Bernie Sanders in Minneapolis again

It's been 4.5 years since I last attended a Bernie Sanders rally in Minneapolis. The count for last night's rally is 10,140 people. I surprised myself by staying for the whole 3-hour event. It probably helped a lot that I remembered to bring my ear plugs.  #BerniesBackInMN

Minnesota has the highest voter participation rate of the entire USA, even during the off-year 2018 election. I think we're not the #1 destination for immigrants of any group, but we seem to be the #2 destination for a whole lot of them.  Immigrants make up 7.1% of our population, sometimes even helping to revitalize crime-ridden areas.

There's a lot to like about this state, and it was all on display at this rally. The whole 3-hour rally is viewable at YouTube, but here are some highlights with links to YouTube at the relevant portions of the recording:

• Remember how the recent Trump rally used a Prince song without permission, even after explicitly promising that they wouldn't do it? Well, the Bernie rally got Prince's longtime backing band (called New Power Generation) to start the event. They played some Prince songs, but most topical was their cover of Bob Marley's "Get Up, Stand Up". (YouTube)


• "We've got to spread the funk evenly. Everybody gotta get a dose. That's why I like Bernie. He likes justice, he likes equality, so we want everybody to get an equal portion of this funk." - New Power Generation (YouTube)


• "Many students don't even go to university because they're too afraid to follow their dreams
  and have the financial burden with them the rest of their lives. ... I support Bernie Sanders who is the only candidate willing to take on the college institutions and end student loan debt in this country." - Shawn Berth, Campus Corps Leader at University Of Minnesota (YouTube)


• "What the people want is very simple. They want an America as good as its promise." - Nina Turner, quoting Barbara Jordan (YouTube)


• "When we have a leader like Senator Bernard Sanders who's willing to stand up to the special interests in this country and say 'Enough is enough', somebody who didn't just start this journey because he's running for president, but he's been on this journey for a long time, all we got to do is roll the tape. Hashtag receipts, and we've got all the receipts." - Nina Turner (YouTube)


• "He doesn't say to millionaires and billionaires that nothing will fundamentally change for you. If nothing fundamentally changes for multi-millionaires and billionaires, then nothing fundamentally changes for you. And you, and you, and you, and you." - Nina Turner (YouTube)


• "About 2 weeks ago, I was talking to a young couple, and they were dairy farmers. And they were telling me, look, we're milking about 100 cows. And they're telling us, if we're only going to milk 100, we can't even stay in the dairy business no more. We gotta get big or get out. Now I'm telling you, some of us from the city, we're like, "Yeah, so?" ... If they can't make it, neither can we, because the big monopolies hurting them are the same ones hurting you. We've got to have rural, urban, suburban solidarity, folks. We've got to come together. So I want you to knock every door." - Keith Ellison (YouTube)


• "We have always believed in that America, here in Minnesota, here in our district. The Hmong community, the black community, the Jewish community, the Muslim community, and every other lives side by side. And here in Minnesota, we don't just welcome refugees, but we send them to Congress." - Ilhan Omar (YouTube)

• "So we need a president who will fight every day for working people, for those who are regularly disenfranchised and purposefully left behind. We need a president who will put an end to the corruption, to the greed, and to the systems that allow inequality to continue... He has always been steadfast in his principles his whole life, ones that are being finally accepted now. For a long time Bernie was under-estimated, his ideals weren't taken seriously by the establishment because he refused to fall in line and conform to the pressures in Washington... In the sea of corruption, Bernie Sanders continuously stood for justice and never bowed down to special interests. That's the resolve we need in a President." - Ilhan Omar (YouTube)


• "When we talk about the Green New Deal, a global migration compact, it's not out of self-interest. It is because as one of the world's largest polluters, we have a responsibility to the world to address the existential threat that is climate change."
  crowd chants: "Green New Deal, Green New Deal!" - Ilhan Omar (YouTube)


• "Our campaign is not just about ending a very corrupt political system.  It is not just about ending a very rigged economy.  It is about transforming our national priorities and our system of values.  Unlike Trump and his billionaire friends, we do not worship greed, selfishness, and corruption.  We understand that we are stronger, healthier, and happier as human beings when we reach out to others and understand that as human beings we are all in this together.  We must all be prepared, as Ilhan has shown, to fight for everyone who is struggling. To fight for the 50% of American families who are living paycheck to paycheck. To fight for every family that cannot afford the healthcare they need. To fight for every family that cannot provide the quality education their kids deserve. To fight for everyone who confronts racism, anti-Semitism, sexism, religious bigotry, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia." - Bernie Sanders (YouTube)

I tried taking photos and videos.  Mostly, they all turned out awful.  The only 2 worth seeing are here on this blog post.  There are better photos and some attendee quotes from the news stories about the event:

• Minnesota Daily, University Of Minnesota 
• Post Bulletin
• Minnesota Public Radio News
• MinnPost

My favorite article quoted an attendee referring to Bernie's recent heart attack: "Even Bernie on deathbed is a lot better than any of the other candidates,” Tran said. - Mankato Free Press


Remember what I stated as my 3 main issues for the 2020 election?  Bernie Sanders will address all 3 of them as his primary platform topics.  And it's not just a momentary platform.  He's been fighting these same issues consistently for decades.  He will be a champion for working class issues.

Democrats better not nominate Biden.  That's a losing formula.