‘Daddy Bernie’ wants you to Feel the Bern

Tinder is usually a spot you look to for love, but how about mixing love with politics? Some lucky Philly singles been given that rare chance; swiping right on a potential match who goes by the name ‘Daddy Bernie.’ 

Those eager right-swipers are duly met with a profile pic of presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders’, 78, familiar face. 

Turns out ‘Daddy Bernie’ pursuits will not lead to a date with the popular left-wing Democrat himself, but rather, to 26-year-old Alex Scheinberg, Inquirer.com reports. 

Scheinberg doesn’t have a job at the moment and lives with his family, which has given him ample time to combine his love for love and love for politics into a unique promotional strategy for his favored candidate Sanders. 

It started off as a joke and as a way for the Scheinberg to flex his theater degree from Rutgers. He told the Inquirer.com that he started the account in November.

Although he said the profile is set to see all genders and sexual orientations, Scheinberg is straight. It’s set for everyone to increase the Sanders’ messages’ reach. He also said that he swipes right on almost everyone, so as many people as possible can see his message. 

Inquirer.com reports that Scheinberg uses a line in his bio that was pulled directly from the speech that launched Sander’s 2020 campaign: “If we stand together, believing in justice and human dignity, believing in love and compassion; if we stand together, the future of this country is extraordinary, and there is nothing we will not be able to accomplish.”

The rest of the bio reads, “But this isn’t just about Daddy Bernie.”

It continues, “It is about US. Go to Berniesanders.com and join the movement.”

When speaking to people on the app, Scheinberg channels Sanders by impersonating his style of speech, using direct quotes, and even using gifs of the presidential hopeful. 

Although Tinder is a not a political dating app, a new study shows that those in their late teens and twenties are starting to add political figures to their bios. Some popular mentions include candidates Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden. Some other famous figures mention Donald Trump, Robert Mueller, Greta Thunberg, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Nancy Pelosi and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. 

This study also noted that Gen Z, which ranges from 18-24 on the app, are more likely to share their political stance on dating apps. The study shows that some common phrases includes: gun control, the environment, social justice and climate change. 

It was reported that, according to Reuters, some women earlier this year got into trouble with the app for promoting Sanders. However, Scheinberg’s case is different since he’s using photos of Sanders versus himself, so all those who swipe are aware they are going to engage with a parody account. 

It was reported that this violates Tinder’s community guidelines because it falls under the impersonation category. 

Inquirer.com reached out to Sander’s camp for a comment, and their response was, “Senator Sanders is happily married and not on Tinder.” They declined to comment on Scheinberg’s profile.

Scheinberg is currently filling out grad school applications.