How the Political Revolution Failed Tim Canova

[ehrnst]

The political revolution has let Tim Canova down. Bernie Sanders hasn’t shown up to campaign for his chosen primary challenger to Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the former chair of the Democratic National Committee. Heading into a Florida Democratic primary on Tuesday, Canova is behind by double digits in recent polling and looks likely to lose the race.

But that’s only part of the story. Former staffers at Our Revolution, the organization created to act as a successor to the Sanders campaign, believe the group did not do as much as it should have to help Canova in his bid to defeat the veteran Florida congresswoman.

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Our Revolution will have difficulty harnessing the potential of Sanders’ grassroots movement if it can’t effectively deploy volunteers and other recruits to work for campaigns or provide direct support to a new wave of candidates who have never run for office. If the organization fails to live up to the standards set by the insurgent presidential campaign, Sanders supporters are sure to be disappointed.

There are several reasons why 501(c)(4) status seems ill-suited for Our Revolution. 501(c)(4)s are a type of non-profit organization that can accept unlimited amounts of money without disclosing donors—a set up that could put the group at odds with the way Sanders raised money during the presidential election by shunning wealthy donors and relying on small-dollar donations. 501(c)(4)s also cannot engage in political activity as their primary purpose. According to Noble of the Campaign Legal Center, a 501(c)(4) such as Our Revolution would not be permitted to coordinate directly with campaigns it is supporting. That could make it harder for Our Revolution to help progressive candidates win elections.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/08/canova-revolution-bernie-sanders-debbie-wasserman-schultz/497807/

[ehrnst]

1. I will say that Tim Canova made mistakes on his own

He's somehow to the right of DWS on the Iran deal (progressive!) and he somehow managed to blow like $2M on online advertising instead of going up on TV in a district in FL filled with old people.

This is straight up reinventing the wheel, being stymied by problems that have long had solutions to them, all because anyone who knows how to operate successfully within the system is somehow a "shill."

[BobbyDrake]

14. Tad Devine and Friends high-tailed it out of FL once that $2M was spent.

The commission checks were already in the mail, so the need to maintain the pretenses was over.

Remember, Devine convinced Sanders to run in the first place. Devine probably convinced Sanders that his media consultants should also have unrestricted commissions. And Devine directed the strategy that spent hundreds of millions on ads instead of a viable ground game.

The "revolution" is nothing but Tad Devine's get-rich-quick scheme. And the worst part is that it worked.

[misterhighwasted]

19. + a million.

I bet there were a lot of grifting "Tad Devines" this election season.
Candidates starting PACs with no intention of winning anything. Look how Trump has used the Repub coffer for instance. People selling & profitting from assorted campaign products. New websites popping up like in the Super Bowl, pandering for clicks, likes and profit..etc.

That is a reason the MSM is pissed at Hillary. Making a public issue out of no press conferences. The revenue they would bring in just for scheduling a press conf with thee Hillary Clinton is lost by her choice of campaigning successfully w/o them.
Its not like they haven't made big bucks everytime they mention her name anyway.

Based on the questions the media would most likely ask her, the reality show press we've seen for an entire year, I wouldn't give them more than a middle finger either.

Yes there are more Tad Devine's making money before the election ends in 2 months than we know of.

When Team Clinton failed to rehire Devine he probably found a willing candidate to run against her.
Spite, revenge & profit is rampant in election 2016.

[BobbyDrake]

21. There's a guy on the GOP side with zero connection to Trump who raised hundreds of thousands

He promises a "dinner with Trump," but the fine print says "will purchase 2 tickets to a dinner event at which Trump may be present."

There's something about fringe voters that seems to make them gullible like no others. My theory is that uneducated anger causes people to make STUPID decisions.

[misterhighwasted]

22. Lol. Yup. I see Trump has issued that one a cease & desist

If people are relying on the dumbed down TV News to educate them, they are ripe for pickin by the opportunists of a quick profit.

[Me.]

2. In Fact

Bernie isn't campaigning for anyone...we keep hearing he's going to show up so we'll see.

[ehrnst]

5. I'm curious to see when that will happen as well.

http://observer.com/2016/07/bernie-sanders-to-campaign-against-debbie-wasserman-schultz/

[misterhighwasted]

9. Nice write-up ..so what happened to all that tough talk?

DWS's House seat was never in jeopardy. And they knew it.
That's why Cannova was just a chosen object & nothing more. He stepped in to be the anybody-but-Debbie candidate and found out voters had scant desire to be outraged into voting against their best interests.

Oh well, he'll always have his accumulated campaign war chest for the memorable experience anyway.
Maybe he'll use it to start his own 501(c)(4).

[misterhighwasted]

3. So what was the reason they set it up as they did then?

If they didn't bother to find out the limits to a 501(c)(4) they had no business setting up in the first place.
However, I seriously doubt they were that lax in knowing the laws.
So we then get to the question of Why & Who set it up in such a way as to limit the purpose most supporters expected from it.

Sounds nefarious & smells like a rat.

I would hope those invested with time, trust, or money do some serious searching as to the real point of this 501(c)(4).

I'd be rather pissed.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

4. Tim Canova failed Tim Canova. He was a crappy candidate who embraced a hateful radio show host.

I'm glad Senator Sanders ended up blowing him off. He didn't deserve the support.

The link:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12512382481

[misterhighwasted]

7. When you run a crappy revenge campaign its not a secret nor appreciated for long.

And the shine of the new object loses its luster rapidly.
That's why he will lose.
If he couldn't compete on his own merits &. without running a campaign of broad brushed slander and the need for bernie to pull him across the finish line, then he owns the loss.

By tomorrow we will say, "Cannova Who"?

Meh..

[Hortensis]

6. Enough of burying Canova alive. If you care, why not send

him a donation? Besides, who knows. Perhaps Sanders learned something he didn't like about Canova. We shouldn't fool ourselves we know everything when we never even begin to.

Itm, as far as I'm concerned, this decision is that district's constituents' to make. It's not about Bernie. It's not even about Canova and Wasserman. It's about them. They have a choice, and they will choose.

[Tarheel_Dem]

8. Didn't Hillary win DWS' district pretty convincingly? Sanders may not want to publicly back an....

inevitable loser. If he puts all his influence behind the losing candidate, in what is reportedly, a conservative district, then he may be seen to lose clout. Personally, I wouldn't vote for Canova for dogcatcher.

[misterhighwasted]

11. He's definately leaving this campaign with a bunch of trust issues.

And a campaign war chest.
In politics "Losing" is in the eye of the beholder.

[MohRokTah]

10. What "Political Revolution"?

[misterhighwasted]

12. Well to be fair, they had to call it something. I suppose.

Throw back to the 60's catchy phrase is all I ever saw it as.
Oh well.

[msongs]

13. the one run from a $600,000 lake front beach retirement cottage lol nt

[bigdarryl]

16. Thank you exactly I've been saying for a while this so-called revolution

Was being overblown.Regardless if he made mistakes or not Sanders supporters were so upset with Debbie during the primary about the DNC mess you would have though she was DONE!!!! politically.If there was a real revolution on the far left she would not be winning this primary.

[misterhighwasted]

20. Here it is. Thanks.

"If there was a real revolution on the far left she would not be winning this primary."

[frazzled]

15. The main failure, I believe ...

is in misunderstanding the electorate, and in particular, the constituents of this district. Organizations like "Our Revolution" (oy vey, what a name) seem to believe that they represent the "base" of the party and its views, and if only they could harness this undercurrent of belief and transform it into votes, they would surely win overwhelmingly. But people don't necessarily want a revolution; perhaps they are not so upset with the status quo candidate as the organization believes. Perhaps their concerns lie in other places.

The base of the Democratic Party is not coterminous with the so-called progressive left. It is a big, wide, colorful tent, and its interests are as diverse as its constituents. And it is always wise to consider that most people don't vote based on ideology, or even policy: they look at things as wide-ranging as experience, character, the weather, and who-knows-what-else.

[bigdarryl]

18. 100% right and on top of that if you listen to SiriusXM Progressive Left

Randi Rhodes and Nicole Sandler shows you would think the far left run the democratic party.They just speak the loudest like the far right tea party

[NCTraveler]

17. Canova failed Canova.

Others did all of his heavy lifting. He couldn't come through. Weak candidate at best.

Second, the political revolution seems to be strong. BLM isn't going away. They have entered politics and have had the greatest impact of any person or group this campaign season.