“I Had Tears in My Eyes at Last Night’s Bernie Rally”

Event Was Historic Occasion Where So Many Progressives Come Together

The Old OB Hippie Speaks

There were tears in my wrinkled eyes last night at the Bernie Sanders rally at the Convention Center in downtown San Diego. I couldn’t help it.

There were so many young people – it was so amazing. It was historic. And the crowd was so diverse – it was even more amazing. And even more historic. I was simply overwhelmed by it all.

There was no beer being served, as this was not a beerfest.

There was no live music, as this was not a concert.

This was politics in San Diego – thousands of people – reportedly more than 13,000 – had gathered and stood in long lines – a mile long it was said repeatedly – for hours.

It was an historic occasion that so many progressives or at least people supporting a progressive or curious about a progressive showed up.

This doesn’t happen often – where literally thousands of progressives come together – in San Diego – at the same time.

I’ve been around. I was at the very first, large anti-Vietnam war demonstration in San Diego in September of 1969 where 10,000 marched up Broadway and then up 6th for a huge rally in the natural amphitheater.

This was bigger.

I was at the very first huge march of the Occupy San Diego movement in October 2011, when 4,000 demonstrators marched out of Children’s Park in downtown San Diego and over to the Civic Center.

This was bigger.

I’ve seen the May Day marches of San Diegans over the years – and this was bigger – except for one event where thousands of Mexican-Americans and Latinos demonstrated for immigration reform.

This was bigger than any Democratic presidential candidate campaign stop in recent San Diego history.

This was such a young crowd last night that I swear the largest applause line was when Sanders called for the removal of marijuana from the federal schedule 1 drug list – that list that includes heroin.

Bernie spoke to all of them and had many applause lines that brought the massive crowd even closer together.

I gather from common sense that last night’s event was the very first large political campaign rally that many present had ever been to. After all, this is San Diego.

I had tears in me eyes because I was so pleased, that there were so many young and diverse people who cared enough about Bernie, about politics – about their future, our future, to come out and stand for hours on hard concrete.

And Bernie spoke to them, each one of them.  These kids, I realized, were the future, the future of San Diego.

Last night, Bernie spoke to the future of San Diego.

I was so relieved, I cried.

San Diego – and the future – are definitely in good hands.