Why huge Los Angeles crowd turned out for Bernie Sanders

[kenn3d]

http://www.trbimg.com/img-55c98a65/turbine/la-2435477-me-0810-bernie-mwy-0174-jpg-20150810/900/900x506

Marilynn Manderscheid is a retired elementary school teacher who drove from Orange County to hear Sanders speak Monday night. She said that despite polls that show Sanders trailing Clinton, she believes he's a serious challenger.

"I remember when John F. Kennedy won when everyone said a Catholic couldn't possibly be elected. I walked precincts for Barack Obama when people said a mixed-race man could not win but he did," Manderscheid said. "So, yes, I think Bernie — if he sticks to his message — will have a strong chance at winning the primary."

Ledbetter, the 17-year-old, said she thought Sanders was taking the right approach to women's rights issues and income inequality.

"He's the first candidate I've really felt a resonance with," added Ledbetter, who said she had followed politics since she was 10.

Streety, of Orange County, said she had been discouraged by politics and had stopped voting. She didn't cast a ballot during the last presidential election.

"I was politically stagnant," she said. "I felt like my vote didn't count."

But she said Sanders had resurrected her faith in elections. She was also moved by the young faces in the crowd.

"These kids are elated. I can feel it," Streety said. "These kids are going to vote."

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-sanders-california-20150811-story.html#page=1
(Lots more good photos of the event in the article also)

[Cleita]

1. K&R

[billhicks76]

51. Clinton Followers Fake

She bought Facebook friends using $630k form the State Dept when Sec Of State. Now she has purchased millions of twitter followers. WOW!
http://www.adweek.com/prnewser/hillary-clinton-allegedly-has-more-than-2-million-fake-twitter-followers/112810

[central scrutinizer]

2. "These kids are going to vote."

That is why I feel Bernie has a real chance. Can you imagine the kids getting excited about a Clinton v. Bush election? The Rs have been able to win because they can get their base to the polls and when only 35% vote, you only need 18% to take control.

[Ed Suspicious]

3. My 17 year old daughter and her friends who work at the local Dairy Queen were talking politics

last night after work. One kid was excited about trump, another and my daughter told him about Bernie Sanders and how awesome it was that Bernie was talking about "Free College". The trump "supporter" said "hmmm, I've never heard of him. I'll have to look him up." Kids talking politics and changing minds of Trump supporters! I mean, this didn't happen in my group when I was a young voter. This is exciting as all get-out!

[restorefreedom]

14. i think it is a different dynamic now

especially for young people. They are not married to a party or a party so called ideology. They're pretty pragmatic and want to see the right thing done. I think both Bernie and trump represent a revolt against the establishment, and that's why I think a lot of Bernie supporters might end up being former trump supporters, especially among younger people.

[jwirr]

15. My young grandson (who is providing me with a home) came into my room all excited about

Bernie - we talked for a while about Bernie and why we like him. At the end I told him that if Bernie does not win we will have to vote for Hillary. He looked at me and said I am going to have to think about that.

These kids are well educated and they are thinkers. I really love that.

[davidpdx]

52. That is great that they are talking about politics

I became interested in politics at a young age.

I have no idea what to say about the kid that liked Trump though. Poor misguided soul.

[Ed Suspicious]

56. We're from WI. He probably has misguided parents.

[Romulox]

4. Hard core White Supremacy brought them out to the Bernie Sanders rally! nt

[Sophiegirl]

5. .......

[Romulox]

6. Maybe you missed the news cycle this past weekend. nt

[Sophiegirl]

7. I didn't miss it.

If you meant this as sarcasm, you left a little something out.

[Romulox]

8. I guess we'll all have to work things out based on context. Tough, (I know!), but doable. nt

[appalachiablue]

16. Could you please clarify what you mean in your comments which seem evasive? Thanks.

[Romulox]

19. You have got to be kidding me. nt

[appalachiablue]

20. No specifics so people interpret on their own what you are saying. That's ok.

[navarth]

32. I thought they were kidding you too!

...and doing a hell of a job at it! Still chuckling.

That'll teach ya, Mr. Smarty Pants.

[JackInGreen]

9. Dat Poe's Law do'

This is tight times. Let's be clear when we're joking.

[Peace Patriot]

21. LOL! Ain't it the truth?!

It's certainly been educational to see how much effort is going into slandering, discrediting, demeaning and marginalizing the best candidate for president I've seen in my (long) lifetime, and into DIVIDING AND CONQUERING his natural constituency: all of us in the poor white, poor black and poor brown VAST MAJORITY.

Let us not be divided. Let us not be misguided. Let us slay racism and social injustice, and corporate-military rule and rigged elections TOGETHER. That is the only way it can be done. DO. NOT. BE. FOOLED. BY. DIVISIVE. TACTICS.

[navarth]

33. well spoken. nt

[JDPriestly]

35. I just tell those who ask me about him to listen to one of his speeches.

Got a call from one of the people I said that to today. She's on board with Bernie. Felt the Bern I guess.

If you watch and listen to him talk, you know that he is the real thing.

Not so with Hillary. She evades, avoids, talks around the point. She is strong on a few issues but leaves too much unsaid and doesn't answer uncomfortable questions.

Besides, I cannot support Hillary on trade, on the ease with which we get entangled in wars, on student loans and education, on so many issues that I don't think I can vote for her. And since I am in California, a true blue state that will vote for her and that is far from a swing state, I don't have to. So I won't vote for Hillary.

[Bubzer]

39. +1

[Spitfire of ATJ]

30. Either that or she's a self-hating woman....

Oh wait,....that was a while ago....

[LibDemAlways]

10. Had the rally been on a weekend, the

crowd would easily have at least doubled. Anyone familiar with LA traffic knows weekday rush hour traffic near downtown is a nightmare and public transportation options to the Sports Arena are limited. That an overflow crowd jammed the venue on a Monday night with thousands more outside is testament to the strength of Bernie's message and people's desire to hear a politician speak the unvarnished truth.

[americannightmare]

18. There's now a Metro rail...

stop at Expo Park/USC. If you're going to go to the trouble of going anywhere near downtown LA at rush hour, you have no right to complain about the vehicle traffic when there is at least one transit alternative.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

31. Yeah, but people in LA drive themselves everywhere....

.....even to their car.

[JDPriestly]

36. The Metro stations were jam-packed.

People were riding the Metro who had never ridden before. Talk about an American Nightmare.

I was among them because I love riding the Metro.

The event was on the East Side. If you worked on the West Side or North in the Valley or even far to the East, you could not get to the event.

Bernie could have held a second event anywhere from Mid-Wilshire or Korea Town to the Coast and yet another up in the Valley and probably had a crowd the size of the Sports Arena crowd at each one.

One reporter said the group was mostly white. There were a lot of white people, but LA's East side is where people of color live. I think our area is majority non-white, so the Bernie crowd had a lot of older white people and maybe some USC students since it was held on their campus, but it reflected the diversity of East LA pretty well.

Who was conspicuous by their apparent absence? The usual political crowd. A lot of Bernie supporters are people who haven't cared much about politics until they heard him.

[artislife]

44. Even I have taken the Metro

and I just visit LA. But it is hardly a robust system.

[fbc]

11. "if he sticks to his message"

He's been sticking to it for 50 years. I doubt he's going to change now.

[senz]

12. K&R -- So glad this was published in the LA Times

Next to Bernie's message itself, the stories of his supporters -- especially new/returned voters -- are powerful.

Somethin's happenin' here...

[rhett o rick]

42. "Somethin's happenin' here..." Yep. nm

[Cosmic Kitten]

13. For the faithful!

But she said Sanders had resurrected her faith in elections.

I would add; faith in elected representatives actually
caring and doing something this selfless and brave!

[d_legendary1]

17. I was watching OAN

and they're saying that he's becoming a force that's creeping up on Hillary. Alright!!!

Now the rest of the main stream is saying the same thing: he's unelectable. Screw them!

[JDPriestly]

37. When I saw the crowd last night in LA and thought to myself, multiply this at least by three

since this is only the Eastside with people traveling quite a while to join in from the West side or the Valley, Hillary really better start looking in that rear view mirror.

And people don't even know about Bernie yet. Just listen to one of his speeches and you are hooked.

[kenn3d]

22. CNN On The Size Of Bernie Sanders’ Rallies: “Are You Listening, Hillary Clinton?"

[davidpdx]

53. More people came to see Sanders in Portland than LA and Seattle

COOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!

[olddots]

23. Bernie doesn't use the plot arc or hook

he speaks about what people speak about the way we speak .
When people get on their feet applauding till their hands hurt it isn't about a well crafted speech guarentied to bring a rush of mass hysteria and warm fuzzy feeling of belonging .He is winging it working without a net which is what we all do in real life .

The other candidates in this thing look and sound like TV and thats why so many people are finally cutting the cord to this last 60 years of media messaging .

[JDPriestly]

38. Absolutely.

No cute stories. Jokes are rare and always simple puns or political, totally political.

No rhetorical flourishes. It's amazing.

Oh, and he cites NUMBERS! NUMBERS!

Since when do you win a crowd over by talking about the math of inequality. Wow!

[kenn3d]

24. Bernie Sanders' Eye-Popping West Coast Swing: 3 Days, 70,000 Cheering Supporters

:large
For Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the Democratic presidential candidate and self-proclaimed socialist, it was the third staggeringly large crowd in three nights that capped a west coast swing that put his political rivals on notice. From fellow white-haired activists to youth wielding signs depicting him as "Bernie Man," his head grafted onto a stick figure representing the counterculture Burning Man festival in Nevada, his fans turned out in numbers that other candidates might only dream of at this early stage in the race.
...
Sanders, once done with his speech, went outside and addressed the overflow crowd directly.

"The atmosphere was electric," said Richard Graham, an author who drove up from San Diego with friends to see Sanders.

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-08-11/bernie-sanders-eye-popping-west-coast-swing-3-days-70-000-cheering-supporters

[Jesus Malverde]

25. bump!

[99th_Monkey]

26. BIG K&R nt

[slipslidingaway]

27. Bernie Sanders Addresses Overflow Crowd in LA

[Mnpaul]

28. That's cool

who else would go that extra step to speak to everyone.

[slipslidingaway]

29. Yes and this is after his speech inside! n/t

[artislife]

45. Thank you for posting this

It is so exciting!!

[Feeling the Bern]

34. Because Bernie is awesome!

[Bubzer]

40. Its good to see all these positive articles!

[Uncle Joe]

41. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, kenn3d.

[rhett o rick]

43. k & r. Thanks for posting. nm

[RichVRichV]

46. This is exactly the kind of voter that's going to have the professional pollers

scratching their heads come election day.

[beam me up scottie]

47. Kicked and highly recommended!

Ledbetter, the 17-year-old, said she thought Sanders was taking the right approach to women's rights issues and income inequality.

Yep. Bernie has always been on our side.

[Juicy_Bellows]

48. Ledbetters are good eggs!

Cheers!

[beam me up scottie]

49. I wasn't here yesterday and wondered what caused all the "Give up, it's over Bernie" threads.

I should have known it was more great news about Bernie and his message.

[Juicy_Bellows]

50. It's a slow controlled Bern.

[Babel_17]

54. Sanders passes the sniff test

I say that jokingly but it's rooted in fact. Human beings instinctively approach with trepidation something they know to be potentially dangerous, but which they may need.

This is how voters approach politicians, and for many excellent reasons. Does Sanders reek of special interest money? Is he rotten, as indicated by squishiness on the issues? Does he evoke the memory of bad encounters with him in the past?

People are sizing him up on both the intellectual and visceral level. The power of his campaign is that people are getting the opportunity to size him up quickly and directly.

[AzDar]

55. Teddy Roosevelt =Square Deal. FDR= New Deal. Bernie= Real Deal

Go Bernie!!

[LWolf]

57. K & R