Sanders likens his politics to those of Bobby Kennedy

RED OAK, Ia. — Sen. Bernie Sanders likened the political philosophy behind his populist campaign to that of Bobby Kennedy at a campaign event here Wednesday morning.

Bob Chambers, the former chairman of the Page County Democratic Party, introduced Sanders to a standing-room-only crowd at the Red Coach Inn and Restaurant — a last-minute venue selected after RSVPs outgrew the original venue.

Chambers said he's been voting Democratic since John F. Kennedy's election in 1960. While listening to Sanders in Council Bluffs earlier this year, Chambers said he was struck by the senator's insight and his courage to speak up about American problems that need fixing.

"And that took me back to the Kennedy days, when Bobby Kennedy had a saying that is my favorite. He said, 'Many people look at things as they are and say why.' Bobby Kennedy says, 'I look at things as they should be and say why not?'"

Sanders latched onto the reference of the quote, which is actually traced back to Nobel and Oscar-winning playwright George Bernard Shaw.

"It’s pretty much what we talk about in this campaign: Why not?" Sanders said. "I think of not what is but what could be."

From that point, Sanders launched into his usual stump speech, focused heavily on income inequality and domestic programs. But he carved out plenty of time to address ISIS and veterans' issues. Sanders tied the two together by cautioning against inflammatory rhetoric from the right, which he said could lead to perpetual warfare in the Middle East.

He said a country as powerful as the United States has the capacity to overthrow a dictator or spark regime change in a foreign state.

"But what our job is is to be thinking about what happens the day after you overthrow a dictator," he said.

Serving on the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, Sanders said he saw the true cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan up close. And he chided politicians who seem eager for another foreign invasion.

"It is not their kids who are going into war. It is your kids," Sanders shouted. "You'll forgive me, this is an emotional issue for me. Because I’ve gone to too many funerals and talked to too many Gold Star mothers and Gold Star wives."

Jason Frerichs, the Montgomery County Democratic Chairman, told the crowd he's been a fan of Sanders since he heard the senator on a progressive radio show several years ago. Frerichs pointed to Sanders's stances on tuition-free public college and student loan reform. Frerichs says he'll be paying off his $30,000 in student loans for the next 20 years.

"I have not bought a house because I owe the government $300 a month. And I'll pay it," said Frerichs, 38, of Red Oak. "But why are we not investing in our best and brightest students?

Frerichs, a respiratory therapist, said he's also drawn to Sanders' call for a Medicare-for-all single-payer health care system.

"I work every day in a failed health care system," he said, "where I cannot get my patients what they need."

Sanders wrapped up his three-day Iowa swing Wednesday with a brief visit with precinct captains and volunteers at a Council Bluffs bar and restaurant. He returns to Iowa on Tuesday for another three-day campaign trip.

AT THE EVENTS

SETTINGS: Red Coach Inn and Restaurant conference room in Red Oak and Barley's restaurant and bar in Council Bluffs.

CROWDS: About 400 in Red Oak; 130 in Council Bluffs.

REACTIONS: Sanders enjoyed a warm welcome Wednesday morning in Red Oak. The largely young crowd of volunteers in Council Bluffs was much smaller, but just as enthusiastic.

WHAT'S NEXT: Sanders went on to campaign events in Chicago on Wednesday. He returns to Iowa on Tuesday for a three-day campaign swing.