The Sanders Campaign Enters 'The Persuasion Phase':
Iowa and New Hampshire voters, prepare to hear even more from Sen. Bernie Sanders.
The underdog candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, armed with more than $30 million, has hired a pollster and plans to begin running ads in the two states early next month.
After proving he can draw crowds in the thousands, Sanders is moving toward the “persuasion” phase of his candidacy. He’ll hold smaller events in the two early voting states, in addition to his mega-rallies, so he can take questions from undecided voters, according to Tad Devine, Sanders’ senior media strategist.
Part of Sanders’ strategy is to begin speaking more substantively on issues, including what it means to be a democratic socialist, the term he uses to describe his politics. He also plans to offer more specifics in speeches about his economic plan, including his ideas for taxes and generating revenue. Another topic: how he would handle his role as commander-in-chief.
Cesar Vargas Joins The Bernie Campaign:
Cesar Vargas, a leading undocumented activist, joined Sen. Bernie Sanders' campaign on Thursday, Vargas' advocacy group announced -- another sign the senator's bid for the Democratic presidential nomination is ramping up its efforts on immigration and the Latino vote.
Vargas is a co-founder of the Dream Action Coalition, which is led by young undocumented immigrants, or Dreamers. The group has been heavily critical of Republicans on immigration, but has also chastised President Barack Obama over deportations and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, one of Sanders' opponents, over donations from private prison lobbyists.
Dream Action Coalition has applauded Sanders for his efforts to ban government contracts for private prison companies, which also operate many immigrant detention centers.
More News On The Socialism Speech:
Top advisers and strategists for the Bernie Sanders campaign had long tried to convince their candidate of the need to address the stigma around the words “democratic socialist.”
But Sanders never agreed — until now.
Sanders is preparing to give a major speech soon to define and explain what it means to be a democratic socialist. This is a speech, advisers tell CNN, he committed to only very recently, an acknowledgment that the stigma around the term could be holding him back from truly challenging Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination.
..
The senator started writing the speech Tuesday in Washington, Devine said, with the plan that he will deliver it before the next Democratic debate on November 14.
Sanders will talk about what his political philosophy means in broader terms and what it has meant in practice as mayor of Burlington, Vermont, and in Congress, he added.
He’ll talk about how his political philosophy is seen through the eyes of others but will contrast that with the “American perspective” to show how programs such as Social Security and Medicare have made a difference in people’s lives over the years and were once attacked as socialism, an argument he has started to make in small ways already on the campaign trail.
Good Old Wine In A Good Old Bottle:
Senator Bernie Sanders is very much like the UK’s Jeremy Corbyn given his features of democratic socialism steadfastly stated in his campaign for the president seat which is knocking spots off the republican candidate’s campaigns and is even denting Hillary Clinton’s assault on the same seat into the bargain – which all the political pundits are too easily poo-pooing.
Bernie – let’s call him that so casually as he’s is such a nice chap – is also calling to bring higher taxation of the wealthiest US citizens, besides an increased minimum wage, and oh-my-god for the break up of the biggest Wall Street banks – especially those Too-Big-To-Fail financial institutions.
But the proposal to enhance the U.S.A.’s post offices with banking services is telling of his feet-on-the-ground understanding of how things work – and importantly, how and why they are not working for the common man.
..
Post office banking means that post offices run savings accounts, can cash checks, and perform other basic financial services – as is common in most of Asia and Europe – as a public bank, also offering financial transactions, remittance, and small lending services as a really good way to assist people who haven’t access to standard savings accounts. All of society would thereby benefit. In the absence of shareholders, there would be no drive to seek profits and services could be provided at cost.
A Labor Endorsement:
The Service Employees International Union Local 560 is endorsing Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders.
“Bernie Sanders is the most honest man in Washington,” said Earl Sweet, president of SEIU Local 560, in a statement from the campaign. “There’s no question about what Bernie Sanders believes because he has always meant what he said - and to many of us in the labor movement, that’s a breath of fresh air.”
The union local, based in Hanover, represents more than 500 workers across the energy, trades, dining, custodial, security and hospitality industries, according to the campaign.
Bernie Has A Larry David Impression:
Bernie Sanders has a Larry David impersonation, and it's "pretty, pretty, pretty good."
Sanders wrapped up a fairly serious discussion with Jimmy Kimmel on his Wednesday night ABC show with his own impression of the comedian, who nailed his mannerisms last weekend on Saturday Night Live.
"Well, I thought it was pretty, pretty, pretty good," Sanders said, a reference to a famous expression associated with David, as Kimmel's band struck up the theme song to David's show "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
Bernies Credibility With The Middle Class is Undeniable:
My first attraction drawing me to Bernie Sanders was his disdain for politicalese. You know, that form of speaking which evades saying how you feel and how committed you are to an issue.
Bernie Sanders speaks a language I understand, one that the middle class can understand. And he has not evolved on the issues he endorses – climate change, TPP, education, Medicare, Social Security, Iraq. Issue after issue, Bernie has taken a stance and over time has not wavered.
People are also noticing he is right for middle class Americans. The huge crowds flocking to his events are not an aberration born out of thin air. He talks to people at a level we can understand. He’s passionate and honest. He always has been that. He’s also starting to click with America because every talk show and Sunday news show is clamoring for him to be on. You know you’ve arrived when Saturday Night Live begins parodying you.
It’s time to get engaged and actively move his candidacy into the mainstream. Only we can do it! The notion that Bernie Sanders can’t get anything done if elected is a total myth ginned up by Republicans and mainstream media. A current article on the website Alternet written by Zaid Jilani just explored Bernie Sanders’ effectiveness since he became an independent congressman, then senator. His record of pushing through major reforms, as an independent, mind you, was astounding.
Why Veterans Are Supporting Sanders:
When then-freshman Vermont Congressman Bernie Sanders first arrived in Washington, D.C., he didn't first tend to the great social democratic causes that he spent his life working on: a national living wage, health care for all, or expanding labor unions.
Rather, the very first bill he introduced was H.R. 695 – the Guard and Reserve Family Protection Act of 1991. The purpose of the bill was to make sure that reserve and National Guard soldiers who were deployed to serve in the Gulf War were entitled to any pay they may have missed as a result of going to war, to ensure that their deployment wages were equal to their civilian wages.
Sanders' career in Congress has been living testimony to the fact that opposing wars but supporting our soldiers are not mutually exclusive goals. He has been a consistent advocate for both active duty military and veterans, and there are now signs that those veterans are returning the favor, organizing for his campaign.
The Story Of A Sanders Song:
Even for people who don't live in Saranac Lake, Curtis might look familiar. She's one of the lead vocalists in the Saranac Lake swing band Crackin' Foxy. The band has recently become popular online with their song "Mr. Sanders," a tribute to the band's favorite presidential hopeful.
The song itself is a spin-off of the 1950s hit "Mr. Sandman," performed by the Chordettes.
When Curtis found out Bernie Sanders threw his hat in the presidential race, she knew she had to do something.
The singer said the idea to write a song about Sanders was a no-brainer. She said the decision wasn't just about politics, it was personal.
"I've always been poor and so have a lot of my friends, so we all struggle with health care, and we struggle with paying for education. It would be nice to see some changes that would help regular people out," Curtis said.
More On 'The Persuasion Phase':
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has drawn rock-star-size crowds to arenas around the country. He's raised a whopping $40 million, largely from small-dollar donors. He's passed former secretary of state Hillary Clinton in polls of New Hampshire voters, pulled her to the left on several key issues, and he held his own in last week's debate.
And, with a little help from comedian Larry David on "Saturday Night Live," he's even begun to break through as an improbable pop culture icon.
Now, all the septuagenarian socialist has to do is convince the American electorate that he can really serve as the nation's 45th president. No big deal.
With that in mind, says senior adviser Tad Devine, the Sanders campaign is entering a new "persuasion phase," during which it hopes "to find more opportunities to get closer to voters" and convert excitement into commitment.
..
Lest Sanders supporters worry that their candidate will shape-shift into a conventional one, Devine assures that is not the case.
"We're just gonna get bigger," he says. "There's not going to be a change in message. There's not a big change in tactics. The big things for us will be that we're growing."