At a rally on the Statehouse lawn, Sanders thanked “the people of the state of Vermont, who have given me an opportunity that, when I was a kid, I never would’ve dreamed of in a million years.” Serving as mayor of Burlington and then in the U.S. House and Senate had been “the honor of my life,” he said, “and I thank you all.”
“And now, as we assemble today here in front of our beautiful state capitol in this pivotal and unprecedented moment in American history,” he said, “I am here today to ask for your support to help me win the Democratic nomination.”
“Welcome to Bernie country!” bellowed U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) as he warmed up the audience.
Joining Welch in introducing Sanders were a number of other high-profile supporters, including civil rights activist Shaun King, ice cream mogul Ben Cohen and singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile, who performed several songs and praised the senator as “a good man and a true altruist and a person who’s started a revolution in this country that I can get behind.”
Ryegate dairy farmer Jenny Nelson, who worked for Sanders for 18 years, recalled his curiosity about her industry, attributing it to a desire to understand “what the common person is thinking.”
“Bernie’s too big for Vermont,” Nelson said. “I told him that. I said, ‘You just wait. They’re going to catch up to you, Bernie, and then you’re going to be able to get something done.’ I think we’re there.”
From the other side of the political spectrum, liberal activists who oppose the basing of F-35 fighter planes at the Vermont Air National Guard base in South Burlington held banners and distributed leaflets criticizing Sanders for supporting the plan. Among them was Angela Manno of Burlington, who volunteered for Sanders’ 2016 campaign and called herself “crushed” by his support for the F-35 basing.
“I support Bernie, but I can’t vote for him until he reverses his position,” she said.
“Recently I have been attacked in the media because of my views, actions and votes on foreign policy issues, so let me be as clear as I can be,” Sanders said. As a young man, he continued, he marched against the Vietnam War, which “ravaged” his generation. “I make no apologies for having opposed that war.”
The senator went on to note that he had led opposition in the U.S. House to the war in Iraq, was seeking to end U.S. involvement in Yemen’s civil war and would oppose military confrontation with Iran.
“So I make no apologies for trying to do everything that I can to make sure that this country does not get into another war in the Middle East,” he concluded.
“Let me tell you what I will tell them,” he said, referring to the heirs of Walmart founder Sam Walton, who still control a sizable portion of the company. “My message to the Walton family will be: Pay your workers a living wage, 15 bucks an hour. We do not want to continue providing corporate welfare for the richest family in America.”
Sanders’ speech was mostly serious, but he allowed himself a little fun when he joked that his entire Montpelier audience would “come to my inauguration” in January 2021. The crowd responded by chanting his name.
“Alright,” he said. “We need a lot of buses to get to Washington. You all ready to come?”
“To watch him develop over the years into a nationwide spokesman has been fascinating,” said Pollina, who once served as Sanders’ state director. “But it’s also been kind of inspiring to think that somebody from a small state like Vermont could actually have a voice that’s that loud.”
After the rally, Brookline, Mass., resident Anne Burns said that she found Sanders’ address “fantastic, absolutely wonderful.” She was particularly struck by how consistent his message has been over the years.
“He hasn’t changed,” said Burns, who owns a second home in Vermont and spends weekends in the state. “A lot of the things that the other candidates are copying are what Bernie said for many years. He’s worked for people all along and he hasn’t stopped and he won’t stop.”
But Saturday’s rally reinforced her belief that Sanders should be the Democratic nominee.
“I am now going to use his language,” she said. “I am unapologetically supporting Bernie, and I have reason to hope that it’s going to actually happen.”
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I was disappointed that he gave up relatively easily in 2016. I’d like to see him push all the way to the election. If the Democratic Party won’t nominate him, I’d like to see him go third party.
If you don’t like him, fine. However, that doesn’t fix the issues he raises, which I feel are valid to debate, not just dismiss.
“Bernie Sanders Thanks Vermont”
He’s got a lot to thank Vermont for. He successfully used us as a platform for his insatiable thirst for power, fame, and now wealth. Vermont was a convenient stepping stone for the poor kid from Brooklyn with a planet-sized chip on his shoulder and a galactic ego.
Numbers are dropping- thank God- he spoiled it all the last time- and he CAN’T beat the orange dictator
vermont’s version of Elmer Gantry
Montpelier Police report half as many people as Sanders reported. Maybe more people are starting to see the truth?
When a candidate has to exaggerate the number of attendees at a rally, it says the Bern is no longer burning, its only lightly smoldering.
Thank you fellow Vermonters, go Joe Biden!!!
Vermont , land of the tall poppy syndrome .
Didn’t we just elect this guy to serve Vermont for six years in the US Senate? He hasn’t kept that promise or commitment. Why should we support him in some other pipe dream. No Bernie, you will never get a vote from me again.
Bernie should be commended for his opposition to unnecessary intervention-first regime change and “preventative” wars vs countries that never attacked the United States, such as Vietnam and Iraq. That said, Angelo Manno’s absolutely correct about Bernie’s F35 support. Interesting she volunteered for him in 2016 because that was already at least 3 years past the time that Bernie knuckled under to the demands of Senator Patrick Leahy and VT Democratic Party on the F35. Bernie has remained iron-clad in favor of the F35, regardless of negative impact on health and home values of thousands upon thousands of his own Vermont constituents. Regardless of disproportionate impact on the working poor; working class; elderly; and immigrant refugee populations, the very demographics people like Bernie pretend to care about. Even worse, he has joined with the rest of the Congressional delegation in refusing to meet with the negatively impacted constituents, people he is supposed to represent, for going on 6 years now.
I can understand Ms. Manno not being a fan of Iraq War supporters like Hillary but that said, Bernie was just as much of an F35 proponent in 2016 as he is today. The F35 basing was orchestrated during the Obama administration and during Peter Shumlin’s gubernatorial administration. It was in 2013 & a corrupt process from the get-go, as reported by Bryan Bender in Boston Globe.