A strange little tidbit about Bernie....

[Armstead]

I was listening to an NPR talk show, where people who knew Bernie were interviewed about him.

One was a (former?) staff assistant who said he traveled all over Vermont with Bernie to go to town meetings and talk with constituents.

"Bernie loves that stuff, and doing things like stopping at local stores and farmstands and buying fresh tomatoes," he recalled.

He said Bernie was also a connoisseur of local swimming holes. "One day he showed up and handed me a pair of swim trunks, and said 'C'mon. We're going to this great swimming hole I know about.'"

That tickled me. Kind of a funny image...And as someone who also likes tooling around backwoods New England, I could relate.

Also it illustrated a contrast between his lifestyle and the elite insulation of some other presidential candidates I could mention.

[Chichiri]

1. Yeah, I can't imagine Hillary doing that.

And I certainly can't imagine a PRESIDENT doing that.

Have a beer with Bernie? Sure.

[Armstead]

7. He'd probably bring swim trunks for the Secret Service

[jtuck004]

45. Secret service agents, automatic weapons under their coats, carrying bags of tomatoes

and other produce to the bulletproof limo.

Followed on another day with a "Miracle on 34th Street" moment when he yells "Stop the car! Stop the car! - That's the swimming hole I asked Santa for..."

A guy who might not think Jamie Dimon worth recognizing if he met him, except to match him up with a wanted poster.

President Sanders. That's what my vote is going for.

[Bubzer]

11. "And I certainly can't imagine a PRESIDENT doing that." Uhhh... what?

Why not? Too down to earth? Presidents are people too....they do things, have hobbies...silly stuff like that.
Swimming is one of the best exercises out there... low impact and constant resistance. That he's physically active like that is awesome! I would hope whatever president we have is AT LEAST that active.

[pansypoo53219]

51. i understand president adams was fond of skinny dipping in winter.

[Bubzer]

54. Takes impressive fotitude to do that.... especially more than once!

[libtodeath]

12. A President wouldnt be allowed no matter who it was so not sure your point

but then again when was the last time Hillary even drove herself around?

[passiveporcupine]

18. I think being President might be hard on Bernie

because he won't be allowed to "be himself" as freely as he is now. And he will miss that connection with the people. I'm sure he will handle it fine, but it won't be easy.

[JackInGreen]

78. I'm more convinced that he'll be hard on the secret service actually

I can't imagine them slowing him down or curtailing him. Gods willing, we'll have tales for years to come of 'president sanders showed up at a...(public location that secret service would LOATHE)...and spent time talking with the people there and listening to their concerns'.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

31. I doubt Bernie would do that when President.

I mean, isn't there a nice indoor pool in the White House somewhere? Hell, they have a bowling alley, thanks to Tricky Dick (I believe he put it in).

[greymouse]

68. swimming pool

There's an outdoor swimming pool. Tricky Dick had the indoor pool covered up and a press briefing room built on top of it. Anyway, a swimming pool isn't a patch on a genuine swimming hole.

[Fuddnik]

20. I'll invite her down to Florida to try that.

[me b zola]

24. Huh. Can you imagine a PRESIDENT body surfing in Hawaii?

Republicans can't.

I like presidents that enjoy the same simple pleasures in life that regular people enjoy.

[beam me up scottie]

38. ^^^THIS^^^

[bvar22]

47. Can you imagine a President swimming in the Gulf of Mexico..

...during the BP Blowout.....and bringing his children with him?



BP oil spill: Barack Obama and family swim in the Gulf of Mexico


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/7946118/BP-oil-spill-Barack-Obama-and-family-swim-in-the-Gulf-of-Mexico.html

[Marty McGraw]

70. One Must Get out and Smell the

[JonLeibowitz]

76. Can you imagine a President surfing in Hawaii? I can! Tulsi Gabbard

POTUS #47 after Liz Warren

[valerief]

50. She and Bill posed in "candid" swimsuit shots at some beach during Monicagate.

[blm]

79. No. Middle-aged women do not 'pose' for swimsuit shots taken from behind

unless they are posing to show their fitness.

It was a RW talking point at the time that pushed the claim that the photo was staged. We can get the nomination for Sanders without constantly rewarding the RW lie machine by furthering their propaganda aimed at fellow Democrats.

[Unknown Beatle]

62. Hillary is already doing that.

She goes to different wall st. swimming holes filled with money.

[restorefreedom]

66. so candidates are not allowed to act like regular humans? nt

[Aerows]

73. This reminds me of

interestingly enough, a story about Olav V of Norway.

During the 1973 energy crisis driving was banned on certain weekends. King Olav never wanted to miss an opportunity to go skiing, and while he could have driven legally, he wanted to lead by example. So he dressed up in his skiing outfit, and boarded the Holmenkollbanen suburban railway carrying his skis on his shoulder.[9] He was later asked how he dared to go out in public without bodyguards. He replied that "he had 4 million bodyguards" —the population of Norway was at the time 4 million.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olav_V_of_Norway

Hubris, putting on airs, and snobbery is nothing you can ascribe to Bernie Sanders. He has until recently carried his own briefcase, sat in coach, and generally went about the business of his constituents.

[awake]

2. Bernie is the real deal

Speaking of deals Bernie wants a "Fair Deal" for americans instead of the "Raw Deal" that all of the other candidates are offering.
FDR had his "New Deal" well Bernie has a "Fair Deal" to offer

[bvar22]

48. "Fair Deal" is already taken...by Harry Truman.

The Fair Deal was an ambitious set of proposals put forward by U.S. President Harry S. Truman to Congress in his January 1949 State of the Union address. More generally the term characterizes the entire domestic agenda of the Truman Administration, from 1945 to 1953.

It offered new proposals to continue New Deal liberalism, but with the Conservative Coalition controlling Congress, only a few of its major initiatives became law and then only if they had considerable GOP support. As Richard Neustadt concludes, the most important proposals were aid to education, universal health insurance, the Fair Employment Practices Commission, and repeal of the Taft–Hartley Act. They were all debated at length, then voted down. Nevertheless, enough smaller and less controversial items passed that liberals could claim some success.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Deal

[Art_from_Ark]

77. I wouldn't mind if he recycled the name of a former Democratic icon's program

as long as it wasn't the "New Covenant".

[hedgehog]

81. Recycling is good!

[Smarmie Doofus]

3. Swimming holes are a big deal in VT and NH.

They're mostly landlocked, after all. Watch out for the rocks, though... esp if you take it into your head ( Don't!) to try diving.

I can picture him taking a lot of pleasure, though, in the simple, rural delights of Northern New England.

[Armstead]

8. Quarries

[MgtPA]

9. Maine too.

[Smarmie Doofus]

30. Glorious state. Esp the interior.

Where no one ever goes... unlike the coast.

Baxter Sate Park. Camped up there about 30 years ago. Coyotes howling; spooking us out in the middle of the night.

Wow. I hope it's still as unspoiled. It has the advantage of geography: it's a long haul from Boston; and even LONGER from NY.

[A Simple Game]

43. Ever heard of the sixth Great Lake? Lake Champlain has about a 125 mile length

that Vermont shares with New York state. Lots of swimming there... unless you are afraid of Champy.

[Smarmie Doofus]

61. Hah. I knew someone was gonna call me on that.

That's why I said "mostly" landlocked.

Besides.... you call that a "lake"?

I think the thing about LC is that, though it may be decent size , it doesn't lead to anywhere important. ( Unless Plattsburgh is important.)

Not to the Great Lakes..... not to NYC, and therefore not to the ocean.


Didn't the Brit's have to carry their boats across hard ground between the southern tip of LC to the start of the Hudson to launch an assault on NYC in the Rev. War?

Besides.... ask any Vermonter: why else would they have named the state bird "Claustrophobia".

[A Simple Game]

64. Why yes it is a lake, I live closer to Lake Ontario but have been to Champlain more often.

Although smaller than the Great Lakes it is a large lake and does lead to the St. Lawrence River and eventually Montreal where they might take exception to your rank of importance. Then it drains into the Atlantic Ocean.

I do seem to remember stories about the British portage from Champlain to the Hudson but if not for the lake that portage would have been a much longer one.

Just think, the lake is connected to the St. Lawrence via the Richelieu River and now it is connected to the Hudson River by the Champlain Canal (where was that when the British needed it?) which by a large stretch of the imagination makes all of New England an island.

I need to check into their state bird nickname but not tonight. Besides they have Champ, not even the Great Lakes can say that?

[Art_from_Ark]

74. I've been to Lake Champlain once

I was on the New York side (Exeter). Wonderful, interesting country up there. I'd love to visit there again.

[A Simple Game]

84. It is nice, I live in the northern foothills of the Adirondacks 30 miles from the St. Lawrence. n/t

[blm]

80. My husband grew up in SC and he loves swamps. They're beautiful, but, scary to me.

.

[Cal33]

4. It's good to know this about Bernie. It shows another aspect of what he is really like.

[Punkingal]

5. I was amused by a story last week about Bernie driving the Secret Service nuts.

It seems often he will see a diner and want to stop for a cup of tea. Being a tea drinker, I was pleased.

[tk2kewl]

6. i read the swimming story somewhere

maybe it was in his book

[sarge43]

36. Looks like the one near here

What that picture needs to complete it is a Black Lab doing a belly cannon ball. Northern New England is Black Lab heaven, lots of trees, lots of water.

[tk2kewl]

44. can't keep this yellow one out of the bay

jackass once jumped off the boat at 30mph

[sarge43]

46. Look at the smile on that puppy's face

Water, his person and beer. Doesn't get any better.

[peacebird]

52. Water, his person & beer! You are so right! It doesn't get better than that. My chocolate was so

Excited to see the lake that he ran dragging me into it! I sat there fully dressed, immersed, watching the puppy bouncing in the water with a huge puppy grin on his face as and laughed!

[sarge43]

53. There's no joy more joy filled.

Your fur babies are fortunate to have found their person.

[Enthusiast]

58. +1 a huge bunch!

[frylock]

10. I heard that too, and it really made me smile!

Cannonball coming!

[PWPippin]

13. Reminiscent of Truman.

Truman loved talking with the "common man" and taking his morning "constitutional". Bernie can take us back to basics.

[beam me up scottie]

14. I used to love jumping into quarries!

And finding an ice cold swimming hole after climbing all day is heavenly.

[KentuckyWoman]

15. My siblings and I used to work for hours to create a swimming hole

the local creeks weren't much more than a foot or so deep so we'd pick a good spot and start hauling the rocks out of the bottom until it got deep enough for a decent swim.

This story makes me like Bernie all the better.

[noamnety]

26. We did this in my back yard

My parents bulldozed out a piece of a swamp to make a swimming hole for us.

[lasttrip]

16. Me too. Brings back memories.

Thanks for the post Armstead.
Peace.
LT

[H2O Man]

17. recommended

[DamnYankeeInHouston]

19. Now I am curious. I wonder which swimming hole it was.

There is a great one on family land I'm not allowed to tell anyone about.

[senz]

27. Swimming holes are God's way of telling us he loves us.

(Apologies to our esteemed atheists!)

[mgmaggiemg]

21. that's hilarious

that you think because someone likes to go swimming that they are qualified to be prez over another candidate hilarious...thanks for the laugh

[beam me up scottie]

23. Why are you putting words in the op's mouth?

Don't you ever get tired of lame strawmen?

[sarge43]

39. Do be kind, scotty. That's all they got. n/t

[beam me up scottie]

41. 'tis true, I should be more charitable.

It's not easy finding a way to piss all over a positive thread.

[noamnety]

28. furthermore

How does going to a swimming hole solve racism?!!!

[beam me up scottie]

29. *snerk*

Well played!

[jtuck004]

55. "...if you want to maintain democracy in our organization, if you want officers and representatives

to whom no shop grievance is too small to handle, no matter whether it affects one worker or one penny, you must have an organization where your officers and your organizers feel like the members and not feel for the members. There is a big difference."

James J. Matles
Organizer, The United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE)

That story is just another way of saying President Sanders is qualified to speak for me because I think he would speak like me, not for me.

All of the candidates from the other party fail that, and fail me.

[Roland99]

22. A modern-day Andrew Jackson?

[senz]

25. Oh no, I've been trying not to be in love with this guy

trying to be a properly patriotic respectful supporter, trying not to be jealous of Jane.

And then you go and tell me what it's like to actually be with him!

Wish I'd met him first.

[Duval]

42. senz, thanks for the smile you just gave me.

Wish I'd met him long ago!

[MuseRider]

32. LOVE this

While Bernie seeks out swimming holes others need a cement pond

I have several large swimming holes (we just call them ponds) on my farm here, the biggest, about 4 acres, right outside my front window but I am afraid I am a cement pond sorta girl myself. Ponds in Kansas are not clear or really very clean (natural dirty here) and the snappers are yoooouge!

I love this story. It is nice to see the person behind the running for office part of them. He is pretty close about that stuff.

[SoapBox]

33. More to love about Bernie.

Can't get much more mainstream than shopping produce stands and finding swimm'n holes!

[Thespian2]

34. Thanks...

This story emphasizes that Bernie is human...not a pre-packaged corporate sound generator...

[libodem]

35. Awwww

[Dont call me Shirley]

37. No wonder his hair is always a mess, all those impromptu swimming hole treks...

Sounds like something I would do

[Duval]

40. Oh, Bernie! You've won my heart.

Love this, Armstead. Thanks bunches.

[democrank]

49. One time I was riding through a village in Vermont`s Northeast Kingdom

where I saw a Bernie sign on a pole. He was hosting a spaghetti dinner for anyone who wanted to come.

[Skwmom]

56. Strange? Hmm. n/t

[ErikJ]

57. Bernie reminds me a the president of Uruguay.

Who lives on his old farm still and drives a 20 yr old car.

[Enthusiast]

59. Kicked and recommended!

[nadinbrzezinski]

63. I usually do not pay attention to NPR much anymore

and that piece tickled me in a funny way

[Enrique]

65. sometimes he'd forget the sunscreen

and then he felt the Bern!

[RiverLover]

67. Love that story!

Thanks, R & K

[Ned Flanders]

69. Yet another reason to like him.

Loves me a good swimming hole.

[link:http://imgur.com/LobSlj1|

[Iwillnevergiveup]

71. This story

feels like another example of Bernie's generous and appreciative soul.

[senz]

72. Nice way to put it.

[PatrynXX]

82. what one does when the dollar bill isn't your entertainment

course I can't imagine Hillary saying OMG and running to the aid of someone who fainted either

[Califonz]

83. Swimming is probably why he seems so fit and energetic...

Swimming is probably the best exercise there is. The Senate gym has a swimming pool -- probably a YUGE one!