Sanders talks UW, Environment to Colorful Crowd in Madison

Madison, Wis. — Democratic Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders was welcomed like a rock star as he walked onto the stage at the Alliant Energy Center. The crowd of more than 8,000 people cheered so loud that they made the sound system screech.

There were many young families and older adults from all over Wisconsin, but the crowd was mostly made up of younger supports in their mid to late-20s.

“It costs less money to send a kid to the University of Wisconsin than to lock them up,” Sanders said. “So let’s do it.”

He also repeated what’s become one of his core campaign promises.

“Fifty years ago in America school was virtually tuition free,” he said. “If it existed 50 years ago, we can do it in 2016.”

To an uninformed observer, the event may have seemed more like a rock concert than a rally.

Audience members, clad in Bernie wigs, shirts, hats and pins, encircled the stage. The crowd was very playful with the senator. One woman wore a custom made Bernie Sanders banana suit. People would occasionally interrupt the Sanders.

“Our average individual contribution is…” said Sanders before being cut off by the audience screaming, “Twenty-seven dollars!” They echoed the Senator. When he would say “huge,” they would yell “huge!” back to him.

In the crowd, a group of older men held signs, one of them read: “Old farts for Bernie. Young farts welcome too.”

James Barry, a retired nurse and Vietnam War veteran, had a white beard, a long pony-tail and a county parks hat on. Barry spoke passionately about the environment.

“In Vietnam, we killed a generation,” said Barry. “Now, we could kill everyone, and no one gives a shit.”

Sanders stated his position about the environment by quoting something he was told by a Native American chief during his campaign.

“As human beings, we need to remember that we are a part of nature,” said Sanders. “We should not destroy it.” He added, “We are going to take on the fossil fuel industry. We are not going to let the planet suffer for their short term profits.”

“We have the money to go to war, but we do not have the money to repair Flint, Michigan,” he said. “That is an outrage.”

The Senator came to Wisconsin to rally support ahead of the state’s Democratic Primary on April 5.

Sanders was around 300 pledged delegates behind Hillary Clinton when he began speaking, but won both Alaska and Washington during his speech and Hawaii later that night. He won all three states by more than 18 points each.

People like young mother Emily Verga were concerned with domestic issues. Since Verga was carrying her newborn, she talked in a quiet voice about her philosophy on healthcare.

“You can judge a nation on how they treat their elders,” she said. “Healthcare is a human right.”

Sanders has been consistent about his belief that the United States needs a single payer healthcare system.

“We are the only country that does not guarantee healthcare,” said Sanders. “We are going to end that.” He added, “substance abuse is not a criminal issue, but a health issue.”

Sanders went through his talking points, then thanked the audience for coming. Starman by David Bowie played over the loud speakers then Sanders waved to the crowd as he left the building.

Sanders will be speaking in Milwaukee on Tuesday, March 29 at State Fair Park