Bernie's statement tonight: TICKET and platform. Who would be on the ticket?

[morningfog]

“I am proud that we were able to win a resounding victory tonight in Rhode Island, the one state with an open primary where independents had a say in the outcome. Democrats should recognize that the ticket with the best chance of winning this November must attract support from independents as well as Democrats. I am proud of my campaign’s record in that regard.

“The people in every state in this country should have the right to determine who they want as president and what the agenda of the Democratic Party should be. That’s why we are in this race until the last vote is cast. That is why this campaign is going to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia with as many delegates as possible to fight for a progressive party platform that calls for a $15 an hour minimum wage, an end to our disastrous trade policies, a Medicare-for-all health care system, breaking up Wall Street financial institutions, ending fracking in our country, making public colleges and universities tuition free and passing a carbon tax so we can effectively address the planetary crisis of climate change.”

The first paragraph is about the "ticket" that the Dems must have to attract independents. The second paragraph is about the "platform" Bernie will push for at the convention. This is the first I recall hearing him discuss the "ticket."

Bernie is no fool. His campaign had said he will stay a Dem and support the nominee. He knows that Hillary is set to be the nominee. So when he referred to the "ticket" that can attract independents, who does he have in mind for the second half of the ticket? Does he have someone in mind?

[morningfog]

1. Kick

Kick!

[LexVegas]

2. He has zero say. nt

[highprincipleswork]

8. It would be nice and also smart if Hillary supporters would welcome Bernie supporters as the longtim

Democrats that most of them are, particularly here on this site.

It really does nobody any good to be snarky and dismissive and so forth. Whether you like how the primary has gone or not, and believe me, there is plenty to complain about from the Bernie side regarding Hillary supporters, it is time to include the Bernie supporters, not exclude them or shit on them.

If Hillary wants a unified party, she ought to do the same.

Check out her speech from tonight. In my opinion she strikes the right tone. And I am a Bernie supporter. And I would support that candidate, hoping all the time that she will just live up to the sentiments she is expressing and what she is saying.

You may ask why I would doubt it. I've seen the Clintons in operation before. But look, I hold out hope, foolish or otherwise.

If Hillary would simply accept and include the Bernie side of this equation, the election would be a landslide such are rarely seen. If Hillary would continue to embrace the positions she has come to take during this primary, she could become not only the first woman President, but one as revered as FDR.

[LexVegas]

10. Bernie has zero say, as Clinton had zero say in Obama's choices.nt

[Joe the Revelator]

11. You think she was was SoS for any reason other than a deal?

Don't be naive.

[LexVegas]

12. She had zero say in his running mate. And was not beaten as badly as Bernie. nt

[Ash_F]

19. You sure? Biden is pretty much of the same political class as Clinton

Obama could have, and probably should have, picked a community organizer like himself.


But he didn't.

[highprincipleswork]

18. Listen, if, and I mean if because it ain't over till it's over, Hillary and by extension her

supporters actually win this nomination, they would be wise to give up the snarky, superior than thou attitude that they tend to cop at the drop of the hat. For several reasons.

Be magnanimous and inclusive for a change. Bernie would have gladly included Hillary, her supporters, and the rest of the Democratic Party if he was ahead.

Seriously. Are you aiming to disenfranchise Bernie, all he stands for, and all his supporters? The Democratic Party would be the poorer for it. It also is not the winning combination.

Check out her winning speech from tonight, and see if she doesn't strike a better tone.

[reformist2]

14. Great attitude, there.

[passiveporcupine]

3. IF only all states had open primaries.

I think we'd see much different results.

But, you know, that white privilege everyone talks of...well this isn't about race, as race has nothing to do with getting into the closed clubs. It's about money. People with money get into these clubs and they have all the privilege.

[LiberalFighter]

6. Bernie won only 3 of 12 open primaries.

[passiveporcupine]

22. Most of those states with open primaries are southern states

We already knew the black vote would hurt Bernie in those states.

It's the blue northern states that should have open primaries that don't.

But, you knew that.

[LiberalFighter]

23. So now you are blaming AA's for Bernie losing.

[passiveporcupine]

25. How do you determine blame?

Last edited Wed Apr 27, 2016, 09:22 PM - Edit history (1)

Politics is the only sport where the audience determines the outcome, not the competitors themselves. So if the audience sides with one side and not the other, do you blame them?

I don't see blame. I see blacks as having chosen one side over the other. It's their choice, There is no blame to be assigned, unless you can show me that they cheated to win for Hillary, and that's just not what happened.

The only one Bernie can blame for losing is Bernie, but that doesn't mean that certain things didn't conspire to make it harder for him than his competition (name recognition, the media and the DNC). You cannot deny that she had a huge advantage.

[LiberalFighter]

4. Absolutely no Joe Lieberman or Jim Webb type.

They would be the wrong type of independents.

Also, NO EFN Evan Bayh.

[DesertRat]

5. He has NO say in who is on the second half of the ticket. nt

[moriah]

7. I wonder if he does have someone he thinks could work well with Hillary in mind.

I am not sure if that's him, but if was willing to accept Veep I'd be thrilled.

Still, yes, of course he has something to bring to the table through the rest of this election cycle. And if he's got other ideas, yes, he does have influence.

[CentralCoaster]

9. "ticket with the best chance of winning this November" means Sanders at the top.

That's what I think he meant.

[Major Hogwash]

13. I agree that the 2nd part is talk about his platform.

Which she will never agree to.

But, the 1st part talking about the ticket is odd, because there is no one out there who would be willing to be 2nd banana to Hillary.
Unless you consider Bubba.

Ya know, "two for one", hey that would make some sense.

[pat_k]

15. Who does he have in mind?

1) himself (at the top of the ticket... if by a miracle Democrats woke up and recognized he has the best chance of attracting support from independents).

2) Elizabeth Warren (not sure if she would be considered someone proven to attract independents, but would appeal to Bernie base).

Or

???

[loyalsister]

16. We need senators who will hold HRC accountable

They are the only two who I expect have the guts and integrity to do so.

[pat_k]

17. We would have had a shot at adding a couple more...

...if only Joe Sestak and Donna Edwards has won.

Establishment dems had to pull out all the stops to nip that in the bud.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/26/politics/pennsylvania-democratic-senate-primary-joe-sestak-katie-mcginty/

We'll keep storming the castle. Sooner or later it will become clear that resistance is futile.

[ContinentalOp]

20. I can think of some great names for the ticket

Bernie & Jane Sanders, coach, one way back to Vermont.

[nolawarlock]

21. I think the smartest thing she could do ...

... is offer him VP. Normally I'd say no to that because they're both in the Northeast, but I think they'd have the kind of moxie together that could really knock Trump on his ass.

[Nanjeanne]

24. Interesting OP - even if the Clintonites don't think Sanders supporters deserve to discuss it. But

I will.

I think what Bernie is pretty much saying is that Hillary's best chance at bringing in independents is to choose someone not as heavily "establishment" as the same old people who have been running or in office for a hundred years - and preferably with real progressive values and not another right of center DLC type.

I absolutely do not think Bernie wants to be VP and I don't think he would even consider it. Bernie would not be able to hold anything back - and I don't think Clinton is the type to want to be challenged.

As disappointed as I was that Sherrod Brown endorsed Hillary - I have always admired him and do think he might be a good choice and could possibly inspire some people to pull the lever for Hillary. Of course there was so much talk about Castro as her VP - and it would defnitely give Latinos something to cheer about. Since Hillary touts her foreign policy experience as well as her many many many years of political service - it's not as if she needs a foreign policy expert or someone with "gravitas" to balance her out. I don't think there's a snowball's chance in hell of someone like Elizabeth Warren giving up a position of strength in the Senate to be following Hillary around trying to keep her from destroying SS or Medicare. We need Warren in the Senate if Clinton is President.

[Seeinghope]

26. I cannot see Bernie Sanders nad Hillary Clinton working together or Bernie Sanders being Hillary Cli

Disappearing V.P. Nor can I see Clinton his.

I would like to see Samders choose a running mate though. If he could find somebody dynamic enough to really round out his ticket, the timing would be perfect.

[morningfog]

27. Thanks for getting my point. A few others did, but most just did pot shots.

Bernie's point can be developed. Hillary does well with Dems. She will easily get the yellow dog Dems, blue dog Dems, third way Dems, party loyalists.

Bernie's point is that she does not excite the small i independents. And they are necessary for winning the general election. Independent is a poorly defined and irregular class if voters. They aren't defined by political leaning and can't be thought of as left, right, centrist or moderate. I think that most are generally apolitica and certainly non-ideological as a group. How they vote in any given election is fluid and not easy to predict. We are lucky this year in that it is quite obvious how they are leaning, anti-establishment. They want a change. So much so that they've participated in dem primaries when allowed and supported the democratic socialist. And on the repub side, they've tended for the reality show fascist.

What to do with that to win this fall? Bernie's position, and I think he is right, is to adopt as much of his platform as possible and balance the uber-establishment Clinton with someone who will appeal to the independents (and independent minded Dems) as running mate.

You make a good point that foreign policy and gravitas aren't needed and would likely work against Hillary. I don't think she needs to think regionally. She did great in the south. The coasts are safe. She needs middle America and independent (non-political) minded.

Who? Who, if not Bernie, would appeal to the Bernie constituent? I hope Hillary's camp gets this and respects it.