Bernie Sanders speaks to an overflow crowd through a megaphone after a campaign event at the New England College on May 27, 2015. (photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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I had told you six months ago that the largest rallies in the race for
the 2016 presidential election would be held by Bernie Sanders, you
probably would have looked at me funny. To date though, only Hillary
Clinton’s launch in New York City has rivalled rallies held by the
senator from Vermont. This past weekend, Bernie Sanders spoke to 5,000
in Denver, Colorado. The University of Denver had to simulcast the rally
on the scoreboard of a lacrosse field, where over a thousand people who
were turned away from the gymnasium where Sanders spoke viewed the
event. It was the largest non-announcement event of the campaign. In a
close second was Bernie’s Minneapolis event on May 31st, when over 4,000
attended an overflow event at the Native American Center.“This is an extraordinary turnout,” Sanders said as he surveyed the crowd after climbing onto the Hamilton Gymnasium stage at the University of Denver. Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” played (with the singer/songwriter manager’s approval) as Sanders was introduced to the people assembled there.
When the crowd chanted his name, Bernie stopped them. “This campaign is not about me,” he said. “It is not about Hillary Clinton or any other candidate. This campaign is about you, your kids and your parents. It is about creating a political movement of millions of people who stand up and loudly proclaim that this nation belongs to all of us and not just a handful of billionaires.”
New Hampshire
Sanders is not only drawing huge crowds, he is
starting to rise in the polls and has established himself as a threat to
win the Democratic nomination. A recent poll by Suffolk University in
New Hampshire has Bernie Sanders within 10 points of Hillary Clinton in
the granite state.
David Paleologos is the director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, which conducted the poll. “Don’t underestimate the power of the progressive nerve network,” Paleologos said, adding: “It is alive, far reaching, and it is translating into political muscle in the New Hampshire Democratic primary.”
Could the same thing happen in other primary states? The Suffolk University poll found that Hillary Clinton leads Bernie by only three points among those who “know both” candidates, which suggests that the race could change significantly as more voters learn about Bernie and his platform.
Sanders Welcomes Former Warren Supporters
David Paleologos is the director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, which conducted the poll. “Don’t underestimate the power of the progressive nerve network,” Paleologos said, adding: “It is alive, far reaching, and it is translating into political muscle in the New Hampshire Democratic primary.”
Could the same thing happen in other primary states? The Suffolk University poll found that Hillary Clinton leads Bernie by only three points among those who “know both” candidates, which suggests that the race could change significantly as more voters learn about Bernie and his platform.
Sanders Welcomes Former Warren Supporters
Over the last week Sanders staff in Iowa has doubled.
The campaign continues to welcome aboard former Run Warren Run staff
members.
“Elizabeth Warren is a good friend. Like millions of her supporters around the country, I have great respect and admiration for her,” said Sanders. “That is why it is so gratifying that so many people who wanted Elizabeth to run for president are now getting behind our campaign to restore America’s middle class and take on Wall Street and the big banks.”
In Iowa, Sanders’ campaign hired Blair Lawton, who served as field director in Iowa for the Run Warren Run effort, to serve as political director. Sanders’ new Sioux City regional field director, Susana Cervantes, was the Western Iowa Field Director for Run Warren Run; the Iowa City regional field director, Beth Farvour, was a regional field director for Run Warren Run in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District; and the Dubuque regional field director, Marrgaret Jarosz, also was a regional field director for Run Warren Run in Iowa. These hirings are significant since these organizers have been on the ground in their communities for months and have developed relationships with local Democrats and identified progressives that will give the campaign a boost. There will not be a learning curve like there would be for many new hires. The new Iowa state director, Robert Becker, said, “Run Warren Run has been on the ground in Iowa for six months now, organizing Iowans who share the progressive values that are the foundation of the Bernie Sanders movement. The staff assembled by Run Warren Run are extraordinarily talented and passionate, and their transition to our team is seamless.”
Run Warren Run was not the only organization attempting to draft Warren. Another group, Ready for Warren has changed their name to Ready to Fight and will be supporting Bernie. “Sanders has captured the imagination and support of people looking for a real progressive challenger in the 2016 Democratic primary," Ready for Warren campaign manager Erica Sagrans and cofounder Charles Lenchner wrote in an op-ed. Bringing in active organizations like Ready for Warren can only add to the Sanders campaign’s momentum.
Key Iowa Democrats Join Campaign
“Elizabeth Warren is a good friend. Like millions of her supporters around the country, I have great respect and admiration for her,” said Sanders. “That is why it is so gratifying that so many people who wanted Elizabeth to run for president are now getting behind our campaign to restore America’s middle class and take on Wall Street and the big banks.”
In Iowa, Sanders’ campaign hired Blair Lawton, who served as field director in Iowa for the Run Warren Run effort, to serve as political director. Sanders’ new Sioux City regional field director, Susana Cervantes, was the Western Iowa Field Director for Run Warren Run; the Iowa City regional field director, Beth Farvour, was a regional field director for Run Warren Run in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District; and the Dubuque regional field director, Marrgaret Jarosz, also was a regional field director for Run Warren Run in Iowa. These hirings are significant since these organizers have been on the ground in their communities for months and have developed relationships with local Democrats and identified progressives that will give the campaign a boost. There will not be a learning curve like there would be for many new hires. The new Iowa state director, Robert Becker, said, “Run Warren Run has been on the ground in Iowa for six months now, organizing Iowans who share the progressive values that are the foundation of the Bernie Sanders movement. The staff assembled by Run Warren Run are extraordinarily talented and passionate, and their transition to our team is seamless.”
Run Warren Run was not the only organization attempting to draft Warren. Another group, Ready for Warren has changed their name to Ready to Fight and will be supporting Bernie. “Sanders has captured the imagination and support of people looking for a real progressive challenger in the 2016 Democratic primary," Ready for Warren campaign manager Erica Sagrans and cofounder Charles Lenchner wrote in an op-ed. Bringing in active organizations like Ready for Warren can only add to the Sanders campaign’s momentum.
Key Iowa Democrats Join Campaign
Robert Becker has signed on as state director. Becker
was a regional director for Bill Bradley in 2000 and ran Bill
Richardson’s campaign in Iowa in 2008. Becker has worked on Democratic
campaigns across two states and managed several groundbreaking efforts,
including Jared Polis’ historic 2008 victory in Colorado, in which he
became the first openly gay man to run and win a seat in Congress.
Becker’s experience at running campaigns in Iowa will be an asset for the campaign. “After 25 years in the trenches working for Democrats, I am excited to be helping a candidate who is sparking a movement aimed at addressing income inequality and progressive policies. I am honored to be a part of the Bernie Sanders political revolution,” Becker told RSN.
Another experienced addition is Brendan Summers, who is an expert on the Iowa Caucus process. Summers returns to Iowa in the role of statewide caucus director. Summers is an Iowa politics veteran, having worked in many roles over the last decade, including serving as the Iowa Democratic Party's 2008 Caucus-to-Convention Director and from 2010-2012 as the party caucus director. Summers possesses extensive expertise on the Iowa Caucus process. He was responsible for drafting and maintaining compliance of Iowa’s 2008 and 2012 delegate selection plan. Robert Becker told RSN, “Brendan Summers is an extremely valuable addition to our team. His vast experience at Iowa’s Democratic Party and immeasurable understanding of caucus rules will be vital our organization.”
“From day one we vowed to assemble a top-notch campaign team in Iowa and we continue to demonstrate our commitment to doing just that,” said Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ national campaign director. “Iowa’s caucus process is tailor-made for Bernie Sanders’ grassroots style of campaigning, and we will continue to build a first-in-the-nation organization to capitalize on that strength.”
Labor Ready for Bernie?
Becker’s experience at running campaigns in Iowa will be an asset for the campaign. “After 25 years in the trenches working for Democrats, I am excited to be helping a candidate who is sparking a movement aimed at addressing income inequality and progressive policies. I am honored to be a part of the Bernie Sanders political revolution,” Becker told RSN.
Another experienced addition is Brendan Summers, who is an expert on the Iowa Caucus process. Summers returns to Iowa in the role of statewide caucus director. Summers is an Iowa politics veteran, having worked in many roles over the last decade, including serving as the Iowa Democratic Party's 2008 Caucus-to-Convention Director and from 2010-2012 as the party caucus director. Summers possesses extensive expertise on the Iowa Caucus process. He was responsible for drafting and maintaining compliance of Iowa’s 2008 and 2012 delegate selection plan. Robert Becker told RSN, “Brendan Summers is an extremely valuable addition to our team. His vast experience at Iowa’s Democratic Party and immeasurable understanding of caucus rules will be vital our organization.”
“From day one we vowed to assemble a top-notch campaign team in Iowa and we continue to demonstrate our commitment to doing just that,” said Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ national campaign director. “Iowa’s caucus process is tailor-made for Bernie Sanders’ grassroots style of campaigning, and we will continue to build a first-in-the-nation organization to capitalize on that strength.”
Labor Ready for Bernie?
The Vermont National Education Association endorsed
Bernie on Wednesday. “School teachers and educators are real American
heroes. I am honored to have their backing,” said Sanders. Martha Allen,
a K-12 librarian from Canaan, Vermont, and the state NEA president,
announced the endorsement. “We want to let the whole country in on what
we in Vermont have long known,” she said. “Bernie’s core values are in
line with ours: he is pro-family, pro-worker, pro-education and
pro-labor, and we believe the time has come for his vision to become a
national reality.”
Okay, I hear you: that’s Vermont, it’s to be expected that his longtime allies in his home state will endorse him. But Vermont is not the only place where signs are Sanders will win the backing of Labor. In the early primary state of South Carolina, the executive committee of the AFL-CIO passed a resolution calling on the state national AFL-CIO to back Bernie. “We call on the AFL-CIO, union members and working people everywhere to unite behind Bernie Sanders and elect the president America’s workers desperately need,” the resolution said. The resolution “strongly urges” the national AFL-CIO to endorse Sanders.
With fast-track making it through Congress while Hillary Clinton sat on the fence, expect more Labor support for Bernie.
Media Starting to Take Notice
Okay, I hear you: that’s Vermont, it’s to be expected that his longtime allies in his home state will endorse him. But Vermont is not the only place where signs are Sanders will win the backing of Labor. In the early primary state of South Carolina, the executive committee of the AFL-CIO passed a resolution calling on the state national AFL-CIO to back Bernie. “We call on the AFL-CIO, union members and working people everywhere to unite behind Bernie Sanders and elect the president America’s workers desperately need,” the resolution said. The resolution “strongly urges” the national AFL-CIO to endorse Sanders.
With fast-track making it through Congress while Hillary Clinton sat on the fence, expect more Labor support for Bernie.
Media Starting to Take Notice
Social and internet media are still out front on
coverage of Sanders, but the crowds and New Hampshire polls have forced
the mainstream media to take notice. They still trip over themselves to
cover every word uttered by Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton, but there is
progress. Most publications are at least saying Bernie Sanders has
emerged as the Hillary Clinton’s chief rival for the nomination. The
left of center publications are even acknowledging that he can win.
Progressive members of the media believe he can win. As the campaign
continues to pick up steam, it is only a matter of time before all the
media start covering Sanders like a frontrunner. In the meantime his
supporters are going around the talking heads, and the social media
effort continues to mushroom.
Enthusiasm Level
Enthusiasm Level
The national polls might not be showing a major rise
for Bernie yet, but if they could measure the level of enthusiasm and
energy, the polls would show that Sanders is way out in front of any of
the candidates running for president in either party. I have been in
Iowa since early February, and no other campaign is connecting with
voters as well as Bernie. There is no slick presentation; his staff
throws a banner behind him and a sign on the podium. Until Neil Young
scolded Donald Trump for using his song and announced he was supporting
Bernie Sanders, there was no theme song. The excitement has all been
generated by Sanders’ message. He is not delivering poll-tested
soundbites, he is delivering his agenda with a genuine anger that is
also felt by millions of Americans, and they are responding.
Scott Galindez attended Syracuse University, where
he first became politically active. The writings of El Salvador's slain
archbishop Oscar Romero and the on-campus South Africa divestment
movement converted him from a Reagan supporter to an activist for Peace
and Justice. Over the years he has been influenced by the likes of
Philip Berrigan, William Thomas, Mitch Snyder, Don White, Lisa Fithian,
and Paul Wellstone. Scott met Marc Ash while organizing counterinaugural
events after George W. Bush's first stolen election. Scott will be
spending a year covering the presidential election from Iowa.
Comments
+52
#
2015-06-25 14:13
Old Claire McGasBag
was on MSNBC last night I heard running Bernie Sanders down. I'm sure
the MSNBC host whoever it was was nodding like one of the pep boy dolls
too.
Don't worry Senator Sanders...it's somehow comforting to see the corporate shills squirming so early in the game isn't it??? I'll vote for you :) AND FEEL IT WAS AN HONOR
Don't worry Senator Sanders...it's somehow comforting to see the corporate shills squirming so early in the game isn't it??? I'll vote for you :) AND FEEL IT WAS AN HONOR
+13
#
2015-06-26 04:57
Of course the 'mess
media', including NBC's MSNBC, is going to order its reporters to avoid
coverage of the overwhelming turnouts and enthusiastic plus support for
Bernie Sanders.
Thank you so much, Scott Galindez, for your factual reporting on Bernie Sanders newsworthy plus undercovered and non-covered massive and then some turnouts. FYI, Scott, I, an old journalist prior to merging into the legal field, enthusiasticall y attended Bernie's Denver town meeting. Amazed and, I admit, also very encouraged I was at the incredible and enthusiastic plus turnout. I automatically did visual estimates of numbers of Bernie supporters attending this 'standing room only', two large rooms (3,000 seat capacity) event, and also asked questions of the volunteers taking names at the various entrances. The approximate number of attendees I came up with was closer to 6,000 than 5,000.
A suggestion I'm about to pass onto Bernie: consider the African American woman who introduced you to your massive number of supporters (I spoke with her, and she's a bright and very impressive law professor), to be either your V.P. running mate, or an appointee once you get elected.
My prediction: Bernie's going to be the Dem. nominee and then get elected POTUS in '16, because, unlike Hillary...
SANDERS PANDERS NOT, TO THE 1%
Thank you so much, Scott Galindez, for your factual reporting on Bernie Sanders newsworthy plus undercovered and non-covered massive and then some turnouts. FYI, Scott, I, an old journalist prior to merging into the legal field, enthusiasticall y attended Bernie's Denver town meeting. Amazed and, I admit, also very encouraged I was at the incredible and enthusiastic plus turnout. I automatically did visual estimates of numbers of Bernie supporters attending this 'standing room only', two large rooms (3,000 seat capacity) event, and also asked questions of the volunteers taking names at the various entrances. The approximate number of attendees I came up with was closer to 6,000 than 5,000.
A suggestion I'm about to pass onto Bernie: consider the African American woman who introduced you to your massive number of supporters (I spoke with her, and she's a bright and very impressive law professor), to be either your V.P. running mate, or an appointee once you get elected.
My prediction: Bernie's going to be the Dem. nominee and then get elected POTUS in '16, because, unlike Hillary...
SANDERS PANDERS NOT, TO THE 1%
+8
#
2015-06-26 04:57
Senator Sanders'
"political revolution" is a campaign slogan. A political revolution is
not just a top-down affair. It must be bottom up, grassroots and willing
to "break eggs." See:
http://wp.me/p6itlU-25
We launched a WIN-S campaign to twist arms, help Bernie capture the Dem. Party nomination and build a movement independent from his campaign to help Bernie and other revolutionaries win campaigns for office.
The concept is simple: pledge to write-in Sanders in November 2016 and find two more people to do the same.
http://citizensagainstplutocracy.org/
http://wp.me/p6itlU-25
We launched a WIN-S campaign to twist arms, help Bernie capture the Dem. Party nomination and build a movement independent from his campaign to help Bernie and other revolutionaries win campaigns for office.
The concept is simple: pledge to write-in Sanders in November 2016 and find two more people to do the same.
http://citizensagainstplutocracy.org/
+29
#
2015-06-25 18:16
Sounds like Sanders
has a smooth and polished organization in Iowa. He has a lot of
energetic and angry people working for him and they are going to make a
dent, a big one, in Hillary
Clinton's popularity, Just be careful, Bernie, no open cars, use your own people as bodyguards and whatever happens, Don't Trust the Secret Service or any member of the legal establishment. No cops, troopers etc.
Clinton's popularity, Just be careful, Bernie, no open cars, use your own people as bodyguards and whatever happens, Don't Trust the Secret Service or any member of the legal establishment. No cops, troopers etc.
+15
#
2015-06-25 23:00
that's exactly what I worry about and I don't think any of the mainstream candidates are above anything
+27
#
2015-06-25 20:56
Occupiers of New York
City ... of Los Angeles and of every other major city: Here is your
TRUE Revolution! This is the person and the movement which can bring
your collective concerns to legal fruition.
+25
#
2015-06-25 22:47
this is my mantra and
i'm gonna write it after i real any article about bernie: EVERYONE
BEMOANS THE FACT THAT THE PERSON WHO SHOULD BE PRESIDENT NEVER RUNS.
WELL, NOW HE IS. YOU KNOW BERNIE IS THE REAL DEAL. WE ABSOLUTELY CANNOT
LET THIS CHANCE GO BY. WITH BERNIE AT THE HELM, WE CAN TAKE OUR COUNTRY
BACK!!!
+13
#
2015-06-25 23:34
I arrived at the
Minneapolis rally early, happily surprised by the huge crowd of
expectant people already lined up. Walking round the last corner of the
block I found the line's end. I was happy. It's the only line in my life
that I wish was many miles longer.
