Sanders to Dems: We must change our strategy to regain power

[portlander23]

Sanders to Dems: We must change our strategy to regain power
Jennifer Calfas
The Hill

"The new approach, I think, is to, A, create a 50-state strategy. That means we start playing ball in states that the Democrats have conceded decades ago," the former presidential candidate said.

This approach, Sanders said, should be through a grassroots movement where the most important members of the party are younger and middle class. These people can give the party a better understand of what needs to change, said Sanders, whose been tapped by Senate Democratic leadership to head the party's outreach efforts.

“I’m going to be going around the country to try to do everything that I can to create a party which represents working people and not just the 1 percent” Sanders said. “Right now in the United States, as you know, Mr. Trump will be inaugurated. Right now, the Republicans control the U.S. Senate. Democrats, I had hoped—we thought we had a better than even chance of gaining control. We did not.”

“So I think any independent assessment, without casting any blame, says the current approach has failed. All right? When you lose, you know, it’s like they always say about the football coach: You know, if you’re zero and 10, you’re not doing well,” he continued. “Well, the current approach clearly is not succeeding, and we need a new approach.”

[stopbush]

1. Step One: register as a Democrat...and stay a D after the election

Your move, Sen Sanders.

[alarimer]

4. That is a bullshit argument.

Sanders is a better Democrat than many. Than, say, Joe Manchin, who is nominally a Dem is really a Republican and threatens to bolt all the time. And then there was Lieberman, who conveniently became an Independent when he lost to Lamont. And, then, all of a sudden for many establishment Dems, party affiliation did not matter.

So to hell with Party labels. They are immaterial, as long as both Manchin and Lieberman can be included.

[KittyWampus]

6. This is a two party system. And the Democratic Party doesn't need Sanders, who spend decades

trashing the party as a whole, offering up advice. He can offer it up and the media will report it because it helps give the illusion of a divided Democratic party.

What does he know about winning national elections outside of his own state with its particular demographic?

[hedda_foil]

13. Take it up with the Democratic leadership that just appointed him their director of outreach.

[KittyWampus]

23. Oh, so now DU'ers are happy with the Democratic leadership. LOL

[lapucelle]

37. That was a canny move by one of my senators, Chuck Schumer.

In order to invent a junior leadership position for Sanders, Schumer reshaped one committee into two and kept the Democratic chairperson in the more powerful position.

The Steering and Outreach Committee is now two separate groups. Outreach is responsible for fostering community relations through meetings and dialog.

It is the Steering Committee's job to prioritize interests and develop a legislative agenda. Amy Klobuchar, who is currently the head of Steering and Outreach, will be chair of the new Steering Committee.

[NWCorona]

11. Regardless of policy, some just care about the (d) next to a name.

[synergie]

22. And some will never bother to look at policy, it's how many who default voted for

Trump justify their purity vote, they literally never bothered to educate themselves on the policies of the person who won the Democratic nomination.

[NWCorona]

24. I can agree with that but I will take it a bit further.

Some didn't want to know the policies. I fully acknowledge that some were so blinded by hate for Hillary Clinton that reason went out the door.

[synergie]

26. And they still can't answer why they hate her, they just shout talking points, usually

ones from the Right. The Right does a good job with the Big Lies, you see it when the lies come from the supposed left.

[NWCorona]

28. They probably don't even know why they hate her. Negativity has a blinding quality to it.

[stopbush]

15. Refusing to take on the D designation sends a strong message

that you believe there is something wrong or untoward with calling yourself a D.

THAT is the bullshit that Sanders is flinging at the party faithful.

[BeyondGeography]

34. "We must change our strategy..."

Who's "we"? Join the fucking party already.

Sanders is playing an outdated game of too-cool-for-school. He is part of Democratic leadership, has strong views on the party, helped design the party's platform after a strong presidential run...still not good enough for ya, Bernie? The I stands for me, me, me, more than it does for Independent at this point.

[pnwmom]

35. He's not a good enough Democrat if he doesn't encourage his supporters

to vote for other Democrats.

And he's pretending he invented the 50 state strategy. It's not new. Ask Howard Dean.

[Gothmog]

14. Sander is not currently a member of the Democratic Party

Sanders is running as an indie for Senate

[JustAnotherGen]

19. Thanks for getting right at the heart of the matter

Yeah - I'm not taking marching orders from him - and I don't want Menendez or Booker to do so either. For that matter - I hope he sticks his nose into the Senate and butts out of the NJ Gubernatorial race next year. Murphy can slaughter the Republicans next November. He can't slaughter them following the Sanders playbook - jiminy christmas he worked for goldman sachs for crissakes!

[lillypaddle]

20. "We?"

Who is "we," Senator Sanders? Oh, you mean the democrats? Got it ...

[Tarheel_Dem]

27. +1

[Laurian]

2. We can message until the cows come home,

but it won't matter if we don't address and correct gerrymandering and voter suppression.

[stopbush]

3. This

[True_Blue]

8. Yep

We just need to stop the right from stealing elections.

[NWCorona]

12. Some threw up warnings about voter suppression during the primary but called conspiracy theorists

Just look at the Arizona primary. I said at the time that Arizona would be the blueprint for the GE in RW controled states.

[SaschaHM]

16. They were called conspiracy theorist because they were ridiculously

blaming the Clinton Campaign for a Republican Election Official clogging up precincts that benefited her. Voter Suppression was/is an issue, but it wasn't some dastardly plot to get Bernie like many were screaming it was at the time.

[NWCorona]

18. Maybe some but others blamed the Republican state leadership

I also said that the tactics used in the primary would be used in the GE regardless of who our candidate was.

This is bigger than Bernie or Hillary.

[synergie]

30. These were people who were attacking the DNC, many of us were trying to tell

folks that the GOP is the party responsible for this, and this is what happens when people don't bother to show up and vote in every election, and what would happen if they didn't show up in overwhelming numbers in this one, against such a nasty opponent.

The conspiracy theories were from the people claiming that the DNC and Hillary herself somehow rigged things. Neither the DNC nor Hillary had any control over what the GOP did in their states, and despite seeing what dirty tricks they played, the pure still couldn't bother to get out and vote.

As I saw in MI, people were writing in Bernie, leaving the rest of the ballots blank and then raging on against Hillary not campaigning there (while ignoring her campaign appearances in the state).

Enough with the conspiracy theories, we have facts about what the GOP did and how they did it. Can we stop heaping blame on Hillary, and pay some attention to the fact that she actually did mobilize a large number of voters who did vote for her, but whose votes were not counted, despite evidence of shenanigans?

[NWCorona]

33. My point now just like when I said after Arizona

If we don't fight back now it will happen again in the GE. This is nothing new. Just look at how the GOP was just slapped in court in regards to redistricting. Same old story but we on the left never really fight back. Just look at what Schumer is saying.

[angrychair]

43. With all due respect my friend

Voter suppression is to blame...for some of it.
Gerrymandering is to blame...for some of it.
Media is to blame...for a lot of it.

Republicans control 29 states!
House.
Senate.
WH.
It was years in the making.

We cannot continue to talk about how great we are in the face of such massive loses, at every level, over more than a decade.
Sanders is not wrong. Don't shoot the messenger because you don't like the message. Our ideals are right. Our platform just. Doesn't mean we don't need a better approach and a more aggressive outreach and message.

Trump is a narcissistic, racist, bigoted and xenophobic fascist. We are either united in our fight against his agenda or we will all become a victim of it.

[Me.]

5. Doesn't He Belong To A Different Party?

So why isn't he giving advice to them about strategy etc.

[Crunchy Frog]

9. Alot of them seem to think he's worth listening to.

Some people put party principle above labels. Go figure.

[Me.]

10. Yet It's Always One Direction

If he's so interested, enough to the point he can't stop handing out advice, why doesn't he join them except when it's convenient for him. Walking your talk puts authenticity behind principles above labels.

[synergie]

31. Indeed, and others violate those principles as well as their pledges to

remain in the party, I guess labels are important when it's about money and attention, but it's easy to toss those away, along with principles and their word, when they no longer need them.

[JCMach1]

7. Strategy and message are pointless at this point: Just Fight Them

everywhere, all the time and the people will reward you...

[SaschaHM]

17. So does he want a real 50-state strategy?

Because that involves accepting Blue Dogs and other conservative Dems that are the only ones capable in certain district. I'm fine with that, but I doubt most of the people praising Bernie for this will be.

[NWCorona]

25. I support blue dog Democrats. We are all products of our environments

I commend them for being on the left considering the deep conservative upbringing that many of them probably had.

We need to adopt the 50 state strategy. I have no problem cutting your losses in a state if it's obviously not working but at least try.

[JustAnotherGen]

21. Wow - that's a serious 180 for him

"The new approach, I think, is to, A, create a 50-state strategy. That means we start playing ball in states that the Democrats have conceded decades ago," the former presidential candidate said.

Is he talking in the GE? I know in the primary he was very clear that the Southern primaries 'distort reality'.

[Tarheel_Dem]

29. Don't hold Bernie to anything he's EVER said or done in the past. He's a "true" progressive, doncha

know?

[mythology]

44. That struck me as well

He very pointedly ignored a number of states, and I think it probably was strategically a good strategy for his campaign. Running for President is a very different election than running for the Senate or a House seat. Winning all 50 states isn't a viable strategy in the presidential election. I assume Clinton's team thought they had the Rust Belt tied up, but they didn't spend a lot of time campaigning there.

We do need to be present in all the states at the state and local level and for a number of reasons we haven't been competitive in many states. Some of that is due to Republicans gerrymandering the shit out of so many states, but

[Dustlawyer]

32. Crazy that some people here at DU think we have

the luxury of infighting at this point! If Bernie's colleagues do not have a problem neither should we.

The vitriol is so strong sometimes you would think that Bernie was a baby killer instead of a politician beholden to no special interest.

Hate him all day long if you must, but please don't sabotage his efforts on our behalf. We have been needing a 50 state strategy since the last time Howard Dean did it.

[pnwmom]

36. Yes, Howard Dean did it. And now Bernie's calling it "new" and trying to take credit for it.

But he barely bothered to run in the south. Aren't the southern states part of the 50?

[lapucelle]

38. No, silly. They're part of the Confederacy.

http://www.salon.com/2016/03/19/saying_hillary_only_won_the_confederacy_isnt_just_idiotic_its_also_bad_for_the_democratic_party/

[Eleanors38]

41. The 50 state strategy was invented by Dean. And it sat on the shelf, collecting dust.

[lastone]

39. Agree with you 100%

Sanders dared challenge the canadate most here were behind no matter the obvious contradictions in her record and they can't get over that. It's telling that even though he's been appointed to the outreach position those same people only care about the D after his name.

[Eleanors38]

42. Heh. Makes one wonder what is so "underground" about Democratic Underground.

I have said for years that the biggest impediment for any candidate or activist to the left Dwight Eisenhower would be the Democratic Party, not he GOP.

[LAS14]

40. Glad to see potential for a united front.

This is just like the sort of thing Obama said in his final press conference, and, I think, in at least one interview.

"The new approach, I think, is to, A, create a 50-state strategy. That means we start playing ball in states that the Democrats have conceded decades ago," the former presidential candidate said.

This approach, Sanders said, should be through a grassroots movement where the most important members of the party are younger and middle class. These people can give the party a better understand of what needs to change, said Sanders, whose been tapped by Senate Democratic leadership to head the party's outreach efforts."