Matthew Tully

Who cares if his policies seem fantastical in this era of broken government? Who cares if the bottom-line numbers show that it would take something equally fantastical to push him to the Democratic presidential nomination? And who cares if many people dismiss him as a socialistic joke?

Who cares?

I didn’t see anyone who did Wednesday night in Bloomington as I watched Bernie Sanders lift up a mostly student crowd of about 3,000 on the Indiana University campus, and as I witnessed some things that have been missing from this year’s political campaigns.

Happiness. Joy. Inspiration. You know, little things like that.

“Our job is to think big,” the Vermont senator told the raucous crowd. “Our job is to think outside the status quo.”

That’s definitely what Sanders’ overachieving campaign is doing. And even if you disagree with every bit of policy driving it, it’s hard to argue against the benefit of a campaign that has made so many people believe that this country can still do big things, and that politicians can still drive important change. Even if you think there’s a more qualified candidate in the race, as I do, you have to appreciate Sanders for pushing the debate forward on important issues and providing us with a needed reminder that all those reports about idealism’s death were somewhat exaggerated.

“He really tries to include everyone, and to make sure everyone has the same opportunities in life,” freshman Lauren Lad told me just before Sanders took the stage. “Bernie really is a unique man.”

In this so-called Year of the Angry Voter, a year that has been dominated by so much understandable dissatisfaction, Lad’s words were refreshing, as was the jovial scene in Bloomington. Thousands of students lined up on a rainy night hours before Sanders’ speech (most could not get into the modest-sized auditorium), cheering for a candidate who has made them believe in the art of the possible.

Sanders urges Indiana supporters to 'think big,' despite prospects

“He seems like he’s telling the truth,” finance major Hank Duncan, 18, said. “I know that is a cliché, but it’s just that he seems honest, and the others don’t.”

It wasn’t only students, though. Kathy Zellers, 71, was one of more than a few senior citizens who came out. She talked about supporting Bobby Kennedy in 1968 and told me that all these years later, “Bernie is the only one of the candidates who is compassionate and honest and hopeful.”

Yes, I know that Sanders’ policies in many cases don’t seem to have a chance of being enacted, at least not at a time of divided government. The pricetags attached to some of those policies leave ample room for valid skepticism. And I fear that he is not doing enough to warn his supporters that massive amounts of spending on new programs cannot and should not come without sacrifice. Revolutions are not as easy as they sound.

Still, I looked around Wednesday and saw something I haven’t seem much of at the many political events I’ve covered this year: Smiles. Imagine that: A politician, in 2016, who can bring smiles to his followers’ faces. And those smiles came most often not after attack lines but rather when Sanders insisted that this country can do big things.

“All over this country, from Maine to California to here in Indiana, we were told that young people are not interested in government and politics, that they are only interested in their video games,” Sanders told the crowd. “I’m seeing that young people understand they are the future of this country, and they damn well want to influence that future.”

As happened often, the crowd erupted in piercing cheers and applause. Students bounced out of their seats, raising their hands in support of a politician who reached Social Security age when many of them were still in elementary school. “Bernie! Bernie! Bernie!” they chanted repeatedly.

As they did when Sanders called for an increase in the minimum wage. As they did when he railed against a “corrupt campaign finance system,” unfair U.S. trade policies, and the outsized influence of corporate money. As they did when he talked about the need to invest heavily in early learning programs, infrastructure and higher education.

His call for tuition-free college has come under attack at the same time that it has won him many supporters. Hillary Clinton offers a more nuanced and realistic approach, one that seeks to increase support most for those who need it while also changing harmful student loan policies. But at a time when every expert and employer around says that a high school education is no longer enough, Sanders has put a bright spotlight on a critical issue.

“Is this a radical idea?” he said. “It really isn’t. The world has changed.”

As has the nation’s political mood. This year has produced, in Sanders and Donald Trump, a pair of unlikely political stars riding populist messages. The difference, though, is that Sanders punches up, targetting those making and exploiting the political system’s rules. Trump too often has punched down at those who have so little.

“I am criticized for thinking too big,” Sanders told the crowd, noting that many have dismissed him as a political “Santa Claus.” But as the audience cheered on his calls to address the challenges facing America’s inner cities, Native American reservations and manufacturing-sector workers, I laughed at a critic who had Tweeted me earlier in the day to say Sanders was drawing massive crowds attracted only to freebies and a “hedonistic” message.

“When we come together as a people, that always trumps dividing us,” Sanders said. “The American people understand in their souls that love always trumps hate.”

The crowd cheered. And some in that crowd teared up later after getting a handshake or a pat on the shoulder from the political candidate. Laugh at that if you want, but we need more political leaders who can inspire the people they hope to represent.

Thank you for reading. You can reach me at matthew.tully@indystar.com or at Twitter.com/matthewltully.