DEBORAH NISSLEY

As I have a Bernie Sanders 2016 bumper sticker on my car, I often get approached by people who are either angry or curious. What I have learned is people on the Eastern Shore are not too familiar with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and his political views.

•Most important to me is that Sanders is honest. Even his detractors say he is a man of his word. Listen to his speeches starting from the 1960s and you will see his philosophy does not change with the political wind.

•He is a man of the people. He raised $33 million in the last quarter of 2015, only $4 million less than Hillary Clinton. The big difference is the average donation to his campaign was $27.16, in contrast to Clinton’s Super PAC donations. One woman said after she paid her electric bill she had $3 left, which she donated to Sander’s campaign. This is typical of Sander’s donors.

•Bernie believes the Koch brothers shouldn’t own the political process. Did you know the Koch brothers want to do away with Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act and the minimum wage? Seventy-six percent of Americans do not want any cuts to Social Security; 81 percent of Americans do not want any cuts to Medicare. Sanders believes people who work a 40-hour week should earn a living wage.

•Sanders is an advocate for our environment. He promotes renewable energy policies.

•He has political experience, but he is not a typical politician. Sanders started his career by being elected mayor of Burlington, Vermont, for three terms. He was congressman and is now a senator from Vermont. He has the highest popularity rating of any senator. Actions speak louder than bombast.

•Sanders has worked tirelessly for better care for our veterans.

•People believe he can’t win against Hillary Clinton. But I believe that yes, he can. There is media bias toward Clinton. Sanders has a grassroots movement – look at the sheer number of contributions he receives. Polls show he can beat Donald Trump, too.

•Sanders is not looking for a welfare state. What he wants is to level the playing field, so people can become self-sufficient. He wants an end to corporate welfare. The gap between the wealthy and everybody else is wider than at any time since 1928, and Sanders wants to do something about that.

I am a voter, but have never before been excited about a presidential candidate. I listened to one speech by Bernie Sanders and I knew this was a different kind of political race.

What clinched it for me was a speech he gave to an ultraconservative college body, where he admitted that they would disagree with many of his views, but also said it was easy to talk only to people who agree with you, but it it is possible to find common ground in any gathering.

Deborah Nissley lives in Fairmount.