Progressive candidates flood Washington for targeted training

ABC "News" ^ | April 13, 2018 | By MARYALICE PARKS

[Oldeconomybuyer]

People stood on chairs with their phones outstretched and fell into a familiar, excited chant.

“Bernie! Bernie!” they said together as Sen. Bernie Sanders, Vt.-I, came into the room.

Unlike the memorable, mega-events from his presidential campaign, with throngs of mostly young voters, a year and half later this room was made up of 450 fresh-faced, Democratic candidates seeking public office themselves, many for the first time.

The training offered targeted lessons from seasoned campaign managers and consultants about the nuts and bolts of managing a campaign.

Screenwriters and Hollywood producers in a nearby room gave the candidates suggestions for how to make their stump speeches more compelling, including when to pause for dramatic effect.

Several of the attendees lamented that Democratic Party officials had, they thought, handpicked more mainstream candidates around the country or advised folks to temper progressive platforms.

Sanders listed off progressive policy positions that were, until very recently, thought to be outside the mainstream Democratic Party platform, but which have gained considerable steam in the last two years, such as a single-payer, Medicare-for-all-style health care system and a $15 dollar per hour minimum wage.

Speaking to the group, Warren too walked through the political values that unite Progressives, including believing in protecting social security, climate change and that fundamentally corporations are not people and the landmark campaign finance case, Citizens United, should be overturned. The last line drew a standing ovation.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

[Buckeye McFrog]

The nutball base is not going to let them nominate more Conor Lambs. This is a good thing.

[TallahasseeConservative]

Yup. They’re just as bad as the GOP-E.