Bernie Sanders Is Running For President, And Twitter Is Exploding.

Bernie Sanders announced his campaign for 2020 Image by Getty Images

By Jenny Singer February 19, 2019

The difference between Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign and his 2020 campaign?

“This time, we’re gonna win,” he told CBS on Tuesday morning, shortly after announcing his bid for candidacy.

What won’t be any different?

The onslaught of online takes about Sanders, particularly on Twitter.

Seeking the 2016 Democratic nomination, Sanders was defeated by Hillary Clinton by a significant margin, but the lasting success of his grassroots campaign that pushed aggressively for Medicare For All, tuition-free college, and a universal minimum wage — now most 2020 Democratic candidates are campaigning on similar promises.

If Sanders wins the presidency, he will be the oldest person ever to be inaugurated president, surpassing the current holder of that distinction, Donald Trump, by nine years. He will also be the first Jewish person to be president. And he will certainly be the first president whose celebrity doppelgänger is Larry David.

Let’s see what the internet has to say about all this. We’ve rounded up the best tweets about Bernie Sanders’ latest presidential run, skimming Jewish takes, thoughtful criticism, and fandom off a pile of bonkers partisanship.

Special consideration was given to tweets that made excellent use of GIFs.

Impressive early donor stats:

The Sanders campaign says that it received donations and sign-ons to a petition supporting his bid from 50 states within 20 minutes of launching.

— Holly Otterbein (@hollyotterbein) February 19, 2019

Bernie Sanders campaign confirms they raised $1 million in the first 3.5 hours since his announcement.

— Alex Seitz-Wald (@aseitzwald) February 19, 2019

Pride:

Yes, Bernie is an old white guy. But not in the same way as, say, Joe Biden. Let’s not erase his Judaism and the fact that his family was wiped out in the Holocaust. He comes from a lineage of trauma, and I’m tired of the erasure. The potential of a 1st Jewish president matters.

— Esor? (@Esor_Fasa) February 19, 2019

Bernie, the polarizer:

My favorite thing about Bernie is that he prompts the most extravagant irrationality from literally every corner

— Tobi Haslett (@TobiHaslett) February 19, 2019

BERNIE SANDERS: Causing Fights Between Friends since 2016

— Susan Orlean (@susanorlean) February 19, 2019

Tweets that refer to Sanders as “Bernard:”

I was, am, and shall remain a Bernard Brother, and OH MAN am I not looking forward to the spicy takes

— Nate Bethea (@inthesedeserts) February 19, 2019

Hot Bernadette Peters takes:

I never, ever want to hear the words “Bernie could’ve won” unless it’s in reference to this woman and the 2003 Tony Awards. pic.twitter.com/apMHTqcChb

— Casey Mink (@Casey_Mink) July 27, 2017

Strong GIF-usage:

bernie and his online army arriving to 2020 twitter pic.twitter.com/T8CNXPTDiG

— Steadman™ (@AsteadWesley) February 19, 2019

Bernie Bros emerging after the Sanders 2020 presidential announcement: pic.twitter.com/YKBVpgzlri

— e.b. (@thick_and_tired) February 19, 2019

Double standard tweets:

Wonder why nobody is telling Bernie he should go knit or spend more time with his grandchildren.

— The Volatile Mermaid (@OhNoSheTwitnt) February 19, 2019

What age does a male candidate have to be before this country will reasonably consider electing a woman?

My guess is 1000.

— Victor LaValle (@victorlavalle) February 19, 2019

Love how women presidential candidates have to worry about likability while Alec Baldwin and Larry David play two of the men that are running.

— Maris Kreizman (@mariskreizman) February 19, 2019

Tweets that involved the parents:

Nothing makes me happier than my dad referring to Bernie Sanders as my boy pic.twitter.com/EgKLTiQkKO

— Matt Flood (@Floodius_) February 19, 2019

Me: Mom, who are you voting for in 2020?

Mom: The Jewish guy — Bernie Sander — who shouts like an Arab.

— Khaled Beydoun (@KhaledBeydoun) February 19, 2019

Cosplay tweets:

When you look in the mirror and realize you’re a young #BernieSanders pic.twitter.com/o73dxj9Wg4

— sumofadhal (@sumofadhal) February 19, 2019

A meta-tweet about articles like this one:

I really don’t think “evaluate candidates on the basis of the behavior of Twitter personalities that support them” is as sound an approach as some people seem to believe.

— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) February 19, 2019

Jenny Singer is the deputy life/features editor for the Forward. You can reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @jeanvaljenny****

Jenny Singer is a freelance writer with pieces in Vox, the Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, Teen Vogue, and more. She was previously a staff writer at Glamour and the Forward, and she’s currently getting an MFA in nonfiction writing at the University of Iowa.

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