Bernie Sanders Senior Advisor Tad Devine
Bernie Sanders’ Senior Advisor Tad Devine in a bold claim said that Bernie Sanders will not attempt to do what most candidates do after winning their primaries, move to the mythical center. Tad Devine appeared on Hardball with Chris Matthews to discuss the Bernie Sanders campaign.
Chris Matthews noted that Hillary Clinton was a center left Democrat and Bernie Sanders was a hard left democrat. He asked Devine how will he move to the middle. Devine’s answer shocked Matthews.
“We are not going there, OK?” Tad Devine said. “You want to know why? It is not 1968 anymore. Let me tell you, America is a very different place than it was when I worked for Walter Mondale and 89% of the vote was white. There are two theories on how to win this election. Go to the middle which I think is the Clinton theory. Expand the electorate which is the Sanders theory. Okay, we are going to bring new people into the process. We are going to get people excited. We are going to get young people participating like they did in 2008. And that is the coalition that will win.”
Chris Matthews continued to push. Would Bernie run with a centrist as vice-president?
“I have no idea who he would pick as a running mate,” Tad Devine said. But I do know this, that our strategy, that I can talk about. Our strategy to win the election is to expand the American electorate. To bring young people in. To bring disaffected people in. To give people hope who don’t participate in the process. We will expand it to such an extent it will bring Democrats up and down the ballot.”
Matthews asked if Bernie Sanders will be the McGovern of our time. Tad Devine said Bernie Sanders is no McGovern. He sees a Johnson-like landslide.