

With no teleprompter, Senator Bernie Sanders' (Please click to donate if you can) repeated a major campaign theme, that no President can defeat the oligarchs without the strong support of a politically aware and active grassroots movement. But in the speech yesterday in Madison, WI, shown in the video, he put his point in terms that, dare I say, sent a tingle up my, well, whatever.

Bernie switched his point around to more positive terms than what a President can't do; he pointed out that a President with the support of such a movement can give the Billionaire Class "an offer they can't refuse".

Bernie is drawing ever larger crowds and more supporters are showing up for him than for any other candidate; more than for most of them combined. He will be addressing stadiums, soon.

I know that because I've seen first hand how much room support for Bernie has to grow. Two stories. I spoke to a total stranger recently, an African-American gentleman in his 50's who was in my home selling me a home improvement. In a somewhat far ranging conversation with him, we came to politics and I learned he had never heard of Bernie. I spoke to an old friend, a white woman I've known for 50 years. When a conversation turned to politics and I mentioned Bernie, she said, "Who's that?"

It's easy for these worthies to overlook a single member of a Congress with 535 members, even one campaigning for a Presidential election still over a year away. Both people may well have reacted identically if I brought up Marco Rubio or Ben Carson. But Marco Rubio and Ben Carson have little chance of fomenting a politically aware and active grassroots movement, beyond what the evangelicals already supply them with. But the active evangelicals are a small minority. Bernie has room to build a huge, implacable and relentless movement composed of everybody else in America.

Feel. The. Bern.

Update : Along with my life partner and true love Expat Okie, I just set up a monthly contribution to Bernie until next March when the decisive primaries stand a chance to be over, if his campaign works out like he plans and I hope. By clicking Bernie's name at the top of this post, anyone can do something similar. Even a $1 per month contribution, in the aggregate, helps stabilize and build Bernie's grassroots organizing. All anyone needs is a bank account, debit card or credit card. Anyone trying to lay low can send a money order to Bernie 2016 PO Box 905 Burlington, VT 05402.

Adding this information to this post has special meaning for me. Until my retirement last year, I was a federal employee with restricted free speech rights that prohibited me from direct fundraising pleas in my posts on Daily Kos. Regularly, every two years, I chafed badly under that restriction, and may have wandered over the line a few times. But today, I can, without fear or concern, wheedle, beg and cajole my fellow Kossacks to dig deep or dig shallow, but dig we must. Everybody please give what you can to Bernie.

