Written by Marcos Camargo
Approximately thirty people gathered at the home of Dorothy and Gary Engelman on Wednesday, July 29, to watch a short broadcast by presidential candidate Bernie Sanders as part of an “organizing kickoff” to support his campaign. The gathering included people from a wide range of age groups and from both political parties.
Sanders has emerged as the top challenger of Hillary Clinton in her bid to gain the Democratic nomination for president. He has built his campaign on the slogan ‘Enough is Enough,’ citing the need for extensive social and economic reforms. During the broadcast, he tackled big political issues such as prison reform, racial inequality, high cost of college tuition, and healthcare reform. Sanders has become a favorite among progressives around the country who believe Clinton will not go far enough in enacting a progressive agenda.
One of the hosts of the event, Dorothy Engelman, is the former chair of the Washington County Democratic Party and currently sits on the board of the Utah Democratic Party. She said that there are a lot of things she likes about Hillary, but there are more things she likes about Sanders.
“He connects a lot more with everyday people,’ said Engelman. “Especially when we look at the whole Citizens United thing and money in politics. I’m tired of politics-as-usual with both parties.”
Although Engelman admitted that Clinton will most likely gain the nomination, she believes Sanders can positively impact the election.
“If nothing else, Bernie raises issues,” said Engelman.
Among the issues Sanders is hammering, the high cost of college tuition has garnered him major support among both the young and old. Engelman said Sanders’ interest in providing all Americans with affordable higher education is one of his strongest talking points.
“Young people, when they come out of college, are already in debt,” said Engelman. “And anyone who’s been in debt knows how hard it is to get out of it, especially when you’re looking at compounding interest.”
Engelman stated how excited she was with the turnout at the event.
“I’m delighted with our turnout tonight,” said Engelman. “Especially considering this is one of three [Bernie organizing kickoffs] in Washington County… The age range really impressed me. We have people from their 20s to their 70s here tonight.”
Jake Pruett was among those in attendance. Pruett is a registered Republican who has become disenfranchised with his Party and sees in Sanders the opportunity for Americans to rally around issues rather than party politics.
“I grew up a Utah Mormon, did the mission thing, registered as a Republican,” said Pruett. “But over the years, as I’ve seen the things Republicans vote for, I realized they’re not voting in the best interests of the middle-class. A book that really changed my mind on a lot of things was “Capital in the 21st Century.” When we look at a lot of the most developed countries in the world, it’s depressing where the U.S. is in terms of happiness. There are a lot of things that we don’t do well in this country, but we keep telling ourselves that we are number one. We have to be frank with ourselves and say, ‘Things aren’t working. What progressive things can we do to bring ourselves into the 21st century?’”
Sanders has built his campaign on a grassroots organization style, asking for boots-on-the-ground volunteers. His campaign has preferred a strategy of gathering many small donations in favor of fewer large corporate contributions.
The Washington County Democratic Party invites anyone interested in helping with Bernie Sanders’ campaign to text WORK to 82623 to receive volunteer information.
