Fast Company - "Inside Bernie Sanders's Social Media Machine" - Ready To Beat Trump!

[TomCADem]

This is why Bernie has what it takes to beat Donald Trump. He has managed to beat Hillary in fundraising, and is effectively using these resources in a sophisticated and comprehensive social media campaign to spread his message.

http://www.fastcompany.com/3058681/inside-bernie-sanders-social-media-machine

MICHAEL GROTHAUS 04.11.16 5:12 AM
Ask most any political pundit a year ago who the 2016 Democratic nominee for president would be and virtually all of them would have told you that Hillary Clinton had the lock. But then something unexpected started happening: Bernie Sanders, the relatively unknown Independent senator from Vermont who was 60 to 70 points behind Clinton started attracting massive crowds to his burgeoning campaign.

By some key measures, Sanders was even drawing larger crowds than Obama did in 2008. The sizes of the crowds—tens of thousands of people at a time—had everyone asking, including the Washington Post, "How does he do it?"

While theories varied—"It’s his charisma!" "It’s his populist appeal!"—depending who you asked, many professional campaign watchers on both sides of the aisle, including the Washington Post, who posited the question, gave much of the credit to Sanders’s social media team.

"Sanders’ social media campaign gets a solid A-," says Nikki Usher Layser, assistant professor at the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University, whose latest book is Making News at The New York Times. "#FeeltheBern has got to be one of the most creative hashtags I’ve ever seen for a campaign. That’s got to be one of the best turns-of-phrases for strategic communication—in just one hashtag, you can rally the troops, celebrate an accomplishment—it’s everything."

[highprincipleswork]

1. word up - Bernie is the one to beat Trump.

[TomCADem]

5. Bernie's Social Media Operation Is Cutting Edge

Press and communications are seamlessly coordinated with his social media person. In addition, as the article notes, they have a sophisticated rapid response team to respond to the talking points raised by the other candidates in debates, the press or on chat boards. This type of operation is what is needed to win in the general election.

[KingFlorez]

2. Sanders dramatically outspent Clinton, yet still managed to lose

He's proven that money can't buy elections, so the fundraising element is sort of irrelevant. Second, social media doesn't win elections, retail politics does and Sanders hates it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/01/us/politics/bernie-sanders-doesnt-kiss-babies-that-a-problem.html?_r=0

For a candidate who has inspired the most impassioned followers since Barack Obama in 2008, Mr. Sanders is surprisingly impersonal, even uninterested, in one-on-one exchanges — the sort of momentary encounters in which a candidate can show warmth and humility by gripping every open palm.

He rarely drops by diners or coffee shops with news cameras in tow, unlike most politicians. He hardly ever kisses babies, aides say, and does not mingle much at fund-raisers. To Mr. Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont, political schmoozing is a phony business, and anathema to his total focus on weighty issues.

This does not win elections, it loses them. When your face looks pained when you are with a supporter, it's not good.

[highprincipleswork]

6. Hasn't lost yet, Casper.

[KingFlorez]

7. He has lost

It's all over save for the formalities.

[highprincipleswork]

10. We'll see what happens. In the meantime, we'll see if you can live with your anxiety and not

prematurely elaborate.

[KingFlorez]

14. It's over. Move on with your life.

I know you love Bernie and it's hard to see a love one lose. You can still love him deeply despite what happens. He's your family.

[highprincipleswork]

15. I'm doing just fine, my friend. But your'e right, I do love Bernie. And he actually stands for

something. I really pity those who support the corrupt and the reactionary.

[rhett o rick]

22. I think it says a lot that you want him to quit in the 8th inning. Maybe that's in line with

your principles but now ours. We will fight you all the way and beyond. You may have the corporations on your side but we have the People. We will prevail against the Big Money Fat Cats that you revere so deeply. Shame

[TomCADem]

8. While Hillary Spent $1 million, Bernie's Team Is Doing for Free!

While Hillary is blowing a million dollars to "correct" commentors, Bernie is investing in rapid response truth squads that get illuminate the darkness of misinformation.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/04/21/hillary-pac-spends-1-million-to-correct-commenters-on-reddit-and-facebook.html

Hillary PAC Spends $1 Million to ‘Correct’ Commenters on Reddit and Facebook

Citing “lessons learned from online engagement with ‘Bernie Bros,’” a pro-Hillary Clinton Super PAC is pledging to spend $1 million to “push back against” users on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit and Instagram.

Correct the Record’s “Barrier Breakers” project boasts in a press release that it has already “addressed more than 5,000 people that have personally attacked Hillary Clinton on Twitter.” The PAC released this on Thursday.

The PAC was created in May of last year when it was spun off from the American Bridge SuperPAC, which is run by longtime Hillary and Bill Clinton supporter David Brock. Brock also founded the left-wing media watchdog website Media Matters for America.

[KingFlorez]

11. But he still lost the primary

The social media games are a moot point anyway.

[rhett o rick]

23. You are choosing the wrong side in this class war. Do you hope they like you? Is that

why you turn your back on those among us suffering? You think Corporate profits are more important than the 2.5 million of our children living on the streets? Shame

[ucrdem]

3. And another miracle of social media turns out to be . . . an ad campaign.

Thanks Bernie!

[TomCADem]

13. Pro-Clinton Super PAC Caught Spending $1 Million on Social Media Trolls

While Hillary blows money on social media trolls, Bernie is investing in communicating his message of hope and concern for the working class through social media.

http://usuncut.com/politics/clinton-super-pac-busted/

A Super PAC headed by a longtime Clinton operative is spending $1 million to hire online trolls to “correct” Bernie Sanders’ supporters on social media.

Correct The Record (CTR), which is operated by Clinton attack dog and new owner of Blue Nation Review David Brock, launched a new initiative this week called “Barrier Breakers 2016” for the purpose of debating supporters of Senator Bernie Sanders — or “Bernie Bros,” as they’re referred to in Correct the Record’s press official release — on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and other social media platforms.

The “Barrier Breakers” will also publicly thank Hillary Clinton’s superdelegates and fans for supporting her campaign. The paid trolls are professional communicators, coming from public relations and media backgrounds.

“The task force staff’s backgrounds are as diverse as the community they will be engaging with and include former reporters, bloggers, public affairs specialists, designers, Ready for Hillary alumni, and Hillary super fans who have led groups similar to those with which the task force will organize,” CTR stated.

[ucrdem]

17. They weren't "caught," they announced it, and they're not part of the campaign.

Also, Sanders' campaign spent over $91 million on ads including $16 million on social media as of March per the Washington Post. And he didn't announce it, either:

By the end of March, the self-described democratic socialist senator from Vermont had spent nearly $166 million on his campaign — more than any other 2016 presidential contender, including rival Hillary Clinton. More than $91 million went to a small group of admakers and media buyers who produced a swarm of commercials and placed them on television, radio and online, according to a Washington Post analysis of Federal Election Commission reports.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/sanders-is-biggest-spender-of-2016-so-far--generating-millions-for-consultants/2016/04/28/600170ce-0cf2-11e6-a6b6-2e6de3695b0e_story.html

[TomCADem]

21. He did not hire trolls like Hillary

Instead, he invested in a sophisticated social media operation that was rightfully recognized by tech magazine Fast Company. Let Hillary hire trolls. Bernie has a social media machine.

[rhett o rick]

24. He did not stoop to hiring trolls. How many do we find here? nm

[CentralCoaster]

4. Bernie > Trump > Clinton in terms of electability.

A Clinton vote is a wasted vote in the primary.

She is not a strong candidate against Sanders, and she's even weaker against Trump.

We need to cut her loose.

Now, in these last primaries.

[KingFlorez]

9. Trump is better than Clinton

That's about the most ridiculous thing that anyone could thing.

[TomCADem]

16. Seriously? You'd Prefer A Racist, Sexist, Egomaniac

...who is proposing to cut taxes by a greater amount than even Cruz? Even I think that is crazy.

Preferring Trump to Clinton or pretty much any Democrat is pretty batty.

[CentralCoaster]

19. The > refers to winning power, electability.

Not candidate quality

[Demsrule86]

18. So you are advocating people shoud vote for Trump

instead of the likely Democratic nominee...even before it is called I don't think that is right.

[CentralCoaster]

20. No. Good grief. How do you get that out of the electability equation.

That something (Trump) is stronger than something else (Clinton) says nothing about my preference or the quality of the candidates.

Hillary is the weakest in the bunch, her strengths have been name recognition and the unlevel playing field, MSM bias, etc.

Trump has even more MSM support, and she's got tons of baggage.

Sanders comes out on top.

[Demsrule86]

12. Wonderful

Bernie will be an asset for the Clinton campaign.