felt in many years. nt

[bigtree]

2. describe, if you will, the diversity of the crowd

...the diversity on stage, as well.

I realize that Vermont isn't the most diverse state in the union, but I'm interested in the demographic makeup of his crowd and supporters he had stand with him as he made his announcement. Perhaps this is unfair to view his announcement through this lens, but I'm interested, nonetheless.

[aikoaiko]

3. Its true, VT is not demographically diverse,

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/50000.html
[IMG][/IMG]

But based on my limited time in VT, I found Vermonters to care considerably about minority issues.

[cherokeeprogressive]

4. Of course you know that VT's lack of diversity is Bernie's fault, right?

Isn't that the implication bt's tossing out there?

[bigtree]

7. if you really want to know my 'implication'

...it's not anything as banal and ignorant as you describe.

One of my interests is whether Bernie Sanders is positioned or inclined to directly represent the particular concerns, issues, and interests of black Americans, the lgbt community, immigrants, other ethnic minorities...

In this post, I'm asking if there were many of these individuals represented in the crowd or on stage.

[cherokeeprogressive]

15. Why did you ask... weren't you able to see the picture?

[iamthebandfanman]

18. Did you listen to the speech today?

he addressed all those things..

Who do you think suffers the most from poverty and unemployment. Yep.

FDR was always afraid to address race openly, but he knew that uplifting the poor meant uplifting the African American community as well.. as they were poor.

Bernie spoke about LGBT rights very clearly and uplifting ALL americans who suffer in poverty ( IE black americans and ethnic minorities)...

[lunamagica]

28. I don't think he addressed immigration...

Did he?

[bvar22]

35. FDR addressed "race" directly in his SOTU of 1944.

AS far as I can tell, this is the FIRST time the Democratic Party placed Racial equality on the list of goals:

FDR Economic Bill of Rights

In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be[font size=3] established for all—regardless of station, race, or creed.[/font]

Among these are:

*The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;

*The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;

*The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;

*The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;

*The right of every family to a decent home;

*The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;

*The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;

*The right to a good education.

All of these rights spell security. And after this war is won we must be prepared to move forward, in the implementation of these rights, to new goals of human happiness and well-being.

[font size=3]America's own rightful place in the world depends in large part upon how fully these and similar rights have been carried into practice for all our citizens.[/font]

Please note that the above are stipulated as Basic Human RIGHTS to be protected by our government,
and NOT as COMMODITIES to be SOLD to Americans by For Profit Corporations.

[nadinbrzezinski]

21. This is very annecdotal but I met the first few Bernie volunteers

on May Day... one of them could bore you to tears with the details of the Morena party in Mexico. Her first language is NOT English. She recently became a US Citizen and is looking forwards to not just working for Bernie, as a volunteer, but voting in the election for yes, Bernie Sanders.

Here is the best part, the coverage of Bernie Sanders in the Spanish press has been like non existent. Yet, she is not just able and willing but wanted to get started. That was a nice surprise, to be honest. It was the last thing I expected. And I keep my ear quite close to the ground.

[jwirr]

23. Very legitimate question.

[JDPriestly]

25. Write and ask him. He is highly rated on all minority issues, race, gender, LGBT as well

as the economically disadvantaged.

He is truly liberal/progressive. Pick your term.

Just ask him your question.

He answered a lot of questions on Reddit. You may find that he has already answered your question there.

[sabrina 1]

26. All you need to do to get an answer to that question is to look at his record. Eg, on LGBT rights he

was supporting Gay Marriage before it was even being talked about. He never had to 'evolve' on the rights of the LGBT community, he may be one of the most supportive members of Congress re Gay rights we have had for decades.

He marched with MLK while he was a college student and was actively involved in promoting Civil Rights during that time and since then.

I am not certain about this, but I believe he was in Selma for the anniversary of the march, have to double check on that.

Iow, his record on all the minorities you mentioned, including women's rights, is stellar and goes back decades.

In fact I would say he was way, way ahead of his time on Civil Rights for all Americans and had to wait for some of our other Dems to catch up, which airc, has been fairly recently, AFTER it became 'politically viable'.

If only the rest of our Representatives had been as supportive of all those groups, they might not have to wait so long to be treated as equal citizens of this country.

[karynnj]

29. I think you might want to consider that Bernie, democratic socialist that he is, pulled

in people from the more rural, less progressive areas surrounding Burlington. One speaker read from a oped in an Addison county paper that was the first to endorse Sanders. I spoke to people around me who were from outside Burlington.

I am not saying that we can take African Americans or Hispanics for granted, but they ARE,,for the most part in our base. The issue will be energizing that vote to come out - not winning them from Republicans. I agree that 2008 was unique in that many African Americans were driven to register and to vote - possibly for the first time.

Neither Clinton nor Sanders will have that direct, visceral connection to that population. Both will address it by positions on issues and speeches - like one Hillary Clinton already gave. Sanders has a life time record that is exceptional. He was a student organizer for Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. In yesterday's speech he did mention African Americans when speaking of unacceptably high unemployment - giving first a population wide number, then minority unemployment, then the youth number and finally saying that AA youth unemployment was off the charts.

The issues most important to him - a living wage, jobs,affordable education, and affordable housing - are important to anyone, regardless of race and income, if they value an equitable society. However, to those without secure jobs, reasonable wages and affordable decent housing, these issues are not just for a better, fairer, more pleasant community - they are basic needs. Sanders himself grew up in a poor family in an apartment in Brooklyn.

Consider that he was able to bridge his NYC Jewish background and win over a huge numbers of rural, Christian, Yankee Vermonters. It is hard to imagine that there is more commonality of culture between his background and that population than between his own background and that of urban area blacks.

What IS interesting is that Bernie might possibly be able to win back "Reagan Democrats" - as he has in Vermont. While Democrats get big majorities of Blacks, Jews, and more than a majority of Hispanics, the Republicans have done better with white males. I know that demographics that are making whites less than 50% of the population in the future help Democrats, but regaining poor whites, who were pushed by cultural issues to support Republicans, is not a bad idea either.

The values that I heard in his speech, could be described as returning to the FDR values OR - oddly enough - a call to return to a more Norman Rockwell version of America where towns and communities work. Many people speaking before Bernie, spoke of how he transformed Burlington. The openness of government and the direct participation of people with the government here is striking different than what we saw in NJ.

I think the issues that Bernie raised will be the ones that Clinton should run on.

[bigtree]

34. first of all, thank you for this excellent perspective

...Bernie and SNCC is certainly a plus, and I appreciate his voicing concerns about black unemployment. That background of support for black Americans and other economic issues beneficial to the black community is certainly something which makes Sanders an attractive choice for our community. Whether he will be able to communicate that in his campaign will be key to his garnering the support he needs from black voters to fill out the coalition which Barack Obama advantaged in his elections.

What I'm interested in may or may not be key to his electability. What I'm looking for is a candidate to directly address the issue of racial disparities in arrests, detentions, and other confrontations with police. That's been a pet focus of mine, and I give heed to this issue as a political one to the extent that politicians commit to actual solutions, damn the political implications.

On immigration, I want a candidate to directly address solutions for immigration, such as defending the refugee status of young, undocumented immigrants. Sanders, in the past, has supported legislation favorable to the 'Dreamers' and has been supportive of President Obama's executive actions on immigration; even criticizing the president for delaying those actions to facilitate the midterms. I look forward to hearing more from the senator on the campaign trail on these issues and others affecting immigrants and migrant workers as he has supported these concerns and interests in his state and elsewhere on many occasions.

I don't feel that economic policy is a panacea for all social concerns, nor is it a substitute for issues related to justice and the application of law.

I don't believe in a specific political focus on wooing white males to vote Democratic. I think that focus is fraught with the potential of alienating our base of voters.

While he will certainly be challenged to contrast his campaign with Hillary Clinton's in competition with her in the primary, I agree with his statements that his campaign is meant to challenge the system, and not necessarily Clinton, personally. I'm not a Clinton supporter in this primary, nor am I supporting Sen. Sanders as my choice in the Democratic contest. Yet, even in my choice of Martin O'Malley as our nominee, I will be seeking to hold these politicians accountable for these issues, primarily, as well as other economic, military, and social policy concerns.

That said, Bernie's straightforward advocacy for progressive issues, coupled with O'Malley's own brand of populism in this campaign, will solidify the left in this election and characterize the Democratic quest for the presidency as vote for actual change; not just a 'feint' echo of the status quo. Now, the Clinton campaign will be challenged to either compete against republicans with the progressive tide, or tack against it. Kudos to Bernie Sanders for joining the fight for progressive values and interests in this election

[karynnj]

6. Burlington is a refugee resettlement town - so there is more diversity than you would

expect of Vermont. It is probably true that the majority of people there were white, but other ethnic groups were also there. I have a hard time answering that question because the makeup did not make an impression on me one way of the other.

Maybe look at the tape? As to the people who were on stage - there was a talented, beautiful African American who sang America, the beautiful. There were not that many people who spoke and I think they were all white.

However, his message is one that is without color or ethnicity.

[bigtree]

10. thanks, karynnj

I didn't see the tape and the pics I found weren't very good.

As for his message, I'm not a big fan of a 'colorblind' appeal, though I don't really believe he'll stick to that. It would be significant if he did try and skirt race like that, but I can't imagine he will (or could sustain such an appeal).

[sabrina 1]

27. I think you need to learn a little more about his decades long record of fighting for the rights of

minorities. Seems like we'll have to make sure people know how far ahead he was on these issues, long before some of those who finally 'evolved' realized how right he was, and how wrong they were.

[questionseverything]

8. well we know bernie marched for civil rights in 63

while hillary was busy trying to get goldwater elected

here is a crowd pic

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12808993

[JI7]

13. it's probably whatever the state of vermont is, the problem would be if he starts having events in

other places with more diversity but his audience is still lacking in it.

[Cha]

5. Mahalo Karyn.. It sounds wonderful for you.. so glad you could be there!

[Agschmid]

9. Very cool.

I'm sure Kesha was there!

[Paka]

11. Thanks so much for this.

I've been around for a lot of election cycles (over 70 years old) and I have never been more energized about a candidate as I am about Bernie. We need him more than ever, and he can win if we the people make it so.

[appalachiablue]

31. As someone here said recently, 'now I Want to vote for someone!' That's it.

[mountain grammy]

14. Exciting.. thanks for the report.

[iamthebandfanman]

16. I love BERNIE! GO BERNIE GO!!!

Hes the new and improved FDR this country has been waiting for.
I never thought id see it in my lifetime.
Im so proud and overwhelmed by him getting into the ring with these corporate puppets.
Bless him and all who work for his campaign. I donated another $5 dollars after the speech. Its all I could afford, but its the third time ive done so... and will continue to do so as long as im able.


He gives me hope. Hope that the America I grew up believing in can still exist. He is truly a patriot.

[H2O Man]

17. recommended

Thank you for this.

[Thespian2]

19. K & R !!!!

Thanks for your insightful report...

Americans need Bernie Sanders and his "socialist" policies...

[nadinbrzezinski]

20. My impressions from the media paning to the crowd

were mostly correct. Thanks for that.

[SoapBox]

22. Thank you for the post...glad to hear from someone that was physically there!

I got most of the speeches...started online on a site, eventually turning up the volume on Ed's Show and then had to scramble back online when MSNBC cut Bernie off (never thought about C-SPAN)...then missed the very end for a phone call. Assuming the speech will pop up in links someplace...I would like to listen to it again, uninterrupted.

Oh...and after Sabrina posted up the Bernie store link, placed an order for some stuff!

[Solly Mack]

24. K&R

[valerief]

30. I wanted to go, but I wasn't up for the 4-hour drive all alone. And 4 hours back.

For some reason, I thought Burlington was closer. I want to make the effort to see him in NH, though!

[JI7]

36. are you in NH ?

[valerief]

37. No, Mass. nt

[WillyT]

32. K & R !!!

[azurnoir]

33. huge K&R