"Oh @#$&. That's The Truth."

[Dragonfli]

15. Exactly what I have been running into!

I wrote anecdotaly about the same thing a little over a week ago. My neighbors are mostly by default apolitical (because they don't believe voting helps them in any way) - it is common among my peers (AKA the poor) and with good reason as politicians with the rare exceptions locally do absolutely nothing for them in their eyes (or in any objective sense IMO), they grow poorer, some become homeless, some of the younger ones escape via the military, but very few put any faith at all in politicians that don't appear to know or care that they exist.

These apolitical people are turning out to be more receptive to Bernie Sanders than any other politician I have ever canvased for. I have been asked for and given a total of 11 voter registration forms so far to people that do not vote, they actually want to vote for him in the primary, (Mostly because I explain to them how that is the important first step).

For many years politicians have completely ignored the poor and struggling working and non working people in America, they speak often and fondly of a middle class they would have us believe they love, they speak of them often, yet usually with vague platitudes and declarations of being "on their side".

I have been told by the self proclaimed poli sci gurus on this site that politicians don't seek the poor vote because the poor do not vote. I believe it is a self fulfilling prophecy, at least with our party that left the poor behind in a calculated shift regarding fiscal policies and a deliberate show of "toughness" on the useless eaters. the slackers, the undesirables starting with welfare reform that was meant more than anything to prove to the middle class Reagan lovers that they meant business, that they would be as tough on the little guy as Republicans, in effect they had to prove their street cred by starting to off some poor folks.

It worked all too well, they lost half of the voting population that easily one third used to vote reliably Democratic in pursuit of "the great greedy middle" that would rather a poor single mother lose her home and her child than they lose a dime of theirs to taxes.

The poor are not stupid, they know who their enemies are, they also know that for the first time in a long time (and the first time ever among the younger) there is a politician that speaks plainly rather than in vacuous riddles and half truths, and they hear him talk about them, they hear him talk about how he would like to help them. They finally have a champion, they finally are visible in Washington and the only thing thus far that has impeded my efforts to recruit voters via canvassing is the fact that I canvassed for Obama in '08 and I am remembered for the promises that he and I sold and he broke. I have found that with those I have lost credibility with because of a politician's broken promises, Bernie's consistent record can reverse the general distrust. So, Sabrina, make sure to keep all his past info handy for those that expect another bait and switch like last time, he is so consistent that it actually works in such cases.