Bernie Sanders hires Tad Devine as campaign advisor

[wyldwolf]

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has spent months fishing for a strategist to guide his potential 2016 presidential campaign. On Monday, he hooked a big one: Tad Devine, one of the Democratic Party’s leading consultants and a former high-level campaign aide to Al Gore, John Kerry, and Michael Dukakis.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/11/11/tad-devine-signs-on-to-work-with-bernie-sanders-on-potential-2016-run/

In Jerome Armstrong's and Marcos Moulitsas Zuniga's book CRASHING THE GATE: Netroots, Grassroots, and the Rise of People-Powered Politics, Devine was lumped into the category of party hacks along with Bob Shrum because of their ability to get themselves hired again and again, despite terrible losing records.

During the Kerry campaign, when the question of having Joe Lieberman campaign for him came up, Devine stated, "I'd argue that the DLC fits our mold and Joe Lieberman is going to be out there actively campaigning for us.''

[still_one]

1. Doesn't sound like a great choice to me. The campaigns he is associated with were badly run

[bigwillq]

2. Gore. Kerry. Dukakis. The man knows how to pick a winner.

BWAH!

[silvershadow]

3. He can always be replaced. At least he's got a start. nt

[Tarheel_Dem]

4. I hope the advice he gives Bernie is better than what he gave to Gore, Kerry & Dukakis.

[KingCharlemagne]

12. If I leaned toward CT, I'd already suspect a Trojan Horse. I wonder who recommended His

Incomptetence to Sanders and whom Sanders has surrounded himself with that advised the pick.

[Nay]

17. My mind went in the same direction. Sanders is being set up to be

sandbagged. Only if Sanders himself doesn't take crappy advice will he be able to do well. And, for all I know, the adviser is fine when he confines himself to certain tech aspects of campaigning.

[KingCharlemagne]

18. I dunno what ever happened to the principle of 'three strikes and you're out.' I suppose

it only applies to California felons and baseball hitters, but not to losers like this guy.

[Nay]

19. I know. I just don't get it. Out of 300 million people, Sanders doesn't know a

good campaign adviser? One who has has some success? Or is this just the same old thing of hiring the same old good old boys no matter how badly they have performed? All employees just come out of the same incestuous group of 10 percenters? I just am at a loss here.

[KingCharlemagne]

23. Shit I'm not some political genius, but I can tell Sanders what he needs to do to have

a decent shot at the Democratic nomination:

1) Change his party registration to Democratic (a formal requirement to compete in Dem caucuses and primaries)
2) Flood Iowa with organizers at the precinct level and set up campaign headquarters there. He should plan on campaigning full time in Iowa through the caucuses.
3) Flood New Hampshire with organizers at the precinct level.
4) Start a massive online fundraising drive that refuses to accept any donation larger than $x. (I'd propose $100 as the maximum.) Doing so would establish Sanders' campaign as one of the people, by the people and for the people and contrast it with Hillary's thoroughly corporate ugh-fest.

Hillary's main claim to the nomination so far is that she is inevitable, the presumptive nominee. Sanders needs to puncture that air of inevitability in Iowa and New Hampshire to let the air out of the 'inevitability mystique.' Iowa and New Hampshire are perfectly suited to Sanders' retail style of politics and Hillary is a notoriously bad campaigner in retail settings.

Ideally, I'd like to see New Hampshire and Iowa come down to a series of two-person debates: Sanders vs. Hillary. Head to head. Let the people decide who should be their standard bearer.

[wyldwolf]

24. If you know items 1 - 4

That makes you a political genius - at least on DU.

[AZ Progressive]

5. I'm sorry, but who you choose to surround yourself with is very important

The success of someone is largely due to the people around them.

[Cha]

6. WTH.. Has nothing been learned from past Losses? "Hooked a big one"? But, a big what.. what kind

of fish? Like Mark Penn? Maybe he should try for David Axelrod?

[JI7]

7. i think Devine has already worked with Sanders before

[NightWatcher]

8. Devine was also behind New Coke and the DeLorean

Kerry, Gore, and Dukakis? Seriously?

[Cali_Democrat]

9. This guy advised Al Gore, John Kerry, and Michael Dukakis?

All losers....

He also appears to be an establishment adviser. He's part and parcel of the Democratic machine.

Bernie is getting his bread buttered by people he know will butter it.

[JonLP24]

10. He has worked for Sanders campaigns in the past

Whoever was instrumental behind the turnaround of Kerry's primary campaign deserves credit.

I'll vote for him regardless of campaign advisor.

[Cali_Democrat]

11. Kerry's campaign didn't turn around because of anything Kerry's campaign did

It was the collapse of Howard Dean that gifted Kerry the nomination in 2004.

[KingCharlemagne]

14. In 2004, Americans may have thought we could still win that war in Iraq, provided

we just had the right Chief Executive calling the shots. Howard Dean and Dennis Kucinich were the ONLY TWO Dems campaigning for the 2004 nomination who opposed the travesty of Iraq before the magnitude of our defeat became self-evident to all but the most deluded right-wingers.

[JonLP24]

16. I think the anti-Dean campaign played a huge role in the collapse

I remember that he wasn't religious enough being an issue. It all seemed to come when he was leading in fundraising, support, and endorsements. There was a huge push for the "electable" guy similar to Republican primaries of 2008. I seen a lot of "Romney isn't my favorite candidate but he is more likely to defeat Obama" which reminded me of the 2004 primary.

Also the gaffe was a media invention but the electable guy let "no nation building" Bush define Kerry as a flip flopper.

People need to be careful in voting for Hillary Clinton has a tendency to back peddle and likability has more of a role in election national politicians than policy.

[BeyondGeography]

13. He's a dud on the tube

Have seen him many times. Slow-footed and scripted. He must be a little better behind the scenes, right? Right?

[wyldwolf]

15. He's about to be on Chris Hayes.

[kentuck]

20. And it doesn't really matter if Bernie wins the nomination...

..we need the progressive message out there.

[trueblue2007]

21. SANDERS WAS ON CHRIS HAYES and said HE DID NOT HIRE DEVINE.

HE SAID THAT 45 MINUTES AGO

[wyldwolf]

22. I KNOW! I SAW THAT! HE QUICKLY BRUSHED THE QUESTION ASIDE.

BUT EVEN HAYES LED INTO THE STORY SAYING SANDERS HAD TAPPED DEVINE. I THINK SANDERS JUST DIDN'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT.