www.tiktok.com/@bernie?lang=en What kind of crazy, f*cked up world do we live in where an octogenarian from Vermont is hipper and more in touch with the zeitgeist of the country than Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries and the rest of the Democratic party honchos.
In case you missed the memo, TikTok is once again available in the Apple and Google app stores. So if you haven't yet signed up...
Then again, today's "New York Times" reviews two anti-internet books. What chance does our country have when its left wing intelligentsia is completely out of touch with the populace and furthermore looks down upon it?
Last week I spoke with Terence Reilly, president of HeyDude shoes, an $800 million dollar business. But you may know him as the man behind the surge in adoption of the Stanley Quencher, you know, that tall thermos-type cup that seemingly every woman has. Reilly improved sales of said Quencher by ten times when he was president of that company. And before that he was the man who brought back Crocs.
You may or may not like any of these products, but Reilly boosted the sales of all of them via social media. Forget traditional print, TV advertising. Reilly combs social media every day, not all day, but a lot of it. That's where he gets his ideas. That's where he was inspired to do a Lainey Wilson Stanley cup. And Reilly says he addresses women first, because they set trends. They decide what is cool. They've got groups, they talk, then they act. This is not what men do, they're too busy jockeying for position.
Reilly also emphasizes "fast." This is one thing the techies understand that most politicians do not. Then again, Trump is now associated with Musk and they're acting so fast that the Democrats are blinded by the light.
But all we've got is the usual suspects bloviating in print and on cable TV news. Sometimes with brilliant insight, but oftentimes seen by few.
I point you to David Brooks's column last week:
"Can We Please Stop Calling These People Populists? - Trumpism is not a working-class revolt against the elites. All I see is one section of the educated elite going after another section of the educated elite"
Free link:
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/13/opinion/trump-populism-elites.html?unlocked_article_code=1.xU4.klaF.EbE_iGqRfmqz&smid=url-share Things are not looking good for the less educated and the less wealthy.
"People without college degrees die about eight years sooner than people with four-year degrees."
It's been well documented, poor people don't live as long as wealthy people. Why? The rich get better health care.
But that's only the tip of the iceberg. No one is standing up for the less fortunate in America, whether it be Bill Clinton pushing NAFTA, high-paying blue collar jobs disappearing with no retraining, or Trump's efforts today.
Except for Bernie Sanders. Who has a long history of standing up for the little guy.
And what did Hillary Clinton say about Bernie?
That he doesn't play nice with others.
Isn't that the rock and roll ethos? We don't want someone who plays along to get along, but someone who speaks truth. And that has been Bernie, consistently.
That's what we're all looking for, someone and something to believe in. This is where music has abdicated its power. It's become the pursuit of the almighty dollar, first and foremost. The only people taking a stand are those with no traction. Everybody else is triangulating first. I hear it from musicians all the time, they're fearful of alienating part of their potential audience, so they stay silent.
Everybody stays silent.
So Bernie Sanders has taken to TikTok, and understanding the paradigm, he posts regularly, every other day, sometimes more frequently. You must stay in touch with your audience. This is something oldsters hate, whether they be musicians or politicians or business people. This isn't the way it used to be. They want to massage the message and market it over a long stretch of time. Make an album and drip out singles for years. Be so fearful of making a mistake that your message comes out mealy-mouthed and infrequently.
And this is something I hate about the left wing intelligentsia. They're almost worse than the Trumpists. It's the left wing that wants to return to a fantasy past, with no smartphones, no social media, everybody at home reading books in near darkness.
But we ain't returning to that era, ever.
Kind of like Sam Kinison telling starving people in Africa to move where the food is, the Democrats have to go where the people are, instead of insisting the people come to them.
And the people are on social media. A fast-moving medium that despite all the naysayers, most of whom have never been on TikTok, runs on authenticity.
Terence Reilly says that's what works. First and foremost.
And if you watch one of Bernie Sanders's videos...the authenticity steams off the screen. This is what he believes.
We don't want you to tell us your hands are tied. We want you to go straight to the gut, from your heart, then you have a chance of connecting, of resonating.
So, if you're a Democrat... You almost can't look at the news, it's just too depressing. And then you've got Kamala Harris continuing to e-mail for money. Talk about out of touch.
And if you're a Trump fan... Wait until the other shoe drops. Trump got rid of the government service that helps people sign up for Obamacare. They don't care about you. They care about themselves. Did you see how much money the President has made from his election? That insane deal with Amazon for Melania's documentary? $40 million. Have you ever heard of a documentary with that kind of budget?
Amazon wants to curry favor.
As for you?
You're screwed.
So I'm scrolling TikTok just now and a video comes up of Bernie Sanders talking about oligarchy and authoritarianism and the end goal of Trump and Musk's endeavors.
Ironically, no matter which side of the political fence you are on, you will resonate with this message:
www.tiktok.com/@bernie/video/7471731734111882538?lang=en Hearts and minds come first. Income inequality is rampant. Who is looking out for the little guy? For you and me? Honest people working for a living and paying taxes? If you think it's Trump...why don't you buy his sinking meme coin. No, most of D.C. is not, which is why we're disillusioned.
One person can make a difference. Certainly Trump on the right, and not a single Democrat on the left.
But Bernie Sanders is out in the wilderness playing by his own rules, like a rock star of yore, and with this we resonate.
We need hope.
And it's not only about left vs. right, or vice versa, but as people, citizens. Our own families, our own futures.
And right now it's hard to find.
But watching Bernie Sanders today I found it.
And I bet you will too.
Unless you're a rich robber baron yourself.
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