Welcome everyone to the Bernie News Roundup. This edition was originally going to be twice as long but I clicked away without saving. Oops!
Starting off we have John Frank of the Denver Post with, Sanders Delivers Blistering Condemnation of Business & Billionaires:
Breathing a progressive political fire, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders ignited Colorado supporters with a blistering condemnation of billionaires and corporations, drawing a crowd of nearly 5,000 to Denver — the largest of his Democratic presidential campaign since the May kickoff.
The 73-year-old Independent spoke for an hour and hit a nerve on economic issues as he advocated for an end to income inequality as well as a higher minimum wage, pay equity for women and more government spending on infrastructure.
"What we are doing tonight is we are sending a message to the billionaire class and that is: You can't have it all!" Sanders said, shouting to a crowd that filled a University of Denver gymnasium and spilled onto a nearby lacrosse field. "The unquenchable greed of the billionaire class is destroying this nation and it has got to end."
The size and energy of the crowd — which gave Sanders numerous standing ovations and repeatedly chanted his name — reflected a craving among some in the Democratic Party for an alternative to 2016 front-runner Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state and first lady.
Bernie In Denver:
Bernie @ NALEO:
The expectation games are changing (though because of 'neighboring states', nothing to do with a resonating message...):
A former senior adviser to 2016 U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said Sunday the public “shouldn’t be surprised” in the event Sen. Bernie Sanders, Ind-Vt., were to score an upset victory in the Democratic Party’s New Hampshire primary election in February. Clinton and Sanders were the only two candidates in the party to garner significant in a recent poll of potential New Hampshire primary voters.
“Bernie is from a neighboring state. We shouldn’t be surprised that there is so much enthusiasm for him. In fact, we shouldn’t be surprised if he does very well in New Hampshire or in Iowa and perhaps even wins,” Democratic strategist Maria Cardona said during an appearance on ABC News’ “This Week” Sunday. Cardona served as a senior adviser to the Hillary Clinton for President campaign in 2008.
From Inquisitr.com:
Senator Bernie Sanders’ campaign is making massive waves in the Democratic presidential nomination drawing some of the largest crowds of the 2016 election cycle. Sanders gave a passionate speech to a crowd estimated to be more than 5,000 at the University of Denver on Saturday night.
Sanders came out to Neil Young’s “Rockin’ In The Free World,” with the approval of the Canadian management and delivered a speech on the decline of America’s middle class and the redistribution of wealth in the United States.
Bernie Sanders, like his chief opponent Hillary Clinton, has spoken out against the income gap and how it favors the wealthy within the country. However, unlike Clinton, Bernie Sanders is not backed by the established with his top donors, mainly made up of workers union such as the Machinists/Aerospace Workers Union and the Teamsters. In stark contrast, Hillary Clinton has been backed by contributors such as Citigroup Inc and Goldman Sachs.
Joseph Curl @ The Washington Times thinks
Hillary Has a Bernie Problem
Eight years ago, in summer 2007, there were two absolute shoo-ins for the presidential nominations. The Republican was head and shoulders above his challengers, his name known to every American. And the Democrat was simply unbeatable, with a team and a machine second to none.
...
Hillary, too, was seen as invincible. She had the Clinton Rolodex of million-dollar bundlers, plus millions of email addresses built up over a decade. All the top campaign brains were on board and America was ready to move on from two terms of Republican leadership.
But then, a mostly unknown first-term senator jumped into the race. At that point, Barack Obama had done little more than deliver a rousing keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic convention. Yet his ragtag team fought harder and smarter, finally shoving Mrs. Clinton out of the race June 7.
...
But the Democrats have a presumptive nominee already, and have since Election Day 2012: Hillary. Like 2007, political pundits in the mainstream media gush about her, the air of history that would accompany the first woman president. And like eight years ago, her opponents are virtual unknowns: A governor from a very liberal state (Maryland), and a 73-year-old senator from Vermont who describes himself as a democratic socialist.
This may not end up like 2008, but 2016 has all the same markings. Mrs. Clinton has a serious Bernie problem, and like 2007 with Mr. Obama, she doesn’t appear to even realize it.
Mr. Sanders is drawing huge crowds wherever he appears, and his anti-establishment message is resonating with a disconnected electorate that has just suffered through six years of the dismal Obamaconomy. More, a Gallup poll last week found that Democrats are increasingly more liberal: 53 percent self-identify as liberal, up 14 percent since Mrs. Clinton last ran for president.
There is now a swirl of talk that Bernie cannot make it on the NY or NH primary ballot as a Democrat. I think if this actually turns out to be the case it will be of great detriment to the party to reject someone who's caucusing with Democrats helped pass some of Obama's signature legislation, as well as rejection of the thousands and thousands who have shown up to support his very progressive, democratic agenda.
Can Bernie Appear on NY Ballot:
Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats, plans to appear on the Democratic ballot for president in all 50 states, including New York. Some political watchers have wondered, taking into consideration his party status and the Empire State’s stringent elections laws, if this is even possible.
At first glance, Mr. Sanders would seem to have a difficult road ahead of him. Capital New York reported on May 29 that Mr. Sanders would need the permission of the State Democratic Party to run as a Democrat against front-runner Hillary Clinton, a former New York senator, as well as Martin O’Malley and Lincoln Chafee. A section of state election law known as Wilson-Pakula prohibits candidates from appearing on the ballot in a party’s primary unless they are either enrolled members or receive the approval of the party’s committee. (Building on this Capital report, the Observer previously noted that Mr. Sanders would need a Wilson-Pakula to run in New York.)
Assuming the State Democratic Party’s preference for Ms. Clinton–the current chairman, ex-Gov. David Paterson, is a close Clinton ally–Mr. Sanders’ chances of appearing on the Democratic ballot would seem remote. But Mr. Sanders will actually have no problem at all, according to the New York State Board of Elections.
In presidential primaries, national party rules take precedence over state law, said Thomas Connolly, a spokesman for the BOE. As long as Mr. Sanders “espouses party ideals, then actual enrollment is not an issue.”
“Additionally, the process is slightly different in that we do not certify a winner of the Presidential Primary, but rather provide the results to the national party, who in turn uses the results to do various calculations, the number of delegates a candidate would get among them,” Mr. Connolly said in an email.
Surging Sanders May Face Surprise Hurdle in New Hampshire:
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont is suddenly surging as he challenges Hillary Clinton for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, with a plethora of events in early battleground states that are drawing lively and enthusiastic crowds.
While Clinton remains the odds-on favorite to win the nomination next year, the 73-year-old Sanders is making a respectable showing in early polling in Iowa and doing even better in New Hampshire, where he currently trails Clinton by just 10 points overall and is tied with her among self-described liberals, according to a new Suffolk University poll.
In a campaign speech to hundreds of supporters in Keene, N.H., last month, Sanders declared: “Let me tell you a secret: We’re going to win New Hampshire!”
But some technicalities in state election law may complicate Sanders’ quest for victory in the Granite State. And according to at least one political expert -- former Rep. Charles F. Bass (R-NH) -- Sanders might not even qualify to appear on the ballot.
The problem, Bass says in an op-ed in The Washington Post on Friday, goes to Sanders’ political pedigree. The outspoken liberal and former House member was elected to the Senate in 2006 as an independent and for years has described himself as a socialist. Although he has caucused with the senate Democrats and currently holds the position of the ranking minority member of the Senate Budget Committee, he technically isn’t a registered Democrat.
Sanders Drawing Bigger Crowds Than All Republicans:
Sen. Sanders drew the second biggest crowd of the entire campaign in Denver. The only bigger crowd by official count was Hillary Clinton’s rally in New York last weekend. Sen. Sanders is pulling off the most impressive feat of the campaign. People are excited and showing up for his events.
Unlike Ted Cruz who drew a big crowd for his campaign launch by holding it a university event that students were forced to attend, the enthusiasm for Bernie Sanders is real. He doesn’t pay actors to come to his rallies and support him like Donald Trump did. His supporters are excited about their candidate.
The media and Republicans drone on about the depth of the Republican field, but early on in 2016, one trend continues for Democrats. Democratic candidates have the enthusiastic supporters. Republican candidates didn’t draw large crowds in 2008 or 2012, and the lack of GOP grassroots support is continuing in 2016.
Bernie Sanders are outdrawing Republican all across the country, and this is a good sign for the Democratic Party as the nation gears up to elect a new president.
Sanders Strives To Sell His Message To Latinos:
Sanders' campaign advisors say his platform, which includes free college tuition and Medicare for all, has appeal across racial and ethnic lines. His speech Friday at the annual conference of the National Assn. of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials — his first to a Latino audience — was well-received. His pledges to raise the national minimum wage and reduce spending on jails and prisons drew standing ovations.
After drawing heat from some Latino pundits in recent weeks for not talking enough about immigration, Sanders addressed the issue head-on Friday, matching Clinton's pledge to go further than President Obama in shielding from deportation immigrants who are in the country illegally.
He believes the underclass is not defined by their demography; they're defined by their income. He finds this kind of demographic politics somewhat -- well, he doesn't like it. - Garrison Nelson, a professor of political science at the University of Vermont, on Sen. Bernie Sanders
A self-described socialist who has made growing class inequality the theme of his campaign, Sanders described immigration as an economic issue.
"We cannot continue to run an economy where millions are made so vulnerable because of their undocumented status," Sanders said, asking: "Who benefits from this exploitation?"
In a departure for Sanders, who typically forgoes personal anecdotes for numbers-driven analysis, he paused for a moment to talk about his own experience as the son of an immigrant.
"My dad came to this country from Poland at the age of 17 without a nickel in his pocket," said Sanders.
Immigration "is the story of America, and we should be proud of that story," he said.
His message appeared to resonate with listeners, including Andrew Rodriguez, a city councilman from Eloy, Ariz., who said he liked that Sanders "spoke his mind."
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