‘A future to believe in’ vs. ‘Make America great again’

Thousands lined up outside the Mullins Center Monday afternoon to get in line for the Bernie Sanders “A Future to Believe In” rally. While the line started forming at 2pm, the Mullins Center didn’t reach capacity by the time Bernie took the stage at 7pm.

This was the presidential candidate’s second time visiting the UMass campus, the first time was in January when he filled the Fine Arts Center. Even then, he still made time to address his followers left shivering outside.

“New change never comes from the top down, it comes from the bottom up,” he boomed. The crowd cheered and waved their signs. Across the arena I could see a custom made Bernie sign equipped with Christmas lights.

I saw a single sheet of lined paper held overhead scrawled with something about biodiversity. T-shirts stamped with the phrases “Not For Sale” and “Join the Political Revolution Today” mingled among the hippies and college girls with candy-colored hair.

“The Dalai Lama didn’t show so this is the next best thing,” said UMass senior Rob Tishchenko.

Speaking to a crowd of nearly 6,000 students and community members, Bernie Sanders stuck to his usual talking points: equality, taking money out of politics, women and minority rights, and student debt.

He attributed one of his favorite phrases “rigged economy” to Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, thanking the crowd of Massachusetts residents for electing her. Despite speaking on a college campus, Sanders did not overplay how important the issue of student debt was compared to other issues.

In the hours before the rally started, I noticed a suspicious red trucker hat in the fan section. Of course there would be hecklers, and the Bernie campaigners were ready. I watched a man in a brisk clean suit confiscate the hat after a short conversation.

Collin Abderhalden decided to wear his “Make America Great Again” hat to the Bernie Sanders rally, “As a conversation piece,” he said.

“Pretty much I wore it to spark some excitement here.”

He is not a Trump supporter. Collin is voting for Marco Rubio based on his support of a legal path towards citizenship.

He says he was told he could not keep his hat on because that section was going to be on television. Collin tried putting the hat under his seat, but was told that in order to keep it on he would have to leave the section.

“All the hat said was ‘Make America Great Again’, and who doesn’t want that?” said Hollie Downer. “Bernie’s whole thing is giving everyone equal opportunity, and he should have equal opportunity to wear what he wants, too.”

Northampton based band LuxDeluxe played prior to Bernie taking the stage. They electrified the crowd, replacing their lyrics “I’ve been waiting for you” with “I’ll be voting for you”, while running, jumping, and dancing around the stage. After, Holyoke City counselor Josie Valentine introduced Sanders with the rally cry “We are Bernie’s superpac!”

Bernie Sanders is the first and only politician you could ever call “cute.” When he talked about the importance of paid family leave he told the UMass students that the day we become parents is a day we will never forget.

Then he added, “Its also a pretty big day for the baby,” like an afterthought. Everyone laughed and awed. Senator Sanders is more like an adorable grandfather than a politician, likely because of his experience raising four children and seven grandchildren in his home state of Vermont.

He said he believes in three months paid family leave for every American who has a child. Compared to other developed countries that’s not much to ask. In Iceland, fathers get three months paid paternity leave when they have a child. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, mothers are guaranteed a 14 week paid maternity leave. The United States guarantees zero for either.

His other talking points were more radical. Sanders supports free tuition for public higher education, a $15 minimum wage, and universal healthcare.

“Wages in this country are too damn low!” yelled Bernie. The crowd roared. I’m sure Trump supporters would agree.

He wants to allow students to refinance loans at the lowest interest rates possible, and believes in investing in infrastructure and education before anything else. When asked how he will pay for all these radical changes Sanders sneers at the 1%, and the millionaires and billionaires who use tax havens in the Cayman Islands to keep corporate profits for themselves. He believes that closing tax loopholes will be able to finance the billions worth of social programs he is promising.

Bernie was also more combative than he dared to be in January. He critiqued Clinton’s use of Superpacs and her accepting donations from special interests. He often spoke about the corporate ignorance of “the pundits.”

“We have taken on the media establishment that every night tell us things we don’t need to know,” he said. His distain for the “mainstream” media almost mimicked that of a Republican candidate.

He also attacked Republicans’ “family values”, saying they only care about their anti-abortion, anti-gay agendas. The crowd seethed, conveniently forgetting that gay marriage is legal in all 50 states.

Bernie bragged about his revolutionary method of campaign financing. In the past nine months he has received four million individual campaign contributions, with the average contribution just $27. Everyone in the arena already knew, and cheered as he stated his favorite fact.

A woman carried a handmade cloth sign that read, “Each step shall cause a breeze to rise”. There is a revolutionary spirit in the air, whether all are on board is something to be decided on the primary election on Tuesday. People are ready for change. Then again, is there really any difference between “A Future to Believe In” and “Make America Great Again”?

Sarah Robertson can be reached at [email protected]