Fellow Bernie Supporters what attracted you to Bernie? What made you #feelthebern?

[ZM90]

For me it was the fact that Bernie is telling the truth. He tells you that you are getting screwed, how you are getting screwed, who is screwing you, and how we as a people can go about fixing it.

How you are getting screwed: The rich are getting richer while everyone else is getting poorer while we have climate change at our doorstep.

Who is doing the screwing: The billionaire class.

How we can fix it: Democracy at all levels of government, marching in the streets by the millions demanding change, jamming the phone lines and their email systems. After all even if we get Bernie Sanders in the White House he cannot do it alone.

This is a man of absolute honesty and integrity, someone who will represent all of us and not just a handful of billionaires. This is why we need him to be the next President of the United States in my honest opinion.

So what made you #feelthebern?

[ALBliberal]

1. Brunch with Bernie (Thom Hartmann) .... always loved him for his

time commitment to that weekly slot and his logic and intelligence floored me.
But the success of this campaign thus far is astounding! Bern baby Bern!

[cascadiance]

14. Thom's show sold me on him early on too...

Right before that back in the 90's, when Vermont senator Patrick Leahy got me excited about his leadership against the Communications Decency Act portion of the Telecomm Act that even had me wanting him to run for president then. Following Leahy more also had me pay more attention to Republican senator Jim Jeffords and when he left the Senate after becoming an independent at a critical time, and that had me start to be more curious about Sanders then who was being put forth as a replacement for Jeffords then. Didn't know him at all then, so was curious if he was going to be better than a Democrat replacing him or if he would be a better senator himself, given that Jeffords was also an independent for a while. But once I started listening to him on Hartmann not long after that sold me.

[eridani]

15. That's essentially my connection. I was Ready for Warren, but Sanders declared and

--she didn't. I like O'Malley's platform a lot, but he is lacking in the "fire in the belly" department IMO.

[stillwaiting]

20. +1; Listened to him for years and he's very consistent in standing up for his values...

... which are MY values. There are few politicians that I believe are as genuine and sincere in not compromising their values away to financial elite interests, and I am beyond thrilled (and somewhat in shock) that he's running for office.

He is worth fighting for.

There's no better advocate for the things that our country desperately needs.

[Gregorian]

2. His vote against the Iraq war resolution.

And his vision of a friendlier economy than the nasty thing we have now, with sick people struggling to pay for help. And on and on...

Just hearing the truth from someone is what reallly did it.

[arcane1]

3. I felt the Bern years ago, seeing him on tv, C-Span, etc. Wishing he would run.

And now he's running

[sabrina 1]

4. Every time I heard him speak, he was saying things I WISHED other Democrats

would say for so many years.

He never pulled punches, yet he was never nasty. He was firm and there was something about him that made people refrain from attacking him.

Eg, when he laid into Greenspan I felt like standing up and applauding. Where were the Dems on Greenspan?

Bernie exposed him as a stupid, petty man when for years, we were supposed to revere this fool. No one EVER challenged him, that I know of, other than Bernie.An

That's just one example. But his speech on the Iraq War his courageous vote against the Patriot Act.

Imagine if every Dem had joined him when he stood up against the tide and did what was RIGHT and didn't worry about political consequences.

I was impressed by him and longed to see more Dems join him.

He showed that you CAN go after liars, deceivers not that we didn't think you could, but our Reps wouldn't do it, for whatever reason and things just kept getting worse.

He was honest, he had integrity, even when I didn't know a whole lot about him, I just knew that, he exudes authenticity, he is passionate about the issues, and he is NOT packaged by some 'expert' PR group.

Mostly I trusted him, I didn't think he ever did anything to further his career, he did it because it was right.

Since he became a candidate for the WH I have learned a whole lot more about him, and everything I thought was confirmed.

[dorkzilla]

17. perfect on every point

He actually has convictions that cannot be shaken by popular opinion or derision, and somehow popular opinion and facts more or less find his judgment the most sound.

Bernie is, simply put, the most honest and authentic person in government and I'm thrilled to support him. I've never been thrilled to support any candidate before.

[TDale313]

5. His straightforward manner and his focus on wealth inequality.

But truly, so many reasons. What it really comes down to? I trust his judgement even where I disagree with him, and I believe he'd fight for what's right, even when it's not easy- cause he's done it his whole career.

[delrem]

6. I still haven't really "felt the bern" in such a generic way.

I like the man. I like his politics.

I like that - to date - discussions have been about issues, on whether I agree/disagree with Sanders on issues.
I'm very much onside, in that regard.

I'm kinda *old* now. I've been around. I don't expect a fucking messiah.

[ZM90]

7. I get what you are saying.

Nobody is perfect not me, not you, not senator Sanders but he is the most honest and authentic choice that we have available that is for sure.

[delrem]

9. Yup. Keep it to the issues.

IMO gushiness leads to warm purple spaces best left alone.

[Nite Owl]

8. Been following Bernie for years

Since he was in the House. He's always been honest and not afraid to speak of things that others wouldn't dare and they were always what I felt also.

[jfern]

10. I first saw him on TV like 12 years ago

Needless to say, a politician who could actually talk issues left an impression.

[PatrickforO]

11. Single payer healthcare.

Taxing the big corporations that aren't paying their fair share on billions in untaxed profits.

Lifting the payroll tax cap to strengthen and expand Social Security.

Not jumping up and down to get us into another war.

Free tuition at state colleges.

That's why I feel the bern!

[OutNow]

12. Bernie Sanders helped save my pension - I've been feeling the bern for a long time

IBM has a large manufacturing plant in Burlington Vermont, the city where Bernie Sanders was once mayor. then represented in Congress as part of his constituency, and now in the U.S. Senate.

In 1999 IBM announced it was changing its pension program from a defined benefits pension plan to a defined contribution (cash balance) plan. While it may have been a good idea for folks just starting their career, it was a disaster for people that worked for the company for 20 or 30 years only to see their pension benefit cut by 30% to 40%. Congressman Sanders held a town meeting in Burlington to allow IBM employees to better understand these changes since the company itself was providing little information about the change. With the help of a few (and I mean a small handful of his congressional colleagues including Maurice Hinchey and Tom Harkin) they held a Congressional hearing about the changes and the inherent age discrimination involved.

Almost immediately, IBM changed its decision and allowed anyone over age 40 to stay on the old defined benefit pension plan.

IBM has made additional changes to their pension programs since 1999 and most have been bad news for employees. But I'm convinced that Bernie Sanders put the fear of a federal age-discrimination lawsuit into IBM and IBM backed down.

He is the real deal. He's been fighting for workers his entire career. I've been feeling the bern for a long time.

[ZM90]

13. That's a really awesome story.

I'm glad Bernie was able to do something positive for you. Imagine the positive things he will be able to do with the influence of the office of President of the United States .

[Enthusiast]

19. Thank you for sharing your story.

Just imagine, a politician that is actually concerned for our well being, our general welfare.

[retrowire]

16. my wife saw a quote of his on facebook

I don't remember what it was but it totally resonated with us.

then we started looking into him and learned he was running for president. and the rest is history!!!

[Enthusiast]

18. All of it. Bernie is my ideal candidate. POLICIES! The amazing thing is, in the face of this MASSIVE

and growing propaganda effort, Bernie's message still resonates with ever growing number of voters.

I can visualize the haters lined up in the boardrooms brainstorming on ways to discredit Bernie, his message or his followers. They are looking for anything to get a toehold. They are absolutely flabbergasted that their old standard Red Scare tactics are gaining no traction.

[raouldukelives]

21. His constant, and mostly lonely, calls for reigns on the oligarchy.

Calls for caring for our democracy, our veterans, our environment and our legacy as Americans. All things multi-national corporations and those who serve them oppose and attack on daily basis.