Bernie Speaks with the Community was a weekly public access TV show that aired in the city of Burlington, Vermont from December 3, 1986 to May 28, 1988. Starring then-Mayor of Burlington Bernie Sanders, the series showcased Sanders' engagement with the community while he discusses the issues of the day and how city hall plans to respond to the needs of the city. Many episodes involve Sanders talking to and interviewing residents about their feelings on socio-political topics and the state of the city. The series ended at the end of May 1988, at which point Mayor Sanders had decided to forgo seeking election to another term to instead run (unsuccessfully) for Vermont's only seat in the United States House of Representatives. The series faded into obscurity and was forgotten for decades until it was unearthed in 2019 by the political news website Politico, which published a lengthy retrospective and analysis
of it. All episodes were found to have survived in the local access station's vault, and they were subsequently uploaded to the station's website and their YouTube channel. Sanders being a major candidate for President in 2020 brought the series renewed interest.
Please keep all tropes and analysis on this page, including those involving Sanders, to the topic of what can been seen from watching the series itself.
Tell the viewing audience about your tropes:
- Celebrity Resemblance: A child once remarks that Sanders looks like Doc Brown from Back to the Future.
- Dork in a Sweater: Mayor Sanders often is dressed in sweaters and pullovers in the series.
- Early-Installment Weirdness:
- The first few episodes are just Sanders being interviewed in his office. Later, the series expanded to its more familiar format of Sanders going to different parts of the community and interacting with the people there.
- In general for Sanders himself. For those who are only familiar with Sanders from his later time as a Senator and as candidate for President, the series showcases a much younger, less polished version of himself while he was still a novice politician serving in a local office.
- First-Name Basis: Not only in the series title but in a lot of interactions, Mayor Sanders is often referred to by his first name.
- Politician Guest-Star: One episode revolves around Rev. Jesse Jackson visiting Burlington, meeting with Mayor Sanders and getting his endorsement during his 1988 presidential campaign.
- Rummage Sale Reject: A good summary of Sanders' appearance throughout much of the series.
- Socially Awkward Hero: Mayor Sanders, who is considerably less polished in his people skills and his campaigning ability than he is today. He is very low-key and sometimes rather awkward in his social engagements and exerts a rather different presence than the bombastic populist he is well-known for being today.
- Underdressed for the Occasion: Mayor Sanders often wears old, worn out jeans, pullovers and jackets throughout the series, he is never pictured in a suit or the formal wear expected of a city official. If you encountered him, you could be forgiven for not immediately recognizing him as the mayor of the city.
- Very Special Episode:
- Two hour-long episodes were dedicated to Mayor Sanders' 1988 visit to the Soviet Union.
- One episode revolves around Rev. Jesse Jackson, then a candidate in the 1988 Presidential Election, visiting the city and meeting with Sanders.
- Younger Than They Look: Bernie Sanders was 45-46 when the series aired, but he could easily pass for being in his 60s.
