Synchronized Swimmers Make a Splash in Political Waters

A group of enthusiastic residents recently gathered to record a video encouraging viewers to “remember Bernie Sanders” while voting. Uploaded to Facebook on March 28, the footage of singing, dancing and swimming Greenbelters has been viewed nearly 40,000 times and has been picked up by Mashable and Fox News. The video, which features the New Deal Café, the Greenbelt Aquatic & Fitness Center and Roosevelt Center was created by Joe Harris, who said he thought of recording a song in support of the Bernie Sanders campaign approximately six months ago. During a phone interview, Harris said the video was a community effort and that he and the 30 to 40 participants “had a blast making it.” He credited his wife, Hillary Gottemoeller, for having the idea for synchronized swimming Bernie Sanders supporters, an element of the video showed on the March 31 segment of Kennedy Watch on Fox News. Kennedy described Harris and the other participants as Bernie fans who “put together a piece of cheerful propaganda of their doomed icon” and “released this bizarre video in their pinko frenzy for America’s favorite socialist.” Likewise, Cameron Joseph gave a nod to the swim element in the opening line of his March 30 piece on Bernie supporters for the website Mashable when he wrote that “The latest gem comes from a group of Maryland activists who are feeling the Bern enough to jump in the pool for a synchronized swim session.” Harris was delighted when Joseph contacted him about the video. “I thought it was incredible,” he said. “Mashable is a well-known website dealing with politics and culture. They get millions of readers a day.” Regarding Fox News’ piece, Harris said “They have to do what they have to do. I didn’t expect them to praise it.” He thought Fox’s coverage “was pretty funny.”