Veterans for Bernie Sanders

Veterans for Bernie Sanders (also known as Vets for Bernie) was the national grassroots association of military veterans organized on behalf of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders during his 2016 presidential campaign. Vets for Bernie was independent from the official campaign and largely organized via social media, with more than 50,000 military members and over 100,000 followers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Founded by veterans of the Iraq war and Afghanistan war, Vets for Bernie became a key organizing force for progressives and military voters for the Sanders campaign. [1]

Veterans for Bernie Sanders
Formation2015
FounderTyson Manker
TypeGrassroots Association
PurposeProgressive US Politics
Membership
50,000–100,000
Websitehttp://vetsforbernie.org

Origins

Vets for Bernie was founded in June 2015 by former United States Marine Tyson Manker, a veteran of the 2003 Iraq invasion,[2] at Sanders' first town hall event at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.[3][4][5] After The Boston Globe indicated wider military support for the Senator,[6] Manker and several other veterans began organizing themselves and working to identify other like-minded members of the United States Armed Forces.[7] Air Force veteran Alexandra Ducatte joined VFB as National co-director, and membership eventually grew across all fifty states, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

Activities

2016 primary

Bernie Sanders served as chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee,[8] and was the first 2016 candidate for President to fully embrace the U.S. military with a robust veterans platform.[9] He faced criticisms, however, for not preventing the Veterans Health Administration Scandal of 2014 that occurred during his tenure as committee chair. Through their website, Vets for Bernie highlighted the various awards and honors given to Sanders for his career of veterans advocacy and handling of the 2014 scandal.[10][11][12][13][14] VFB was credited for developing innovative "social media content based around endorsements from individual veterans."[1]

On July 30, 2015, Manker promoted Vets for Bernie and military support for Sanders in a live interview with John Seigenthaler on Al Jazeera America.[15][16]

Vets for Bernie volunteers worked loosely with the Sanders campaign to organize veterans to attend local rallies. Early on, the Sanders campaign staged a military veterans press conference in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with assistance from Vets for Bernie.[17][18] VFB participated in Enough is Enough,[19] Netroots Nation, and People's Summit. Along with the larger People for Bernie group, VFB was credited with using effective mobilization techniques.[20]

On March 25, 2016, the Sanders campaign held a national conference call on Veterans' Issues with Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), Manker and VFB Senior Advisor, Colonel Gordon Sumner, U.S. Army, ret.[21] Later, Vets for Bernie organized veterans to take part in a New York City photo session in support of Sanders' candidacy.[22][23]

Gettysburg rally

On April 22, the Sanders campaign held a military rally for veterans at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, with help from Vets for Bernie.[24][25]

VetsForBernie.org

Through a website (now restored), Vets for Bernie published over one hundred original news-style blog posts, which were shared more than one million times on social media. Most popular posts included:

  • Who Are Bernie Sanders’ Top Contributors? Active Duty Army, Navy, & Air Force, That’s Who
  • Bernie Sanders Remains Top Choice of U.S. Troops
  • The Lack of Military and Veteran Support for Hillary Clinton Should Concern You

Individual outreach blogs, including:

  • 95 Year-Old WWII Vet Voted for Bernie Sanders Today in Mississippi
  • Meet Mark Maxey, the Bearded Man at Bernie’s OKC Rally
  • Meet Leslie Lee III – Writer, Teacher, Bernie Sanders Supporter
  • Police Chief: Bernie Is the First Candidate to Ever Offer and Pay Police Overtime

And at least one instance of serious journalism in a blog that analyzed video and photographic evidence to effectively debunk false accusations being leveled at the time that the Sanders campaign shared photographs from the Civil Rights Movement that were not of Sanders, when in fact they were.[26]

Post-election and beyond

Along with other grassroots associations, Vets for Bernie continues to organize military veterans across America.[27] Democratic candidate Tim Canova earned the first official endorsement from VFB in his first unsuccessful bid to unseat Debbie Wasserman Schultz.[28] Vets for Bernie advises progressive candidates for Congress on military issues, most recently in drafting the veterans platform for Stephen Jaffe, candidate for California's 12th Congressional District.[29]

References
  1. "Veterans for Bernie Sanders: Why the anti-war candidate is so beloved by former soldiers". Salon. October 24, 2015.
  2. "US Marine Corps (USMC) Corporal (CPL) Tyson Manker, during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM". archives.gov. March 24, 2003.
  3. "Bernie Sanders Thrills Large Crowd At Iowa Town Hall". Huffington Post. June 13, 2015.
  4. "Bernie Sanders's Long-Shot Campaign Is Picking Up Speed". The Wall Street Journal. June 16, 2016.
  5. "In Des Moines, Bernie Sanders' Supporters Nearly Steal the Show". Bloomberg. June 15, 2015.
  6. "Bernie Sanders' surge is partly fueled by veterans". Boston Globe. June 28, 2016.
  7. "Vets for Bernie: Why Thousands of Veterans Are Rallying Behind an Unexpected Candidate". Huffington Post. February 2, 2016.
  8. "How Bernie Sanders Fought for Our Veterans". Politico. July 2, 2015.
  9. "Caring for our Veterans". BernieSanders.com.
  10. "Honors". Veterans for Bernie Sanders.
  11. "Sanders receives award for defending veterans". Brattleboro Reformer. April 10, 2014.
  12. "Sanders, Miller receive Legion's Patriot Award". Legion.org. August 28, 2014.
  13. "Sanders seen as strong advocate for veterans". USA Today. March 9, 2013.
  14. "VFW Recognizes Sen. Bernie Sanders With Award". April 7, 2015.
  15. "Local resident talks about getting involved in presidential election". WLDS News. August 19, 2015.
  16. "America Votes 2016". July 31, 2015.
  17. "Sanders to Hold Veterans Press Conference in Cedar Rapids". BernieSanders.com.
  18. "Sanders: Vets are our greatest national debt". USA Today. July 17, 2015.
  19. "Enough is Enough- San Francisco Civic Center". World News Network. November 23, 2015.
  20. "Bernie Sanders Builds a People's Army". The Daily Beast. July 29, 2015.
  21. "National Conference Call on Veterans' Issues with Rep. Tulsi Gabbard". BernieSanders.com. Archived from the original on 2017-08-01.
  22. "#Vets4Bernie: veterans speak out in support of Bernie Sanders – in pictures". The Guardian. April 19, 2016.
  23. "Veterans for Bernie Sanders". ClaytonCubitt.com.
  24. "Bernie speaks for veterans at Gettysburg College". Gettysburgian. April 27, 2016.
  25. "Sanders supporters feel the Bern in Gettysburg". USA Today. April 22, 2016.
  26. "AMAZING! Filmmaker and Photographer RECORD EACH OTHER During Bernie Sanders' Civil Rights Arrest! (Frame-by-Frame breakdown)". Veterans for Bernie Sanders. February 20, 2016.
  27. "Life After Bernie". New York Times. June 7, 2016.
  28. "We Endorse Tim Canova for Congress Over Debbie Wasserman Schultz". TimCanova.com. Mar 10, 2016. Archived from the original on March 26, 2019.
  29. "Jaffe for Congress Veterans Plan".
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