By Bronte Price, PoliticKING
As Bernie Sanders fights on despite his lagging delegate count, his young supporters fight alongside him, utilizing the weapon they know best: hashtags.
After a small bird flew onto Bernie’s podium during a rally in Portland, Oregon last Friday, a wave of applause came from the audience, followed by a wave of hashtags on social media. Bernie Sanders took the opportunity to make a statement about war saying, “I think there may be some symbolism here.” He continued, “That bird is really a dove asking us for world peace. No more wars.”
The hashtag #BirdieSanders began trending on social media as his supporters speculated what this could mean for the Democratic nominee. Here are some of the best memes from the moment:
In case you can't find it, I'm going to pin this #BirdieSanders video on the top of my profile. Just makes me happy!https://t.co/n6N9sbPD6p
— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) March 26, 2016
My favorite so far #BirdieSanderspic.twitter.com/cI4tfReOzt
— Bernie Tweeters (@Tehelmin) March 26, 2016
Oh man. I have been laughing at this for 15 minutes now. #BirdieSanderspic.twitter.com/KS6bjPb8jn
— Elias Toufexis (@EliasToufexis) March 26, 2016
Some people were not so excited about the bird, mocking Bernie’s supporters for their excitement:
Now it all makes sense! #BirdieSanderspic.twitter.com/Tp0drp897y
— Andrew Klavan (@andrewklavan) March 28, 2016
Soon after the Birdie incident, Bernie suggested there be at least one more Democratic debate, but was shut down by Hillary’s campaign. Hillary’s chief strategist, Joel Benenson, said that Hillary would not be engaging in any further debates until Sanders changed his “tone” and stops running negative ads. Some of Sanders supporters saw this as “disingenuous and hypocritical” and started the hashtag #ToneDownForWhat, which has since been trended on social media.
So, @HillaryClinton's staff wants @BernieSanders to "tone it down" before accepting a NY debate. #ToneDownForWhatpic.twitter.com/bbEKxATnJ3
— Jérôme L. Boucher (@JeromeLBoucher) March 29, 2016
To me, being told to "tone down" is more patronizing and sexist than being told to smile. #ToneDownForWhat
— Ninja Economics (@NinjaEconomics) March 29, 2016
It's actually your job to debate your opponent when you're running for President. #tonedownforwhat
— Tricia Vessey (@tricia_vessey) March 28, 2016
Even former GOP candidate Rand Paul chimed in:
So @HillaryClinton doesn't like your tone @SenSanders? She clearly has never heard your folk album https://t.co/xTN51p7FQs#ToneDownForWhat
— Dr. Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 29, 2016
And then, after Bernie Sanders’ victories in the caucuses in Washington, Alaska and Hawaii, another hashtag emerged from his supporters. CNN’s assessment of Sanders’ sweep included some analysis that didn’t go over well with Bernie’s supporters of color.
“These caucus states — largely white and rural — are the type of places Sanders traditionally does well. In order to win the nomination, he must replicate this success in other, more ethnically diverse states that hold primaries, as he did in Michigan last month.” CNN reported.
However, according to the most recent figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, only 26.7 percent of Hawaii’s population is white.
“I knew if Bernie won Hawaii it would magically become a white state,” Leslie Lee, a Bernie supporter from Hawaii wrote on Twitter. “Ever since I voted for Bernie, I’ve been bingewatching Friends. #BernieMadeMeWhite.”
Bernie’s supports of color then began tweeting in support of him using the hashtag #BernieMadeMeWhite.
Will someone please show me how to do my hair? It's all so confusing since #BernieMadeMeWhitepic.twitter.com/rDI5QFoxiQ
— Coco Hops (@coco_hops) March 28, 2016
Dear CNN, white power???#BernieMadeMeWhite@BernieSanderspic.twitter.com/0MmWWsbWmh
— tᕼe ᒪᑌᑕᗩᔕ ᗷᖇOᔕ (@lucasbros) March 27, 2016
Just hanging out with my white queens 💁🏾💁🏽💁🏻💁🏼💁 #BernieMadeMeWhite@JackyKnowsBestpic.twitter.com/HxVXqLe1Ve
— Dallas Fowler (@YoDallas) March 28, 2016
A Twitter account, created under the guise of Bernie’s bird-friend, tweeted about the white-wash hashtag, too:
I was disenfranchised, now I'm a bird watcher #BernieMadeMeWhite#BirdieSanderspic.twitter.com/lcUuvnNjcn
— Birdie Sanders (@BirdieParty) March 28, 2016
Here’s why Margaret Cho is supporting Bernie:
The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Ora Media, LLC, its affiliates, or its employees.
