As Sen. Bernard Sanders is inspiring some to “#FeelTheBern” of his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for president, his leading rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton, might be feeling a bitter Northeastern chill.
On Monday, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield — the founders of the ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s — announced their support for the self-described socialist who identifies as an independent from Vermont, pointing to his opposition to the influence of corporate money in politics. “Essentially what Citizens United has said is that a person who has a lot of money can stand up on a soap box, buy the biggest sound system in the world and drown out the voice of everybody else. For a business it is the best investment you can make. The return on investment is thousands of per cent,” Cohen told The Telegraph . “Politicians sell out pretty cheap.”
The two built Ben & Jerry’s factory in Waterbury, Vt., about a 30-minute drive from Burlington, where Sanders served as mayor for eight years. Since then, the two have supported Sanders. For his presidential campaign, both Cohen and Greenfield have already donated $1,000 in addition to donating about $1,000 worth of ice cream.
Both men pointed out that the endorsement is personal, not corporate. But the company has gotten political before with themed flavors. In May, it launched “Save Our Swirled ,” which includes the message, “If it’s melted, it’s ruined” in an ode to the climate change debate. After a Supreme Court ruling in June granting marriage rights to same-sex couples, it launched “I Dough, I Dough. ”
That made us wonder, if Bernie Sanders were an ice cream flavor, what would Ben & Jerry’s call it? We reached out to Ben & Jerry’s to hear their ideas and will update if we hear back.
The Republican National Committee
posted its own suggestions
earlier this year after Sanders entered the presidential race. Theirs went from “Socialist Swirl” to “Nutty Professor.”
That made us wonder more: What flavor would Ben & Jerry’s call all of the presidential candidates? The comments section below is open to your suggestions.
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