Bernie Sanders returns to Vermont to rally supporters
Even before Bernie Sanders was a presidential candidate, he was enough of a local political hero that Angus O'Neil-Dunne made a Sanders wig, found a suit, fixed a pair of glasses on the tip of his nose and dressed up as the Vermont senator for Halloween.
When Sanders made sure to come back to Vermont for the state's presidential primary, O'Neil-Dunne was there - sporting the senator's outfit once again. Then, this weekend, there was a repeat. Sanders departed his home after a meeting with close supporters to begin charting the future of his campaign and mini-Sanders, O'Neil-Dunne, was standing by.
"I think it was good. The whole campaign. He is fair," says O'Neil Dunne. When asked for more specifics, the 9-old pauses. "There are so many things," he explains.
For the past six months, O'Neil-Dunne has had a close eye on the walls of his bedroom where the 2016 primaries and caucuses calendar is taped next to his bed. After every contest he has counted up the delegates won by Sanders.
Sometimes that meant staying up past his bedtime. At this point the tried and true Sanders fan knows the chances for clinching the nomination are slim-to-none but he still wants Sanders to fight through the D.C. primary on Tuesday.
In Burlington, O'Neil-Dunner is in good company.When Bernie Sanders flew into Burlington on Thursday night, after what was presumably his final big campaign rally, a group of over 30 Vermonters stood ready to meet him. After having avoided questions from the press all day, Sanders passed up the opportunity to speak to the cameras and headed straight for the crowd.
After a few minutes of a hometown welcome, Sanders declared, "Go home. It so cold out!" He hopped in his car and headed home to sleep in his bed for the first time in 31 days.
Yet throughout the weekend, despite the chilly temperatures, supporters kept coming back.
When Sanders went to the local studio to tape the Sunday shows Chris Vaccaro, a University of Vermont professor got a photo with the hometown hero and thanked him for the campaign he has run. Vaccaro's necklace, which resembled a bike chain, was so heavy that it made a noisy clanging sound when he jumped for joy after the interaction.
"I am proud to see what comes of this. All of this work. All of this blood and tears. I am excited to see a truly progressive Democratic party emerge out of this," Vaccaro explained. He does not believe Sanders should make the pro-Clinton pivot just yet. And Sanders is on his wavelength.
"What we are is enormously proud of what we have accomplished," Sanders said as he spoke to reporters on his front lawn after spending a few hours pow-wowing with close supporters.
"What today's discussion was about was not only comparing notes about this campaign. What it was primarily talking about and understanding that elections come and go but political revolutions are not depended upon election day," Sanders said as he promised to take his campaign and ideas to transform the Democratic party to the convention. Sanders refused to recognize Clinton as the Democratic nominee.
Next to Sanders' front door lay a perfectly stacked, almost-full pile of chopped firewood. The pile is either evidence that the campaign lasted for longer than Sanders anticipated or it is the result of the Sanders inability to plan ahead far enough to cancel their yearly firewood order. Either way, most of that firewood didn't go to use this winter as Sanders and his wife Jane were on the campaign trail.
His stalwart Vermont supporters are not surprised by how far he has come.
"I am proud that he was able to take his campaign beyond Vermont and really get his message across," said Gretchen Argraves, one of Sanders' many Vermont supporters.
Was Argraves, a 44-yr old who works at UVM, agreed.
"We have a history here in Vermont of starting small and becoming rather noticeable. You know Ben and Jerry and Green Mountain Coffee. We have a lot of ideas that start right here at home and really resonate across the country so I as not all that surprised that that happened with Bernie," she said.
Sanders called more than 20 of his close allies to his home for what he deemed an "exciting" and "productive" discussion. The end of that talk set off a neighborhood celebration where Argraves was standing in awe of what Sanders has accomplished.
Last week was a harsh dose of reality: Clinton accrued enough delegates to clinch the nomination, Sanders lost the California primary and President Obama backed Clinton less than two hours after meeting with Sanders in the Oval Office. But even on a dreary gray day, the vibrancy of Van Patten Parkway, the road he lives on, appeared to rejuvenate Sanders.
The Bernie or Bust mentality is evident even from a visual standpoint: on his street alone there are at least 15 homes whose lawns are decorated with Bernie Sanders posters. Just a few blocks away there is a boxy orange Volkswagen van with a sticker that reads: "Spent a little time in the mountains. Spent enough time on the Hill. Grateful for Bernie 2016."
Sanders' neighborhood, the new North End of Burlington, is teeming with Vermonters who have watched him for a long time. They say that even before he was in a presidential candidate he would still keep busy in Washington because he "took his job very seriously" but they would often see him shopping in Hannaford's, a local store. One resident chuckles as he imitates Sanders crouched over a grocery cart like any everyday guy running errands.
Sanders friendly spoke to the press after his little meet-and-greet and then he headed over to that group.
"Anybody else want a picture?" Sanders said with a shrug and a smile. "Ok, come on down." When reporters tried to interrupt and ask Sanders about Obama endorsing Clinton he brushed them off to take more photos. A Vermonter with a biking helmet and a rain jacket hopped into Sanders' arms. He yelled "Bernie" and snapped a selfie.
"I've done this all over the country, I should do it in Burlington," Sanders announced with a playful voice. Cheering broke out.
Over the coming weeks Sanders will have to decide if he wholeheartedly backs Hillary Clinton or not. At this point he is still pointing to his own political revolution as the fuel to his fire. He says he will "absolutely" take the campaign to "transform the Democratic party" to the convention and to congress.
For now Sanders is connecting to his Vermont roots. That means newfound energy; it may also mean newfound clarity on how he feels about Clinton. A few years ago when O'Neil Dunne was trick-or-treating as Bernie Sanders he went to Sanders' home. He got candy from the Senator and so too did his little sister.
His little sister was dressed up as Hillary Clinton.