Bernie's allies sweat Vatican trip

[rug]

Trailing Hillary Clinton in the polls in a state that's key to his fortunes, Sanders prepares for a brief hiatus from the campaign trail.



Bernie Sanders is leaving a New York, a key state for him to win, days before the state's election. | Getty

By Gabriel Debenedetti
04/12/16 09:19 PM EDT

It’s just a quick jump across the Atlantic, a two-day turnaround. But Bernie Sanders' decision to leave the campaign trail late Thursday and head to a Vatican City conference later this week still has some allies scratching their heads and wondering whether it’s the best use of the underdog’s limited time.

The problem isn’t the optics of appearing at an academic-feeling event with two leftist South American presidents who’ve clashed with the United States. It’s not the potential appearance of politicizing the Vatican — an accusation he faced as soon as the trip was announced last week.

Instead, it’s the Vermont senator’s departure from New York in the final days before an election that’s pivotal to his bid for the Democratic nomination. Sanders is trailing Hillary Clinton by double digits in the polls and in need of a competitive performance in the delegate-packed state, and his decision to jet to Rome has heightened the anxiety level of supporters who don’t think he has the luxury of stepping out of the primary crucible.

“When he becomes president, he can meet with the pope constantly. But I’d rather him become president [first] so he can have more than a theoretical conversation," said New York state Sen. James Sanders Jr. (no relation) of Queens, a Bernie Sanders backer who said the candidate stands to make serious headway among African-American voters — a key part of Clinton’s New York base — if he can spend time with them, telling his story, in the closing days of the race. “I wish that the trip to the Vatican were at a different time. [But] when the pope calls, what are you gonna do? This is one of the most progressive popes ever.”

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/04/bernie-sanders-vatican-221865

[hrmjustin]

1. He is not going to win here in NY anyway.

[rug]

2. Not likely.