History UsefulNotes / BernieSanders

Sanders's 2016 political campaign gained massive traction among young people, and many of his notable positions, such as a 15-dollar hourly minimum wage, have become part of the Democratic Party's mainstream platform. In 2019, Sanders announced his intention to run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, with his campaign drawing heavily from his strong base from the 2016 primary cycle. After receiving stiff competition from former Vice President UsefulNotes/JoeBiden, Bernie officially withdrew from the primary in April, making Biden the official Democratic Presidential candidate for 2020.

* MemeticMutation: "I am once again asking for your financial support."[[note]]Both of Sanders' presidential campaigns have been almost entirely funded by small donations from layman supporters. During the 2020 election, Sanders put out a campaign ad which showed him in the middle of a winter landscape, speaking directly to the viewer, his monologue opening with, "I am once again asking for your financial support." The image of Sanders from the ad captioned with the aforementioned quote later became a popular meme.[[/note]]

* AluminumChristmasTrees: Sanders is not the first Jewish person to win a major-party presidential primary; it was the Arizona Republican Barry Goldwater in 1964.[[note]]Goldwater's Jewish ethnicity (his father was the son of Jewish immigrants from Poland and England) is often overlooked because he was an Episcopalian and rarely publicly identified as Jewish.[[/note]]

Sanders's 2016 political campaign gained massive traction among young people, and many of his notable positions, such as a 15-dollar hourly minimum wage, have become part of the Democratic Party's mainstream platform. In 2019, Sanders announced his intention to run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, with his campaign drawing heavily from his strong base from the 2016 primary cycle. After receiving stiff competition from former Vice President UsefulNotes/JoeBiden, Bernie officially withdrew from the nominations in April, making Biden the official Democratic Presidential candidate for 2020.

Sanders' 2016 political campaign gained massive traction among young people, and many of his notable positions, such as a 15-dollar hourly minimum wage, have become part of the Democratic Party's mainstream platform. In 2019, Sanders announced his intention to run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, with his campaign drawing heavily from his strong base from the 2016 primary cycle. After receiving stiff competition from former Vice President UsefulNotes/JoeBiden Bernie officially withdrew from the nominations in April, making Biden the official Democratic Presidential candidate for 2020.

* AlterKocker / GrumpyOldMan: Often appears in political cartoons and the like portrayed this way.

* CrazyPrepared / GenreSavvy: After one too many disingenuous acts of concern trolling (plus a few genuine cases of actual lack of understanding) about how he would pay for all his plans, Bernie was predictably expecting the same question yet again in a CNN town hall, except this time [[https://youtu.be/hYmlzB7AIWM?t=3m51s he brought along a receipt]] for the complete breakdown of his plans' costs and told the audience it would be up on his campaign website as well.

Sanders' 2016 political campaign gained massive traction among young people, and many of his notable positions, such as a 15-dollar hourly minimum wage, have become part of the Democratic Party's mainstream platform. In 2019, Sanders announced his intention to run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, with his campaign drawing heavily from his strong base from the 2016 primary cycle. He is one of the top two candidates in the race as of Super Tuesday 2020, with only former Vice President UsefulNotes/JoeBiden providing him significant competition.

* ''Sweet Hearts Dance'' (1988) [[TheDanza as Bernie]], a friendly neighbor giving out candy to some rude [[TeensAreMonsters Trick-or-Treaters]]

* AffectionateNickname: Known as "America's Dad, Bernie Sanders" by many progressive leftists, thanks to political commentator Creator/KyleKulinski coining that nickname. He's also called "America's Grandpa," and, by his Hispanic and Arab supporters, "Tío Bernie" or "Amo Bernie."[[note]]These mean "Uncle Bernie" in Spanish and Arabic, respectively.[[/note]]

* InsistentTerminology: Although Sanders describes himself as a democratic socialist, more hardline socialists [[NoTrueScotsman sometimes criticize him for this]] because his policies are closer to social democracy (i.e., a mixed economy, or capitalism with strong labor unions and extensive public services). Ironically, more often, [[RedScare the "socialist" label is used]] [[ContemptCrossfire by his political opponents to attack him.]]

Bernie Sanders gained national attention during the 2016 presidential election cycle, in which he almost secured the Democratic Party nomination away from the obvious candidate, UsefulNotes/HillaryRodhamClinton.[[note]]Despite technically being an Independent, Sanders caucuses with the Democrats in Congress. Nevertheless, running for the party's nomination without officially being a member of it was the subject of some controversy.[[/note]] Although he didn't win,[[note]]Some people attribute this to corruption within the Democratic National Committee, as Bernie was generally considered the more popular candidate.[[/note]] his massive grassroots campaign came very close, and his candidacy inspired other significant political figures such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to run for office. Sanders is known for his progressive, left-wing political positions. A self-described democratic socialist, he supports a single-payer health care system in the form of Medicare for All and a massive overhaul of the United States' energy economy through a Green New Deal. He is also notably critical of the United States' habit of engaging in foreign regime change, particularly during UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror, supports a two-state solution to the UsefulNotes/ArabIsraeliConflict, and has passionately fought for the rights of the UsefulNotes/LGBTCommunity since long before the topic became a mainstream issue. He also advocates for criminal justice reform, automatic voter registration, and is notably the only candidate to call to Abolish ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and return to the immigration enforcement system used prior to 2003 (where the responsibility was carried by several different agencies).

* AffectionateNickname: Known as "America's Dad, Bernie Sanders" by many progressive leftists, thanks to political commentator Creator/KyleKulinski coining that nickname. He's also called "America's Grandpa," and, by his Hispanic and Arab supporters, "Tío Bernie" or "Amo Bernie."[[note]]Which means "Uncle Bernie" in Spanish and Arabic, respectively.[[/note]]

* ChekhovsGunman: Then a freshman Senator little-known outside New England, Sanders was first introduced to a national audience in the 2009 Creator/MichaelMoore documentary ''Film/CapitalismALoveStory''. In an interview, Sanders explains his socialist philosophy and how it might help America in the wake of the Great Recession. A decade later, Sanders is one of the most famous politicians in America.

* CrazyPrepared / GenreSavvy: After one too many disingenuous concern trolling(plus a few genuine cases of actual lack of understanding) about how he would pay for all his plans, Bernie was predictably expecting the same question yet again in a CNN town hall, except this time [[https://youtu.be/hYmlzB7AIWM?t=3m51s he brought along a receipt]] for the complete breakdown of his plans' costs and told the audience it would be up on his campaign website as well.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: While Mayor of Burlington, Sanders starred in a weekly public access TV show called ''Series/BernieSpeaksWithTheCommunity'', which aired from 1986 to 1988. Each episode revolved around Sanders' interactions with the community and him discussing the current events surrounding the city. Political news website ''Politico'' unearthed and publicized the series in 2019 and all episodes of it have since been uploaded to Website/YouTube. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AwCZIJunBI The March 5, 1988 episode]] in which Sanders visits the Burlington Square Mall and talks to passers-by is particularly popular due to a scene where he talks to a pair of young goths.
* FauxHorrific: Bernie made an awesomely hilarious mockery of billionaires whining at the very idea of a wealth tax at a Grassroots Fundraiser in D.C.
-->'''Bernie:''' [[https://youtu.be/i9vQYjKvILc?t=17m46s The billionaires are actually getting very emotional, they're breaking down (whiny voice) "They want to take our money! Oh my God! How terrible can these people be?! We only have a 150 billion dollars! They want us to pay taxes! What is this country coming to?!"]]

* FriendToAllLivingThings: After a bird landed on his podium during a speech in his 2016 campaign, there were jokes abound that mother nature had given Bernie Sanders her support, given his strong environmentalist stance. This incident earned Bernie the nickname "Birdie Sanders."

* YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame: Inverted, the hatred from wealthy, influential magnates fill him with pride. Bernie released [[https://berniesanders.com/anti-endorsements/ a list of wealthy individuals]], mostly [=CEOs=], who hate him with a passion while listing out several of their shady financial practices. Borrowing a quote from UsefulNotes/FranklinDRoosevelt,[[BadassBoast “I ask you to judge me by the enemies I have made.”]]

* ''Sweet Hearts Dance'' (1988) as Bernie, a friendly neighbor giving out candy to some rude [[TeensAreMonsters Trick-or-Treaters]]

* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' , "Titanic" sketch (2016) as a passenger on the ship

* In ''Film/BirdsOfPrey'', Harley Quinn claims that one of the reasons why one of her enemies hates her is because she "voted for Bernie".

* Is portrayed by Creator/LarryDavid on Saturday Night Live

* ''Series/WhoIsAmerica'' as himself

* ''Sweet Hearts Dance'' (1988) as Bernie, a man passing out candy to Trick-or-Treaters

Sanders' 2016 political campaign gained massive traction among young people, and many of his notable positions, such as a 15-dollar hourly minimum wage, have become part of the Democratic Party's mainstream platform. In 2019, Sanders announced his intention to run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, with his campaign drawing heavily from his strong base from the 2016 primary cycle. He is one of the top two candidates in the race as of Super Tuesday 2020, with UsefulNotes/JoeBiden being his fiercest rival.

Sanders' 2016 political campaign gained massive traction among young people, and many of his notable positions, such as a 15-dollar hourly minimum wage, have become part of the Democratic Party's mainstream platform. In 2019, Sanders announced his intention to run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, with his campaign drawing heavily from his strong base from the 2016 primary cycle. After his strong victories in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada,[[note]]A popular vote victory in Iowa and wins outright in Nevada and New Hampshire[[/note]] he has been seen as the front runner for the 2020 primary cycle.

* AffectionateNickname: Known as "America's Dad, Bernie Sanders" by many progressive leftists, thanks to political commentator Creator/KyleKulinski coining that nickname.

Sanders' 2016 political campaign gained massive traction among young people, and many of his notable positions, such as a 15-dollar hourly minimum wage, have become part of the Democratic Party's mainstream platform. In 2019, Sanders announced his intention to run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, with his campaign drawing heavily from his strong base from the 2016 primary cycle. After his strong victories in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada,[[note]]A popular vote victory in Iowa (and a delegate count all but tied with Pete Buttigieg) and outright wins in Nevada and New Hampshire.[[/note]] he has been seen as the front runner for the 2020 primary cycle.

* ''Bernie Speaks with the Community'' (1986–1988) as himself, the mayor of Burlington, Vermont

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: While Mayor of Burlington, Sanders starred in a weekly public access TV show called ''Bernie Speaks with the Community'', which aired from 1986 to 1988. Each episode revolved around Sanders' interactions with the community and him discussing the current events surrounding the city. Political news website ''Politico'' unearthed and publicized the series in 2019 and all episodes of it have since been uploaded to Website/YouTube. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AwCZIJunBI The March 5, 1988 episode]] in which Sanders visits the Burlington Square Mall and talks to passers-by is particularly popular due to a scene where he talks to a pair of young goths.

** Sanders was in his mid-40s when ''Bernie Speaks With the Community'' aired, though a viewer could easily mistake him for being in his 60s. On [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSVQoTd_sUk the July 3, 1987]] episode a child tells Sanders that he looks like Doc Brown from Film/BackToTheFuture.

* InsistentTerminology: Although Sanders describes himself as a democratic socialist, more hardline socialists [[NoTrueScotsman sometimes criticize him for this]] because his policies are closer to social democracy (i.e., a mixed economy, or capitalism with extensive public services). Ironically, more often, [[RedScare the "socialist" label is used]] [[ContemptCrossfire by his political opponents to attack him.]]

* BourgeoisBohemian: He himself is fairly wealthy, and as a result he's often accused of being this by his political opponents. However, considering that his opposition is primarily against big ''corporations'', whereas he became wealthy through his senatorial salary and the sales of his books, it falls a little flat.

* MemeticMutation: "I am once again asking for your financial support."

!!Tropes pertaining to Bernie Sanders' appearances and portrayals in media:

Sanders' 2016 political campaign gained massive traction among young people, and many of his notable positions, such as a 15-dollar hourly minimum wage, have become part of the Democratic Party's mainstream platform. In 2019, Sanders announced his intention to run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, with his campaign drawing heavily from his strong base from the 2016 primary cycle. After his strong victories in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada[[note]]A popular vote victory in Iowa (and a delegate count all but tied with Pete Buttigieg) and outright wins in Nevada and New Hampshire.[[/note]], he has been seen as the front runner for the 2020 primary cycle.

Sanders' 2016 political campaign gained massive traction among young people, and many of his notable positions, such as a 15-dollar hourly minimum wage, have become part of the Democratic Party's mainstream platform. In 2019, Sanders announced his intention to run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. His campaign draws heavily off of his strong base from the 2016 primary cycle, and after his strong victories in Iowa and New Hampshire,[[note]]He won the New Hampshire primary outright and won the popular vote in Iowa's caucus, while he all but tied with Pete Buttigieg for delegates won there.[[/note]], followed by a predicted victory, yet less predicted landslide victory, in Nevada, he is seen as one of the most popular candidates in the race (if not the outright front-runner).