Chris Cillizza: Bernie Sanders still doesnt know what the Democratic party stands for

[Tom Rinaldo]

66. Outreach is not one size fits all

There are at least several segments of the public that Democrats need to be targeting outreach to in order to expand the number of votes we get and races that we reach. In some ways the position Bernie has on the Senate leadership team is in a lesser way similar to the DNC Chair role (lesser in that it is more narrowly defined and part time etc.) Only one person gets the title, but no one person alone does the work needed to succeed. Perez wisely brought on Ellison as a deputy. Schumer expanded the Senate Democratic leadership team to give both roles and leadership positions to others on our team - including Bernie.

Bernie is not in all instances the ideal person to lead outreach for Democrats to all segments of the public. In other instances he is an ideal choice. A lot of the people who Bernie Sanders energized during his run for President on the Democratic line became and have remained active Democrats since then. I know that as a fact at the local level because I am the Chair of the Democratic Committee for our Township. There is significant new energy for our party at the local level. No doubt Trump has a lot to do with it, but most of the people who have become engaged with the local Democratic party efforts of our committee are people who first entered the realm of electoral politics through their involvement supporting the Sanders presidential run. Now though, with the primary behind us, they are contributing in a wide range of ways as local party activists - the splits are in the past.

However I accept that Bernie is not a silver bullet for outreach. Some respond much better to other party leaders. Where Bernie may resonate with some who have been alienated from our Party in the past, he may put off some others who could feel he hasn't given enough credit to what Democrats have already accomplished and their ongoing work on behalf of the American people. Right now we need a full court press, and each of our key players bring different strengths to our team.

P.S. Since we have clashed some in the past let me also say that I found your post entirely constructive in nature though we may still differ regarding some specifics