It’s campaign season and politics is in the air. Former New York senator Hillary Clinton and Brooklyn-born Bernie Sanders debated at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Reporter Laura Gamba went to take in the scene.
GAMBA 1
The debate was inside the Navy Yards… far beyond the gates, so… who exactly comes, just to stand outside? Well, not many people, actually. There were about a dozen men and women milling about the entrance. But what they lacked in numbers, they made up for in enthusiasm. A certain muted enthusiasm.
Ryan Pitman 1
This isn’t a pep rally. Instead of having a cheer, we try to get intimate,
GAMBA 2
That’s Ryan Pittman. He’d come all the way from Dallas, Texas. But he wasn’t in a chanting mood.
Ryan Pittman 2
you know a one on one conversation with people and if you make it like a chant. Yeah it’s fun, it creates hype but you don’t necessarily learn about it.
GAMBA 3
Pittman was part of a group called African Americans for Bernie Sanders. A spokesperson for the group, Bruce Carter, had another name for the traveling band of Bernie supporter.
Bruce Carter 1
It’s called the ‘I am sorry Bernie I just didn’t know’ tour and we’re educating people in the south.
GAMBA 4
Well, not just the South. The caravan has been to Michigan too. He says the group was formed after Sanders did poorly in the most conservative part of the country.
Carter 2
The south didn’t do Bernie very well, so I wanted to try to bring the message to everyone else.
Tashee Mallah came to show her/his support for Hillary Clinton.
Tashee Mallah 1
Bernie Sanders has to lay down the details there are still some things that make me stretch my head. Now, Hillary I’m familiar with.
New Yorkers are also familiar with the cold weather. Outside the temperature dropped to 45 degrees , but inside the debate was heating up. Discussions about the minimum wage:
Hillary Clinton
We move more quickly to 15 in NYC, more deliberately toward 12 0 12.50 upstate, then to 15.
Bernie Sanders
What has happened is that history has outplayed Sec Clinton because all over this country people are standing up and they are saying 12 is not enough!
GAMBA 3
And what do with the big banks…
Bernie Sanders
Secretary Clinton called them out. Oh my goodness, they must have been really crushed by this.
GAMBA 7
Around 11:15 pm those who’d been fortunate enough to score tickets began filing out. People like 16 year old Julian Mitchell, who won’t even be able to vote this year. He had the scoop about what had happened inside the hall.
Julian Mitchell
I would say there were more Hillary supporters at this debate than than Bernie supporters.
GAMBA 9
But like the scene at the gate, according to Julian, it isn’t all about numbers.
Julian Mitchell
The Bernie cheer far outweighed the Hillary cheer despite our lack in numbers.
GAMBA 10
And what was the Bernie cheer?
Julian Mitchell
We were all just going Bernie! Bernie!
GAMBA 11
Polls have Hillary Clinton with a big advantage over Bernie Sanders heading into Tuesday’s primary in New York. And that’s when numbers will count.
Laura Gamba, Columbia Radio News
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