Bernie Sanders in Minneapolis

I'm feeling hopeful that the USA can address its climate, economy, infrastructure, healthcare, and especially its democracy (not an oligarchy).

So many people RSVPd that organizers had to move the event to a larger venue. It still wasn't large enough. I got there just a few minutes early, but thousands and thousands of people were streaming for several city blocks in each direction waiting to get inside. We didn't all fit. I got to see inside only via this tweet on the right from Bernie Sanders. 

My thoughts when I first arrived were interesting. They occurred to me in this order:

1. Wow, this is a lot of people.  I'm not going to get an indoor seat.
2. This location is ideologically appropriate. It's at the Minneapolis American Indian Center, across the street from the Community University healthcare (where I went for dental work 4 years ago), at a metro bus stop.
3. This early crowd is quite old-and-white. 
4. Minnesota is an awesome state.  How unusual that this older crowd would be so enthusiastic for a democratic socialist.  I picked a good place to move nearly 20 years ago.

As I walked block after block to find the end of the western line (another line trailed eastward), the crowd grew progressively younger, and I saw a few non-white faces too.  The doors soon opened, and the lines moved quickly as the indoor area filled up. The lines moved even faster when the only remaining space available was outdoors in the stadium area.  The staff had loudspeakers available, so we could still hear Bernie speak.  Here's my pan of the outdoors crowd, or as well as I can get with an old, cheap, basic cell phone.  Bernie's tweeted pan video is better quality.



I hung around for an hour outside before I decided that I had my fill of both crowds and standing. (My leg will never be back to normal after the injury and blood clot 2 years ago.)  I went back home to complete this post before driving to Nebraska for a week-long conference for work.

My current choices (in this order) for presidential candidate are listed below.  I reserve the right to change my mind up until the election.  If Bernie doesn't win the Democrat Party nomination, then my options shift to third parties.  Bernie was determined to avoid throwing the election by running as a third-party candidate himself, but I'd rather vote my conscience than vote for oligarchy.

• Bernie Sanders (Democrat Party)
• Martin O'Malley (Democrat Party)
• Jill Stein (Green Party)
• Zoltan Istvan (Transhumanist Party)
• (undeclared) (Pirate Party)

I stated long ago that I won't be voting for Hillary, even if she gets her party's nomination. She'll need to be filling sports stadiums if she has any hope of defeating Bernie Sanders in the Democrat Party's primary.  If for some odd reason she wins (I'm convinced Bernie has a good chance at winning both the nomination and the presidency), then probably I'll be voting either Green or Transhumanist.

#BernieSanders #Sanders2016 #Election2016