Vermont's Sanders stirs pot on policy, politics

[cali]

7:59 PM, Mar. 26, 2011 |


Written by
Sam Hemingway, Free Press Staff Writer

SOUTH BURLINGTON — Sen. Bernie Sanders’ eyes grew wide as he walked into the cafeteria of South Burlington High School and surveyed the crowd of 250 who had come to hear him speak one recent night.

<snip>

Sanders, 69, waved briefly when some of the attendees looked up from their paper-plate dinners of lasagna, salad, bread and cookies to greet him with a smattering of unprovoked applause.

Sanders shouldn’t have been surprised at Thursday’s turnout.

<snip>

This standing-room-only crowd was enjoying the free dinner, but what they really were here for was a heaping plate of policy and politics — Sanders style — as he begins to gear up for a likely 2012 re-election bid.

<snip>

“At a time when millions and millions of working people are struggling to get by, it makes no sense to me to make savage cuts on programs that people depend upon for life-or-death issues,” Sanders said, his voice booming across the room. “I’m going to do everything I can to oppose those cuts.”

<snip>

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20110327/NEWS03/110326002/1009/RSS01/Vermont-s-Sanders-stirs-pot-policy-politics-?odyssey=nav|head

[xchrom]

1. ...

:applause:

[cali]

2. I really like Bernie's town halls.

He holds one at least once a year in my little town. very relaxed- pot luck dinner and lots of good exchanges.

[Scuba]

3. Love ya, Bernie !!

[grahamhgreen]

4. Kick. If we can afford to help Libyans, we can afford to help Americans.

[msongs]

5. Sanders is what Obama should and would be if Obama cared less about pleasing republicans nt