Two weeks ago, the downtown bar, The Midnight, hosted a social gathering for the Gainesville Bernie Sanders’ faithful. Being the political adventurer I am, and embracing my status as the sole conservative columnist for the Alligator, I felt compelled to attend. On that Wednesday night, a handful of Bernie Sanders volunteers were ready and willing to entertain any question a politico could ask. I, of course, took them up on it.
The principle reason I went to the Bernie Sanders social was to see if the "Feel the Bern" hype was real and to see if the Sanders crowd knew what they were talking about. Despite all of my preconceived notions about the kind of people who would support Bernie Sanders — the aged hippie, the disgruntled college student, the people who think communism is great in theory and the issues they would champion, which is pretty much any issue that has the word "free" before it — I was impressed with what I saw and the people I talked to.
Each Sanders supporter I talked to genuinely felt that the American political system has betrayed and abandoned them. They were disheartened and disenfranchised, but not disengaged with the current state of politics. Instead of throwing their collective hands in the air and accepting the inevitability of a Clinton coronation, they threw their weight and hopes of a brighter future behind an elderly senator from Vermont: A man they feel has more in common with the average Joe than any other presidential candidate.
One thing that impressed me was the hesitant rationality of each Bernie supporter; a phrase I thought I would never utter. The supporters know how difficult it is to change the political system. They know how hard it will be to defeat the Hillary Clinton juggernaut. They know that even if Bernie is elected president, things might not change. Each supporter knows this and yet still supports Mr. Sanders. They believe voters should not solely vote for Sanders. Instead, they should vote with him. One volunteer, although she thankfully cautioned against using the words "socialist" and "revolution" in the same sentence, believes a change in the political status quo must occur before anything can really happen. These volunteers believe Sanders can lead the movement.
The Sanders supporters were also more thoughtful than I anticipated. When pressed about how free education and free health care would be paid for, they retorted the funds that are currently devoted to a hawkish foreign policy, drug wars and the prison system should be redirected toward health care and education. While I have extreme doubts about the long-term viability of implementing this proposal and the plan itself, the proposed plan surprised me in its thoughtfulness.
The volunteers spoke passionately from a place of hope and deep frustration. Although disappointed with the latter part of the Obama presidency and sickened at the thought of a Clinton administration, they believed things could get better. Whether the Sanders supporters will admit this or not, they are part of a larger movement in the country that is sick and tired of politics as usual. Even though they would balk at this characterization, the Sanders crowd has more in common with Trump supporters and the Tea Party than they would like to think. In the right-wing events I have attended, disenfranchised conservatives spoke with the same deep-seated frustration and hopeful optimism that the Sanders volunteers spoke with. Both crowds — not surprisingly — believe in similar principles, mainly taking down the establishment, reforming the government and putting more power in the hands of the people — a "return to democracy," as one Sanders supporter told me. The similarities of these two groups left an impression on me. In another time, space or dimension, I can honestly see the Sanders supporters participating in a Tea Party rally.
Although I will not drink the Sanders Kool-Aid nor condone a number of his policy proposals, I have to say the Sanders social I attended changed my perception of the movement for the better.
Michael Beato is a UF political science senior. His column appears on Mondays.
