Bernie Sanders Tries to Reclaim the Insurgency

[left-of-center2012]

(The Atlantic magazine)

Bernie Sanders picked a small room for a weeknight rally and didn’t come close to filling it. This was, his campaign says, all part of the plan. The new plan.
Across seven events over 48 hours in New Hampshire earlier this week, he drew an estimated 2,400 people—total. Most of the events were like what a strong congressional candidate could have pulled together.

To his credit, Sanders seemed like he couldn’t have been happier to be back to this style of campaigning. He teased his upcoming trip to Arkansas to speak on behalf of Walmart workers at the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting, tearing into the Walton family for piling up billions of dollars while full-time employees go on food stamps.

This week was a return to the life Sanders had lived until 2015, riffing in backyard get-togethers about how he’d tried and failed to stop the Iraq War, but turned out to be right all along, subsequently receiving praise from small groups of aging white lefties who helped spread the word that “Bernie” was the real deal. During three events on Monday, Sanders even had his old friends from Burlington, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, scooping Ben & Jerry’s ice cream themselves.

Rivals see a campaign that’s stagnating. Polls show Sanders’s numbers falling, with Senator Elizabeth Warren and others gradually ascending, and the larger Democratic mood toward unity seems to be at odds with his combative style. That may be why the Monmouth University poll last week that measured Democrats’ favorability ratings of well-known candidates showed Sanders behind former Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Kamala Harris, and Warren—and, at 44 percent, well down from the high of 53 percent he enjoyed in March.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/05/bernie-sanders-new-hampshire/590698/

[SouthernProgressive]

1. "This week was a return to the life Sanders had lived until 2015"

[Hortensis]

10. :) Yes, nice thought that!

Just part of a bigger picture perhaps. I read in VT papers that he refuses to help leftist candidates who run to carry the banners he once did in local governments. No one seems to know why. Whatever. Hope his work returns him to his roots for some while.

[George II]

15. At his "Gathering" back in the winter, there were no Vermont activist POC invited.....

....including members of Vermont NAACP chapters.

https://vtdigger.org/2018/12/03/state-activists-question-inclusivity-sanders-institute-gathering/

[Hortensis]

16. W

Whoa. Only 4 prominent VTers invited, NO VT activists?

No idea what all this comprehensive snub was about of course, but I’d bet good money these reps of many progressive groups don’t agree entirely with him about absolutely everything. How could any normal involved people? But he is famous for intolerance to deviation.

Incredible. How do they let him get away with it?

[George II]

18. Even worse - these are the ONLY Vermonters that were at the Gathering...

Each and every one as white as the driven snow, at least three of which (maybe four or five) are 1%ers:

A schedule of speakers revealed that, amid such celebrities as Danny Glover and Susan Sarandon, only a half-dozen Green Mountain State residents would take the stage: Sanders and his wife, ice cream icon Ben Cohen, Burlington Associates partner John Davis, environmental writer Bill McKibben and Champlain Housing Trust CEO Brenda Torpy.

[Hortensis]

19. Well, I just read Sanders' reason, which makes sense.

Vermont's senator explained that this was a national event. Sure, the leaders of the long list of groups who signed that letter of disapproval were passionately involved in progressive solutions, but they were from Vermont.

Plus, most of those strongly focus on social justice issues. That exclusion's the complaint, of course, but Sanders' progressivism is about economic class warfare. I have to admit I can see it. The ice cream billionaires and movie stars would have been invited to illustrate the evils of wealth concentration, and probably the Vermont Partnership for Fairness and Diversity didn't have someone who could perform that function.

Pohl-Moore and Gillom’s letter has been endorsed by, in alphabetical order, ACLU community organizer Nico Amador; Black Lives Matter of Greater Burlington leaders Katrina Battle and Jabari Jones; Migrant Justice representative Marita Canedo; Vermonters for Justice in Palestine member Wafic Faour; Vermont Coalition for Ethnic and Social Equity in Schools member Amanda Garces; Justice For All executive director Mark Hughes; Brattleboro’s The Root Social Justice Center co-founder Shela Linton; Lakota community Kunsi Keya Tamakoce founder Beverly Little Thunder; I Am Vermont Too co-coordinator Sha’an Mouliert; the Vermont State Police’s Fair and Impartial Policing Committee co-chair Etan Nasreddin-Longo; and Vermont Partnership for Fairness and Diversity executive director Curtiss Reed Jr. and special projects assistant Gemma Seymour. Former state Rep. Kiah Morris, D-Bennington, who recently resigned as one of just five lawmakers of color in the 180-member Legislature after facing racial harassment, not only added her name but also shared her own concerns on Twitter.

[George II]

12. If only............

[ehrnst]

2. The low turnouts were "all part of the plan."

Because of course they were....

[MineralMan]

3. "Poor turnout is part of our plan to win..."

Said no candidate ever...

[mcar]

14. That is some serious 'splaining

[George II]

5. Lack of news coverage of his campaign? Where do you go for your news?

[corbettkroehler]

6. 1,000,000+ Volunteers Not Yet In Gear

Smaller turnouts aren't necessarily dispositive of anything more than a need for better scheduling and coordination. His staff hiring in multiple states deliberately has been slowed by the new, rigid ethics requirements.

When those 1,000,000+ volunteers are given specific marching orders, you'll see an historic spike in crowd sizes outpulling even 2016.

Should the coordination have been better now, 6 months before Iowa? Yes but I'm exactly 0% worried.

[George II]

8. A million volunteers to get 12-15 million votes? Seems a bit of an exaggeration.

[corbettkroehler]

9. Actually, A Million Volunteers To Get 200 Million Votes

One of Bernie's larger goals as president is to repair voter apathy. We trail most of the industrialized world in election participation. The best way of addressing it is by deploying an army of volunteers to knock doors and perform the most effective form of electioneering, retail.

Bernie is providing a peek into a key stratagem of his general election strategy.

Bottom line: the fact that Sanders has a vast lead in obtaining committed volunteers is a huge sign of strength.

[George II]

11. Last time he got 13.1 million votes. Again, that 1 million is a huge exaggeration....

Look at it this way, one in every 325 people in America (including children) is a BS volunteer? I seriously doubt it.

[ehrnst]

24. Understanding the difference between reality and what one would like to believe

about one's favorite candidate seems to be a problem in some fans of certain candidates.

[ehrnst]

20. Do you have the statistics on # of volunteers for the various campaigns?

I was not aware that Sanders was ahead of other candidates. What data are you using?

[corbettkroehler]

22. Public Statements From Sanders HQ Shared With The Press And General Public

1 million worldwide (but largely in the U.S.):

http://politico.com/story/2019/04/03/bernie-sanders-2020-volunteers-1246524

and 25,000 in Iowa

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/446807-bernie-sanders-weve-got-25000-volunteers-in-iowa

I only follow similar numbers for rival campaigns informally from time to time.

[ehrnst]

23. So you don't have statistics or data on the other candidates' # of volunteers.

Last edited Wed Jun 5, 2019, 02:25 PM - Edit history (4)

You stated:

Bottom line: the fact that Sanders has a vast lead in obtaining committed volunteers is a huge sign of strength.

Then you stated:

I only follow similar numbers for rival campaigns informally from time to time.

A quantifiable statment "of fact" that you can't verify isn't a "bottom line" and therefore is not a "huge sign of strength."

There is a difference between facts and wishful thinking. Understanding that difference gives one credibility.

Admitting when one has confused wishful thinking with "a fact" also gives one credibility.

Just sayin'.

[corbettkroehler]

27. My Bottom Line Is That Bernie Is The Most Honest Politician I Know

I trust his numbers as fact but don't spend much of my precious time comparing the size of his base to that of his rivals.

[ehrnst]

29. That doesn't mean that anything that you want to believe about him is true.

You stated:

Bottom line: the fact that Sanders has a vast lead in obtaining committed volunteers is a huge sign of strength.

Again, that was wishful thinking, but you declared it as "evidence" and a "fact."

I trust his numbers as fact but don't spend much of my precious time comparing the size of his base to that of his rivals.

Did he say that he had the largest number of volunteers of any rival candidate?

That was your claim. You have yet to provide any other data than your personal enthusiasm, and need for good news. It may be correct, but unless there are numbers to back it up, it's just enthusiasm talking.

You may recall that Sanders stated that he didn't know that his campaign had paid a $30,000 sexual harassment claim settlement to two staffers. There may be other things that he does not know - such as the actual number of volunteers.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bernie-sanders-apologizes-says-he-didnt-know-about-30000-settlement-of-2016-campaign-staffer-accused-of-sexual-harassment/2019/01/10/db2c061e-14fc-11e9-90a8-136fa44b80ba_story.html

[George II]

25. Seems like a bit of an exaggeration. There are only 620,000 registered Democrats in Iowa....

....if he had 25,000 volunteers in the state (assuming they are all Democrats) that means one in every 24 Iowan Democrats is a BS volunteer?

[corbettkroehler]

28. You May Not Trust His Numbers But I Do

I'm not prepared to call him a liar. In fact, I take them as straight-up fact.

[ehrnst]

30. When did he say that he had the largest number of volunteers of any candidate?

Can you provide a link?

Is asking for backup for one's claims 'calling them a liar?"

You must be very distressed at any fact checking of Senator Sanders by the free press, if that's your position.

You will be in for a very stressful campaign season.

You may recall that Sanders stated that he didn't know that his campaign had paid a $30,000 sexual harassment claim settlement to two staffers.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bernie-sanders-apologizes-says-he-didnt-know-about-30000-settlement-of-2016-campaign-staffer-accused-of-sexual-harassment/2019/01/10/db2c061e-14fc-11e9-90a8-136fa44b80ba_story.html

There may be other things that he does not know - such as the actual number of volunteers. It's not calling someone a liar to ask for the source of their statements of numbers.

What does it indicate when someone gets defensive and angry whenever asked for backup for their claims, as if it's an attack?

Something to think about, isn't it?

[corbettkroehler]

33. I Never Said That He Claimed To Have The Most, Just 1,000,000+

My use of the word "liar" was in response to a parallel thread, not yours.

[ehrnst]

35. I was the one that pointed out that YOU stated Sanders has the most volunteers, not Sanders.

Last edited Thu Jun 6, 2019, 08:44 AM - Edit history (4)

Nice try.

In politicalspeak, I would call that kind of defending a strawman so one can accuse someone else of attacking it a "Kellyanne."

Let's review....

You made the claim that Sanders had the most volunteers of any of his "rivals:"

Bottom line: the fact that Sanders has a vast lead in obtaining committed volunteers is a huge sign of strength.

I asked you for data to support this, and you answered that "you trust his numbers."

My Bottom Line Is That Bernie Is The Most Honest Politician I Know

I trust his numbers as fact but don't spend much of my precious time comparing the size of his base to that of his rivals.

However, YOU are the one using "the size of of his base of volunteers" to make a case that he is "leading his rivals." You can't have it both ways... I asked you directly if the "lead in # of volunteers" claim was included in "the numbers that you trust" because you implied in your claims were based in "Bernie being the most honest politician" .. I even bolded it so you couldn't miss it.



No reply. Answering honestly that you did, he didn't ,would render your "Bernie is honest and an absolute source of facts, so you are calling him a liar when you doubt his statements" strawman unusable to defend your incorrect statements, and you can't defend your "vast lead in obtaining volunteers" statement with any data provided by any other source than Bernie. I can understand the embarassment a being checkmated.

But I gave you another chance to show where Sanders had stated that he had the lead, since your source of facts in this thread seems to be "What Bernie Said."


You then claimed I'm the one who said that he claimed to have the lead, not you. I was ASKING for the basis of your claim that he had the lead, based on your own "Bernie is honest so I believe him," justification for your numerous statements of "factual evidence of Bernie's strength" on this thread.

It's sad when someone bends over backwards to avoid simply saying that they don't have data, to the point of getting very, very defensive and going on the attack. It doesn't lend one credibility. "My Bottom line:" at the beginning of a sentence doesn't end the discussion, FYI, or make it a fact.

I think you should have learned by now that I don't or derail or fall for gaslighting easily, no matter how passively worded. That's terribly frustrating for those who deploy them.

[corbettkroehler]

38. A Little Flustered By Baseless Attacks

Let's try this again. My basic position is this:

1) Sanders has a yuge number of volunteers.

2) I accept his claims as to the exact count of volunteers as fact.

3) I spend little to no time comparing his volunteer ranks against those of rivals because my chief concern is that he have enough to win states, which he overwhelmingly does. The difference in his volunteer ranks versus the ranks of rivals is not dispositive of his ability to win.

Nothing will change my stance.

[ehrnst]

39. Let's try this again.

The difference in his volunteer ranks versus the ranks of rivals is not dispositive of his ability to win.

(BTW - you haven't presented any data that supports your claim that his volunteer numbers are any bigger than those of his rivals)

That's a "yuge" pivot from when you said:

Bottom line: the fact that Sanders has a vast lead in obtaining committed volunteers is a huge sign of strength.

But now you say...

Nothing will change my stance.

However your 'stance' clearly changed in a "yuge" way, despite your unwillingness to acknowledge it. That's what's commonly referred to as "doubling down."

You said you ran for office, yes?



So quoting you is now a "baseless attack?" Is pointing out the fact that you have not backed up your claims, and made false claims about what I said "a baseless attack?"

[Cha]

13. KR

[ucrdem]

17. I think the millionaire thing is going to hurt him.

He railed for two years against the corrupting influence of big money on politics, wink wink nudge nudge cough Clinton, and then after much delay, reveals that he himself accepted a ginormous advance to write a slim book on . . . politics. Not good.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

21. A ginormous advance? Of what? $800k? That's 90 minutes of "work" in some circles.

Lol.

[George II]

26. How much time did he spend on "writing" the book?

[ehrnst]

31. Whataboutery when one has no real answer...

Lol.

[ucrdem]

32. It's more than Hillary earned for all of her GS speeches. nt

[ehrnst]

36. Wow. (nt)

[betsuni]

37. Uh oh. Quid pro quo.