Pro-Bernie Sanders music video asks voters to "talk Bernie to me"
In 2007, singer-songwriter Leah Kauffman crooned her way to a viral hit with her overtly political "I've got a crush on Obama" music video, viewed over 26 million times on YouTube. Now, Kauffman is back on the 2016 campaign circuit, with a new pro-Bernie Sanders anthem titled "Bernie Bae."
The electronic dance song -- which includes a bass drop to the line "Talk Bernie to me" -- features brightly clothed dancers in oversized graphic tees and beanies, gyrating to a catchy beat.
Take a look:
Kauffman's song, co-written by music producer Jeffrey Fry, is an unapologetic combination of the best and worst of the millennial culture many Sanders supporters belong to.
Case in point: The title includes the word "Bae," which, for the uninitiated, is millennial-speak for "Before Anyone Else."
The video also includes a throw to the parts of Sanders' platform that most appeal to youth voters, lauding the candidate as "so progressive and introspective" that it inspires a "wanna get you elected" feeling.
"Love your dream of income equality," Kauffman sings. "It makes me want to contribute individually."
In its opening verse, the song celebrates that idealism: "We backed Obama from the start. We wanted change and hope, but then it fell apart. I was feeling hopeless and so cynical -- now you've got me focused, Bernie, you're a miracle."
Paying tribute to the senator's Vermont roots, Kauffman's hook repeats: "I'm Berning up for you -- it's never gonna stop. You're much more than a human Birkenstock."
And then there's this: "Your policies on corporate greed/ always bring me to my knees./ Wanna feed you Ben and Jerry's/ and some Vermont cheddar cheese."
The video also takes a few shots at Sanders' rivals, past and present.
"Was gonna vote Hillary," Kauffman laments, but now, "she's not feeling real to me."
And of former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who frequently languished at a lowly one percent in Democratic polls before suspending his campaign earlier this month, the singer snarked: "Won't vote O'Malley. Honestly, who is he?"
The earworm of a song is just the latest in a line of 2016-themed music videos.
Ahead of the Iowa caucuses, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee starred in an Adele-esque spot, wooing Iowa voters with the campaign's own version of the hit single "Hello."
And earlier this year, Donald Trump trotted out a trio of pre-teens at a campaign rally to perform a pro-Trump rendition of a World War I propaganda song.
In an interview with millennial-focused news outlet Refinery 29, Kauffman explained the reasoning behind her own music video.
"I'm genuinely excited about Bernie Sanders' campaign," she said in the interview, published Wednesday. "I've participated in every presidential election since 2008, and I wanted to express my support for Sanders through song and video."
Of her support for the Democratic candidate, she said that "the grassroots inertia that's pushing Senator Sanders' campaign forward is awe-inspiring. It shows that millennials do care about this election and that we are politically alive."