Sanders sharpens his elbows

[n2doc]

As Hillary Clinton enjoys the best phase so far of her presidential campaign, Bernie Sanders and his aides are seeking the right approach to counter her.

Sanders aides believe he can find a sweet spot that is more aggressive than he was during the first Democratic debate in Las Vegas — where Clinton was widely seen as the winner — but not so antagonistic as to turn voters off.


But other Democrats and outside experts believe that could be a hard needle to thread. As the skeptics see it, Sanders risks undermining his appeal as a different kind of politician if he goes after Clinton at full force, especially given his frequent promises to run a positive campaign.

Sanders aides were especially irked when Clinton herself recently implied that Sanders had been sexist in remarks on gun control.

After Sanders suggested that “shouting” about the issue did not accomplish much, Clinton said, “I haven’t been shouting, but sometimes when a woman speaks out, some people think it’s shouting.”

“If there is going to be this other campaign of sniping and insinuation then that is going to precipitate a reaction from us,” Tad Devine, a senior adviser to Sanders, told The Hill. “That reaction would take the form of a more direct setting-out of policy differences.”

more

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/258741-bernie-sanders-sharpens-his-elbows

[Demeter]

1. Hillary is a sprinter who leans on other people

Bernie is an elemental force that can take the Presidential marathon without breaking a sweat. He doesn't have minions, he has companions who cut the drag and wind resistance.

[Hiraeth]

2. Bernie, just keep on keeping on. Talk policy not personality. Let Hillary twist in her own wind.

This has always been about the people. The people will either do it or they won't. Let the people speak at the voting booth.

Then let us count the votes. Whatever will be, will be.

Scary? Hell yeah. But you either have the will of the people or, you don't.

It is what you have always been about. Don't change now.

Having said that, I would like to more of your wife, Jane. I think it is time for her to take a more public role.

[SoapBox]

3. Bernie just speaks the truth...she whines he's attacking her.

Facts vs. boo-hoo.

[dae]

4. If Hillary wants to look for "sexists" I think there should be a

couple of them in the Wall Street companies raising mega dollars for her campaign. Of course I could be wrong and they are all paying women the same as men.

[eridani]

5. Sharpening Contrast with Clinton, Sanders Touts Bold Positions in Tough Times

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/10/27/sharpening-contrast-clinton-sanders-touts-bold-positions-tough-times

In an appearance Monday night on The Rachel Maddow Show, Sanders addressed the question of why it matters that, as Maddow put it, he was "right first" on issues like gay rights, trade policy, and the Keystone XL pipeline.

"That's an excellent and fair question," he said, "and the answer is: We live in a tough world and leadership counts. It's great that people evolve and change their minds and I respect that. But it's important to stand up when the going gets tough. And if you look at my career, I have taken on every special interest when it was tough to do."

"Where we are right now in American history is, we have a rigged economy with Wall Street and the big money interests exerting huge power over the economy, we have a corrupt campaign finance system with super PACs prepared to buy elections," Sanders continued. "What the American people and Democrats have to know [is] which candidate historically has had the guts to stand up to powerful people and [make] difficult decisions."

<snip>

"I have had in many years of politics had to make tough votes," he elaborated in his interview with Maddow. "The times then were very, very different. We had a lot of homophobia going on, a right-wing Republican leadership clearly trying to push this anti-gay legislation, and it bothered me to hear Secretary Clinton saying 'well, DOMA what it really was about was preventing something even worse'."

"It wasn't true," Sanders said emphatically, quoting Clinton ally Hilary Rosen who tweeted over the weekend: "Note to my friends Bill and #Hillary: Pls stop saying DOMA was to prevent something worse. It wasnt, I was there."

"It wasn't true," Sanders repeated on Monday night. "That was a tough vote, it really was. And there were a lot of decent people who in their hearts wanted to vote no and voted yes for political reasons. I didn't. That's all the point that I want to make."