[T]humbing their noses at the dreaded error messages all too familiar to the Web-surfing generation, Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Page Not Found video on his 2016 campaign website is a breath of fresh air.
In a video called “404 – BernieSanders.com Page Not Found” that’s also posted on what looks like a mainly defunct YouTube channel, has a personal message from the white-haired senator, reassuring users they’re not as lost as they might feel.
The video had received 95,480 views in less than a week.
“Hi, this is Senator Bernie Sanders. The good news is, you’re on the right website, and it’s a really good website. The bad news is, you’re on the wrong page!” he exclaims, in signature Bernie-shout.
Then, he shows — and tells — users exactly what to do next. Waving his hand vertically, he says, “Just – scoot down to the bottom of the page, and you’ll find your way back home to where you should be.”
“Thanks very much for being part of our campaign,” he adds at the end of the 18-second video.
No one from the Sanders’ campaign returned a request for comment on the purpose or origins of the video, which, on the YouTube-hosted channel, works just as effectively as on the URL — a cheeky reference to text-lingo, at berniesanders.com/wtf. (We aren’t going to spell that one out for you.)
On the YouTube posting, the caption written underneath the May 25 upload notes, “You got the wrong page! Return to https://berniesanders.com/.”
The real YouTube channel, which appears to be for the 2016 run, shared videos of his recent stops in New Hampshire and Iowa and can be found at Bernie 2016, although his senatorial site, Bernie Sanders, was also updated recently.
No actual 404s were found in a recent search of Sanders’ campaign websites.
On the 404 YouTube post, one popular commenter, “naperdood,” wrote, “Most likable politician ever?? Just happens to be one of the best candidates ever too. Check out his page!”
And another commenter, Pham Nuwen, wrote, “To hell with the naysayers, I say Bernie’s got a fighting chance! Also, best 404 ever.”
