Coming: Phase Two Of The Sanders Campaign... [View all]

[WillyT]

Sanders to Democratic Party elite: Consider me, not Hillary Clinton
John Wagner - WaPo
August 26 at 3:18 PM

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BURLINGTON, Vt. — Upstart presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is about to make a direct pitch to the Democratic Party establishment: Consider me, not Hillary Clinton.

Sanders huddled with advisers at his home here Wednesday to chart what he describes as the second phase of a campaign that has exceeded all expectations but still lacks the infrastructure and support from the party elites that could help him compete with Clinton on a national level. He said he will issue a slew of detailed policy proposals, including for a tax system under which corporations and the wealthy would pay significantly more for initiatives that would benefit the poor and middle class, and will pour resources into voter outreach in early nominating states.

The senator also will appear with other White House hopefuls this week at a meeting of the Democratic National Committee and will urge party leaders to embrace him as a candidate who can attract new voters and energy, just as President Obama did eight years ago. “Smart members of the establishment will perceive where the excitement is, where the energy is, where the enthusiasm is, where the potential voter turnout is,” Sanders said in an interview.

And...

Sanders said the first phase of his campaign was largely focused on introducing himself to a Democratic electorate that was far more familiar with Clinton. On Friday, he will address the DNC in Minneapolis.

While Sanders said he knows he will never be the favorite of the establishment, he said he believes he has the potential to change some minds. “I think some of these guys are maybe rethinking their initial commitments,” he said. “And some of them who are not committed — and there are many of them — may come over to us.”

Roughly one-fifth of the delegates who will pick the nominee at the Democratic convention are superdelegates — elected officials and other party leaders who are not bound by voting in their states. So far, those superdelegates have sided overwhelmingly with Clinton.

Longtime Democratic strategist Tad Devine, who was among the participants in Wednesday’s meeting here, said Sanders has the potential to assemble “not necessarily the same coalition, but the same kind of coalition” as Obama did in 2008. Sanders’s huge campaign rallies have been heavily attended by younger voters, and during his long political career in Vermont, he has demonstrated an appeal to lower-income voters from both parties.

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More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/sanders-to-seek-support-from-democratic-party-establishment/2015/08/26/325f41ec-4be5-11e5-902f-39e9219e574b_story.html