Bernie Sanders’ Strategist: THIS IS HOW WE WIN

[Segami]

If all goes according to plan, Sanders will have won enough delegates by mid-March to be a serious contender for the nomination. That would signal a shift for Sanders; it would be time to court the Establishment. “Then we have to offer fundamental assurances to party leaders who say he’s a socialist. He’s been in the Congress 25 years and his program is not to replace the current system with socialism, it’s to revive the middle class.”

Going back almost a year when Bernie Sanders first talked about running for president, Tad Devine, his longtime strategist, told him he would need $40 to $50 million to get through Iowa and New Hampshire. That was a big number, and for a time Sanders held back, unsure he could raise that kind of money. Sanders has now taken in well over $40 million, “and I don’t think the fundraising is going to stop,” says Devine. Good thing because what he calls “The Plan” for Sanders to win the Democratic nomination is predicated on those dollars -- and doing very well in Iowa and New Hampshire. Sanders came close to matching Hillary Clinton in the last quarter, bringing in $26 million compared to her $28 million. And Sanders wasn’t flying to New York for fundraisers three times a month, or out to the Coast to hit up donors in Silicon Valley. He doesn’t do any of that stuff, practicing what he preaches about the evils of big money in politics.

As the Democratic candidates prepare for their first debate Tuesday, polls show Sanders ahead in New Hampshire and closing on Clinton in Iowa. “The historic momentum that comes from early victories coupled with a different way of raising money, coupled with a strong message -- if we put it together and keep it together we’ve got a real shot at this thing,” Devine told the Daily Beast. By every benchmark, Sanders is ahead of where Barack Obama was as a candidate in ’07, a comparison Devine delights in making. Before Sanders launched his presidential bid, he had an e-mail list with 400,000 names. Before he announced, Obama had 20,000 names. Obama’s speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention put him on the map, but Sanders struck political gold with an 8-hour filibuster on corporate greed and the decline of the middle class after Obama struck a deal with Congress in December 2010 to extend the Bush-era tax cuts for two more years.

“A lot of people followed him after that,” says Devine. “They liked what he had to say.” Known simply as “The Speech,” it made Sanders a C-SPAN celebrity, and built the foundation for his grassroots fundraising. At the end of September, Sanders had 650,000 individual contributions. “Obama didn’t get to this level of contributors until after Iowa,” says Devine. “This pace is very good by any historical mark. By the time we get to Iowa, we want people to know this campaign is for real, it’s not a symbolic effort to raise a few issues.”

Devine is no novice, he has been at the center of two competitive and, for Democrats, heartbreaking campaigns: Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004. He knows what’s ahead. “Swift Boating will look mild compared to what’s coming against Bernie. I get it – but it’s a different age. Our ability to communicate online with tools we never had before – a lot of this stuff, we can just blow up saying it comes from Super PACs.” For now, though, if Sanders is going to be taken seriously as a potential nominee, he has to show that he has the capacity to build a national campaign. The Plan calls for paid staff on the ground by the end of October in every voting state through Super Tuesday – not 50 people like they have in Iowa, or the 40 plus a state director in New Hampshire, but a real presence. A volunteering network online asks people to sign a card and take on certain tasks. The new trade pact that Obama is pushing, and which Clinton recently flip-flopped on, is a prime target for Sanders, especially in the Midwest where manufacturing job losses are blamed on global trade. The strength of the Sanders campaign has not softened the Democratic Party’s resistance to him as a potential nominee. The insiders only understand winning, says Devine. “All of this is predicated on winning early and winning often. If we don’t do that, we’ll never win the inside game.”

Clinton has a huge advantage with party leaders and super delegates, but she hasn’t yet turned out crowds that come anywhere near what Sanders is seeing. And Sanders got his first endorsement a few days ago from a member of Congress, Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva. Last week, it was 27,000 people in Portland, and 24,000 in Boston --more than came to hear Obama at a similar stage in his campaign. “He is demonstrating he can do what Obama did, which is change the composition of the electorate,” says Devine. Sanders has a litany of ideas that hit directly at core sets of voters: working men and women who like social-security expansion, a massive jobs program, and a $15 minimum wage; environmentalists who like his straight-up call for a carbon tax to deal with climate change; and voters disgusted with super PACs who like that he is not reliant on big money. The rationale of the Sanders campaign is that it can win by appealing to disaffected voters and expanding the electorate. Devine said he told the Democratic National Committee they should set up a table and register voters at Sanders rallies. “We’re trying to get them in the door here. It would be smart for the Democratic Party to take advantage of the Sanders’ phenomenon. If you go to a Sanders rally now, there’s a good chance you’ll vote for a Democrat in 2016.” So far, the DNC hasn’t taken him up on the idea. “I think they’re afraid they’ll all vote for Bernie,” he chuckles.




cont'


http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/10/12/bernie-sanders-s-strategist-this-is-how-we-win.html

[99Forever]

1. Good article.

Thanks Segami.

That ought to light some hair on fire.

[ladjf]

2. Good post! nt

[in_cog_ni_to]

3. Of course

that's what they're afraid of! Which tells us, the DWS DNC is in the bag for Hillary. They'll come to regret that.

<snip>

Devine said he told the Democratic National Committee they should set up a table and register voters at Sanders rallies. “We’re trying to get them in the door here. It would be smart for the Democratic Party to take advantage of the Sanders’ phenomenon. If you go to a Sanders rally now, there’s a good chance you’ll vote for a Democrat in 2016.” So far, the DNC hasn’t taken him up on the idea. “I think they’re afraid they’ll all vote for Bernie,” he chuckles.

Great read! Thanks for posting it.

[Zorra]

4. "By every benchmark, Sanders is ahead of where Barack Obama was as a candidate in ’07..."

The DNC wouldn't be caught dead a a Sanders rally. They'd rather see Trump get elected Prez than Bernie.

[72DejaVu]

5. So, the strategy is: win the early primaries than move to the center

That won't be a sell out though, that will be, um, something else.

[Yallow]

7. Bernie Doesn't Move

He is already where he needs to be.

Working tirelessly for my family's future.

Hillary?

Not so much.

[72DejaVu]

8. How do you interpret the phrase

"Court the establishment"?

[Art_from_Ark]

12. I believe that means "get support for Bernie from the establishment"

because if his campaign takes off to that level, it will be a signal that Bernie's message is resonating with a huge part of the electorate. No need to change the message-- just the attitudes among the party's apparatchiks.

[Populist_Prole]

13. May I take a crack at it?

"Court the establishment", vis a vis B Sanders: Having the "Democratic Party Inc" come to realize he is resonating with the hoi-polloi....and it's real. That he can win, and to get behind and assist him, rather than ignore him and continue to support 3rd-way "republican lite" candidates.

That's my take.

[rhett o rick]

25. It's important for those of the "establishment" to have sided with the winner.

A lot of the establishment may like Sen Sanders but if they feel he doesn't have a chance, will endorse Clinton. But if he makes a strong showing in early primaries, he can "court" support by pointing out that he will be the winner.

Sen Sanders doesn't move. HRC moves like a jumping bean. She was in favor of fracking before she was against fracking. The same goes for the TPP.

[72DejaVu]

27. You're the second person who has said "Bernie doesn't move"

I suppose there are people who think intransigence is a good trait in a leader. I don't agree.

[rhett o rick]

28. I think there are issues that shouldn't be compromised on. There comes a point where

it's necessary to draw the line and stand and fight. Our liberties, freedoms, and wealth have all been taken from us. We can not afford to compromise any more. Goldman-Sachs and the billionaires that back HRC don't care about our freedoms, liberties or the 16,000,000 American children living in poverty. It's time to kick them out of power.

[madfloridian]

6. They would register voters at Sanders' rallies, but DNC won't go along with it??

That's petty. Registering more Democrats would help build the party.

[72DejaVu]

9. When did the DNC EVER do that?

I've never seen it. Usually, the campaigns themselves, or the local party organization does that. I've worked on dozens of campaigns and never seen the DNC take charge of voter registration.

I wonder, do people think the DNC has a huge staff of employees and a vast infrastructure or something?

[jwirr]

14. The DNC has connections with every Democratic Party Office

in the USA. What momma does the children do. And what I found out in my area is that they are doing nothing. Not even answering questions.

[72DejaVu]

18. The way the DNC does things may be the right way or not

That's a debate we ought to have. In fact, it's a debate we should have ALL the time.

But the notion that they are screwing Bernie because they aren't doing something they haven't done for any other candidate is just, as Joe would say, malarkey.

Maybe they ought to be taking over voter registration from the state parties. I don't think so, though, I prefer the individual state parties have as much autonomy as possible.

[jwirr]

20. Screwing over Bernie (and all the other candidates but one)

is not happening? What do you think the exclusivity law is doing? This is not about the number of debates the DNC holds. It is about anyone else offering to hold a debate. We have never had a rule like this in the entire history of the Democratic Party.

This year we have an exclusivity law that we adopted from the Rs and which limits exposure to the voters. And it favors Clinton who has name recognition and does not do very well in debates and it hurts all other candidates.

[72DejaVu]

21. That has exactly what to do with voter registration?

Bernie's campaign is complaining that the DNC isn't registering voters at their events. The DNC is not doing that for anyone else, so who's crying for special treatment?

If I were supporting Bernie, I'd have some concern that his "longtime strategist" seems to have so little knowledge of how campaigns actually work.

[jwirr]

23. Not a damn thing but you brought it up when you insisted

that no one was screwing the others. The DNC has sucked since 2008. Deal with it.

[rhett o rick]

29. If you can't see the bias from the DNC then you are not looking very closely. DWS worked for

HRC and it's fair to say that she and the Democratic Party Elite don't want a progressive to win the nomination. Those very shenanigans are the reason Sen Sanders has such a large following in such a short time. People are tired of the corrupt politics as usual. It's time for a change.

[madfloridian]

15. The DNC has been ineffective since 2008, early 2009.

The DNC is ineffective since 2008, early 2009. Obama practically ran without them, won two terms. We will see what Bernie is able to do.

If people think Hillary will be best for them, they should vote for her.

What makes you think it would take a huge staff of employees to register voters at rallies??

Why wouldn't the DNC think new blood wouldn't be important? Oh wait, I think I know.

Must be like Florida, where former Deaniacs who crossed party leaders were suddenly not welcome?

I think people who love the Clintons come hell or high water, no matter what policies they have embraced such as destructive trade policies that took jobs away...should vote for them.

I just think a lot of folks need to remember that sometimes acting entitled in politics can work against a person.

[Thespian2]

10. Bernie is America's only hope...

Does this comment mean that Bernie gives up all that he stands for...

“Then we have to offer fundamental assurances to party leaders who say he’s a socialist. He’s been in the Congress 25 years and his program is not to replace the current system with socialism, it’s to revive the middle class.”

If so, I just can't find that "shift" in his statement...

[Beartracks]

24. "Help us Berni-wan Kenobi. You're our only hope!"

======================

[Live and Learn]

11. K&T nt

[AzDar]

16. Bernie!

[99th_Monkey]

17. Apparently Debbie Wasserman Schultz is now taking Bernie a lot more seriously

or something seems to have shifted in her attitude about Bernie, but maybe I'm just
seeing what I want to see.

There's a good discussion about this at this link, where she seems to be taking Bernie quite seriously
as a possible Democratic Party nominee:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=666520

[WillyT]

19. HUGE K & R !!! - THANK YOU !!!

[Uncle Joe]

22. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Segami.

[Gothmog]

26. I have read the article and there is no real path to the nomination described in this article

if you read the last three paragraphs of this article, Sanders campaign manager does not outline a path to the nomination but a path to be a "serious" candidate.

If all goes according to plan, Sanders will have won enough delegates by mid-March to be a serious contender for the nomination. That would signal a shift for Sanders; it would be time to court the establishment. “Then we have to offer fundamental assurances to party leaders who say he’s a socialist. He’s been in the Congress 25 years and his program is not to replace the current system with socialism, it’s to revive the middle class.”

Sanders’s outsider campaign has been likened to Jesse Jackson’s insurgent campaign in 1988—it wasn’t until the Wisconsin primary in April that Michael Dukakis defeated Jackson. But Devine thinks the more apt analogy to today’s politics is 1984 when the combination of Gary Hart’s insurgency and Jackson’s coalition of minority voters together almost beat Walter Mondale. “Jackson never received support from the institutional party, but he demanded respect. If we register, as Jesse Jackson did, millions of people, that would be a huge lift for the party in Senate races.” And for whichever Democrat reaches the magic number of delegates next year to secure the nomination.

The idea that Sanders is good for the Democratic Party is a hard lesson for Clinton to appreciate in the heat of battle. But he’s got voters fired up and ready to go, and Democrats need that energy.

The apparent goal of this campaign is not for Sanders to be the nominee but to be considered a serious candidate who might almost beat Hillary Clinton.

This article is silent on what Sanders intend to do in a general election contest in that it appears that Sanders campaign manager does not expect that Sanders will be the nominee.

[RBInMaine]

30. CORRECT. And as the guy said, Bernie is going to get "Socialist-Boated" like a TIDAL WAVE.

Yesterday on Meet the Press he said was not a capitalist. The socialism thing is his DOOM !!

[Gothmog]

31. Sanders is not going to be the Democratic party nominee

Even Sanders' own campaign manager admits this

[nc4bo]

32. My interpretation is IF HRC wins the nom.,

she's going to NEED Sanders supporters and their enthusiasm going forward.

iow, there is an enthusiasm problem within the Democratic party.

And I don't see where Bernie would be in this race simply for what, bragging rights or respect? No. I firmly believe he's in it to make lives better for the 99%.

[Gothmog]

33. Hopefully the party will come together

This happened in 2008 in part because no one wanted McCain/Palin to be in office (Sarah Palin still scares me). All of the most likely GOP candidates are very scary. Trump would be a disaster for the country. The least offensive one in the group is Jeb! and he is not likely to be the nominee

Right now, the Democratic Blue Wall will be helpful to Clinton and other Demographic trends. Predictwise has the Democrats at 58% to win the POTUS vs 42% for the GOP candidate