I Am Once Again Asking For Your Financial Support

2019Exploitable image macro / snowcloneclassic

Also known as: I Am Once Again Asking · Once Again Asking · Bernie Asking Meme

I Am Once Again Asking For Your Financial Support" is a 2019 image-macro meme featuring U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders in a winter jacket making a deadpan fundraising plea, widely adapted with substituted requests for absurd needs.

"I Am Once Again Asking for Your Financial Support" is an exploitable image macro meme originating from a December 2019 fundraising video by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders during his 2020 presidential campaign1. The screenshot of Sanders standing outside in his winter jacket, delivering a straightforward plea for donations, became a wildly popular meme template in January 2020 when internet users began replacing "your financial support" with all kinds of absurd, relatable, or mundane requests2. The format's plug-and-play simplicity and Sanders' deadpan delivery made it one of the defining memes of early 2020 and a lasting fixture in internet humor.

bernie sanders memessnowclone memesexploitable templatesimage macro memespolitical satire memes

Overview

The meme features a screenshot of Bernie Sanders from a campaign fundraising video, standing outdoors on what appears to be a cold day, wearing a dark winter coat. He faces the camera directly with an expression best described as politely insistent. The bottom of the image carries the caption "I am once again asking for your financial support," which users swap out with their own text to express any kind of repeated, weary, or resigned request4.

The format works as a snowclone, a formulaic joke structure where only one part of the sentence changes3. The phrase "I am once again asking for..." became a universal prefix for frustration, desire, or any situation where someone has to make the same request over and over. No Photoshop skills needed. Just change the bottom text and post.

On December 30, 2019, Bernie Sanders posted a fundraising video to his Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts ahead of the FEC filing deadline1. In the video, Sanders walks down a street, bundled in his winter coat, speaking directly to the camera. He tells supporters: "I am once again asking for your financial support," making a pitch for small-dollar donations to his 2020 presidential campaign2. The video pulled in over 104,900 views on Twitter, 124,800 on Instagram, and 22,000 on Facebook within its first four weeks5.

The video's tone was classic Sanders: no frills, no flattery, just a direct request for money from regular people instead of wealthy donors1. That combination of earnest sincerity and low-budget production values caught the internet's attention almost immediately.

On January 15, 2020, Reddit user 3RunRickyRun4 posted the first known meme using the Sanders screenshot to the /r/libertarianmeme subreddit, where it picked up over 570 upvotes5. The same day, the Being Libertarian Facebook group shared a similar version, getting over 3,800 reactions and 780 shares5.

Origin & Background

Platform
Bernie Sanders campaign social media (source video), Reddit / Instagram (meme format)
Key People
Bernie Sanders, 3RunRickyRun4
Date
2019 (video), 2020 (meme)

On December 30, 2019, Bernie Sanders posted a fundraising video to his Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts ahead of the FEC filing deadline. In the video, Sanders walks down a street, bundled in his winter coat, speaking directly to the camera. He tells supporters: "I am once again asking for your financial support," making a pitch for small-dollar donations to his 2020 presidential campaign. The video pulled in over 104,900 views on Twitter, 124,800 on Instagram, and 22,000 on Facebook within its first four weeks.

The video's tone was classic Sanders: no frills, no flattery, just a direct request for money from regular people instead of wealthy donors. That combination of earnest sincerity and low-budget production values caught the internet's attention almost immediately.

On January 15, 2020, Reddit user 3RunRickyRun4 posted the first known meme using the Sanders screenshot to the /r/libertarianmeme subreddit, where it picked up over 570 upvotes. The same day, the Being Libertarian Facebook group shared a similar version, getting over 3,800 reactions and 780 shares.

How It Spread

The meme moved fast across platforms once it left Reddit. On January 15, the popular Instagram account drgrayfang posted a version that pulled 54,200 likes. The next day, January 16, comedian shitheadsteve posted his own take, which hit over 101,000 likes on Instagram and 3,900 reactions on Facebook.

From January 16 onward, the format exploded across Facebook and Reddit simultaneously. A post by the Muster Point Memes Facebook group earned 1,800 reactions and 2,300 shares. On Reddit, user Dumble-Dory posted to /r/memes, and a 9GAG version racked up 8,900 points.

The real tipping point came on January 23, 2020. Redditor DatGameGuy posted a version to /r/MemeEconomy that shot to over 71,800 upvotes in just sixteen hours. After that, the meme was everywhere. Twitter users ran with it, swapping "financial support" for everything from "one molecule of serotonin" to "Instagram to return to chronological order". TikTok creators lip-synced the original audio or acted out absurd scenarios using the phrase.

The format proved remarkably apolitical in practice. Whether someone loved Bernie, opposed him, or had no opinion at all, the template worked for their joke. People used it to ask roommates to do the dishes, to beg Netflix to stop asking "Are you still watching?", and to plead with the universe about Mondays.

How to Use This Meme

The format follows a dead-simple structure:

1

Take the screenshot of Bernie Sanders from the fundraising video (widely available as a template online).

2

Replace the bottom caption text. Keep the structure "I am once again asking for..." and fill in whatever repeated, frustrated, or humorous request fits your situation.

3

Post.

Cultural Impact

The meme did something unusual for political content: it crossed party lines completely. The phrase "I am once again asking" entered everyday internet language as shorthand for any repetitive, slightly exasperated request. People dropped it into Slack channels, group chats, and comment sections with zero political intent.

Sanders' campaign seemed to understand the meme's value. Rather than fighting the viral spread, his team leaned into it. Every share, even the silly ones, kept Bernie's face and his core message of grassroots funding in front of millions of eyeballs. As MEL Magazine's Miles Klee wrote, the meme worked because "we've all asked for dough, and we've all shared it".

Sanders himself acknowledged the meme in interviews and took it in good humor. This reaction likely helped the meme's longevity. When public figures try to fight their memes, the jokes tend to sour. When they laugh along, the meme sticks around.

The "Once Again Asking" meme also laid the groundwork for Sanders' next viral moment. When he showed up at Biden's January 2021 inauguration in a folding chair with his now-famous recycled wool mittens, the internet already had a framework for understanding Bernie as a meme character: the no-nonsense guy who just wants to get things done and stay warm. The mittens meme and the financial support meme share the same energy, and the first one primed audiences for the second.

Fun Facts

Sanders' original video was specifically timed to the December 31, 2019 FEC fundraising deadline, making it a last-minute donation push that accidentally birthed a meme.

The phrase structure is what linguists call a "snowclone," a formulaic template where swapping one element creates a new joke. This made it one of the most accessible meme formats of 2020.

Sanders mentioned in the original video that he had received "more individual contributions from more Americans than any candidate in the history of American politics," a fact that his supporters took as motivation to keep donating rather than a reason to stop.

The meme is often compared to other political memes that outlived their political context, like "Thanks, Obama" and Biden's aviator sunglasses.

The winter coat and outdoor setting were key to the meme's relatability. If Sanders had been wearing a suit in a studio, the image likely would not have worked as a template.

Derivatives & Variations

Inauguration Mittens Crossover (2021):

After Sanders went viral again at Biden's inauguration, users combined both memes, placing the mittens-wearing Bernie into the "once again asking" template[4].

Non-English Versions:

The template spread internationally, with users adapting the "I am once again asking" structure into other languages while keeping the original image[4].

Brand and Corporate Adoption:

Various brand social media accounts used the template for promotional content, following the standard pattern of companies co-opting viral formats[3].

Audio Lip-Syncs:

TikTok creators used the original campaign video audio for lip-sync and re-enactment videos, adapting the format for short-form video[4].

Text-Only Variant:

The phrase "I am once again asking" broke free from the image entirely, used as a standalone text prefix on Twitter and in comment sections without the Sanders screenshot[3].

Frequently Asked Questions

I Am Once Again Asking For Your Financial Support

2019Exploitable image macro / snowcloneclassic

Also known as: I Am Once Again Asking · Once Again Asking · Bernie Asking Meme

I Am Once Again Asking For Your Financial Support" is a 2019 image-macro meme featuring U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders in a winter jacket making a deadpan fundraising plea, widely adapted with substituted requests for absurd needs.

"I Am Once Again Asking for Your Financial Support" is an exploitable image macro meme originating from a December 2019 fundraising video by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders during his 2020 presidential campaign. The screenshot of Sanders standing outside in his winter jacket, delivering a straightforward plea for donations, became a wildly popular meme template in January 2020 when internet users began replacing "your financial support" with all kinds of absurd, relatable, or mundane requests. The format's plug-and-play simplicity and Sanders' deadpan delivery made it one of the defining memes of early 2020 and a lasting fixture in internet humor.

bernie sanders memes snowclone memes exploitable templates image macro memes political satire memes

Overview

The meme features a screenshot of Bernie Sanders from a campaign fundraising video, standing outdoors on what appears to be a cold day, wearing a dark winter coat. He faces the camera directly with an expression best described as politely insistent. The bottom of the image carries the caption "I am once again asking for your financial support," which users swap out with their own text to express any kind of repeated, weary, or resigned request.

The format works as a snowclone, a formulaic joke structure where only one part of the sentence changes. The phrase "I am once again asking for..." became a universal prefix for frustration, desire, or any situation where someone has to make the same request over and over. No Photoshop skills needed. Just change the bottom text and post.

On December 30, 2019, Bernie Sanders posted a fundraising video to his Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts ahead of the FEC filing deadline. In the video, Sanders walks down a street, bundled in his winter coat, speaking directly to the camera. He tells supporters: "I am once again asking for your financial support," making a pitch for small-dollar donations to his 2020 presidential campaign. The video pulled in over 104,900 views on Twitter, 124,800 on Instagram, and 22,000 on Facebook within its first four weeks.

The video's tone was classic Sanders: no frills, no flattery, just a direct request for money from regular people instead of wealthy donors. That combination of earnest sincerity and low-budget production values caught the internet's attention almost immediately.

On January 15, 2020, Reddit user 3RunRickyRun4 posted the first known meme using the Sanders screenshot to the /r/libertarianmeme subreddit, where it picked up over 570 upvotes. The same day, the Being Libertarian Facebook group shared a similar version, getting over 3,800 reactions and 780 shares.

Origin & Background

Platform
Bernie Sanders campaign social media (source video), Reddit / Instagram (meme format)
Key People
Bernie Sanders, 3RunRickyRun4
Date
2019 (video), 2020 (meme)

On December 30, 2019, Bernie Sanders posted a fundraising video to his Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts ahead of the FEC filing deadline. In the video, Sanders walks down a street, bundled in his winter coat, speaking directly to the camera. He tells supporters: "I am once again asking for your financial support," making a pitch for small-dollar donations to his 2020 presidential campaign. The video pulled in over 104,900 views on Twitter, 124,800 on Instagram, and 22,000 on Facebook within its first four weeks.

The video's tone was classic Sanders: no frills, no flattery, just a direct request for money from regular people instead of wealthy donors. That combination of earnest sincerity and low-budget production values caught the internet's attention almost immediately.

On January 15, 2020, Reddit user 3RunRickyRun4 posted the first known meme using the Sanders screenshot to the /r/libertarianmeme subreddit, where it picked up over 570 upvotes. The same day, the Being Libertarian Facebook group shared a similar version, getting over 3,800 reactions and 780 shares.

How It Spread

The meme moved fast across platforms once it left Reddit. On January 15, the popular Instagram account drgrayfang posted a version that pulled 54,200 likes. The next day, January 16, comedian shitheadsteve posted his own take, which hit over 101,000 likes on Instagram and 3,900 reactions on Facebook.

From January 16 onward, the format exploded across Facebook and Reddit simultaneously. A post by the Muster Point Memes Facebook group earned 1,800 reactions and 2,300 shares. On Reddit, user Dumble-Dory posted to /r/memes, and a 9GAG version racked up 8,900 points.

The real tipping point came on January 23, 2020. Redditor DatGameGuy posted a version to /r/MemeEconomy that shot to over 71,800 upvotes in just sixteen hours. After that, the meme was everywhere. Twitter users ran with it, swapping "financial support" for everything from "one molecule of serotonin" to "Instagram to return to chronological order". TikTok creators lip-synced the original audio or acted out absurd scenarios using the phrase.

The format proved remarkably apolitical in practice. Whether someone loved Bernie, opposed him, or had no opinion at all, the template worked for their joke. People used it to ask roommates to do the dishes, to beg Netflix to stop asking "Are you still watching?", and to plead with the universe about Mondays.

How to Use This Meme

The format follows a dead-simple structure:

1

Take the screenshot of Bernie Sanders from the fundraising video (widely available as a template online).

2

Replace the bottom caption text. Keep the structure "I am once again asking for..." and fill in whatever repeated, frustrated, or humorous request fits your situation.

3

Post.

Cultural Impact

The meme did something unusual for political content: it crossed party lines completely. The phrase "I am once again asking" entered everyday internet language as shorthand for any repetitive, slightly exasperated request. People dropped it into Slack channels, group chats, and comment sections with zero political intent.

Sanders' campaign seemed to understand the meme's value. Rather than fighting the viral spread, his team leaned into it. Every share, even the silly ones, kept Bernie's face and his core message of grassroots funding in front of millions of eyeballs. As MEL Magazine's Miles Klee wrote, the meme worked because "we've all asked for dough, and we've all shared it".

Sanders himself acknowledged the meme in interviews and took it in good humor. This reaction likely helped the meme's longevity. When public figures try to fight their memes, the jokes tend to sour. When they laugh along, the meme sticks around.

The "Once Again Asking" meme also laid the groundwork for Sanders' next viral moment. When he showed up at Biden's January 2021 inauguration in a folding chair with his now-famous recycled wool mittens, the internet already had a framework for understanding Bernie as a meme character: the no-nonsense guy who just wants to get things done and stay warm. The mittens meme and the financial support meme share the same energy, and the first one primed audiences for the second.

Fun Facts

Sanders' original video was specifically timed to the December 31, 2019 FEC fundraising deadline, making it a last-minute donation push that accidentally birthed a meme.

The phrase structure is what linguists call a "snowclone," a formulaic template where swapping one element creates a new joke. This made it one of the most accessible meme formats of 2020.

Sanders mentioned in the original video that he had received "more individual contributions from more Americans than any candidate in the history of American politics," a fact that his supporters took as motivation to keep donating rather than a reason to stop.

The meme is often compared to other political memes that outlived their political context, like "Thanks, Obama" and Biden's aviator sunglasses.

The winter coat and outdoor setting were key to the meme's relatability. If Sanders had been wearing a suit in a studio, the image likely would not have worked as a template.

Derivatives & Variations

Inauguration Mittens Crossover (2021):

After Sanders went viral again at Biden's inauguration, users combined both memes, placing the mittens-wearing Bernie into the "once again asking" template[4].

Non-English Versions:

The template spread internationally, with users adapting the "I am once again asking" structure into other languages while keeping the original image[4].

Brand and Corporate Adoption:

Various brand social media accounts used the template for promotional content, following the standard pattern of companies co-opting viral formats[3].

Audio Lip-Syncs:

TikTok creators used the original campaign video audio for lip-sync and re-enactment videos, adapting the format for short-form video[4].

Text-Only Variant:

The phrase "I am once again asking" broke free from the image entirely, used as a standalone text prefix on Twitter and in comment sections without the Sanders screenshot[3].

Frequently Asked Questions