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Bernie Sanders is an oxymoronāa politician who tells the truth. The unicorn comparison is apt, as the Vermont senatorās history of consistent integrity seems almost mythological. Perhaps this is the reason why his opponents have so sorely underestimated him. Until now, that is, when the Clinton campaign is desperately trying to paint their candidate as the underdog in this race.
Admittedly, it is hard to believe that a human being could be that compassionate (considering the absence of mental illness or a strong religious practice). But humanity is kind of Bernieās thing. The whole thesis of the Sanders campaign is that regular human beings can be united for a common cause and bring about positive change together. For the senator from Vermont, this race isnāt about photo-ops, private speeches and how many times he can say ā9/11ā. Itās about our crumbling infrastructure. Itās about the disappearing middle class. Itās about universal healthcare, free college tuition, and a livable minimum wage. Itās about social justice and basic human rights. Itās a political revolution and itās about us.
I bore witness to the power of the people last Wednesday night in Washington Square Park. An estimated 42,000 of us piled into the park and surrounding blocks because we feel the Bern. We crowded the streets like cattle, wrapping around NYU buildings as we shuffled through the barricades. We ignored the offers of free punches from the anti-trump dudes dressed up as the Donald. We werenāt interested in violence or aggression, because this wasnāt a group of angry, hateful people gathering in downtown Manhattan. As we waited to be granted entrance, my fiancĆ© and I were separated by the crowd. A man standing in front of me laid out his hands and helped my fiancĆ© climb over the barricade to join me on the line. This man was a complete stranger, who offered us kindness out of the goodness of his heart. Because people who support Bernie Sanders want to make the world better for everybody, not just themselves. That kind of compassionāthe āwe not meā mentality of the Sanders campaignāradiates outward from the big stuff (like a national $15/hour minimum wage) to the small stuff (like helping your neighbor).
The stereotypical New York attitudeāaggressively jaded and impatientāwas notably absent in this crowd of proud New Yorkers. Once weād filed into the park, we listened to men and women of every color and creed preach to the choir of our beloved Bernie. Paul Y. Song, Linda Sarsour, Tim Robbins, Rosario Dawson and Spike Lee were among the speakers urging us to get out on Tuesday and vote for the only candidate who really cares about us. Among the high held homemade signs was a huge poster of Uncle Sam photoshopped with Trumpās face. The sign read āLoserā and blocked the view of almost everyone standing directly behind it. Some of us shouted, demanding the sign be put down. But a woman standing next to me had a better idea: she tapped the shoulder of the girl in front of her, asking her to pass down the message telephone style. Within a few minutes, the sign was down and our view was no longer obstructed. Because, again, this campaign isnāt about ostracizing others: itās about working together to achieve positive ends.
When our Brooklyn boy finally took the stage in Greenwich Villageāafter wrapping up an awesome episode of the Nightly Show in midtownāwe raised our voices and our fists high as we shouted his name: āBERNIE! BERNIE! BERNIE!ā
And Bernie did not disappoint. He spoke for a full hour about everything from breaking up the banks to criminal justice reform to the corrupt campaign finance system. He talked about global warming and the war on terror. He brought up mental health and ending the war on drugs. He talked about paid leave for new parents and eradicating the wage gap. Not once did he make reference to 9/11. As he has done for the duration of his campaign, Bernie Sanders talked about the issues, where he stands and what he plans to do to improve life for all of us when he is president.
During his speech, I came to realize what it is that makes the Sanders campaign so appealing. Bernie Sanders is neither a salesman nor a spectacular orator (heās okay). Heās not handsome like Kennedy. Or charming like Clinton. Or scary like Nixon. Heās not a beer buddy like Bush. Or a product like Reagan. He simply tells the truth. And we eat it up, because weāve been starved for so long.
We like Bernie because heās right. Because heās honest. Because he is good. Heās one of us, fighting for us.
But, Bernie Sanders isnāt selling himself to win this election. So allow me.
I am a Buddhist and Iām voting for Bernie. I believe that America is not the worldās police and that peace is possible through hard work and a united front. So does Bernie. Former Assistant Secretary of State and foreign policy expert Lawrence Korb cites Sandersā twenty five years of experience in the House and Senate, during which time the Senator from Vermont has voted on every military conflict since the end of the Cold War. After the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, Bernie Sanders voted for the invasion of Afghanistan. However, he voted against the war in Iraq in 2002, correctly predicting the political instability that followed the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. Bernie has vowed to move away from unilateral military action and regime change in favor of diplomacy. A Sanders Administration will seek to resolve international conflicts in a peaceful manner, with war as a last resort.
I am an environmentalist and Iām voting for Bernie. I believe global warming is a real thingāthough it feels incredibly absurd to have to make such a declarationāand that we must take action now to ensure the survival of our species. Senator Sanders has earned consistently high ratings for his leadership and prioritization of the climate crisis. He has sponsored several pieces of legislation to combat climate change including the Climate Protection Act of 2013 and the End Polluter Welfare Act. He is hellbent on breaking our dependency on fossil fuels by repealing their subsidies. Sanders intends to cut US carbon pollution by 80% by imposing a tax on carbon pollution. His administration will make massive investments in energy efficiency and clean and sustainable energy (such as wind, solar and geothermal power). Bernie Sandersā goal is to create a Clean-Energy Workforce of 10 million good jobs through a 100% clean energy system.
I am a feminist and Iām voting for Bernie. It is a very scary time to be a woman in America. We make less money than men and receive no support from employers when we have children. Our greatest enemy, the Republican Party, has infringed on our basic rights, attempting to defund Planned Parenthood while denying us access to healthcare and contraception under the guise of freedom of religion. If the enemy of your enemy is your friend, then Bernie is our bestie. Bernie Sanders has long been an advocate for womenās rights, repeatedly receiving 100 percent ratings for his pro-choice voting record. He is the co-sponsor of the Womenās Health Protection Act of 2013, which helped to secure womenās right and accessibility to abortions. Bernie has promised to continue to protect womenās health, access to contraception and the availability of safe and legal abortions by upholding Roe v Wade. He will expand funding for planned parenthood and Title X Family Planning Program, in addition to making high quality childcare and pre-k available to every american. If elected, Sanders will end the gender wage gap by signing the Paycheck Fairness Act, making it illegal to discriminate with regard to salary based on gender, race or sexual orientation.
I am a person of color and Iām voting for Bernie. I believe that the current criminal justice system is the New Jim Crow and that our government needs to invest in its constituents, not profit from their punishment. Like his opponent, Bernie Sanders voted for the 1994 Crime Bill. He staunchly supported the billās Violence Against Women Act and the 10-year ban on assault weapons. However, he cautioned Congress against the repercussions of mass incarceration and voted to amend the 1994 Crime Bill to ban the federal death penalty. Senator Sandersā voting record includes 100 percent ratings from both the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement for Colored People). His fight for civil rights goes back more than 50 years. In the 1960s, Bernie led sit-ins protesting segregation in the dorms at the University of Chicago, got arrested for protesting segregation in Chicagoās public schools and marched on Washington with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As president, Sanders will invest in jobs and education not jails, ban for-profit prisons, and end the failed āWar on Drugsā. He plans to eliminate mandatory minimums, expand mental healthcare to make sure people with substance abuse problems end up in treatment instead of prison, and demilitarize police forces.
I am a New Yorker and Iām voting for Bernie. I believe that everyone should have the access to quality healthcare and higher education. I believe that everyone should be able to afford decent housing and basic necessities, like food, without working multiple jobs. I believe in the American workforce and the power of labor unions. So does Bernie. He wants to ācreate an economy that works for working people.ā
Senator Sanders has proposed to invest $1 trillion to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure which will put 13 million Americans to work in good paying jobs. He wants to invest $5.5 billion in a youth jobs program to employ 1 million disadvantaged young Americans. Since he first announced his candidacy, the Senator from Vermont has been an adamant advocate for a national $15/hour minimum wage. His long time fidelity and commitment to labor has earned him the endorsement of several progressive unions including the Communication Workers of America, National Nurses United, the American Postal Workers Union and the Amalgamated Transit Union. Bernie plans to rein in Wall St by reforming the Federal Reserve (which oversees financial institutions and uses monetary policy to maintain price stability and full employment). Heās vowed to re-establish Glass-Steagall and break up the big banks. Bernie Sanders believes that āhealth care is a right, not a privilegeā. His proposed Medicare-for-all universal health care system will provide every American with affordable, quality care.
The political revolution Bernie Sanders brings with him is, in his own words, āby the people, for the people.ā His campaign has generated $139.8 million made up of mostly small donations, averaging $27 (as the catchphrase goes), from regular people like you and me. He has no ties to big banks, major corporations or special interest groups. Bernie has vowed time and time again to overturn Citizens United and end this countryās corrupt campaign finance system. His consistent voting record and history of activism have shown his commitment to making this country better for all Americans.
Today, we New Yorkers will vote in arguably the most pivotal primary thus far in this race. Whatās most important is that we get our asses out there and vote as our individual consciences dictate. But while you are pondering your choices in the ballot box, I urge you to ask yourself: what kind of country you want for yourself. What kind of country do you think you deserve? And when youāve answered these questions, ask yourself if you feel the Bern.
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