Freddie Stubbs
Freddie Stubbs's JournalA Member of “Bernie’s Army” Is Still Waiting for the Candidate’s Help
John Fetterman, the populist mayor and long-shot Democratic Senate candidate, was one of the first elected officials in the country to endorse Bernie Sanders for president. He is, like Sanders, a political outsider. A tattooed giant—6-foot-8, more than 300 pounds—he’s spent the past 11 years presiding over Braddock, Pennsylvania, a largely black town outside Pittsburgh that was wrecked by the collapse of the local steel industry. Income inequality is at the center of his campaign. “I think there’s a great deal of overlap” between Sanders’ platform and his own, he tells me, “whether it’s a $15-an-hour living wage or health care, trade deals, a rigged economy.” Ideologically, the only real difference between the two men is that Fetterman is more in favor of gun control. He has the date of every homicide in Braddock since his election—nine in all—inked on his right arm.
In February, the New Republic described Fetterman as part of “Bernie’s army,” a generation of Democratic candidates creating “a progressive revolution from within.” Like Sanders, Fetterman has raised most of the money for his primary online, from small-dollar donors. He’s in a three-way primary race against Joe Sestak, the defeated Democratic Senate candidate in 2010, and Katie McGinty, who has the backing of much of the national Democratic establishment.
Fetterman’s criticism of McGinty echoes Sanders’ case against Hillary Clinton. “When she ran less than two years ago, she was for $9 an hour instead of $15,” he says, referring to the minimum wage. “She brought fracking to Pennsylvania, and she also supported NAFTA.” She has a massive financial advantage in what is currently the most expensive Senate race in the country, with more than $17 million already spent.
Given the money and political power stacked against him, Fetterman says he needs Sanders’ help to have any chance next Tuesday, the same day as the Pennsylvania presidential primary. So far, however, it has not been forthcoming. There’s been no endorsement, no fundraising support, no joint appearances. Fetterman’s campaign finds this confounding. On the ground, he says, there’s enormous overlap between his supporters and the Sanders grassroots. (“The crowd at the Fishtown brewpub is young, liberal, urban. They rave about Sanders—and Fetterman,” says a recent Philadelphia Inquirer story.) In a three-way race, he believes, Sanders’ backing could be decisive; Fetterman estimates that he’ll win if he gets 60 or 70 percent of Sanders’ voters.
more: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2016/04/john_fetterman_s_senate_campaign_needs_bernie_sanders_help.html
How's Bernie going to get his agenda passed if he doesn't have any allies in Congress? I suppose he thinks that these people will just get elected by magic.
Obama-backed Dem makes gains in Pa. primary
Source: The Hill
The Democratic Senate race in Pennsylvania has tightened as the party’s establishment seeks to topple the insurgent candidate Tuesday.
Until recently, polls had shown Katie McGinty, the establishment favorite, consistently trailing rival Joe Sestak in the race to take on vulnerable Republican Sen. Pat Toomey.
Party leaders are still angry over Sestak’s successful primary challenge against then-Sen. Arlen Specter (D) in 2010 and eventual loss to Toomey by 2 points in a year of major gains for Republicans.
But in a poll released Monday, McGinty overtook Sestak for the first time, leading him by 6 points, though a substantial number of voters remain undecided. That leaves political observers saying the heated race is anyone’s game.
Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/277583-obama-backed-dem-makes-gains-in-pa-primary
Sanders dodges on support for Clinton as nominee
Bernie Sanders in an interview early Tuesday dodged a question about whether he’d support Hillary Clinton without conditions if she becomes the Democratic presidential nominee.
“I think what the democratic process is about is going to the convention and arguing about what the platform should be,” Sanders said on CNN’s “New Day,” before shifting to healthcare.
“The media spends too much time speculating,” he said when pressed. “Let’s see what happens.”
“We’ll have a lot of delegates in Philadelphia fighting this fight,” he added, stressing an “agenda for the working people.”
more: http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/277618-sanders-dodges-on-support-for-clinton-as-nominee
Sounds like someone doesn't care what happens after he loses the nomination.
Jewish group rips Sanders for linking Baltimore, West Bank
A major Jewish advocacy organization on Monday blasted Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for saying parts of Baltimore and the West Bank have comparable suffering.
“What do the serious issues Baltimore’s leadership and population are confronting have to do with Palestinian life in the West Bank?” American Jewish Committee CEO David Harris asked in a statement.
“Inserting the Israel-Palestinian conflict into unrelated American political discourse serves only one purpose — to encourage those who are narrowly focused on assailing Israel for any shortcomings, failings by the Palestinian Authority.”
Sanders on Saturday said that the worst areas of Baltimore resemble the dire living conditions of some Palestinians in the West Bank.
more: http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/277521-jewish-group-rips-sanders-for-linking-baltimore-west-bank
Actor Tim Robbins blames Sanders losses on ‘voter fraud’
Actor Tim Robbins is alleging the “election is being stolen” from Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
In a tweet Monday afternoon, the actor called out The New York Times and CNN, suggesting the media is tipping the scales in favor of Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton.
The tweet included a chart purporting to compare exit polls to the actual election results.
https://twitter.com/TimRobbins1/status/724618825824608258/photo/1
more: http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/277537-actor-tim-robbins-blames-voter-fraud-for-sanders-losses
At least the Sanders campaign has enough dignity not to embrace this loony argument.
O'Malley endorses Van Hollen in Senate race
Source: The Hill
Former Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley is throwing his support behind Rep. Chris Van Hollen, a day before Tuesday's Democratic Senate primary in Maryland.
"I stood with Barbara Mikulski in her historic campaign for U.S. Senate in 1986, and I’m standing with Chris tomorrow on election day," O'Malley, who worked on the retiring Democratic senator's campaign 30 years ago, wrote to supporters on Monday.
"I hope you will join me in voting for a progressive who will get things done for the state we love," O'Malley added.
Van Hollen held a 6-point lead over Democratic primary rival Rep. Donna Edwards in a poll released earlier this month.
Read more: Link to source
The Bernie-supporting US Senate candidate in PA is struggling
Braddock Mayor John Fetterman endorsed Sanders. He would presumably be part of Bernie's revolution in Congress.
Katie McGinty 39%
Joe Sestak 39%
John Fetterman 4%
(VOL) Undecided 18%
http://monmouth.edu/assets/0/32212254770/32212254991/32212254992/32212254994/32212254995/30064771087/143fe2e7-7497-44ed-8aef-c93505a1fa96.pdf
Poll: Van Hollen leads big over Edwards in Md. Senate primary
Source: The Hill
Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) has a big lead over Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) ahead of Tuesday’s Democratic Senate primary in Maryland, a new poll finds.
A Monmouth University survey released Thursday shows Van Hollen taking 52 percent support, with Edwards at 36 percent.
Most polls have shown a closer race, with Van Hollen only ahead by 6.7 percentage points in the RealClearPolitics average entering Thursday.
The two Democrats are fighting to replace retiring Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.).
Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/senate-races/277133-poll-van-hollen-leads-big-over-edwards-in-md-senate-primary
Sanders Outspends Clinton 2-to-1 in New York Ads
Bernie Sanders' campaign has outspent Hillary Clinton over New York's airwaves by a 2-to-1 margin, according to ad-spending data from SMG Delta.
The Sanders campaign has spent $5.6 million on ads in the Empire State, versus $2.8 million for the Clinton campaign.
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/sanders-outspends-clinton-2-1-new-york-ads-n558361
Keep sending those $27 donations!
I'm a Hillary supporter and I don't want Bernie to drop out
This primary campaign has been about where we are going as party. Are we going to continue as a mainstream, centrist party as it has been under Presidents Clinton and Obama? Or are we going drive it off a cliff by turning it over the fringe ideologues who will doom us to four or eight years with a Republican in the White House?
Although Hillary's big win last night has made it even more clear that Democratic primary voters are choosing the sane path, I want this primary to continue. I want Democratic primary voters to continue to reject Senator Sanders' extreme policies so that he can serve as a lesson to future candidates.
So, please sending the $27 donations, because running no-chance campaign can be expensive.
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