We all, us college students, hate presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
We hate his perfectly combed hair and his manicured and focus-group-decided presentation. His inconsistent policy record and associated perspectives. His malleability to any given crowd. His lofty rhetoric and long-winded, buzz word-filled but content-lacking answers. His blatant attempts to relate to people through celebrity endorsements, spontaneous dances, and skits. His unwillingness to be convinced by overwhelming scientific evidence. His vicious and slanderous attacks on other candidates or entire groups of people. His blatant attempts, by him and his staff, to mask shortcomings like low energy, authenticity, accuracy, and intelligence. His lack of knowledge in various political affairs and inability to demonstrate foresight and direction. His billionaire and incorporated donors. His unrealistic and frivolous spending initiatives. His proposed tax breaks, which would give the middle class less money while further increasing the wealth of the billionaire class.
How could anyone see these obviously un-presidential, undemocratic qualities and ignore them?
If you actually made it through some of those links, it might have become obvious that the title of this article is disingenuous. I feel the Bern.
I am consistently asked why I support him and why so many people my age support his "liberal and socialist" agenda that is going to take money out of my pockets to pay for others. First, I have no money. Second, I don't support ALL of his progressive ideas. I am skeptical of minimum wage increases, but so many of his stances seem to genuinely support people and their concerns, not corporations and associated special interests. His policies don't fear fact, are informed by the experiences and experimentation of our neighbors abroad, and address the single most concerning issue to Americans: income inequality.
In fact, all of this proposed spending on healthcare will save us money. The Wall Street Journal implied that Sanders' plan would cost $18 trillion in a recent article (link). Gerald Friedman, whose research in regards to the Sanders propositions was misquoted in the WSJ article, wrote an open letter setting the record straight, noting that the proposals would actually end up saving the United States over $5 trillion over the next 10 years.
More importantly, Bernie has been able to re-energize a traditionally apathetic and inattentive generation, otherwise too busy twittergramchatting, with the promise that our votes will matter again. If elected, his campaign aims to move towards the overturn of Citizen's United, the ruling of the Supreme Court which essentially allows corporations and billionaires to donate unlimited amounts of money into political campaigns. If he ran on this stance alone, he would have my vote, even if his only other additional campaign proposition was to ban all music except for that of Lana Del Rey. After voluntarily sealing my ears with concrete, I would revel in the fact that integrity has the chance to return to the Capitol.
Whether students actually join the vote in the democratic primary and general election will remain to be seen, but don't count us out.
