I didn't say right wingers. I was not speaking specifically of right wingers--I was thinking of some particular conversations I've had with West Coast Democrats over the last couple years, in addition to the right-wing anti-socialist rhetoric we're all so familiar with.
I didn't say behind the scenes. I said in the spotlight. I don't think he's a mean ol' man or anything like that. I do, unfortunately, have disability activists in my life who tried to work with his campaign in the past and had a deeply unpleasant and dismissive experience, but I also know folks who enjoyed working on his campaign. I'm glad you and your friends had positive experiences. But I'm talking about the way he comes across when he's challenged in public. I have also seen him be charming and speak powerfully, but let's not pretend he's always graceful under pressure.
No, he is most certainly not always the most graceful in particular when interacting with a press that I think he feels is often sensationalist and failing to serve the public's interest. But to give you an example of his heart:
As I have alluded to elsewhere, I am in an LA based group called Ground Game LA. We focus on local elections, homelessness advocacy, housing affordability and the such. One of our members lives in a housing complex that mostly serves vets and builds its image around that reality. Recently they attempted to raise rent by 25% in a single month. Considering most of these people are lower income, often disabled vets, they all would have been out on the streets. So our member brings the situation to Ground Game and the decision to contact the press is made. We start stirring the pot and this national conglomerate starts to worry but is playing tough with negotiations.
So that weekend there is a Bernie rally in LA, and he's made aware of the situation by somebody with contacts from our organization. He winds up bringing the situation up at the rally and then tweeting about it. A couple days later the company dropped their demands to 4%. Meanwhile, Bernie keeps on chugging without bring attention to what he has done. And from what I can tell, others have had similar experiences. When he extends a hand, he doesn't bring a camera along, basically. It's why the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico just endorsed him. Because he showed up to the city without cameras right after the storm and asked what he could do to help. I feel like that is far more reflective of a politician's character than whether their New York mannerisms show their head during brief moments of frustration.
Also, should there be anybody in this room who supported him in 2016 and is on the fence at the moment, I'd encourage you to check out his rally from this weekend... He seemed spry and there was some pretty powerful stuff between his and AOC's speeches....
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"I want you all to take a look around and find someone you don't know. Maybe somebody who doesn't look kind of like you. Maybe somebody who might be of a different religion than you. Maybe they come from a different country.
My question now to you is: Are you willing to fight for that person, who you don't even know, as much as you're willing to fight for yourself?
Are you willing to stand together and fight for those people who are struggling economically in this country?
Are you willing to fight for young people drowning in student debt even if you are not?
Are you willing to fight to ensure that every American has health care as a human right even if you have good health care?
Are you willing to fight for frightened immigrant neighbors even if you are native-born?
Are you willing to fight for a future for generations of people who have not yet even been born but are entitled to live on a planet that is healthy and habitable?
Because if you are willing to do that... if you are willing to love, if you are willing to fight for a government of compassion and justice and decency, if you are willing to stand up to Trump's desire to divide us up, if you are prepared to stand up to the greed and corruption of the corporate elite... if you and millions of others are prepared to do that, there is no doubt in my mind that not only will we win this election but together we will transform this country."
- Bernie Sanders