Inside Bernie Sanders Unorthodox Debate Prep

[merrily]

Inside Bernie Sanders’ unorthodox debate prep

He won’t run mock sessions and his attacks will be on policy, not persona.

By Gabriel Debenedetti

10/08/15 05:10 AM EDT
By Josh Zeitz

Hillary Clinton has had aides lined up to run her debate prep for months. A Washington super lawyer is mimicking Bernie Sanders, and her top policy staffer is acting as Martin O’Malley. Sanders started studying for next Tuesday’s event not even a full week ago. And that’s because his two top aides sat him down in Burlington on Friday and asked whether he had a plan.

Sanders has briefing books, a couple of meetings with policy experts and an abiding aversion to the idea of acting out a debate before it happens. He knows the stakes are high, his staff says. But the candidate, whose New Hampshire polling and fundraising prowess have put a scare into Clinton, is uninterested in going through the motions of typical debate practice. The Vemont senator’s debate preparations, in other words, don’t look a ton like debate preparations.

While CNN is billing the event as a showdown, Sanders’ team sees the first Democratic debate as a chance to introduce a fairly niche candidate to a national audience. So his team intends to let him do what he’s been doing. Far from preparing lines to deploy against Clinton — let alone O’Malley, Lincoln Chafee or Jim Webb — Sanders plans to dish policy details, learned through a handful of briefings with experts brought in by his campaign.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/bernie-sanders-democratic-debates-214538#ixzz3o4NHkxKq



(Hillary's Debate Prep at same link)

[Demeter]

1. In other words, a REAL debate, on ISSUES

That will be refreshing, and invigorating!

[merrily]

3. Or, as close as we can get to it under the rules of the Commission on Presidential Debates.

[LiberalElite]

2. Bernie's been "practicing" for this moment for 40 years. 'nuff said nt

[SmittynMo]

4. Amen!!!

I agree, nuff said.

He'll do just fine.

[djean111]

5. I believe he will make the practiced and rehearsed "put-downs" or whatever from other

candidates look stupid. After all, if a candidate is not going to just debate on the issues, that's all they have.
I predict a lot of well-rehearsed grimaces, one-liner put-downs (there he goes again!), and eyebrow-lifting. Not from Bernie.

[HDSam]

6. It will be

interesting to see at this debate if his ongoing pledge to not attack the other candidates will result in the other candidates not attacking him for fear of looking petty or desperate.

[djean111]

8. Since there is literally NOTHING any of the other candidates could possibly say that would

affect my support for Bernie, I am not sure I will even watch, I may just follow the remarks on the board. I literally cannot bear to watch and/or listen to some politicians speak, especially if it is meaningless campaign blather. Bill is also in that category now. he used to be the only one I would watch, but then - due diligence, meet the internet.

I think that perhaps some of the other candidates will not be able to help themselves, to keep themselves from attacking, out of sheer frustration or anger or thwarted ambition. I am sorta curious about the guy who just wants to get money out of politics and then resign. What can he possible talk about, besides that? His VP pick? His VP pick should be in the debate, not him.

What keeps popping up in my thoughts is that Hillary has spent the last eight years preparing to be president, and it evidently never occurred to her that not all the rest of us are on board. We all don't see that anyone is entitled to "their turn". And that is what her campaign looks like to me - it's my turn, dammit!

[dae]

7. Why fix something that's not broke?

Why stop Bernie from being Bernie? He defies "conventional" wisdom because he actually believes what he says.
God, wouldn't it be amazing to have Paul Wellstone and Molly Ivins still around? Then we, the real "Rightists" (because we are right on issues), could enjoy our own echo chamber for a change.
Go Bernie, and give 'em Hell!

[Lucky Luciano]

9. Prep is not required when not lying or talking out of both sides of your mouth! nt

[merrily]

10. Saying the same things--and meaning all of them--plainly and straightforwardly for years.

Working with Third Way Democrats since 1991 and having their number.

Piece of cake.