‘Feeling the Bern’ in Binghamton

On Monday, April 11, democratic candidate Bernie Sanders made a stop in Binghamton, N.Y. Held at the Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton, N.Y., 5,000 supporters filled the arena for what was the first visit by a presidential candidate to the region in 16 years; the last visit was in 2000 by George W. Bush.

The candidates are all busy touring and making stops in New York ahead of the April 19 primaries, with Sanders selecting Binghamton as one of those; he also had a town hall meeting scheduled in Buffalo for later in the day on Monday.

Conrad Taylor, the 19-year old councilman in Binghamton who is studying political science at Binghamton University and was selected as a speaker at Monday’s town hall meeting, told guests that Sanders’ stop is because he cares about the Southern Tier. Sanders also has ties to the Binghamton area. In 1990, Sanders taught a course at Binghamton University.

But Sanders mainly arrived on Monday to deliver his campaign to the residents in the Southern Tier.

The 74-year old senator of Vermont is one of the longest serving independents in the country, once serving the senate budget committee and chairing the senate veterans’ affairs committee. Now, democratic candidate, Sanders is a progressive voice on issues like global warming, income equality, LGBT rights, universal healthcare, and even the decriminalization of recreational marijuana use.

Sanders has also maintained a strong rhetoric surrounding his “Collage for All Act” that would ensure that every American can go to college.

This rhetoric drew strong support from Binghamton’s nearby university, with a large percentage of those in attendance on Monday arriving from SUNY Binghamton.

One of the speakers at the event on Monday, Conrad Taylor, showed his enthusiasm when he opened, asking those in attendance if they were “Feeling the Bern.”

Taylor addressed that it is the people that provoke change. As an example Taylor talked of how pushing against hydraulic-fracturing (fracking) in New York was successful, and that it was democracy that made it happen.

Sanders’ hard stance on environmental issues also resounded throughout the town hall meeting, with Sanders inviting Josh Fox, creator of Gasland – the documentary, to speak. Sanders also invited Jim Hightower from Austin, Texas to speak along his tour.

Hightower is a nationally known radio commentator, writer, public speaker, and author of “Swim Against The Current: Even A Dead Fish Can Go With The Flow,” a book his website describes as giving the lowdown on how to put up-not shut up-in the fight for our future.

Known to be a comical activist, Hightower threw out a few quips to the crowd, such as calling other candidates and political parties “confused as goats on Astroturf.”

Josh Fox, on the other hand, was carrying a bottle of dirty water that had Dimock written on it when he approached the podium. The contamination from drilled gas wells in nearby Dimock, Pa. was a focal point in his documentary.

Fox greeted the guests who filled the arena by stating, “Everyone knows what it’s like to be alone in the face of opposition.”

But Sanders, and his entry into the arena, which was at full capacity, was the climax of the day’s event.

Those in attendance were chanting his name and waving signs in the air as Bernie Sanders was led to the podium. It took well over a minute before things quieted enough for Sanders to address his supporters.

One of the very first areas that Sanders touched on, and one close to his heart is climate change.

First, Sanders applauded Binghamton for standing up to Governor Andrew Cuomo and fighting against fracking. He noted that Vermont, his state, was the first to ban fracking.

He stated, “We need to turn our focus away from fossil fuels. Together we will stand up to the fossil fuel industry and tell them it’s not worth losing the planet.”

During his talk, a heckler began to yell something from inside the crowd on the floor – and near the podium. The heckler was removed shortly after he began, and was taken away from the floor without incident.

Sanders also talked about equality as it relates to pay, gender, race and sexual orientation.

On pay for women, Sanders stated that every woman is making $.79 of the $1.00 that is being paid to her male counterparts.

“This camp is listening to women, they want the whole damn dollar,” Sanders quipped.

He also spoke about the minimum wage, and applauded those who fought to get an increase in states where it was approved – to include New York.

Sanders also spoke about education, which was a highlight for the younger Binghamton University crowd that was in attendance. He noted that other countries ensure everyone gets a college education, and that the United States should do the same.

“People need more education than they used to,” said Sanders, adding, “We need to expand public education and make colleges and public institutions free.”

He also spoke on immigration reform and mentioned what he called the “forgotten”, the Native American Indians.

“As some of you may know, we received a lot of gifts from the Native Americans,” said Sanders about nature and the beauty and protection of land.

Sanders also touched on other campaign platforms to include conflict and war, which he was opposed to when the United States went into Iraq. He also talked about corporate greed.

But to make it all happen, he told those in attendance, as he was getting ready to conclude his talk, “Real change never takes place from the top down, it takes place from the bottom up.”

Click here to view more photos from Monday’s town hall meeting.