Earth to the pundits and wonks in the beltway bubble, earth to the nodding heads in the media, we're not impressed by your transparent attempts to smear Senator Sanders. We're not amused by your condescending attitude toward us, either. We are not naive, sexist, or racist, nor are we all college students. We won't be confined or controlled by demographics, polls, and marketing strategies.
We are supporting Bernie, because he has been fighting for us (the little guys that your corporate success forgot in the dust) his entire adult life. He has done it against all odds, winning as an independent against a largely corrupted two party system. He is the longest serving independent in the history of the US Congress and has successfully pushed for numerous important legislative initiatives, like auditing the Federal Reserve for the first time. Before that he was a successful mayor. Even if we don't subscribe to all his particular policy proposals, he is what we wish all politicians in Washington were, humble, caring, dedicated, and effective. He is easily the most experienced of all the candidates that are left running for President, and he's laid out the most detailed plan for how he's going to accomplish his goals. Let that sink in.
Do you remember Franklin Delano Roosevelt? You've heard of him, no doubt. When you look around this country which has fallen into such disrepair, when you look and see the inequality everywhere, how can you not see the need for this political revolution? We badly need a new deal.
Oh, that's right. That's what it means to be in a bubble. Around you, there are cranes crowding the skyline. Well educated and well heeled people are everywhere, laughing and being important. The good times are rolling in Washington, on Wall Street, and in corporate boardrooms. Congratulations.
Unfortunately, we are the pragmatists. We have seen that things cannot continue as they have since the Clintons and their allies turned the Democratic Party into a doormat for the financial industry and multinational corporations. The oligarchy isn't working. The American people can't take it and neither can the planet.
We deserve functioning infrastructure, a fair playing field, and perhaps some decent healthcare for when things go wrong. It's not too much to ask. We don't want free stuff. We just want the wealth back that's been syphoned away from the real economy, the one back here in the dust. We want to restore democracy and justice. Will Bernie be able to make it happen?
No, not by himself, but that's why he's got us.
Note: The author is the Town Council President of South Kingstown, RI. He recently endorsed Bernie Sanders for President and has joined the Democratic Party in order to run to be a delegate for Sanders at the Democratic National Convention.