Have you ever stood in a line and waxed philosophical at the length of it? I found myself doing that very thing last night. The most conservative segment of Old Route 66 had a visit from Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
Senator Sanders got to visit some of our local cultural venues like the Woody Guthrie Center in the Brady Arts District and enjoyed having dinner at Caz’s Chowhouse. This information came to me after the fact via a friend on social media. I was totally unaware of the Senator’s presence in The Brady as my lady friend and I were having an appetizer and drinks at the Mexicali Border Cafe just a block down the street.
After our happy hour respite we walked over and got in the line to hear Senator Sanders speak. We are talking about a line that wound around the Cox Convention Center, across the street and around the entire block of the BOK center. I’ve been in some long lines before but this one was much more impressive than most any other one in my recent memory.
GPS view of line for Bernie in Tulsa. Image by Brittainy BoyerThere has been some discrepancy in the number of people who attended Senator Sanders’ speech last night. The official number given by the local tabloid was fewer than 6500. The event planners gave the number that the venue would hold at 15K standing room only. By all accounts the place looked to be packed.
Standing room only in Tulsa. Photo by Tulsa for Bernie Sanders.I was one of the estimated 2000+ folks still standing in line when Senator Sanders finished his stump speech.
We waiting in line had been teased by some of the event organizers with the prospect that the Senator would emerge from the Cox Center and grace us with a few of his words of wisdom. We later were told that the Secret Service put the kibosh on that particular plan and the Senator was whisked away to the airport for the next leg of his campaign odyssey. Although all of us in line were disappointed at our failure to gain entry to see the Senator, all of us expressed favorable sentiments at the impressive turnout in his support.
Over the past few months I have heard withering criticism from other Democrats and non-Democrats alike that an elderly Jewish Socialist with no foreign policy credentials is simply not electable. I thought about that as I stood in line last night and a few other catch phrases from Presidential campaigns past began running through my head:
“Barack Hussein WHO?”
“Romney in a landslide”
“McCain-Palin and it won’t even be close”
The political landscape in America is changing rapidly and “establishment” candidates dismiss populists like Bernie Sanders at their own peril. Regardless of the shortcomings of the mainstream media to tell the full story of his candidacy and of those who he speaks directly to, the only ballot that matters is on Election Day. The results will be very telling and work done by the Oklahoma for Bernie Sanders and Tulsa for Bernie Sanders groups will be apparent. Think a Sanders victory is beyond the pale of a realistic outcome? I vividly recall 2008. That said, being able to make your case without tearing down someone else speaks volumes of your character and the sort of Chief Executive you will be.
Bernie Sanders has a lifetime body of work that can only be described as that of a world class public servant. It is true what they say, the things we do in this life echo in eternity!
Senator Bernie Sanders at Woody Guthrie CenterPhoto by Will Simcoe
it was an amazing night. i was among the first couple of hundred people in the building, and i was brought to tears with the overwhelming feeling of goodwill, hope, and sheer joy that someone of bernie’s caliber believed enough in the people of this deep red state to come and share his message with us. #talkbernietome