Oh, yes, by all means. Take photos and/or video, and share your report with us....But it was a night rally, on a day where I got up at 3:30 AM. And it wasn't at some outdoor place — like Ron Paul on the Union Terrace in 2012, where you can walk up casually and wander about taking pictures of the people. This was indoors, at a big arena, where you have to drive up, pass through a gate — probably have to stop and pay for parking — find a parking space, observe how many fellow citizens heeded the advice to arrive early to be able to get a good seat, worry about finding a seat at all as you scurry along from your distant place in the parking lot, pass through security, scramble to find a seat, any 2 seats together, and be stuck in one spot in that crowd, from which you won't get too many different photos and you must endure all the speechifying, all the emotion of the others from which you are alienated, wait for it all to end so you can finally have the release of exiting the arena as a component of the slow-moving human mass, wend your way back to your distantly parked car, where you can finally be an individual again and have your conversation about whatever it was like to be bowing and praying to the neon God that is Bernie Sanders and when are we ever going to get out of this parking lot and back home?
I say go--just for the spectacle of it. You'd be witnessing the Democratic Left in its distilled form. Plus, if by some long shot Sanders takes the nomination, you'll have seen it in its ground floor....
So we were back home all along. I was reading, and I'm reading now. I'm reading that Bernie Sanders proclaimed: "Tonight we have made a little bit of history... Tonight we have more people at any meeting for a candidate of president of the United States than any other candidate." The "we" didn't include me. I didn't get to make a little bit of history with Bernie.
As The Guardian put it (yeah, I'm getting my Madison news from the UK):
[His] message resonated in Madison, the state’s reliably liberal capital and home to the University of Wisconsin. It stood as a sharp contrast to Wisconsin’s own conservative White House hopeful Walker, who is preparing to enter the crowded field of GOP candidates. The governor is expected to make his announcement on or shortly after 13 July.I'm quite sure I'm not the nighttime rally type.
Sanders immediately went after Republicans and Walker... Walker, whom the crowd loudly booed whenever Sanders mentioned his name....
ADDED: From the local Madison newspaper, quotes, like this one from a social work student: "I really like that he values the human life over money. I’m really excited to hear his ideas and see him, finally, in person. It’ll just be so real." She arrived and got in line 4-and-a-half hours early so she could get a good seat and "be focus on him and not the whole crowd."
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71 comments:
My goodness, Althouse, you are getting settled in your dotage! ;)
Please list for me some public figures who openly claim to value money over the human life.
like this one from a social work student
Why would they quote an imbecile?
I say, good for Bernie--partly because anyone stopping the criminal cabal that the Clintons promise to bring in is doing this country a favor, even Sanders. But secondly, there's something refreshing about his clarity--there's no question he is a proud socialist (presumably of the western "Social Democracy" type rather that full on Bolshie) and if this country elected him then they knew what they were getting. He doesn't seem to be trying to pass himself off as a moderate or even conventional liberal.
If we have Socialism, we won't need to worry about money. We'll have Human Life. And somebody else will pay for it!
Only in Madison would such an assembly of persons disassociated from reality be brought together.
There are aspects of Sanders' speech that resonate, for example the notion that a Bank is Too Big to Fail. Nonsense. If it's too big to fail, it's too big. I prefer him as a candidate to Hillary!!! and think the campaign he would run would be interesting if he could smother that Big Democratic Party Thinkers who would try to "help" him.
Of course, smothering the Big Democratic Party Thinkers -- and the Big Republican Party Thinkers -- would benefit the entire country.
When your message is free stuff for you paid by someone else...you're going to attract a crowd. Especially in Madison.
Thanks so much for the Eric Hoffer link.
A man is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind off his own meaningless affairs by minding other people's business.
At least Bernie appears to be honest about his views.
wrong, but honest...
A crowd of folk who can vividly imagine the lofty spires and expansive porticoes of the beautiful building they're going to erect, but just haven't quite thought through what kind of a foundation they'll need to support it.
Which is why they'll never be able to build it. The more raw materials they bring to the site, the more the pile of stuff there will grow. But the materials will never become the thing they envision, because while they may have lots of labor and team spirit (and let's not forget borrowed funds) they are also ignorantly, but furiously and passionately removing and destroying all structures and substances that bind, join, congeal, and unify.
You can't build a great building on a foundation of popcorn and feather boas.
They are singularly blind to that fact.
But oh the team spirit they have!
What the hell is the matter with Madison? Bernie Sanders?!
Bernie Sander For President!
Because nothing screams FREEDOM louder than taking stuff from people who produce stuff and giving it to people who don't.
Yay! The living constitution! Yay!
He doesn't seem to be trying to pass himself off as a moderate or even conventional liberal.
Brando, are you suggesting President Obama is "Passing"?
Watching libtards turn out for a pro-abortion candidate thinking he "values human life" = lulz.
"Brando, are you suggesting President Obama is "Passing"?"
Clearly he pulled something off--I can't imagine 53% of the country would have gone for strident leftism. But then, if they do, then they at least got what they asked for.
Hillary is of course all over the map, but I think she and her husband were always about one thing--ripping off this country for their cronies while exercising power for the sake of it.
I'll bet the entire School of Social Work was there. Can you imagine any group that is as characteristic of Socialists as a group and that does not have a single member who produces anything useful ? Very high self esteem, though.
“Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded—here and there, now and then—are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as ‘bad luck’.”
– Robert A. Heinlein
Can anyone explain the Democrats' leadership's expectations here? If not Hillary, Bernie?
What national 51% would elect either?
"Can anyone explain the Democrats' leadership's expectations here? If not Hillary, Bernie?
What national 51% would elect either?"
You seem to think the dems are going to leave it up to the voters.
That's adorable.
James Pawlak said...
Only in Madison would such an assembly of persons disassociated from reality be brought together.
You could've probably filled that arena in Madison had the speaker been Stalin, Mao, or Pol Pot.
"Vote for Bernie - Pay no attention to the fact that he's advocating the same economic principles that made Venezuela and Zimbabwe the international economic basket cases they are today. This time, the RIGHT people will be in charge. We promise!"
Madison would not exist in anything like its present form without all the money grubbing capitalists and the taxes they generate. Deep down inside some of them know that. Some.
MadisonMan said...There are aspects of Sanders' speech that resonate, for example the notion that a Bank is Too Big to Fail. Nonsense. If it's too big to fail, it's too big
I can get on board with that. No company should be allowed to get so big that it matters to society whether they succeed or fail. There lies the way of corporatism and the death of capitalism.
I am with you Althouse. Personally, I would never attend any political event-the thought of doing so is just so gross.
I am going to an event at Gillette Stadium tonight and I am already think of ways to get out of it....not a political event though...A drum corps show.
tits.
That quoted social work student certainly acts like she's following a cult leader of some kind.
"I really like that he values the human life over money."
Yet the history of Socialism is that it although it may value human life as an abstraction, it often devalues individual humans. Especially those humans are not useful (let alone harmful!) to the project of building Socialism.
If all the schools of sociology were closed, would we really be worse off?
Maybe someone Left of Bernie Sanders will get in the race to shake things up.
When your message is free stuff for you paid by someone else...you're going to attract a crowd. Especially in Madison.
Walker hands out millions in free stuff to his donor friends, why not hand out millions to the people?
I'm quite sure I'm not the nighttime rally type.
You mean a rally like this one?
Ten thousand people maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
And he was rich-- yes, richer than a king--
And admirably schooled in every grace:
In fine, we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.
So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.
But I work in his factory
And I curse the life I'm living
And I curse my poverty
And I wish that I could be
Oh I wish that I could be
Oh I wish that I could be
Richard Cory
@garage, why is it that I can picture you holding one of those torches and marching in goose step?
Seig Bernie! Seig Bernie!
Walker hands out millions in free stuff to his donor friends, why not hand out millions to the people?
Shall we mention the billions in free stuff handed to their donors by Obama, the Clintons, Warren, Sanders, etc...?
Socialism is an easy sell when it pits starving peasants against a handful of ruling elites born of privilege.
Not so easy when the sell is a viable replacement to evil capitalism (free commerce).
Capitalism lifted the western world from poverty, and gave rise to the greatest nation known to man. So, how do you convince someone that we'd be better off if everyone is poor...in America?
You have to start early. You have to tip your hat to a plan well executed.
Turns out Marx had it right, and Stalin had it wrong.
Bernie's mostly a joke - but joking aside, to be a socialist after the experience of the 20th century requires a loathing of humanity that is frightening to contemplate. How many died in the great utopian quest? It probably numbers in the tens, if not the hundreds of millions. Human slaughter on an industrial scale, penury, misery, the eradication of the individual: these are the fruits of socialism.
I used to wonder if those who celebrated socialism knew what they were doing, what they were cheering for. Long experience leads me to believe they know exactly what they want.
"Tonight we have made a little bit of history... Tonight we have more people at any meeting for a candidate of president of the United States than any other candidate."
What? That's really reaching.
Too Big To Fail = Too Big
I used to wonder if those who celebrated socialism knew what they were doing...
FDR and LBJ knew exactly what they were doing.
By redirecting wealth to Washington, where 535 losers could socialize it, and if they didn't get enough, they would borrow it from China.
Meanwhile Americans flocked to stores to get their Pet Rocks, and Cabbage Patch Dolls, to take to the cemetery with them, as monuments were built to the sad fucks who were sent to the battlefields (of which Sanders wasn't one of them).
At least Sanders can say "I wasn't a sad fuck, no sir, I got out of that!"
What? That's really reaching.
10,000+ midweek in July is a pretty strong showing. #FeelTheBern
"garage mahal said...
Walker hands out millions in free stuff to his donor friends, why not hand out millions to the people?"
Really, who?
The progs, fully in the moment, cooed with innocent, thrilling delight over their summer love's sweet words -- almost believing that the fairy tale could become real. The forever gnawing in their minds of next year was lost for the briefest of moments. For next year they will surrender themselves with a sigh of resignation and give their hand in an arranged marriage that will return the House of Clinton to throne.
@garage - I'm not sure what he's claiming. The only thing I can figure out is his rally is bigger than anyone else's rally on that particular day. Surely it's not the biggest rally ever held.
I guess what he's saying is that his rally is the largest to date in this presidential cycle?
Why would they quote an imbecile?
Judging from Trump's and Sanders' combined poll numbers, it looks like they may have a voting plurality.
Really, who?
Here is a funny story on just one example.
"William S. Minahan, the businessman and Walker donor who defaulted on a $500,000 bridge loan from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, also owes $30,234.87 in past due property taxes, interest and penalties on his $975,000 River Hills mansion, documents reveal. Past-due amounts date to January, 2014. “No payments were found,” the assessment record shows. The taxpayers get fleeced once again"
garage mahal said...
Really, who?
Here is a funny story on just one example.
"William S. Minahan, the businessman and Walker donor who defaulted on a $500,000 bridge loan from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, also owes $30,234.87 in past due property taxes, interest and penalties on his $975,000 River Hills mansion, documents reveal. Past-due amounts date to January, 2014. “No payments were found,” the assessment record shows. The taxpayers get fleeced once again"
Sorry, that doesn't meet your definition of getting something free from Walker.
Anyone else?
The Madison Mallards lost last night so it was probably good you stayed home and didn't go to the game. Same two teams playing again tonight.
Sorry, that doesn't meet your definition of getting something free from Walker.
500k loan that was defaulted on doesn't count as free money?
"garage mahal said...
Sorry, that doesn't meet your definition of getting something free from Walker.
500k loan that was defaulted on doesn't count as free money?"
Borrow money. Default on loan. See how free it is.
What kind of pathetic lifeless dweeb goes to see a politician make a speech anyway? Jeez, I'd rather remove my own appendix than listen to one of those dopes blather.
Garage is upset about $500K, but apparently not upset about Democrat funding of Solyndra, which cost the US taxpayer one thousand times as much.
What kind of pathetic lifeless dweeb goes to see a politician make a speech anyway?
Same people who filled the Crystal Cathedral every week, until the owner and his "spouse" went bankrupt.
Bu bu what about Solyndra???? What about Hillary?????
"Big Mike said...
Garage is upset about $500K, but apparently not upset about Democrat funding of Solyndra, which cost the US taxpayer one thousand times as much."
Worse yet are the social programs, that go into the billions. Or Bernie's "free college" ideas...yikes.
"garage mahal said...
Bu bu what about Solyndra???? What about Hillary?????"
So no others. This is my shocked face :-0
Prediction:
Trump will go further than Bernie.
Mostly because Hillary and her peeps are doing all the research right now to destroy Bernie. And Bernie is a nobody. There has never been a time he has been under the microscope. Maybe people in his home state know, but the country? Nope.
Whereas Trump has been in the limelight for years. We know his life, his bankruptcy, pretty much everything about him.
Bernie is a dead man walking.
So no others. This is my shocked face :-0
Debating you is like debating a child with their fingers plugged into their ears.
"garage mahal said...
So no others. This is my shocked face :-0
Debating you is like debating a child with their fingers plugged into their ears."
Sure it is Corky. You make this statement: "Walker hands out millions in free stuff to his donor friends, why not hand out millions to the people?"
And you then present a single $500K loan. Loans aren't free. Have you never taken out a loan?
You haven't shown millions, or free, or donor friendS. Strike 3. Grab some fucking bench!
Loans aren't free. Have you never taken out a loan?
So taxpayers are going to recoup the 500k loan from a now defunct company? The loan has no underwriting documents and BCI was not required to put any collateral down.
“I can’t believe we are actually going to do this,” the staffer added.
So then, are we allowed to call Sanders adoring fans socialists yet?
"garage mahal said...
Loans aren't free. Have you never taken out a loan?
So taxpayers are going to recoup the 500k loan from a now defunct company? The loan has no underwriting documents and BCI was not required to put any collateral down."
Probably not. But the money was not a gift, it was a loan. You can argue that the loan should not have been made, but it was not a gift. It was free. It came at a cost. WEDC even sued BCI.
So again, we are all still waiting for "Millions" and "Free" and "Donors". We are currently stuck at "Zero", "Zilch, and "Nada".
Why would anyone ask a failed middle schooler for any sort of financial or contractual analysis?
More Walker Fail
26 awards, 124 million from taxpayers, without any formal review. Walker wants to duplicate this success at the federal level. Grifter in Chief.
"There lies the way of corporatism and the death of capitalism."
Ask the authors of Dodd-Frank, if you can get them out of their Ireland vacation homes.
Dodd-Frank made a bad situation WORSE but what do you expect when they are funded by people like Angelo and the Goldman- Sachs people.
garage is kind of cute when he obsesses about $500k in a world where Obama spends that on a trip to Florida to play golf.
"Blogger garage mahal said...
More Walker Fail"
The famed Democrat concern for efficient use of the taxpayers' dollars!
Bu Bu Bu what about Obama?
"Bu Bu Bu what about Obama?" Garage helpfully offers after lobbing in a couple - Bu Bu Bu what about Walker? - comments in a thread on Bernie Sanders.
In garages defense, he probably forgot that.
Now the Dem presidential race has Hillary! Bernie! The Guy From Maryland (I can't ever remember his name) Chafee and Webb (he announced today). How many more do we need before we can use the term "clown car" to refer to the Democrat candidates?
I propose that if Biden comes in, it's definitely clown car time.
" . . . and Webb (he announced today)."
He's dead as soon as some "journalist" asks him about the Confederate flag.
Say, didn't Hillary headline the Virginia Democrats Jefferson-Jackson dinner last week? I guess that must be named after some other Jefferson and Jackson.
As far as I know, Walker has never claimed to be a national socialist, a democratic socialist, a revolutionary socialist, an eco-socialist, a utopian socialist, a fabian socialist, or even a Christian socialist. That makes him far less likely to engage in mass murder of American citizens than the socialist Bernie Sanders.
I suppose "far less likely to engage in mass murder of American citizens" is a plus for a presidential candidate, but still I think it sets the bar pretty low. Other than Obama, who's term-limited, the Vermontian Socialist Sanders, and Hillary!, who would it exclude?
The Godfather wrote:
" Other than Obama, who's term-limited, the Vermontian Socialist Sanders, and Hillary!, who would it exclude?"
I'm not feelin' the love from Jeb. Like his brother W, if Jeb had a magic wand, I think that he would turn every native born American with a portfolio worth less than $1 million into an uneducated immigrant from Latin America. I imagine both Jeb and W, and a bunch of other people from both parties, have had only good experiences with illegal aliens and so they think that they are all fine people. Seems kind of self-centered to me.
Sanders recently announced that he raised $15 million-- and 99% of it was from small dollar donations of $200 or less.
Every other candidate gets a significant or even most of their money from super PACs or very wealthy individuals (bundlers.)
And if you think all those people who give them enormous sums of money don't want something back if they win then I have a used car to sell you.
Bernie is unique. He hasn't been BOUGHT.
And that's why people are excited to support him.
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