Bernie Sanders' Campaign Says He Will Keep His Pledge To Not Go Negative In Ads For 2020

[left-of-center2012]

In his second presidential bid, Bernie Sanders will uphold a pledge from his 2016 campaign to abstain from "personal attack ads" against his opponents, but is not ruling out the possibility of ads that draw contrasts on the basis of policy “differences,” an aide said Wednesday.

"Bernie wants this to be a campaign of ideas and will be more than happy to discuss differences he has on the issues," Arianna Jones, a Sanders campaign spokesperson, said in a statement.

"However, he has never, nor will he, engage in personal attack ads."

... in the statement provided Wednesday, the Sanders campaign indicated an openness to ads that "discuss differences he has on the issues."

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/rubycramer/bernie-sanders-negative-ads-pledge-2020

[LexVegas]

1. He has his surrogates for that. nt

[emulatorloo]

5. +1

Character assasination based of half truths and false innuendo: “Kamala is a Cop”, “Beto is in the Pocket of Big Oil”, ad infinitum.

They were willing to spread and amplify decades old Republican lies last time. They’ll do whatever it takes to destroy anyone who gets in the way.

Also necessary to destroy the character of any citizen who asks a hard question.

Hopefully won’t work this time, so far it is been too over the top and way too obvious.

[bigtree]

2. is a pledge a promise?

...

2016: Bernie Sanders Promises to Release Tax Returns Soon
http://time.com/4295446/bernie-sanders-tax-returns-jane-sanders/

[saidsimplesimon]

3. Republicans and the MSM

will benefit if Democrats go negative.

I love the use of witty, verbal take downs that will get MSM attention. There are a number of people in Congress that have the knack of delivering witty, humorous remarks. I may send an email or call with a compliant to encourage this behavior.

[forklift]

4. And yet

we are hearing terms such as "corporate Democrat", "Wall Street Democrat", "Establishment Democrat" etc. etc. from his social media warriors, bots and other characters .

Tad Devine strategy always was to bring down the favorability numbers of his opponents and demonize them while Bernie ignores the fray and looks like he is Mr. Nice Guy, a docile, pacifist, polite man who couldn't hurt a fly.

It didn't work for Bernie -- he was defeated -- but it worked for Trump's benefit mightily.

[NurseJackie]

6. ...

[CrossingTheRubicon]

7. Beat me to it.

[emulatorloo]

8. He pledged not to go negative in 2016 too, yet he did anyway

Apparently after being encouraged to by hot-headed ideolog Jeff Weaver. Apparently Sanders had some reluctance to get in the mud like that. However he ended up taking to it like a fish to water.

I wouldn’t believe this “pledge” this time if his tongue came notarized.

[NurseJackie]

9. One's past performance is a good indicator of what we can expect in the future.

It's not a reliable predictor of how stocks and bonds will perform... but when it comes to humans (and politicians) these types of pledges or "makeovers" are always superficial and do not last long.

All I'm saying is that it's completely fair and legitimate to consider a candidate's past deeds when determining if pledges are sincere.

For example... if a candidate promises to release their tax returns (but doesn't) it's fair for people to look at that and make the appropriate judgements about the candidate's trustworthiness or whether the candidate can be believed in other matters as well.

Everything is connected and these are legitimate ways of learning more about any candidate running for national office.

[Cha]

14. Yes, and then to have that campaign

person saying it's never happened is just gaslit.

BS insulted my Democratic Party right after the GE..

Out there on TV after the "election" calling my Democratic Party "Elite" and how "humiliated" he was. Making it all about himself.' Calling our Democratic African American Base "Elite" and "Weak" Yeah, BS always has the insults.

And, insulting his "opponents" Like This?..

Bernie: ‘My Opponents’ Want Black, White, Gay, Latino or Women Candidates ‘Regardless of What They Stand For’

After the 2016 election, Sanders hit a similar theme when he told a crowd of supporters “It’s not good enough for somebody to say ‘hey I’m a Latina vote for me’ that is not good enough,” and went on to add “It is not good enough for somebody to say, ‘I’m a woman, vote for me.'”

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211722251

Oooops!

[MineralMan]

10. He'll just let his supporters do that. And they will.

Why should he bother with such details?

[Demsrule86]

20. They are right now to Biden.

[dalton99a]

33. +1

[JaneQPublic]

11. Call me a cynic, but...

...I wonder if this pronouncement from Bernie isn't made so much for the long-term patriotic goal of beating Trump in the general election but for the immediate self-serving goal of diminishing what will inevitably be much more intense scrutiny than he ever received in 2016.

[comradebillyboy]

24. That scrutiny hasn't been a happened yet. IMHO the infotainment media

thinks a Trump-Sanders contest would yield the best ratings.

[DanTex]

13. The obvious problem here is the he claimed he "has never" engaged in this before.

Basically, this is saying he isn't going to change anything. Which makes it an entirely empty gesture for anyone hoping that his 2020 campaign won't go as negative towards other potential nominees as his 2016 campaign did.

[WeekiWater]

15. Sanders will uphold a pledge from his 2016

[tinrobot]

16. I'm sure the Bernie Bros will stay positive as well - just like 2016

[Cha]

17. Another timely reminder.

[dalton99a]

23. Hey, how about those tax returns?

Another "pledge"

[Cha]

25. yeah, "soon".

[oasis]

18. His "Things I'd love to do soon" list is growing.

[ucrdem]

19. I've posted Bernie's Michigan TV ad as an example of an attack ad

and gotten it hidden at least once. But make no mistake, it was an attack on Clinton using NAFTA as a weapon and it was utterly disingenuous. So this is just another politician's empty promise.

[BlueFlorida]

22. +1000 nt

[BlueFlorida]

21. In ads maybe

in deeds, full throttle ahead

[still_one]

26. Bull. When he hired three people to high positions in his campaign who not only voted for Stein,

but encouraged others to do so also, that says everything to me about him.

David Sirota, Nina Turner, and Briahna Joy Gray

The fact that he said he would release 10 years of his tax returns over a month ago, and still hasn't done so, leaves a big question mark.

Until he releases 10 years of his tax returns like he promised, I remain skeptical about him "not going negative"


https://www.businessinsider.com/bernie-sanders-tax-return-release-questions-2019-4

[Thekaspervote]

27. Bull is right! His hands are clean? Sure

[padah513]

28. Ten years consecutive

[WeekiWater]

31. And one of those people...

Has headed up the maintenance and growth of Sanders personal campaign email list, at zero cost to the Sanders campaign.

[ehrnst]

34. I was among the "beneficiaries" of that "expanded email list"

In December of 2015, I started getting fundraising emails from Senator Sanders, when I don't ever recall signing up for them.

[lapucelle]

29. CNN called BS out in January of the last general election year for going negative

in a speech, an interview, and an ad before the first vote had been cast.

Mythology won't work this time around.

[WeekiWater]

30. Like how he doesn't accept PAC money and then parks his email list...

At a non-profit for three years to grow it. A non-profit that doesn’t have to disclose donors and whose head is a direct Sanders surrogate.

The lack of ethics in messaging is astounding.

[ehrnst]

32. Looks like the pledge doesn't extend to fundraising emails.

Not seeing "issues" as the focus here.

[dalton99a]

35. +1. Technically he didn't name anyone so there was no "personal attack"

Plausible deniability, as usual

[ehrnst]

36. Just the entire subject line, "Joe Biden" then a list of "things Bernie is up against"

Starting with "the political establishment."

It pointedly leaves out the words Democrat and Democratic in this Democratic candidate's $$ ask.

[dalton99a]

37. Yep. Devotees already know who he's talking about

[brooklynite]

38. "ads that draw contrasts on the basis of policy differences"

Otherwise known as.....