Bernie Sanders rose to fame last year when he faced off with Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination to be US President, and despite losing in the end, the world fell in love with the curmudgeonly politician.
So when it was announced that the Vermont senator would be making an appearance at the Dalkey Book Festival, Irish people lost their minds. Naturally tickets for the event sold out within seconds of going on sale.
Sanders talked about his new book ‘Our Revolution: A Future To Believe In’ with David McWilliams at a packed out Bord Gais Energy Theatre on Sunday to inspire people to action in the age of Donald Trump. After the economist and Irish Independent columnist had his chat with Sanders, he posted a priceless photo of him holding up the popular black REPEAL sweatshirt.
@SenSanders for Repeal. I trust my sister, wife, daughter, mother, don't you? #repealthe8th - it's a woman's choice! pic.twitter.com/NL3g2s4NxD
— David McWilliams (@davidmcw) June 5, 2017
Bernie is well known for his progressive policies and challenging the status quo, so it's no surprise to see he supports the Repeal the Eighth movement. As you are probably already aware, Ireland is extremely restrictive when it comes to abortion rights, a cause close to his heart. In 1993, he co-sponsored the Freedom of Choice Act, which aimed to bar states from restricting the right to terminate a pregnancy before fetal viability or at any time when a termination is necessary to protect the health of a woman.
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A visit to Ireland would not be complete without a trip to Aras an Uachtarain to see the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins. Just look at them!
President Higgins today received US Senator @SenSanders and his wife at Áras an Uachtaráin. pic.twitter.com/FmkztwriG8
— President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) June 4, 2017
Even though Sanders could not win in the election, he is staying very active in politics in order to effect a "political revolution", and many commentators have suggested he could run again in three years.
Bernie 2020 anyone?
