Sunday, November 01, 2015

Sanders campaign releases first television advertisement.

Courtesy of Bernie Sanders.com:

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign on Sunday released its first television ad, titled “Real Change.” 

The ad highlights the senator’s history of standing up “for working families and for principle.” 

“Thousands of Americans have come out to see Bernie speak and we’ve seen a great response to his message,” Jeff Weaver, the campaign manager, said. “This ad marks the next phase of this campaign. We’re bringing that message directly to the voters of Iowa and New Hampshire.”

That is a pretty effective ad, and the best part about it is that every word is accurate, and not designed to obfuscate of hide Bernie's actual record.

As a matter of fact Bernie has remained consistent to his strategy of talking about the issues and standing on his record since day one of his campaign.

Currently there is a shameful attempt to smear Sanders, and I am sure you can guess from where it originates:  

The once respectful Democratic primary has devolved into a slugfest about gender, with Hillary Clinton surrogates expressing outrage over how Bernie Sanders is conducting his campaign — even calling for him to fire his staff over alleged sexist remarks. 

The source of this "outrage" is a reference made by Sanders that we have heard in every campaign since the beginning of time. That Hillary Clinton would make a good Vice President.

Cue the righteous indignation: 

Floating your rival's name as a potential veep is a classic messaging trick that can be found in any competitive presidential campaign. Scott Walker did it with Marco Rubio. Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich did it to each other (ew) in 2012. Hillary Clinton did it in 2008 with Barack Obama. It’s a sufficiently well-established ritual that long-shot candidates do it ironically to the front-runners. It’s a way of subtly undermining your competition and wooing his or her supporters to your side. 

But when Bernie Sanders did it to Hillary Clinton, Clinton’s surrogates began flipping out and calling him sexist. Christine Quinn (a member of Clinton’s New York Leadership Council and a fund-raiser for her campaign) says, “Seriously? Seriously? The absurdity of that statement almost merits no response. How arrogant and sexist can you be? It’s not OK to let people with a long progressive record get away with being sexist.” EMILY’s List president Stephanie Schriock called it “condescending insults by a team who knows better.”

Okay look I am pretty resigned to the fact that Hillary is certain to become our Democratic candidate in 2016. But in a perfect world I would be all in for Bernie.

However I am a realist, and I know full well the baggage that Bernie carries with him. His age, his religion, his crazy professor hairstyle, and of course his label as "Socialist."

You can argue until the cows come home, but being an admitted socialist in a country full of barely educated, easily duped, sound bite devouring morons, is just never going to fly.

So yes, we are getting Hillary.

But having said that, if this is the shit her surrogates are going to pull she might find her "cake walk" to the White House somewhat steeper, and full of pitfalls as Democrats start to seriously question her inevitability.

19 comments:

  1. I respectfully disagree. The election is over a year away. If everyone who agrees with Bernie Sanders on the issues--if everyone who appreciates his consistent, rock-solid record of working for US, of not voting for endless wars and the Patriot Act; if everyone who can see how much we need him to fight for us in the working and middle class, how much we need a true, democratic revolution in America--if everyone thus moved, who is excited by Senator Sanders' message, will simply turn out and vote for him in the primaries, we WILL get to vote for him in the general next November.

    Secretary Hillary Clinton winning the nomination is NOT a forgone conclusion, and we need to realize that. Ignore the mainstream press and their agenda. Democracy only works when everyone participates. If Bernie Sanders speaks for you, just turn out and vote for him, and the rest will follow.

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    1. Anonymous4:38 PM

      I agree!

      This is the same "Noise" we heard in 2008 when Hillary was supposed to take the nomination and "Some Black Guy" took it instead...

      Might as well face it...
      There is some "Clinton Baggage" that is holding her back and what we want is some real change...

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    2. Anonymous4:55 PM

      You are SOOOOOO right!

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    3. A Superfan In Atlanta6:05 PM

      Agreed! None of those things about Bernie Sanders matter to me -- his age, his religion, his crazy hair -- when he's been rock solid and consistent on everything he's ever said. If getting a true legitimate candidate for president means he comes wrapped in an Einstein-looking package, I'll take it.

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    4. Anonymous6:21 PM

      If we are talking about sheer physical attractiveness (hair, age), I find Bernie about 1,000 times more attractive than ANY of the idiot, dishonest GOP guys. Because wisdom, smarts, and goodness are VERY attractive.

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    5. Anonymous8:11 PM

      G, quit drinking the kool-aid. He's still unknown to many at this point. Once people hear his simple, clear message, which does not change with the winds, and once they realize he's the only one who can't be bought, he will rise. He's done amazingly well so far. I am giving him a monthly contribution to keep the momentum up. I suggest others do the same.

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    6. Anonymous11:18 AM

      Agree. I'm all in foe Bernie!!

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  2. Anonymous3:35 PM

    He is Obama 2.0 -- Sanders has grassroots support across the country. His numbers at rallies are very high; his appeals to young voters. His money rivals Hillary's -- without the expensive dinners to get support $ -- all from individuals. They will put their $ where their mouth is.
    Despite the poll numbers the media is putting out: it is still close -- just wait. (Also, I don't think Hillary's health will hold out...just saying.)

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  3. Anonymous4:18 PM

    As a Liberal Canadian I would dearly love to see Bernie Sanders become your next President. He seems to be one of those rare straightforward politicians who not only has a stellar record of service but personal integrity and as well. I realize that being branded a Socialist in the U.S. carries with it much fear and negativity amongst the majority of voters but other countries have elected left-leaning governments and survived. Why not the U.S.?

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    1. Anonymous4:54 PM

      Why not? For the same reason we have all these guns. We are naive, stupid, unwilling-to-be educated cowboys, many of us. And proud if it.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous4:51 PM

    I take offense at the slightest sexist utterance, but give us a break: Bernie is not sexist. Bernie has so far exceeded by miles what anyone expected at the outset.

    It's ludicrous to talk about his baggage in the same paragraph as Hillary's baggage, which goes way beyond hair style and other benign possible minuses: Hill's baggage is huge: the early days of harassing Bill's women so they wont talk, the murky stuff with her two pals Hubbell and foster, the whitewater money, the failure with her healthcare initiative, their wealth and its sordid connections -- not all of these have fire, but a whole lot of smoke is sure possible. To say nothing of the paternity of Chelsea. Berni just does not have this kind of baggage.

    But that's not why I'm for him: I'm for him because he is articulating the really important issues of our time in an intelligent way, and has done so from the start. Go Bernie!

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    1. Maple6:22 PM

      Something tells me you are one of those Republican trolls I was reading about earlier today. Seems you don't mind talking about Hill's "baggage" in such an exaggerated and derogatory manner, with only opinion, and no actual facts. I doubt very much you are actually "for" Bernie.

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    2. Anonymous6:25 PM

      . . . and has been ALONE in articulating those key issues for much of that time. I am in awe. Want him for president.

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  5. Anonymous5:50 PM

    Bern it up, America...for fucking sake BERN IT UP!!!

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  6. Anonymous8:21 PM

    I've got to say that Republicans have done so much damage over the past election cycle that we need a very sharp turn away from their inane policies. That will only happen if we elect Bernie and others like him. We can't afford to just veer a little to the left; it's got to be a sharp turn and it has to be done FAST. Obama wasted two years naively assuming Republicans could be reasonable people. Now we know they're not.

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  7. Anonymous8:52 PM

    Absolutely! Hillary is the GOP dream candidate. Bernie is the people's candidate! Vote!

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  8. A Superfan In Atlanta5:09 AM

    Besides, if Hillary is smart, she would embrace the intelligence and record of Bernie instead of attack him. She lost a lot of ground doing the same thing to President Obama. Going negative is not a good look for her so I hope she reels in her attack dogs and put a muzzle on them. With the Republican Party in such disarray, honestly, there is just no need for it.

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  9. Anonymous11:28 AM

    I fear that with Bernie as the candidate, we'll lose in the general. I know of card-carrying Republicans who would vote for Hillary (holding their nose the whole time) over a Trump or Carson. Plus, I really really like Hillary and wanted her in 08. I can understand how Bernie suggesting she be a VP would seem sexist. He certainly didn't mean it that way, but it's a little off-putting when you are talking about a female, when we've never yet had a female in the Pres spot. If female Presidents in the US were a dime a dozen, then it would be a fair shot to make, but since she'd be a first, it's almost like a "not quite at the front of the bus" seat. Plus, with the added baggage of who was the LAST female to be on the ticket in that spot, and it DOES rub me the wrong way. Go Hil!

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