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Biden's inauguration has left many Americans elated, with shiny new hope for the Republic. Almost as many are excited about an improbable highlight of the event: The sight of Bernie Sanders, stoically bundled in his chair, in old jacket and recycled mittens. On Twitter, he's become a meme superstar, giddily wedged Zelig-like into historic moments large and small. His Bernie-ish response: "It makes people aware we make good mittens in Vermont...We have some good coats, as well."

Famed, anonymous shot of Depression-era NYC construction guys at lunch
Biden's inauguration has left many Americans elated, with shiny, cautious hope we may yet save the Republic. Almost as many are excited about an improbable highlight of the event: The sight of Bernie Sanders, new chair of the powerful Senate Finance Committee and Republicans' worst nightmare, stoically hunched and bundled in his chair in now-familiar jacket and homespun, recycled mittens. The chill Bernie-ness of the image, along with one of him with a manilla envelope stuffed under his arm - "Just stopping at Joe's thing before heading to the post office" - has turned him into a meme superstar on Twitter, where hundreds of people have giddily photoshopped him Zelig-like into historic moments large and small. People loved him for "embodying the vibe of a nation," because "he has zero fucks left to give and I am here for it," because he has the look of a man who Nancy Pelosi has asked to reach out to fascists, because the mittens were a gift from a Vermont neighbor and teacher who twice recycles plastic bottles to make them, thus proving you can stay warm while not destroying the planet. Bernie's fellow-Jews loved his usual hamesha - down-to-earth - approach to life, offering a series of tribe-specific memes like, "Shul starts at 7:45, I get here at 7:45" and "When the kids are taking forever to find the fucking afikoman." Late Thursday, Bernie had a deadpan Yankee response to the meme explosion. "It makes people aware that we make good mittens in Vermont," he said, adding, "We have some good coats as well."












Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |

Famed, anonymous shot of Depression-era NYC construction guys at lunch
Biden's inauguration has left many Americans elated, with shiny, cautious hope we may yet save the Republic. Almost as many are excited about an improbable highlight of the event: The sight of Bernie Sanders, new chair of the powerful Senate Finance Committee and Republicans' worst nightmare, stoically hunched and bundled in his chair in now-familiar jacket and homespun, recycled mittens. The chill Bernie-ness of the image, along with one of him with a manilla envelope stuffed under his arm - "Just stopping at Joe's thing before heading to the post office" - has turned him into a meme superstar on Twitter, where hundreds of people have giddily photoshopped him Zelig-like into historic moments large and small. People loved him for "embodying the vibe of a nation," because "he has zero fucks left to give and I am here for it," because he has the look of a man who Nancy Pelosi has asked to reach out to fascists, because the mittens were a gift from a Vermont neighbor and teacher who twice recycles plastic bottles to make them, thus proving you can stay warm while not destroying the planet. Bernie's fellow-Jews loved his usual hamesha - down-to-earth - approach to life, offering a series of tribe-specific memes like, "Shul starts at 7:45, I get here at 7:45" and "When the kids are taking forever to find the fucking afikoman." Late Thursday, Bernie had a deadpan Yankee response to the meme explosion. "It makes people aware that we make good mittens in Vermont," he said, adding, "We have some good coats as well."













Famed, anonymous shot of Depression-era NYC construction guys at lunch
Biden's inauguration has left many Americans elated, with shiny, cautious hope we may yet save the Republic. Almost as many are excited about an improbable highlight of the event: The sight of Bernie Sanders, new chair of the powerful Senate Finance Committee and Republicans' worst nightmare, stoically hunched and bundled in his chair in now-familiar jacket and homespun, recycled mittens. The chill Bernie-ness of the image, along with one of him with a manilla envelope stuffed under his arm - "Just stopping at Joe's thing before heading to the post office" - has turned him into a meme superstar on Twitter, where hundreds of people have giddily photoshopped him Zelig-like into historic moments large and small. People loved him for "embodying the vibe of a nation," because "he has zero fucks left to give and I am here for it," because he has the look of a man who Nancy Pelosi has asked to reach out to fascists, because the mittens were a gift from a Vermont neighbor and teacher who twice recycles plastic bottles to make them, thus proving you can stay warm while not destroying the planet. Bernie's fellow-Jews loved his usual hamesha - down-to-earth - approach to life, offering a series of tribe-specific memes like, "Shul starts at 7:45, I get here at 7:45" and "When the kids are taking forever to find the fucking afikoman." Late Thursday, Bernie had a deadpan Yankee response to the meme explosion. "It makes people aware that we make good mittens in Vermont," he said, adding, "We have some good coats as well."











