I’m attending a Bernie rally in Poughkeepsie, NY later today and not only am I feeling the Bern and excited to be going, but I am as excited that one of the speakers will be Michael Stipe of REM, one of my favorite bands from my undergraduate days in the 1980s.
And I should note that while Hillary is drawing on the support of corporate performers like Demi Lovato and Katy Perry at her rally, Bernie’s base of musical supporters are much cooler, and much more indie!
Anyway, here for some reminiscing about some of better aspects of the 80s is this
and this
The former R.E.M. frontman says his positions on civil rights and other social and political issues are nearly identical to Sanders'. "I'm a feminist. I've marched, supported and fought for black rights, privacy rights and LGBTQ rights. I'm deeply concerned about the environment. I'm completely freaked out by fracking," Stipe says. "Sanders takes positions on all of these issues that have [outshone] any other candidate that I've seen — and I have looked, believe me. I identify with him. I'm a proud liberal, but I also lean more center when it comes to policy. I get it that there are people who don't see things exactly the way I do.
"I've been around long enough to see when a politician is waffling or dodging hard questions, or trying to alter or rewrite the positions they have taken," adds the singer. "Sanders is refreshingly not that. Listen, politics is not easy, and America is so vast — there are lots of different viewpoints out there. It's refreshing to have a candidate who speaks his mind, who makes sense, who isn't demagogic. His appeal and his honesty — once people see who he is and what he stands for — is perfect for now. It's very 21st century. It is idealistic, but also realistic."