Bernie Sanders is once again a hot topic of conversation and not just for his rollout of aggressive new economic policies in Congress. For many individuals, the mention of his name currently brings to mind an image of a crotchety older man sitting with his arms crossed, wearing fashionable mittens and a warm fluffy coat.
Although Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont is much more than a fashionably aging hipster, the image of him wearing cozy mittens while attending the January 2021 inauguration of America’s new President-elect Joe Biden has caused quite a stir across the world’s social media platforms.
Who is this mitten-savvy man that’s causing all the fuss?
Sanders is a prominent figure within the United State’s political arena, widely recognized for his infamous filibuster speech criticizing a bipartisan tax deal in 2010 and his campaigns for the 2016 and 2020 Democratic presidential nominations.
Sanders’s political career began in 1981 when he was elected mayor of Burlington, Vermont, which inevitably led to his 1991 election into the U.S House of Representatives, followed by his election to the U.S Senate in 2006.
While Sanders is the longest-serving independent in Senate history, he is a self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist who has been a vocal civil rights activist and loyal advocate for working-class Americans throughout his life and political career.
It can be easy to see why Sanders’s actions and philosophies are hard for some people to swallow, especially those of the conservative persuasion.
Because of Sanders’s anti-establishment style and his progressive liberal agenda on climate change, healthcare, minimum wage, and tuition-free college, Sanders has been able to crossover the generational gap and obtain a significant following from Millennials and Gen-Zers.
Considered by some to be a radical leftist, Sanders is already making waves throughout Capital Hill with his new position as the Senate Budget Committee Chairman for the United States.
Sanders has said that his choice of attire for President Biden’s inauguration was based purely on his attempt to stay warm during the ceremony. Little did he know how viral his inauguration outfit would become.
Sanders’s fashionable mittens and puffy brown coat have fueled endless memes on social media, leading to his iconic image becoming immortalized in new apparel and personal tattoos.
Who would have thought that all it would take was Sanders in his stylish mittens to nearly outshine one of the most significant presidential inaugurations in decades?
For a moment, some of our nation’s citizens almost forgot about their dislike of Sanders and his progressive economic agenda and liberal views as his grumpy yet chic profile temporarily overshadowed their disdain for the man during the presidential inauguration.
Although how anyone could dislike a person who advocates for economic equality, universal healthcare, lowering carbon emissions, labor rights, and the pursuit of diplomacy with foreign nations is beyond me.
Regardless if you are a fan of the mitten-clad warrior of the working class, one thing is for sure, he makes no apologies for who he is or what he believes in, and like it or not, Sanders and his mittens are in it for the long haul.