Bernie Sanders Sparks New Meme with Capitol Hill Steps Photo

Bernie Sanders is firing up the meme machine again -- this time by posing in the thick of summer and looking dog-tired while hard at work ... a shot that's worth a thousand words.

The Vermont senator was photographed Sunday laying out on the Capitol Hill steps, where he appeared to be kind of exhausted after a marathon day of work known as Vote-a-Rama ... where congressmen and women are going through hours of debate/votes on legislation.

According to the photog, reporter Kent Nishimura, the Senate was entering its 13th hour of the overnight marathon when this pic was taken ... and as you can imagine, it's catching fire.

For starters, some say this makes a great album cover ... if BS was into music. Others say he very much resembles the 'School of Rock' cartoon, Bill, from the famed sketch, "I'm Just a Bill," where the rolled-up paper character is also lying down on the Capitol steps.

In other words ... it's just a great (and hilarious) photo, perhaps equally meme-able as his other famous photo from 2021 when he was captured nestled up in a sweater and mittens during Biden's inauguration ... which also set the internet ablaze with jokes up the wazoo.

This seems to be the summer version ... and funny enough, it's kind of the exact opposite vibe as his mitten meme. Bernie out here trying to beat the heat and letting it all hang out.

BTW, there's actually some serious business going on indoors ... including votes on amendments to Biden's Inflation Reduction Act -- a major spending package addressing climate change/taxes -- which Bernie was actually against without some major tweaks.