Fwd: Naive bullshit??

From:tomd1175@gmail.com To: john.podesta@gmail.com Date: 2016-03-10 13:57 Subject: Fwd: Naive bullshit??

Good morning, John. You may remember Pete Stavrianos. He was the mastermind behind just about all of my political victories in South Dakota. He has asked that I pass this along to you. Tom Re: Hillary & Sanders Thought: Suppose Hillary began effusively praising Sanders and his wing of the party, saying openly that she has been changed in her views by them and has perhaps misjudged the degree to which money in politics has corroded and corrupted the process. Assumptions: - She needs at least some minimal support and enthusiasm from core Sanders voters to supplement Trump fear as a driver of these voters to the polls in the Fall. - Her support from super delegates and minorities will defeat Sanders regardless of her approach during the remainder of the primaries. - Her currently chosen campaign as a keeper of the Obama flame who mildly denigrates Sandersites as one issue voters will do nothing to begin the process of winning real support from those voters (esp. youth). How it might sound: Only people intimately familiar with her campaign could decide how best to launch an approach of this sort. The following clumsily worded version of what she might have said following Michigan were she employing this approach is intended only to illustrate the opportunities (and pitfalls) of the approach. It is rushed and over the top, but I think does illustrate the potential power of similar but better lines. " I don't want to just congratulate my opponent on his victory tonight, I want to thank him for the campaign he is running. Mr Sanders is a teacher and what he is teaching is something all of America needs to hear. He is right that we have given far too much power and influence to wealth in America. He is right that we have got to do something about it. He won because what he is saying is true, and it is important. And I want to say to him, and to my supporters tonight, that all of us need to understand the degree to which money and power have corrupted our democracy and pledge ourselves to do something serious and tough about it. Our campaigns, Mr Sanders campaign, and our own, must be the exact opposite of what we see on the Republican side. We must run serious, respectful campaigns on the issues. We must pledge ourselves above all else to make certain that Americas promise of equal opportunity for all her citizens is one we will respect above all else in office, then ask voters to select the person they believe will be most able to turn that pledge into reality, and thus this Fall to defeat the angry intolerance and wealth worship that is taking over the GOP. etc. etc." Pitfalls: Just another phony Clinton tactic. Why vote for her if she is just Bernie lite? Pros: Respectful praise of opponent contrasts nicely with GOP. Takes edge off her inevitable defeat of Sanders with Sanders folk and begins process of energizing them for Fall. _____________________