OK—I tried to post this but FR’s software started crying.
In the Podesta emails is the complete Bernie Sanders opposition research of the Clinton campaign. If you are a true politics geek you can search for Sanders and get it all—here is a taste:
SANDERS SAYS HE IS CONSISTENT IN HIS VIEWS
2006: Sanders Said That He Had Never Changed His Mind On A Closely-Held Position. “Q: My third and last question let me start with Mr. Sanders, you’ve served 8 terms in congress, that’s 16 years. I wonder during this time period could you give us an example of an issue where you originally had one position and then as you learned more about it, you completely changed your mind. Sanders: No. Q: It’s never happened. Sanders: No I mean I think you learn more about an issue. Your position may evolve in a nuanced way. But no. My views pretty much from a philosophical perspective are not different than when I came to Congress.” [SoundCloud, Bernie Sanders, Audio Clip: “2006: No Change In Policies,” Accessed 6/8/15]
Sanders’ Political Thinking Had Not Changed Since He First Ran For Office in 1971. “Sanders, tonight, is saying the same things to these students that he said to some of their parents and grandparents. You don’t go to a Sanders speech expecting to be surprised. His political thinking (the only kind of thinking that he seems to do) has not changed since he first ran for the Senate as a candidate of the Liberty Union party in 1971 and captured 2 percent of the vote. A reporter, now retired, who remembers covering Sanders back then, says today, “Even if you don’t like Bernie—and I don’t—you have to admire him for two things: his consistency and his determination.”“ [Weekly Standard, 5/22/15]
Sanders Cited The Department Of Agriculture As An Example Of An Agency Where Wasteful Spending Was Taking Place. “Host: Give me an example of an agency where there’s wasteful spending, where you think there are cuts ought to be made? Sanders: Well I mentioned the Department of Defense, which is rampant with— Host: Beyond the Department of Defense. Sanders: I think that you can go to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. I think we can make Medicare into a more efficient—there’s a huge amount of fraud that we are seeing in Medicare. We have documented it both in terms of some small time operators ripping it off in the system, as well as corporate interests. I think that if we are aggressive and effective, we can save substantial sums of money.” [Senator Sanders on Debt Negotiations, 06/30/2011, 08:00]