Taking Bernie seriously

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

   No one calls him Bernard. Not even the New York Times.
   Only a few people refer to him as Senator Sanders.
   Even fewer folks think that Bernie Sanders, the eccentric politician from the Green Mountain State, has a chance of being elected president.

   Photogenic he’s not. He has that absent-minded professor look. I think he combs his hair with an eggbeater.
   But Sanders says he’s dead serious about his campaign and the news media shouldn’t underestimate him.
   I first met Bernie around 20 years ago when he was in the House of Representatives. It was at the Milk Bowl, a major stock car race at Thunder Road in Barre, Vermont where 10,000 people pack the grounds of a quarter-mile stadium that only seats 5,000.
   Bernie wasn’t really campaigning that day, but participating in a bull chip-throwing contest along with city officials to go along with the bovine theme of the race.
   When he was introduced, the crowd cheered as if Dale Earnhardt Jr. was walking to the infield. He flung the dried barnyard biscuit as far as he could, drawing even more applause and laughter.
   I hung around for a awhile, trying to figure out why a self-proclaimed socialist was so popular in a traditionally conservative state like Vermont. The general consensus was that Bernie, who stopped to shake hands or share hugs with everyone in sight, was “one of us.”
   He does his own grocery shopping. He shows up for high school graduations and charity events. When you call his office, you don’t get put on hold for 20 minutes.
   I stopped at the American Legion hall where I casually brought up Bernie. One Korean War veteran said that he disagreed on almost every one of Sanders’ positions from gay rights to global warming, but he still voted for him. Why? “He never served in the military, but he’s done more for veterans than anyone else in the state,” said the vet.
   I think most people believe that Bernie’s chances of moving into the White House are slim to none. Even his most ardent fans concede that Hillary Clinton has come out of the starting gate and holds the lead 11 months before the first primary.
   So why is he doing it? Considering that he’s 73 years old, Bernie figures that this is his one and only chance to promote his agenda to a nationwide audience. If nothing else, he hopes to nudge Mrs. Clinton a little more to the left in her campaign.
   At first, I was puzzled by his decision to run as a Democrat instead of an independent. Since he thumbed his nose at the Democratic    Party in his home state, I doubt if he’ll be welcomed with opened arms by party activists elsewhere.
   But getting on the ballot in all 50 states as an independent is a difficult task, even with a cadre of volunteers willing to do the legwork.
So it’s Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders for the time being. He’ll be fun to watch. He may come up with some memorable quotes and will most certainly promote the most liberal agenda of any presidential candidate.
   In Vermont, he’s “one of us.”
   But elsewhere, he may be “Bernie who?” for a little while longer.
   Mike Lange is a staff writer with the Piscataquis Observer. His opinions are his own and don’t necessarily reflect those of this newspaper.