5,000 house parties across the US and in 34 other countries
Bernie Sanders' volunteer army plans massive weekend organizing parties
By Gregory Krieg, CNN
Updated 9:03 AM ET, Sat April 27, 2019
Excerpt:
Volunteers will host an estimated 5,000 house parties across the US and in 34 other countries on Saturday, the campaign said, as it launches the 2020 edition of its national organizing program -- a grassroots effort that the independent senator from Vermont believes could be decisive in what is shaping up to be a tightly contested Democratic presidential primary. Sanders, along with campaign manager Faiz Shakir, campaign co-chair Nina Turner and campaign organizing director Claire Sandberg, will address the partygoers via remote broadcasts, and the campaign plans to launch a new app to help volunteers keep track of their voter contacts.
In an interview Friday evening, Sanders touted the campaign's large and growing volunteer list as a strategic advantage in the crowded primary field and said the Saturday gatherings represent "the first manifestation of that."
"You will see in this campaign a lot of spontaneous activity that doesn't come from our national headquarters," Sanders said, nodding to the DIY culture that has sprung up around both his presidential bids. "People in Memphis, Tennessee and Los Angeles, California, they're going to come up with an idea, they're going to use local artists and musicians. So this is our effort to build a political movement, which will help us win the primary, help us win the general election and, in my view, it is the only way we bring about the kind of fundamental reforms we need in this country."
They also include a reminder: Tread carefully -- you are being watched.
"When we talk with voters about Bernie and his platform, each of us is the face of the campaign," the guide says. "The impression that we make matters, and we take that responsibility seriously. We treat everyone we encounter with care and respect, whether or not they agree with us."
https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/27/politics/bernie-sanders-volunteer-organizing-parties/index.html
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