The Wisconsin-based grassroots organization Better With Bernie invited the public to celebrate the opening of its Madison office Tuesday afternoon after Sanders shocked former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by narrowly winning the Michigan primary.
Defiant Madison progressives crowded the small office for cake, campaign buttons and encouragement. They plan to distribute literature and yard signs, knock on doors and hold listening sessions prior to Wisconsin’s April 5 primary where they believe the Vermont Senator will find fertile ground for his “political revolution.”
This past summer’s then-record-breaking crowd of 10,000 admirers at the Alliant Energy Center turned heads, helping Sanders’ fledgling campaign gain legitimacy.
According to Better with Bernie founder Rev. John Stanley, Madison’s progressivism has played a unique role in Sanders’ rise.
“This movement has started really from the recall movement here in Wisconsin,” Stanley beamed. “This has been something we’re ahead of compared to other states is that we have an in-ground system of grassroots around the state that is ready to deal with the issues because we have been so battered and so badly broken by the Walker administration.”
The veteran of a 2011 movement to recall Gov. Scott Walker shrugged off dire predictions that Clinton’s delegate total has grown insurmountable and argued Wisconsin can help reverse Sanders’ fortunes.
“I have a 72-county strategy from Green Bay to Kenosha up to Superior,” Stanley said. “I’m very happy with the turnout we’ve had and I’m very proud of all the people who are working for Bernie Sanders here and all around the state. Keep your eye on Wisconsin to go big for Bernie.”
