2016 Postmortem

cali

(114,904 posts) Thu Aug 20, 2015, 01:03 PM Aug 2015

Bernie Sanders is the Uncola of American politics

story. Our interview, conducted via e-mail and edited only for grammar, is below.

FIX: You’ve covered Vermont politics for decades. Did you EVER expect Bernie Sanders to a) run for president or b) do as well as he has?

Graff: No and No!

I did think in 2003 and 2004 that Bernie must have been incredulous (and perhaps a bit envious) that Howard Dean, one of Vermont’s most fiscally conservative governors in history, vaulted to the top of the 2004 Democratic presidential race as a populist, anti-establishment candidate [by] telling voters, “You have the power!” That’s been Bernie’s role since his early political races in the 1970s as a gadfly candidate of the Liberty Union party.

I certainly did not expect Bernie to do as well as he has. There is no doubt he has a message that resonates with the times but I thought his red-hot style would not play as well on the presidential stage. Bernie lectures. He does not pamper. He does everything on his terms. But somehow the things I considered negatives are positives today.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/08/20/bernie-sanders-is-the-uncola-of-american-politics/

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Bernie Sanders is the Uncola of American politics (Original Post) cali Aug 2015 OP

The Uncola Uncle Joe Aug 2015 #1

From the article Capt. Obvious Aug 2015 #2

Uncle Joe

(58,405 posts)

1. The Uncola

Reply to cali (Original post)

Thu Aug 20, 2015, 01:16 PM

Aug 2015

Thanks for the thread, cali.

Capt. Obvious

(9,002 posts)

2. From the article

Reply to cali (Original post)

Thu Aug 20, 2015, 02:02 PM

Aug 2015

....

FIX: Describe Sanders time as mayor of Burlington. Is he viewed as a successful mayor? Why or why not?

GRAFF: Incredibly successful. The origins of almost everything great in Burlington today can be traced back to Bernie’s tenure as mayor. When he was elected in 1981 many city leaders feared he would care more about foreign policy (his team and his supporters were known as "Sanderistas&quot

than city matters. But he was laser-focused on fixing potholes and economic development and rebuilding the waterfront and saving the downtown and providing arts and developing programs for children. Today Burlington ranks as one of the most livable cities in the nation. (Editor's note: He's right!)

FIX: Sanders has been in Washington for the past 24 years straight — first in the House and now in the Senate. How do Vermonters regard him? Still as an outsider to the establishment or part of the establishment?

GRAFF: Most love him. In every parade that Bernie marches in, he gets the biggest and loudest cheers – from Vermonters across the political spectrum. He remains very popular in liberal and conservative regions of the state. That’s not to say that he is universally loved. Some business leaders, Republican leaders and even some Democrats see him as the crazy uncle in the attic.

....

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