Bernie Sanders comes to Atlanta

? Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders told a packed crowd in Downtown on Friday that they and the  thousands of other supporters across the country were part of a “political revolution.” At a $50-a-head fundraiser for the Vermont Democrat’s White House campaign — one of several stops on a swing through the South aimed at boosting support among black voters — Sanders outlined his plans to win the party’s nomination. 
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? Sanders took the stage of a muggy event space at 200 Peachtree St. just after 6 p.m. to the roars of more than 1,200 rowdy attendees waving blue-and-white signs. Some were so familiar with his platform they even finished some of his sentences.
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? “The American people are sick and tired of establishment politics,” he said. “The American people are sick and tired of establishment economics. And the American people are sick and tired of establishment media.”
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? Flanked by a sign language interpreter, the socialist underdog rolled up his sleeves and, with wonky stats and populist flair, focused on the hardships hamstringing the country’s middle class. People can’t find work, he said. College graduates are stymied by student loan debt. People are disgusted by billionaires and corporations buying elections. Income inequality is growing. 
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? To Sanders, there’s a way forward and it’s in the form of a progressive’s wishlist that he’s pledging to push should he win the election. Think universal healthcare, tuition-free college education, a master federal work program, 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave, and infrastructure investment, he said. Do away with corporate contributions to political campaigns, reform the criminal justice system to help combat racism, and take serious action to ease the effects of climate change. 
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? Sanders’ vision isn’t “utopian” or “pie-in-the-sky,” he said, especially not for the wealthiest country in the world. And it can be achieved partly by telling corporations they have to “start paying their fair share of taxes.” A tax of Wall Street speculators could also help, he said.
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? Sanders’ campaign has gained its footing with a still-growing volunteer base. According to the candidate, 100,000 men and women are helping spread the word about the campaign. He’s refusing to accept donations from corporate lobbyists and not relying on Super PACs. To date, he said, more than 400,000 people have contributed to the campaign.
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? “Their average contribution is $31.20,” he said.
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? ??? Debra and Roy Marr are among them. The married couple of 25 years drove eight hours from Indiana to hear Sanders. His campaign speaks to them, Debra said, because Sanders is “talking about real issues that matter to Americans. It’s not just fluff.” In Roy’s eyes, Sanders is the only candidate not relying on business interests to fund his campaign. 
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? Sanders’ popularity among voters and rise in the polls has surprised some undecided voters, Democratic and Republican opposition, and political pundits. 
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? Dr. Kerwin Swint, a Kennesaw State University political science professor and author, said he’s been intrigued by “the Bernie Boomlet.” Swint said Sanders views are refreshing to many as his “outsider” mentality is an outlier among recent elections. “He’s far from a typical candidate, which in 2015 is a good thing,” the professor said.
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? Swint attributes much of Sanders’ popularity to anxiety over Hillary Clinton’s “current predicament.” Clinton is facing persistent scrutiny over her use of a personal e-mail server while serving as secretary of state and is currently neck and neck with Sanders in some polls. Still, Swint thinks Sanders winning the nomination is difficult. The Vermont independent could also lose ground if Vice President Joe Biden decides to also run for the Democratic nomination, he argues. 
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? “If Biden gets in the race, he could steal much of Sanders’ support,” Swint said. “Even without Biden, it’s hard to see how Sanders actually wins it in the end — absent an indictment of Clinton.”
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? Sanders, however, has yet to effectively make in-roads with black and Hispanic voters. The Atlanta crowd was predominantly white. But his campaign and volunteers are trying to win more support (Sanders followed his Atlanta visit with a stop at Benedict College, a historically black college in South Carolina). 
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? Susana Duran, a grassroots organizer for Georgia for Bernie Sanders, said the candidate’s platform should be sufficient to woo any undecided voter. 
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? “A lot of it is media attention and bringing awareness,” said Duran, who said she has held LED lights at intersections and organized rallies since she started volunteering for the campaign. “From a Latina standpoint, I find Bernie Sanders really has a lot of respectability, he’s honorable and uses really good rhetoric.”
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? Michelle Jones, another supporter who attended the rally with Duran, sported a sign saying “Latinos unidos por Bernie.” Jones joined the campaign after a grassroots gathering at Manuel’s Tavern that attracted more than 100 people. 
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? “Once I heard about Bernie and his platforms, there hasn’t been one I haven’t agreed with,” she said.
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