Mikel Carmon says the country needs Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders to lead the way forward.
To help get the word out on Sanders’ vision for Americans, she’s riding her horse from Cortez to Glenwood Springs.
“Bernie has integrity, and he can’t be bought by big money corporations,” Carmon says of her favorite candidate. “That is getting pretty rare these days.”
Starting out from the Montezuma County fairgrounds last week, Carmon prepared for her “Ride for the Bern” political adventure.
Her trailer is adorned with Bernie for President signs as her horse, Cherokee, rears up then obsessively scratches the ground, eager to go.
“She’s not my first choice because she’s skittish in traffic, but the other one ended up pregnant,” said Carmon, a counselor from Arizona.
Her plan is to talk to “anyone and everyone” about Sanders, the country’s most prominent socialist and long-time U.S. senator of Vermont.
She admits the conservative Western Slope is not in Sanders’s liberal camp, but is convinced that many Republicans actually agree with his views, but just don’t realize it, or want to admit it.
“Bernie looks out for the working class, he’s got our back, an independent thinker who knows small businesses need support, not tax breaks for big corporations,” she said. “That aligns with Republican values.”
Take the minimum wage, she said, “it is not enough to live off of,” something Sanders would change as president.
“To allow corporations to squeeze profits from the working man trying to support his family is unethical,” she says.
Campaign reform is needed, Carmon continued, to end limitless contributions by corporations to candidates, a “sell out situation” that is eroding the basis of Democracy.
“As a citizen, I’m seeing our freedoms go away, our elections are being bought by the billionaires,” she said.
Carmon likes Sanders’ commitment to diplomacy instead of war.
“The Iraq war was based on false pretenses and damaged America’s credibility,” she said. “Nearly a million people were killed and it cost the American taxpayer more than $2 trillion. The mistake further destabilized the Middle East.”
Sanders support for improved veteran health care also aligns with conservative values, Carmon said.
“Their lives have been shattered by war, yet they can’t get the care they deserve,” she said. “I believe Sanders can help heal the country, bit by bit.”
Carmon is on her way to Rico, then Telluride, Ridgeway, Ouray, Montrose, Delta, Grand Junction, Parachute, Rifle, then ends her trip in Glenwood Springs.
She needs volunteers to help with logistics and set up speaking engagements. To volunteer for “Ride for the Bern,” go to http://bit.ly/1WPwnxQ.
