The Daily Southtown, Tinley Park, Ill., Phil Kadner column
It's a grass roots movement for U.S. Sen.
Mention to these folks that the
"If that means someone who stands up for the middle class, the working people and the less fortunate, than he is certainly for social reform," said
The gathering at the
Darlene Obejda, 67, the hostess of the event, called Sanders a "democratic socialist because he believe in democracy for the people, not for capitalism and corporations." A retired social worker, Obejda said she has worked for
"I feel the country is going horribly down the wrong track," she said. "I heard him (Sanders) on the radio and just found I agreed with everything he says. I think more people would feel that way if they knew what he stands for, but the problem is that half the country hasn't heard of him. But I believe that half of the others, those who know him, agree with the things he stands for."
A handout distributed to people at the rally listed "12 initiatives to move America forward." Among them were rebuilding the nation's roads, bridges, water systems, wastewater plants, airports, railroads and schools in a program that sounded like something out of President
Sanders places "reversing climate change" second on his priority list by moving energy systems away from fossil fuels. He wants to create "worker co-ops" to develop new economic models to support workers instead of giving tax breaks to corporations "which ship jobs to low-wage countries overseas."
He wants to make it easier for workers to join unions and bargain for higher wages and benefits; break up big banks; expand
Calling Sanders a long shot would be an understatement. Former U.S. Secretary of State
Yet, Sanders' appeal to the party's left and a strong showing in an
Several people at the Sanders gathering told me they don't like or trust Clinton but would likely vote for her over "any Republican" if she became the
I decided to attend the event just to see the sort of people who would be there and found myself leaving with a renewed admiration for the optimism of ordinary people who believe they can still make a difference in this country -- despite a massive amount of evidence to the contrary.
After all, it was just seven years ago that
While he did pass the Affordable Care Act, the U.S. economy has been slower to rebound than many expected, and Obama's initial promise to create a less-hostile political environment in
On the other side of the political spectrum are
Some political analysts claim that the
The "political revolution" that Sanders is talking about, and he mentioned those words repeatedly during his speech Wednesday, could create the same sort of problems for Democratic candidates.
"When we stand together, there is nothing, nothing, nothing we can't accomplish," Sander told his audience. "That is what this political revolution is all about."
The people at Flossmoor Station seemed almost giddy at the prospect of changing the direction of the
That people on the far left and far right still blame the news media, whose influence has been declining for decades, for their perceived lack of political success made me smile. I suppose there are still people who think
Rodney Gelenbeck, 49, a union electrician who lives in
"I'm tired of billionaires running this country," she said.
When I asked her what she would say to Republicans who view Sanders as a wacky socialist, Fusinato replied, "I would say that people at the other end of the political spectrum should take a close look at their candidates first before calling other people names."
Steve Desavouret, a retired railroad freight care inspector from
"He's the only candidate who is 100 percent pro-union," Desavouret, a union member, said. "He's absolutely for the rights of unions to organize and wants to give union benefits to everyone in this country."
Sanders, among other things, advocates that every worker get two weeks of paid vacation and that cancer patients be given 50 days paid leave while they undergo cancer treatment.
The faithful in attendance signed forms provided by the Sanders campaign on the Internet and pledged to hold more and bigger rallies in the community and spread the word about Sanders platform and what he represents. Some purchased campaign buttons, window signs and bumper stickers.
Some people may shake their heads at the naivete of such people or be horrified by Sanders' attacks on corporate America, but I couldn't help thinking campaigns such as this one is what America is supposed to be about.
Folks still believe they can make a difference just by getting out the vote. It's sort of wonderfully irrational -- like believing you can do some good as a member of the "traditional news media."
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