Sen. Bernie Sanders sitting on the Senate steps leads to comparisons to a classic US civics cartoon
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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), whose amendment was defeated 1-99, sits in the shade on the steps of the Senate as the Senate proceeds through a series of amendment votes, also called “vote-a-rama, on the Inflation Reduction Act at the US Capitol on Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022 in Washington, DC. Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesSen. Bernie Sanders was captured in a photo sitting on the steps outside of Capitol Hill. The photo caught the eyes of internet users who compared him to a cartoon in an educational song. Seated Sanders has been the face of a meme at least once before. Senator Bernie Sanders has become a meme once more. Known affectionately by some as Uncle Bernie, the 80- year-old senator was captured by Los Angeles Times photojournalist Kent Nishimura sitting on the steps outside the US Capitol during a 15-hour Sunday “vote-a-rama” to pass the Inflation Reduction Act — a $740 billion climate, healthcare, and tax package. New York City photographer Clayton Cubitt posted an apro pos comparison of the photo with an image from a Schoolhouse Rock song called “I’m Just a Bill.” The song, written by Dave Frishberg and performed by Jack Sheldon, has become an educational staple since its release in 1976 —teaching children about the process a bill undergoes before it’s turned into law by way of a catchy tune.”I’m just a bill. Yes, I’m only a bill,” the song begins. “And I’m sitting here on Capitol Hill, ” the song continues, showing the seemingly exhausted animated paper roll sitting on the steps as Sanders did on Sunday. The photo comes after another meme of Sanders sitting in a chair at President Biden’s inauguration in January 2021 made its rounds on the internet featuring the Senator photoshopped into a variety of situations. Former presidential candidate, Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) sits in the bleachers on Capitol Hill before Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th US President on January 20, 2021, at the US Capitol in Washington, DC.BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Get ty Images When interviewed afterward by Seth Meyers on his late-night TV show, Sanders explained that he was simply “just sitting there trying to keep warm, trying to pay attention to what was going on.” “Sen. Sanders has a very well -defined brand and image,” Brendan Smialowski, the photojournalist who snapped the photo viral Sanders-mitten photo, told CNBC in 2021. “He is who he is and he’s comfortable in that and it’s very much part of his politics.””It was a nice slice of life,” Smialowski said. “It’s just Bernie being Bernie.” Read the original article on Business Insider
