First and foremost, let’s set one thing straight: I am not “feeling the Bern.”
Socialism just is not my cup of tea. I will say that I would rather vote for my neighbors chocolate lab than Hillary. If I cannot make up my mind between Cruz, Jeb and Rubio, I might…. might… be so inclined as to vote for……. Michael Bloomberg.
I do however give credit where credit is due. Bernie and his supporters nationwide have passion.
They love Bernie. So much so, that when Bernie lost the Iowa Caucus literally by a coin toss, he hopped on a plane to Bow, New Hampshire, and upon arrival at 5 a.m. he was greeted with an overwhelmingly large crowd of those that are “feeling the Bern.”
I will be honest, if Cruz, Rubio or Jeb arrived here in SC at 5 a.m. after the New Hampshire primary, (even if the airport was right down the street) there is no way in hell you would catch me out there.
Bernie supporters however have different mindsets. Bernie himself even asked, “What is wrong with you people?”
The sheer passion and admiration that supporters have for Bernie should, in my opinion, scare Hillary and her personal supreme overlord commonly known as Bill.
Lets think about this, if you barely beat Bernie Sanders, a self-proclaimed socialist in the first caucus state, should not you be a little scared?
Needless to say, she should also be worried about a possible indictment from a grand jury. Not to worry, Trey Gowdy is all over it.
As I was watching the post caucus speeches from both Hillary and Bernie, I noticed something that the commentators also pointed out. The remarkably different manner in which these two candidates speak to their audience. Hillary just sounds pissed, like she is forcing this false sense of excitement out of her lips. She didn’t have the passion and intensity that Bernie had.
She sounded like your reaction when you get a birthday present that you had no desire to receive, “Whoo … socks.” or “Great, thanks for the toothpaste …”
A forced emotion that is in no way sincere.
Bernie, as old as he is, actually had vigor and intensity in his tone, and his supporters have absorbed that same tone. People love his fire.
Honestly, as I walk around campus, I see Bernie supporters everywhere. I pass a button wearer or a sticker on a MacBook at least twice a day. Just the other day I saw a group of Bernie supporters on Library Bridge handing out pamphlets.
Now I don’t live on Library Bridge, but I have not seen a single Hillary table.
That is the thing though, young people get Bernie, they love his radically new ideas and they are obviously ready for a change from a traditional politician. Hillary’s campaign does not have that sense of newness and fire.
I find it humorous and a bit ironic that college-aged people love this 74-year-old man, and want him to be president. He has sparked a movement among college-aged people all over the country. It amazes me.
But who wouldn’t want free college tuition, and free healthcare or all the above? Have fun paying those taxes.
This leads me to another topic, what I call the “new age Democrat.” See, I come from a long, long line of Democrats. Both sets of my grandparents have consistently voted democratic for the past, lord knows how many years. I have had many a peaceful argument with my grandparents over politics, but they are a different kind of Democrat; they are moderates, “Reagan Democrats.”
The difference between “Reagan Democrats,” and this new left wave is the lack of moderation. Democrats of old were much more moderate back then they are today. The same can be said for Republicans, there is almost no moderation on either side of the aisle.
To be honest, there are some democratic policies I agree with, I just jump off the boat when it comes to many social, and foreign policy issues. I know it sounds like I am beating a dead horse, but if we really want to fix things in America, it starts with cooperation between Democrats and Republicans. This leads to bipartisan laws, which leads to positive changes.
In my opinion if you want a good moderate GOP candidate, willing to work in a bipartisan way, your best bet is John Kasich.
Now I know that I spend the majority of writing career bashing Democrats, but without Democrats this would be no fun. We have to have someone to argue with. Where would Bill O’Reilly or Chris Matthews be if we didn’t have two separate parties to back?
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Children of the Bern: The passion that drives Bernie Sanders’ campaign
Mark Hinds, Asst. Outlook Editor
February 8, 2016
![Sanders suffered a close-call lose to Hillary Clinton in the Iowa Caucus](https://thetigercu.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/a6c869d4c51e5ce6df30e9a5a800992c.jpg)
Courtesy of Wikimedia
Sanders suffered a close-call lose to Hillary Clinton in the Iowa Caucus
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