The View From Vermont: Bernie Makes His Pitch

Two years ago, Bernie Sanders got together with members of his "kitchen cabinet" from his years as mayor of Burlington. The group convened on a Sunday night at the senator's home in the New North End.

Conversation quickly turned to the 2016 presidential contest, and whether Sanders should consider running, recalled John Franco, a Burlington lawyer and longtime Sanders friend and confidant.

Franco, who raced on the cross-country ski team at Spaulding High School in Barre, passed on to Sanders the advice of his high-school coach: When you cross the finish line, you should be wiped out and retching. Give your last ounce of everything to the race.

"None of us has unlimited time left on the planet," Franco said he advised Sanders. "What are you saving it for?"

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Richard Tarrant, the Republican who lost to Sanders in the 2006 senate race, said he thinks the former Burlington mayor has the ability to go head-to-head with the national media.

"I saw him on Bill O'Reilly the other night, and he held his own," said Tarrant, referring to the Fox News commentator known for interrupting guests.

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http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/politics/2015/05/03/bernie-sanders-makes-pitch/26738955/