Bernie Sanders

[vaberella]

Last edited Tue Jan 19, 2016, 12:18 PM - Edit history (1)

I don't know what it is about the man. Maybe it's his relaxed appearance, maybe it's his voice---which I find calming, maybe it's stance on healthcare, equality, race relations & racism, or his politics in general. But this is a man I'm excited about.

I will have to be honest here, I'm more excited about Bernie Sanders than I was about Barack Obama. Maybe it's because I know that no matter how liberal Obama is, he will always toe the line of the centrist, because he has to. I knew he'd face overwhelming odds going in as a Black man and I didn't want him to even have to deal with that drama. Actually, after he became President, and for some of you who might recognize my name I stepped out of Democratic Underground. It was too much for me to deal with in regards to the never ending (shit) politics.

I think one of the major issues that has pushed me back into the politics of it all and why I am so much more excited for Bernie Sanders, is to see that the "centrist" line is really blurred now and there is no real centrist category. To see Trump as a Republican candidate, saying and pushing such radical, racist, sexist, ageist, and every ist/ism in the book---winning in the polls for the Republican side says a lot. All the other candidates look like they're floundering since they want to keep some normalcy, but the zoo has been let out and you can't tell the difference between the animals and the visitors.

This opened the door for what some others call the other "extreme" as seen with Bernie. Do I think Bernie's extreme? Hardly, I think he's real. I think he cares and he's bloody sincere about it. Do I stand on all platforms. Not all, but I stand for single payer, I stand for social equality and equity, I stand for justice, I sincerely believe that Bernie believes all of this and stands by it. I will be campaigning for him in Harlem, as I think some in my community need a wake up call. Especially as the primaries are very close by.

Just putting in my own thoughts on Bernie and why I support him as a woman of color.

[Live and Learn]

1. K&R nt

[daleanime]

2. K&R....

[tazkcmo]

3. OK but

"Just putting in my own thoughts on Bernie and why I support him as a woman of color."

Besides being a woman of color (Which I'm sure will be called into question very soon), what authority do you have to speak for PoC ?

Just prepping you for the Inevitable responses!

K/R

[yuiyoshida]

18. This Asian woman supports

Bernie Sanders! He has my vote, and my friends votes as well. K&R and Tweeted.

[leftupnorth]

4. Well put and thank you!

The biggest tragedy in all of this is that holding true to real democratic ideals is considered 'extreme' by some so called democrats.

With friends like that, who needs enemies?

[Armstead]

5. Good move, and great explanation of why

[LWolf]

6. Thank you.

I, too, stand for single payer, social equality and equity, and justice.

And that's why I support Sanders, as well.

[Nyan]

7. I'm with you on his voice

I like his voice hoarse, and his hair messy.
Okay it sounds a little bit dirty, I admit it. But it's true

[Enthusiast]

8. Congratulations on making the correct choice.

[sarge43]

9. See my tag line about what another woman of color had to say.

Yeah, since when has justice become extreme?

[jalan48]

10. K & R

[ChiciB1]

11. First, I'm A White Woman Who Can NEVER

know what ANY person of color has had to go through simply because off the color of their skin. I'm not saying this for any other reason than to say I've thought about this fact a couple of millions of times in my life. And something I've repeated to thousands of people.

And also to say that until Obama was the nominee he wasn't who supported, but NOT because he was black. I think his election was phenomenal because I THOUGHT we finally were making some progress when it came to race. He was always more moderate than me as was Hillary so this was my reason for not jumping on board for him. My reasons for Hillary were quite different. What happened since then is something I can't explain nor will I ever totally understand. I can point to certain factors but then I'd have to write book.

Now to your post. It's summarizes my thoughts exactly and it's TIME that we have what I call a "man of the people" who appears NOT to be bought. So thank you for putting your thoughts out here on DU, and I wish with all my heart that THIS COUNTRY will wake up to see what you and I see and try to plug up the hole of continual greed that has brought this country to it's knees.

OLIGARCHY is what Jimmy Carter has already said we've become, WE MUST stop further destruction!

THANK YOU!

[SmittynMo]

12. Bernie rocks

He's from the heart, and with sincerity not seen by any other candidate, ever.

[Uncle Joe]

13. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for sharing, vaberella.

[Duval]

14. A very good explanation! Bernie is

affecting so many people in that way, by encouraging involvement in our elections and reminding us that if enough of us come together, we can begin to change the "status quo". And he is realistic in saying that changes won't happen quickly. I'm glad you are back, vaberella.

[jomin41]

15. This is the only place

in the civilized world that considers Bernie "extreme". Thanks for the post.

[Android3.14]

16. I share your view

I also am excited about Sanders, and even more than I was excited for Obama. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[katmondoo]

17. Bernie Sanders

I also will support him

[99th_Monkey]

19. A thousand thank yous for your lovely statement of support for Bernie! Well said.

We can do this thing. It's not going to be easy, but it's happening never-the-less; and we're
making history. Plz share too with your friends, family and Facebook peeps, because that's
how Bernie's doing this, from the ground-up, grassroots i.e. We the People, pulling together.

All the best to you, and thanks again for your awesome OP.

[Scalded Nun]

20. Maybe I am a fool like so many are willing to say

but I would rather get Bernie in there to try and get us out of this shithole we have put ourselves in (or allowed ourselves to be put in), even if the goals turn out to be a bridge too far. At least we will have tried to fix this. Personally, I feel we have a much better chance than the naysayers would have us believe.

I do know this, 'Staying the course' is no solution. And before anyone jumps on me, this is not an anti-Obama comment.

[nyabingi]

21. I've donated to Bernie

and will support his candidacy during the upcoming election cycle. I think his candidacy (and hopefully his presidency) is much needed at this point in time in the US because the country has moved so far to the right (aided I think by the rightward shift in the Democratic Party) that we are on the verge of really destroying any chance of prosperity in the future.

What excites me about Bernie is that I really don't have a fear of him doing a 180 degree turn when in office and changing his positions from the positions he's stating now (most of which he's stated for decades). I admit I am not really happy with Bernie's take on foreign affairs, but I'm hoping he's susceptible to a little pressure from the people to keep the militarism to a minimum (he made me smile at this last debate when he questioned the bloated and wasteful Defense budget - you don't hear many in Washington question the inevitability of massive military expenditures). Bernie's views have been solid and sincere for a long time, and he's not one of the newly-revealed "progressives" who are only "progressive" because it's the hot term right now.

If Bernie has a good showing in the upcoming primaries, I think many more Black voters will start to really take notice of what's he's about. Hillary has the name recognition and is widely-known, but she has never been a person to inspire excitement. It's a problem she faced when running against Obama and it's rearing its head again with Bernie. I think that for the Black community, Hillary was the default choice but most would be more than happy to abandon her in the presence of someone more inspiring.

[zentrum]

22. Always just himself.

It takes no "focus groups", no artifice for him to know what to say when he speaks.

Here's what I heard he did on the day of the debates. Midday—he sat down with Cornell West and Killer Mike for an interview about the meaning of MLK. Later he rallied with some demonstrators outside the debate on behalf of minimum wage—talking through a bullhorn. Then he went inside and won the debate.

His passion for the progressive message gives him endless energy. The guy is real.

[randome]

23. He's a woman of color now?! How did that happen?

{Kidding, of course.}

I've always said I would prefer Sanders to Clinton but the numbers are in Clinton's favor plus Sanders is not a Democrat but he's using the Democratic Party for his own ends. Which is the kind of thing politicians always do so I don't fault him for that.

Still, those numbers...can't beat that, really.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Everything is a satellite to some other thing.[/center][/font][hr]