So, Sanders is going to Italy 4 days before the NY primary.

[geek tragedy]

Implications regarding his internal polls in NY?

[stopbush]

1. Second honeymoon in Russia?

Just guessing.

[geek tragedy]

2. no, Vatican trip. I get that it's a nice pr opportunity,

but the candidate's time in the week before a primary is a precious, precious commodity.

He can probably get away with spending only one day off the campaign trail by taking two overnight flights and sleeping on them, but still.

[stopbush]

7. I'd say the pope meets the dope,

but within an hour, Sanders would be asserting that Hillary made that statement, not me, so I won't say it.

[enid602]

26. Pope

It's kind of nice that Bernie's finally found a politician he can deal with.

[LAS14]

58. LOL! Not many occasions to use this great line. nt

[question everything]

13. Many voters in Little Italy, NYC? (nt)

[geek tragedy]

20. Little Italy in Manhattan is one street with a bunch of tourist traps in the middle of

Chinatown

[question everything]

40. Oh (nt)

[Squinch]

52. Which is a freaking tragedy. Arthur Ave is less Italian every day, too. Where are the canolis????

[geek tragedy]

56. They took the canolis. (see what I did there?)

When we moved to our current neighborhood (border between Prospect/Crown Heights), there were no regular sit down Italian places. We've had some trendy Italian places (two of which are pizzerias) move in since then, but there are still more Indian and Mexican restaurants here (not to mention Caribbean).

We like Mexican and Indian food a lot, so no loss, but it's still a little weird.

[Squinch]

60. Heh heh. I see what you did there!

Thankfully my neighborhood has one really good Pizza-type place and one really good high end Italian place.

Have you ever been to that outdoor pop up restaurant bazaar in Greenpoint (I think) they have on the weekends? That place is wild.

[Fla Dem]

46. So will he be using campaign funds for the trip? Inquiring minds want to know.

[WhiteTara]

55. Surely not. That would be illegal. nt

[Koinos]

3. Do you have a link?

[BlueCaliDem]

12. It was just reported on MSNBC as well.

But the NYTs is reporting it.

It is very strange that Bernie is going to Europe so close to the New York primaries. I guess his internal polling doesn't look good, and staying to campaign in New York State is a waste of his time.

[Koinos]

14. Thank you.

Maybe he's looking for a miracle?

[BlueMTexpat]

32. That was my first thought when

I heard this.

Of course, Bernie is also married to a Catholic, who - if she did not get an annulment from her first marriage - is likely also divorced. Perhaps it is to get that situation cleared up, especially since the Pope just issued his "apostolic declaration" on The Joy of Love. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/04/08/pope-francis-releases-key-text-family-matters/82782602/

Or perhaps it is both.

Who really knows what is going on in his head? He is as quirky and unpredictable as Trump in too many ways. Not a good temperament in a potential CIC, IMO.

[Koinos]

47. This pope is the most liberal we have had since Pope John XXIII.

His proposals about divorce will be well received by many Catholics.

I agree with you that Sanders has been quirky and unpredictable of late.

[BlueMTexpat]

49. Well, why Bernie is going

has more or less been cleared up and it apparently has zilch to do with either a miracle or a papal dispensation.

That this would happen - and that he would actually have sought to do it - in the middle of his absolutely vital campaign in NY, however, makes me wonder whether he has taken complete leave of his senses, going beyond quirky and unpredictable.

[Koinos]

61. Maybe Weaver and Devine have decided that Sanders is getting in the way of the campaign.

And they want to take over while he is gone and go really negative for him, and nothing they do will stick to him.

[LiberalFighter]

45. You mean hoping the Pope blesses him?

[question everything]

15. Also here

http://www.mediaite.com/online/sanders-to-take-short-break-from-campaign-to-deliver-economics-speech-at-the-vatican/

Sanders to Take Short Break From Campaign to Deliver Economics Speech at the Vatican

[misterhighwasted]

30. Global Ecnomics?! Haahaaaa! he still has no idea how to fix America's economy

..and he's addressing global econ?

[KittyWampus]

36. All he's good for is delivering a prepared speech… he's not able to answer questions

in any depth.

[Koinos]

50. Maybe he'll find out that the largest banks are not US banks.

And that the president of the United States has no control over them.

Something called international banking and global finance.

[misterhighwasted]

65. PR Stunt 101

How to pull off a PR Stunt when the rats are jumping ship.
This will blow up in his face like everything else has.

A last ditch desperate stunt to patch together that emperor's disappearing clothes. How damn desperate this looks to the whole world watching.

What an embarassment.


Just #GTFObernie

[DemocracyDirect]

4. Well I think a one day trip would be worth it.

Meeting with world leaders is very presidential.

And I think they have something in common.

[liberal N proud]

6. That would be the BSers take on it

[stopbush]

9. A belief in make believe?

Religion and Sanders' policies?

[Koinos]

16. Is Sanders even a theist?

He appears to be more of a secular humanist than a believer in a personal god.

[stopbush]

18. He's a theist when it comes to his policies

in that they don't have a basis in fact.

[geek tragedy]

21. it's worth it if he doesn't think he's close in New York

a win in NY would be a lot more valuable than a papal photo op

[greatauntoftriplets]

66. Maybe he'll do a photo op at the Shrine of St. Jude.

[geek tragedy]

67. If there's enough daylight left. nt

[George II]

5. He's looking for divine (or is that Devine?) intervention by visiting the Pope.....

....it's not going to work.

But it sure gives on an idea what he thinks of his chances of winning. Wyoming this week, Rome next week. Seems to be looking for ways to avoid New York. But then, he hasn't lived there for 50 years - wonder why?

[stopbush]

11. If you use The Godfather III as a guide,

the Vatican costs a lot more than $800,000 a month to get them on your side.

[Koinos]

48. But Sanders doesn't believe in "charity."

Or so he said a long time ago.

[liberal N proud]

8. And it is getting posted in every group on DU

How many more times can it be repeated/regurgitated and publicized.

Oh there it is again, didn't see it posted a few minutes ago. The more I see it the more I am going to think yeah, Bernie.

No I see it again and again and think how fucking annoying.

[GusBob]

10. Good for him!

I am not gonna begrudge him. He needs to unwind himself a bit. Relax. Maybe laugh, or try to smile

[Her Sister]

22. Yes Fallon(HRC surrogate) said yesterday

BS and surrogates need to take a time out on MSNBC

[misterhighwasted]

31. And work on his "tone"

Nah, its all a pr stunt, as his whole campaign has been.

Hill's already done that


Hurry up bernie..

[book_worm]

17. Oh well--HRC already has met a Pope

and nearly every world leader imaginable.

[Kber]

19. Wonder if he will lecture the Pope on the evils of charitable giving?

[livetohike]

23. No doubt! He will also ask the Pope to confer sainthood based on

the Miracle of the Bird. He will ask for special privileges because I think one needs three miracles to be considered for sainthood.

[SaschaHM]

24. According to GD-P

This is going to seal the nomination and force all the Catholics to vote for him. Sigh, talk about desperation. His internal numbers must be bad if he's taking time off 4 days before the primary and walking back his "unqualified" remark the next day.

[Koinos]

25. Sanders is looking for supernatural delegates.

[Walk away]

35. ^^^^^^^^^^^Most awesome snark of the day!!!!!!! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[geek tragedy]

28. well, the bird was a sign from Gaia, so might as well get the Holy Trinity on board nt

[LoveMyCali]

68. But wait, I'm confused

Am I supposed to vote for Bernie because I'm Catholic or vote for Hillary with my vagina? What if I have a bad hair day on election day and mistakenly vote for Trump?

[jmowreader]

69. Get some Ultra Hold hair gel, a hat and a razor if need be

ANYTHING to keep yourself from mistakenly voting for Trump is a good thing.

[misterhighwasted]

27. Does this qualify for foreign policy experience?

Its another publicity stunt by Camp bernie.

[dlwickham]

29. Maybe they'll keep him

[riversedge]

33. Maybe they will offer him a job he can't refuse. Fingers crossed.

[Walk away]

34. This is the pandering trip you take when your Followers will pay for anything for you...

Ted Cruz the Uber-Christian goes to a Matzo bakery. Bernie the Atheist goes to see the Pope!

[Cha]

37. Sanders Accused of ‘Discourtesy’ in Seeking Vatican Invitation

snip//

A senior Vatican official accused Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders of showing a “monumental discourtesy” in his lobbying for an invitation to a church-sponsored conference on economic and environmental issues for political purposes.

Sanders, whose foreign policy experience is under attack by rival Hillary Clinton, on Friday said he was “very excited” about being invited to the meeting hosted by a pontifical academy. It will put him at the seat of the Roman Catholic Church just four days before the New York primary.

The head of the academy said Thursday that Sanders sought the invitation and that put an inappropriate political cast on the gathering.

“Sanders made the first move, for the obvious reasons,” Margaret Archer, president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, which is hosting the conference Sanders will attend, said in a telephone interview. “I think in a sense he may be going for the Catholic vote but this is not the Catholic vote and he should remember that and act accordingly -- not that he will.”

MOre..
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-04-08/sanders-accused-of-discourtesy-in-seeking-vatican-invitation

seaglass~http://www.democraticunderground.com/110794988

[geek tragedy]

38. oops nt

[Cha]

39. Oooops is right! It all sounded a little fishy before but this clears up a lot for me.

[Her Sister]

41. Lots of Catholics here in NY!

Hmmm! coincidence!

[geek tragedy]

44. he won't be able to capitalize on it, it just seems dumb nt

[LisaM]

42. Do you think he'll actually meet the Pope?

My guess is that the Pope would not choose to insert himself into U.S. presidential policies at the moment. It would be highly unusual. From what I understand, the Pope isn't actually involved in this invitation to speak at a conference, despite what the BBC headline said.

[geek tragedy]

43. no. there won't be a papal photo op.

It seems really desperate to give up an entire day for the candidate (and presumably his entire support team) to fly out to freaking Italy.

[Koinos]

64. A tourist photo with a cardboard pope maybe?

[Squinch]

51. 3..2..1.. till a Sanders supporter suggests that the Pope and Hillary are in cahoots to get Bernie

off the campaign trail.

And then the Pope goes under the bus and has delicious cocktails with John Lewis, Rachel Maddow, Nancy Pelosi, Paul Krugman, and anyone else whose name the paranoid ones can spell. I think Papa Smurf is part of the conspiracy, isn't he now?

[geek tragedy]

57. already happened, the infamous "Brock did it" nt

[Squinch]

62. Bahahahaha! They're so predictable and cute!

[BeyondGeography]

53. He'll be lampooned as a globetrotting poseur

[IamMab]

54. I was raised Catholic. Went to Catholic school, attended Mass, got sent to confession a bunch...

...and I've still never seen this many consecutive Hail Mary's in a row.

Sanders is clearly very desperate for any news or headline that will help bury the Daily News Bin interview.

[geek tragedy]

59. They need to name Aaron Rodgers the campaign manager nt

[Koinos]

63. We're seeing a whole rosary full of them.