Present At The Creation-First Massachusetts Barnstorm To Feel The Bern- A Short Report On The Event At Masonic Hall in Cambridge November 15, 2019-by Frank Jackman   

Everybody who is even slightly connected with the Bernie campaign knows how important the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday February 11, 2020 is for our fortunes going forward. Many of us have made the trek to New Hampshire or made calls into the state through phone banks over the past several months. The strategy is firmly set now and so those of us from Massachusetts decided to have our first official in-state barnstorm (a nice old political word) event held in Cambridge Friday night November 15^th.

The evening’s event drew some two hundred fifty to three hundred attendees (rough crowd estimate, okay) to connect with the local campaign and begin the process of winning the Massachusetts primary on Super-Tuesday March 3, 2020. We were greeted by host Rich Lyons who also told his personal story of why he supported Bernie followed by Chris from the Nashua New Hampshire office who introduced the featured speaker long-time Bernie stalwart Ohio State Senator Nina Turner who held the assembled partisans spellbound with her almost preacher-like presentation (which not surprisingly she learned at her preacher mother’s knee).  

Most attendees agreed that we are on the move now that we have the triad-Bernie-Nina-AOC in place to rock the joint, smite the dragons, and bring home the nomination. Ms. Turner interspersed her political points-the importance of fighting flat-out for Medicare for All, free public college tuition and general college debt forgiveness and a Green New Deal-with her own personal story including how she met the Senator. Her story a lot like many of ours, one of cycle-breaking as she put it, was one of struggle and overcoming some damn thing other and I saw many nodding heads while she made those points. Most of all her energy (no, super-energy), her on-point presentation and her high spirits made this initial event a good jumping off joint to start the campaign.          

If you are feeling the Bern or starting to, google Ma4Bernie 2020.com to find out how you can help and find local Bernie groups in your area.