Blogger Candidate Forum: What Does Senator Sanders Want?

Secretary Clinton and Senator Sanders before a debate in Brooklyn, New York
wmagazine.com

Hello Everyone:

This is the week to spend time in the Blogger Candidate Forum.  The Forum can finally breath a sigh of relief now that the Primaries are finally over.  This has been a tumultuous Primary season, to say the very least.  Now that the dust has settled, the presumptive candidates, Secretary Hillary Clinton (D-New York) and Donald J. Trump (R-New York), have  emerged ready to battle it out for the Oval Office.  However, today Blogger would like to spend some time looking at the future of Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont).  Senator Sanders ran a remarkable campaign and deserves every ounce of praise.  As the Gentleman from Vermont begins to wind down his triumphant campaign, he envisions a greater role for his movement within the Democratic party.

The Democratic National Convention 2016
demconvention.com

Yesterday evening, following the Washington D.C, primary, the Gentleman from Vermont and Madame Secretary sat down for a private meeting.  For nearly two hours they discussed forming alliance for the general election to combat Mr. Trump.  Senator Sanders opted to withhold his endorsement of Secretary Clinton, not that she expected it, because he wants her to earn it.  Fair enough.  The meeting was characterized, by the Clinton campaign, as "a positive discussion about their primary campaign, about unifying and about the dangerous threat that Donald poses to our nation." (http://www.nytimes.com).  The joining of forces could prove to be a potent weapon against the vitriol coming from the Trump campaign.  By combining forces, Sec. Clinton and Sen. Sanders can focus the General Election race on the issues important Americans such as: raising the minimum wage and reducing the cost of attending university.  The meeting ended on a positive note with the two agreeing to continue working on their shared agenda, including platform development for the upcoming convention.

Senator Sanders at a press conference
usatoday.com

Also on Tuesday, Senator Sanders held a press conference outside his campaign's Capitol Hill office: "The Democratic Party needs to be transformed, and he plans to push for that all the way the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia." (http://www.politico.com).  The Gentleman from Vermont was joined by campaign manager Jeff Weaver and national spokesperson Symone Sanders (no relation), ticked off a list of priorities of changes he wants for the party.  Senator Sanders said,

We need a person at the leadership at the DNC who is vigorously supporting and out working to bring people into the political process...the most progressive platform ever passed by the Democratic Party.  A platform which makes it crystal clear that the Democratic Party is on the side of working people.  (Ibid)

Debbie Wasserman Schultz
en.wikipedia.org

When Senator Bernie Sanders calls for a change in party leadership,  he is making a reference to Democratic National Committee Chairperson Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL).  The Gentleman from Vermont has had several disputes with Ms. Wasserman Schultz, whom he believes is biased toward Madame Secretary.  His disagreements with the DNC chairperson runs so deep that he is supporting her opponent in the primary.  It is not likely that his demand that she be replace will be honored.  Another item high on his agenda is the elimination of the super delegates.  The super delegates are elected officials (present and former) that are free to vote for whom ever at the party convention.  Senator Sanders told the New York Times, 

...we need obviously to get rid of the super delegates.  (http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com).

Another high-priority agenda item on Senator Sander's list is open, same day registration.  Specifically he said,

...that means anybody in this country can walk in and get registered to vote on the day of a primary or a caucus.  We need adequate staffing and training to run elections in a way that is appropriate for our democracy" (Ibid)

While the idea of same-day registration sounds great, the problem with that is it does not give the individual state secretaries of states time to verify if the registrant is meets the qualifications (i.e. a native born or naturalized citizen; had their voting rights restored).  Granted adequate staffing and training is absolute must for the precinct polls.  Blogger once again would like to give a big shout to Lee and all his fellow poll workers who staffed the Park La Brea precinct.  You all did a great job.  However, not every precinct had a positive experience, some were mired with long wait times and lack of ballots.

Senator Sanders at rally in Santa Monica, California
cnn.com

What does Senator Bernie Sanders actually want in exchange for his support of Secretary Hillary Clinton?  That was left open at the conclusion of their meeting yesterday evening.  The Wall Street Journal is reporting that he is not being vetted as a potential running mate.  Probably a good thing.  Does he want an administration post?  Secretary of what?  What is certain is that the Gentleman from Vermont does want his top policy priorities -i.e. higher minimum and more affordable university-adopted by the Clinton campaign.  To the former, Madame Secretary and the Gentleman from Vermont are not that far apart: she wants a $12 national minimum wage and he wants a $15 minimum wage-split the difference, maybe?  The biggest bone of contention is reigning in Wall Street excesses.  Here, Sen. Sanders is a weary of Sec. Clinton's plan, given her financial connections to the banking industry.

Blogger does not anticipate Senator Bernie Sanders fading into the background for good.  Rather, yours truly is hoping that both the Gentleman from Vermont and Madame Secretary will work together not just in the coming months but also following the General Election to make the United States of America an even better place.