Comments by "Virginia Lawler" (@virginialawler7725) on "Medicare for all NOW" video.
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So glad you noted "since photos were in black and white." An IL native, 83 now, I saw one of those in a Chicago newspaper in 1963. It introduced me to Sanders. He was 21. There was a policeman "helping" him to the ground for marching against segregation when he was a poli sci undergrad at the U. of Chicago. Later that month he helped organize a busload to DC for MLK's historic "March for Jobs and Freedom" and his memorable "I Have a Dream" speech. The You Tube video, "Bernie Sanders and Civil Rights in Chicago" much impressed.
From the beginning, Bernie has worked--so hard and so smart--on the major issues facing our nation, including civil, economic, environmental, gender, racial and social justice....and for peace. Humble and modest, he's been awarded two honorary degrees. Earned the highest national honors from two of our largest veterans' organizations, the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. Written two major books: "Our Revolution" in 2016, #3 on the New York Times Best-Seller list, and "Where We Go from Here: Two Years in the Resistance," 2018.
Called "the Energizer Bunny" for good reason, Bernie should be in his 2nd term as our president--but both runs (2016 and 2020) were clearly sabotaged. I don't think we'd let that happen again. He's given our nation so much already as a true public servant: re-elected mayor, re-elected U.S. Rep and now in his 3rd term as U.S. Senator--winning #2 with 71% of the vote. One personal mantra has served him well in every arena: "NotMeUs." Thank you for everything, Bernie.
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So Right...on both points! Actually, to me, he seems 20 years younger than his age right now. Of course, I'm 83, which might influence my opinion of Bernie a tad. Particularly quick of mind, with a lifetime of knowledge and commitment to All of Us, he also has the continuing stamina of a far...far...younger man. Could that stem in part from being a competitive long-distance runner in high school in the Bronx? Or, perhaps because he also managed to graduate from the highly regarded...challenging...University of Chicago, while also a student activist--member of CORE (the Congress on Racial Equality) and SNCC (the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee...sprung from an overnight in jail by the NAACP.
You're in good company with your call for Bernie to run for POTUS again. I've read that many times over many months as a volunteer poster trying to keep the record straight about Bernie...and also perhaps help educate new recruits. It's great that more than one poster has noted some version of "Third Times a Charm" when urging him to run for President again.
I don't know yet what I think about that road yet, not that what I think matters at all. It's just that he was specifically thwarted by the DNC, and it seemed to me and thousands of others that "the elite" didn't play fair, either time. Evenso, in 2016, starting at about 3% as a relative unknown from a very small state, he won 22 states and over 3 million votes. Still, in 2020, even with the especially huge and enthusiastic rallies and long Election Day lines, not enough votes were tallied for him then either. The opportunities seemed there: 1) early voting, 2) voting by mail, usually well publicized Election Days. I'll never understand it, altho' I'll always believe he somehow didn't get reasonable media coverage, for whatever reason.
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I also still think often about that night. Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada had been three strong wins in a row with South Carolina up next. Clyburn had at least been publicly, neutral. The Sanders campaign--staff and volunteers--had been working long, strong and smart in S.C. Then, the DNC reared out of neutral and sent in Buttigieg, Obama, Warren...and Clyburn...to prevent a Sanders sweep, which had certainly been a possibility, especially with Biden faltering.
Buttigieg got a major reward, the Transportation post. Clyburn, something, too. I was surprised at Elizabeth Warren's participation. Still, in December 2017, Bernie and she would write an op-ed piece for the New York Times in joint support of strong childcare funding in the Appropriations bill. Then, for a unique town hall in the Capitol Visitor Center the following March, he included her on a high level six-member panel about the high level of poverty and the income and wealth inequality in our country. He simply does not hold grudges. That a former president got involved at a primary level had probably bothered me the most.
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@jarjar7609 No. He is not. An IL native, 83 now, I totally agree with the supportive posts immediately preceding and following yours, by wvu05, Just Me and also Cali Flowers, with: "No such thing! On policy and leadership, Bernie dances circles around everyone else." To those affirmations, I will add that his stamina has been and is also remarkable and noteworthy--ever since I first learned of him as a poli sci undergrad at the U. of Chicago. I'm 83 now, and am continually impressed by his mental and physical vigor, and unwavering dedication to All of Us. Am very glad the strong You Tube, "Bernie Sanders and Civil Rights in Chicago," is still available. NotMeUs.
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An important comment. Thank you immensely. IL native, 83 y.o. now, I first learned of Bernie in 1963 from a Chicago newspaper photo showing a policeman "helping" him to the ground for marching against segregation. The You Tube video "Bernie Sanders and Civil Rights in Chicago" impressed. Then I followed him--a true public servant--as he was the 3-time re-elected mayor of Burlington, VT's largest city, then re-elected as his state's lone U.S. Representative and now in his 3rd term as U.S. Senator (after earning 71% of the vote for his 2nd term). Voted for him for POTUS in both 2016 and 2020, of course, having paid close attention to all the progressive causes he'd championed consistently over all the years--civil, economic, environmental, gender, racial and social justice...and peace.
Along the way he authored two important books. In 2016, "Our Revolution"--which was #3 on the New York Times Best-Seller list and also published in China, England, France, Germany, Serbia and South Korea. In 2018, "Where We Go from Here: Two Years in the Resistance"--which I just finished and is a fine chronicle of the war he and his progressive colleagues waged for two years against Trump's reactionary agenda. As he wrote, "This struggle is not just for us. It is for our kids, our grandchildren and the future of the planet." Truly, NotMeUs.
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