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September 23, 2015. | Issue 5, Volume 63 [ thf;blueb.~;r^"ef.ne! t Supporters of Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders get together at New Mountain to rally, share stories and perform music to unite the people. MATT JOYCE Contributor This past Sunday, I joined hundreds of others at the New Mountain AVL Bernie Bash to support the presidential cam paign of Bernie Sanders. People came together to en joy the musical talents of Free Radio, Josh Phillips, and the Fireside Collective, among oth ers. They ate delicious food at Out of the Blue Peruvian Fu sion Cuisine. They informed themselves on the new voting rules at the Democracy Now tent and registered to vote. The primary purpose, however, was Sanders. Sanders says that he can’t do it alone. He is simply the mes senger representing the ideas he feels help everyone but the 1%. I think what 1 like most about Sanders is he’s changing what we expect in a politician. For too long, the strategy of estab lishment politicians has been to make the opponent look bad. Sanders’ strength is that he doesn’t need to run negative campaign ads - his ideas' speak for themselves. He focuses on issues such as raising the minimum wage to a livable wage and making cor porations pay their fair share. He wants to end failed, racist mass-incarceration along with drug policies disproportionate ly affecting Black and Hispan-, ic communities. Sanders also strives to end perpetual warfare, getting money out of politics to provide free college tuition to everyone. His beliefs are also held by a majority of Americans. For decades, people have had to choose between the lesser of two evils. There’s been the per ception that no matter who gets elected, nothing is ever really going to change. Sadly, young people have grown apathetic to a system that neither represents us nor the issues we care most about. While I have sympathized with this apathy in the past. Bernie Sanders is different. He has been running on a consis tent platform for 30+ years. He isn’t beholden to greedy cor porations and reckless banks because he doesn’t want, much less accept, their money. He speaks his mind freely and openly. No one can deny his au thenticity and genuine nature, whether or not they agree with his ideas. He only represents the American people and their col lective interests. As a result, he is a threat to the system. The corporate media, banks, corporations, establishment politicians - they all lose if Ber nie changes the system that ben efits them. It’s no secret this 1% dis proportionately controls our country. The truth is, they are terribly scared of Bernie Sand ers. Not because of him, but be cause of us. Bernie Sanders is a vessel for the American people. He’s the medium through which our voice has a place in Washington, free from the corrupting influence of money. Only when informed citizens demand change from their pol- itieians will anything get done. When we the people elect leaders that only represent us, we have a larger voice in our democracy. There’s no denying our coun try faces mounting problems. Climate change, institutional racism, big money in polities and wealth inequality are issues that need to be tackled immedi ately. We can’t afford more empty rhetoric and more of the status quo, we need real change now. I have been encouraged by the rise of Bernie Sanders in such a short time. A grassroots rise that has happened through the internet, through people like you and me - without the sup port of big money. If you haven’t done so al ready, I implore you to critical ly assess what Bernie Sanders represents (at feelthebem.org)
University of North Carolina at Asheville Student Newspaper
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