Feel the Bern

I took this photo on Monday night, when they were setting up for the rally ... 

A few reflections on the morning after the remarkable Bernie Sanders Rally at Marist’s McCann Arena …

As I was watching this event unfold during the live stream on my laptop (No. I did not attend. I have an aversion to big crowds, especially in the building in which I work. I didn’t even attend many basketball games this year!), my youngest son James heard and saw what I was watching and got all excited. “Is that Bernie Sanders? I LIKE him. I want HIM to be president!” This, of course, stunned me. A 10-year-old knows Bernie Sanders? And he LIKES him? We rarely if ever talk politics at home, and I know for certain that Uncle Bernie has never come up in dinner conversation. Of course, I had to probe further. Why does James like Bernie Sanders? Here’s why. “Old men are smarter because they know more because they’ve lived longer. And besides, he must be rich because he’s so old.” Fascinating logic. And then he went back to watching the Mets game.

I stayed glued to my laptop, mesmerized by this grumpy, hunched back AARP guy on stage. I will admit to not taking Bernie Sanders too seriously. Politically, he digs in firmly with both feet in the left-handers’ batter’s box. Expand Social Security! Whaaaaaaaaat! Expand Obamacare! Whaaaaaaaaat! Free college tuition. Whaaaaaaaaat! Expand the minimum wage! Whaaaaaaaaat! All noble ideas. But! Who PAYS for all this? So yeah, I really haven’t paid too much attention, mostly because I figured with his needle pointed so far to the left, the old dude had no chance. But as I listened to this old man, I started taking him more seriously. He invoked FDR, a lot; FDR’s social programs were revolutionary, their impacts still felt today. He spoke with a passion and a conviction that was noticeable (although, to be fair, so does Ted Cruz … but I’m not going there …) But mostly, I was fascinated by this guy because he is so different than Cruz, Clinton (both of them), Rubio, Trump (oh gosh … HIM), etc. I don’t think he smiled once. He made one glancing reference to a poll. He didn’t even appeal for people to vote for him. He seemed annoyed at times when the crowd cheered him. Hey! Grandpa! It was a RALLY! For YOU!

Toward the end of the rally, the old guy spoke of love vs. hate – an indirect jab at that Trump guy. Speaking of which! Guess who’s gonna be in town on Sunday, at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center? Well, sorry, Donald, we’ll be 198 miles away running in circles at Bucknell. Anyway, to sum up the Sanders visit to Poughkeepsie, clearly the guy has a message, and he firmly believes in the message. And he delivered it, with passion, mostly free of the annoying traits of most politicians, at our college. Whether you agree with him or not, that’s pretty neat.