Bernie Sanders' extreme makeover

[JoeOtterbein]

(This Politico article was written by this DU poster's daughter)

[link:https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/28/bernie-sanders-extreme-makeover-1343956|

A candidate with an aversion to schmoozing and ring-kissing bows to the necessities of a top-tier presidential campaign.

By HOLLY OTTERBEIN 05/28/2019 05:00 AM EDT

Bernie Sanders was notorious in 2016 for refusing to ask Democratic power brokers for their support. While Hillary and Bill Clinton were lighting up their phone lines, elected officials grumbled they never heard from Sanders or his campaign.

He also lacked the campaign infrastructure to compensate: “We had no political shop,” said Mark Longabaugh, one of Sanders’ top strategists that year.

This time around, the candidate with an aversion to schmoozing and a reputation as a loner in the Senate is bowing to a side of politics he's long despised. Sanders is making dozens of calls each week to elected officials, labor leaders and party chiefs, according to his aides. In between his rallies, he regularly meets with politicians behind closed doors. And surrogates, including Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), the co-chairman of his campaign, are aggressively courting House members.

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more at link

[Amimnoch]

1. Bridge is burnt to a crisp. No thanks. -nt.

[NurseJackie]

2. You're not the only one who feels that way.

[Still In Wisconsin]

3. Fool me once, Bernie...

I voted for this asshat last time around. Now, he's literally in LAST place on my list. Bernie is to me the new Joe Lieberman. Better than Trump, but not better than anybody else.

[efhmc]

5. I have never and will never support him.

Glad to see others finally viewing him as the hypocrite he is.

[Still In Wisconsin]

7. Yeah. Sigh. I bought his bullshit last election.

Lots of the policies he put forth were (and are) attractive to me, but the devil's always in the details. I liked Hillary too, but I thought Bernie was closer to what I view as a true progressive. Problem was (and is) there were no real plans that were based on actual possible outcomes. Just a bunch of stuff that sounded good at rallies.

Yeah, I bought it. I guess the Russian propaganda worked on me. Won't happen again, though.

[NastyRiffraff]

13. You weren't alone

But unlike many others, you can look back, see where you were fooled, learn from it, and move on.

[Skidmore]

4. I'll pass on consideration

of Sanders. He lost me last time around. Makeovers are usually cosmetic and do-overs aren't possible. There are better candidates than him for both positions on the ticket.

[revmclaren]

6. Sorry but too many burned bridges.

ONLY!!! 2019 and beyond.

[George II]

8. Too little too late. His antics and petulance last time around has left a bad taste in my mouth.

[thesquanderer]

9. 8 replies, and no one has yet commented on the article...

...instead they're just using another Bernie related post as another opportunity to rag on Bernie. So tiresome already, and it's only May of 2019.

But Joe, I'll say it... nice piece, congrats to your daughter!

[JoeOtterbein]

10. Thanks! nt

[LisaM]

12. I read the article. Problem is, I don't think Bernie particularly likes other people.

I mean, obviously he's got an inner circle, his wife, Tad Devine, Jeff Weaver. But you hear stories of his physically drawing away from people, of being curt and short with them, or of blowing people off. He hasn't really built any coalitions in the Senate.

If that's who he is, fine, but I don't find it to be a good recipe for working to get things done. I also think he comes off as a tad imperious (listen to his language, aside from the finger-wagging, he's always starting out sentences with "Now look!" or "Listen!&quot .

Kudos to him for trying, but I don't see this as ultimately sincere.

[peggysue2]

11. Money Quote . . .

His willingness to step up his efforts to win institutional support is the latest sign that he believes that shunning the Democratic establishment might work for a long-shot outsider campaign, but won’t cut it if he truly wants to win the nomination.

Meanwhile, the Senator from Vermont is still bashing 'the Democratic Establishment,' the boogie-man from 2016. Yet he's reaching out for support this time out because he realizes he needs those relationships 'if he truly wants to win the nomination.'

Tell me how that works out.

I don't think so.

[JoeOtterbein]

16. I agree that he needs to reach out. But I don't think any Dem candidate should run as being...

...an "Establishment" Dem. Sure way to lose the Indie voters. We need them to beat Trump and the other Repugs in 2020. We need to give them a reason to vote Dem. Like Medicare for All and an increase in SS and other programs. Things they can take to the bank.

We need to be much more than "normal" politics.

[peggysue2]

17. I'm not suggesting all our candidates run as . . .

Establishment Democrats. I'm saying that the Senator from Vermont has been bashing anyone he considers 'Establishment,' but now realizes he needs their support if he wants the nomination.

Good luck with that!

[JoeOtterbein]

18. Don't forget the Bernie supporters if he loses again. They will be in the best position to appeal...

...to the Indies. I was such a Bernie supporter and I was having good success with the Indies I knew that I convinced to stick with the Dems and Hillary in the General. It was not enough to take PA, but I know I tried very hard here in the York County area.

[comradebillyboy]

14. Kudos to your daughter for a good read Joe. What the article

dosen't tell us what kind of response Bernie's outreach efforts are getting. I'm guessing that very few Democrats are reaching out to the Sanders campaign. But now Bernie wants help from the people he's shit on for the last 30 years or so.

[JoeOtterbein]

15. Thanks! Stay tuned. Holly is still on the job! nt