The Hill: Sanders moves Phoenix rally to bigger venue

[Omaha Steve]

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/247977-sanders-moves-phoenix-rally-to-bigger-venue

July 15, 2015, 09:44 am

By Mark Hensch

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is relocating his upcoming rally in Phoenix to a bigger location amid overwhelming demand.

Sanders’s presidential campaign announced on Tuesday that it is moving this weekend’s event to the Phoenix Convention Center for more seating, according to the Phoenix New Times.

The New Times said that the Democratic presidential candidate now plans on speaking at the Phoenix Convention Center’s North building, a room spanning 123,500 square feet.

Sanders’s campaign website said he is addressing wealthy special interests, income inequality, combating climate change and affordable college tuition during the event on Saturday.

FULL story at link.

[snagglepuss]

1. WooHoo

[HereSince1628]

2. I've known rising rock bands to have more trouble filling venues than Sanders...

People seem to really want to hear the tune Bernie is singing...

If this continues the summer of Sanders is likely to turn into the People's Primary

[LWolf]

3. the people's primary

I sure as hell hope so.

[daleanime]

4. Oh, the People's Primary.....

I like it.

[JimDandy]

26. Sanders: The People's Primary Pick

[Dont call me Shirley]

5. I'd love to go. Stop in Albuquerque, Bernie!

[marym625]

6. K&R!

[SusanaMontana41]

7. Bernie doesn't hand-pick his audience, either. Unlike some candidates. eom

[99th_Monkey]

11. Indeed! It would be logistically challenging to hand-pick 10,000 in Madison WI

Bernie's demonstrating that his appeal is NOT "just in New England", and
that Democrats & other voters across the nation are yearning for a REAL choice,
for someone to clean up Wall St.

[frazzled]

8. Why is he going to Arizona?

I'm a little confused by the campaign strategy. There are 23 primaries and caucuses before Arizona's. Maybe he's onto something new, but in general, candidates tend to build on-the-ground organizations in the earlier states, to court individuals and state party stalwarts in order to rack up delegate counts in the early primaries; and these large-scale rallies aren't held until much later, in the month or two before the election, to generate excitement. Peaking early can be dangerous.

This may be a great way (the only way?) of grabbing media attention now, by going to all the places (like Madison) around the country where large crowds can be gotten. But, traditionally, the way you win a nomination is by collecting delegates along the way. That was how Obama outsmarted Clinton in 2008.

Things may not matter much by the time Arizona's primary rolls around. In 2004, Kerry had clinched the number of delegates to secure the nomination by Super Tuesday, weeks before the Arizona primary.

I realize this isn't a traditional campaign, but by the same token, I'm not totally seeing how this is a strategy that will utilize the party's delegate system and nomination rules to win the nomination.

[99th_Monkey]

12. Bernie's demonstrating that his appeal is NOT "just in New England states"

Bernie's demonstrating that his appeal is deep and wide-reaching, and is inspiring
once-cynical Democratis & other voters across the nation who are yearning for a
REAL choice, for someone to clean up Wall St., address income inequality in substantial ways,
jail corrupt banksters and reverse Citizens United, et. al.

[frazzled]

14. That was not my question

My question was about the specific electoral strategies that are involved in collecting delegates. It's a complex, strategic game, not a crusade.

[99th_Monkey]

17. Never mind then

Your header asks: Why is he going to Arizona?

I told you what I believe is the answer.

There's no need to get all snarky about it.

[JDPriestly]

18. Bernie is organizing a movement, not just a campaign for the presidency.

It's a movement for votes in 50 states.

[JDPriestly]

22. Maybe he wants to pick up poll support across the country.

Maybe he was invited.

Maybe Spanish-speakers in Arizona want to encourage his campaign.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

34. Give him a call

[sabrina 1]

19. Why SHOULDN'T he go to every single state, which IS his stragegy?? He plans

to go to every state, why do you think he should not? He doesn't need to 'grab' media attention, the excellent strategy his campaign is using FORCED the media to pay attention. After all, when he announced, the talking point then was 'he'll be forgotten in a week'.

He's a very smart man and has some brilliant people working in his campaign. His strategy so far has forced the nay sayers to keep changing their 'reasons' as to why NOW he's going to fade away.

It's fun to watch actually. They clearly have no clue how ANGRY the public is. But then they live inside the DC bubble and they hire 'experts' who have even less of a clue of what the PEOPLE, who don't frequent the fancy cocktail parties in DC, really are angry about. Bernie KNOWS because he has always been in touch with the people.

I love his strategy so far and am impressed as I wasn't sure if he could overcome the lack of name recognition, and now see how they are working to overcome that, and very, very successfully.

[TM99]

27. Sanders is already in Arizona for Netroots Nation.

It starts today in Phoenix and continues through Sunday.

He planned a small town hall that over the weeks has now morphed into this large event at the PCC.

He is coming here because he is a progressive and unlike Hillary Clinton takes Netroot's Nation very seriously. Credit also goes to O'Malley who is scheduled to be here as well. If I can, I will try and locate his town hall & attend it as well.

I am stunned and so excited at this type of turn-out here in Arizona. Phoenix metro is uber red. But there are a lot of Hispanics, liberal ASU students, and a growing AA population here. This will be a very diverse crowd. This will squelch any memes that Sanders has 'issues' with PoC. It will also spread a wildfire of latino and AA support to other states via this incredible grassroots social media fueled campaign.

I am glad that he is breaking some of the unspoken rules. He is putting US before the money. He is going to states that need to be reached even if their primaries are late in the game. This will not hurt him. This will only make him stronger.

I am uber excited about seeing him on Saturday.

[Bjorn Against]

28. The Netroots Nation convention is being held there

There will be lots of bloggers that he can recruit to help his social media presence there.

[DCBob]

9. By the time we get to AZ primary it will be all over but the crying and complaining.

Monday, February 1: Iowa caucus
Tuesday, February 9: New Hampshire (open primary)
Saturday, February 20: South Carolina (open primary)
Tuesday, February 23: Nevada caucus
Tuesday, March 1: Alabama (open primary); Arkansas (open primary); Colorado caucuses; Georgia (open primary); Massachusetts; Minnesota caucuses; North Carolina (open primary); Oklahoma; Tennessee (open primary); Texas (open primary); Vermont (open primary); Virginia (open primary);
Saturday, March 5: Louisiana
Tuesday, March 8: Mississippi (open primary); Michigan (open primary)
Tuesday, March 15: Florida; Illinois; Missouri (open primary); Ohio[47]
Tuesday, March 22: Arizona; Utah caucuses [48]

[frylock]

13. Hope you have a box of tissues handy.

[DCBob]

15. Sure... I will hand them to you...

plus a hug to join the winning team!

[sabrina 1]

20. Lol, so you didn't agree with Dean's 50 state strategy then? And you think this is ONLY

about the WH race? Okay, keep thinking that. It is astonishing to me that people are so focused on such a narrow veiwpoint, 'just focus on the primaries for the WH'.

You haven't been listening to Bernie Sanders if you think his strategy is ONLY the WH race.

[JDPriestly]

21. That list shows what is wrong with our presidential election and especially priary syste.

The really, really, large and very liberal states of New York, California, Oregon and Washington don't vote until after the conservative states.

That's a travesty. It's as if our primaries and our opinions and democratic expressions don't matter.

That list explains why our country moves further to the right regardless which party gets in power.

Massachusetts and Vermont are small but fairly reliably (since the 1970s for Vermont) liberal states. Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Florida and Ohio are states that swing. The three largest, most populated states are Texas, New York and California and the only one of those three that you list is Texas, a state dominated by an extremist, vile bunch of Republican conservatives.

So much for democracy in America. We in California -- we vote last and are ignored in the electoral process in spite of our size. We tend to favor liberals. What is going on here?

We don't vote until June 7, 2016.

Do our votes really count at all?

[HereSince1628]

24. Doesn't the DNC simply ratify the primary schedule?

IIRC, the states are actually in control of their elections, their administration of elections, and their election costs.

If California was really determined to move their date I doubt anyone would or could stop them.

[JDPriestly]

25. Yes. You are right. And that is why it is so, so, so dumb.

We in California should be at the top of the list, the first. Why? Because we as individuals are cheated on our representation in the Congress because our huge population gets only 2 senators, same as the population of Rhode Island.

We could change that, and I wonder why we don't.
The list shows why by the time you get to liberal states, the meme is that America is conservative. What nonsense.

[HereSince1628]

30. I don't know why California should be at the top of the list

rather than any other state. Why do you feel that way?

I'm pretty good with the senate and the house having different systems of representation. The Great Compromise still makes sense to me.

[JDPriestly]

31. What state are you in.

California should be at the top of the list because of the size of our population. The primaries should be held in the states with the highest population first in my opinion. We have the most voters and therefore it would make sense to take the pulse of the largest numbers of voters before polling states with fewer voters.

If we are to claim to have representative government, then the candidates should represent large numbers of people.

Further, the most urban states, New York and California don't vote early. That slants the political perception in the country toward rural issues and concerns. Yet many of our biggest problems have to do with our cities and crowded schools, etc. Our urban issues do not get the attention they should in our most observed election cycles.

[HereSince1628]

32. I'm in Wisconsin

But I've lived in states with larger and smaller populations than Wisconsin. I've lived in Iowa during presidential primaries, and I've lived in a state that voted late.

As it stands, the front end of the primary season really is about candidates getting organized and underway, more than deciding the whole contest. I personally think that a handful of primary candidates, and thereby a handful of political points of view, is better for democracy than one dominant candidate or a stable of several candidates all produced by the same big money establishment. Getting started in small states is cheaper and can be done with a smaller organization...and produces a group of capable candidates who can go on with some competence in their organization.

But, I don't really oppose California primaries being in any particular time of the primary season. Surely California could make a powerful statement in an early primary. It would also be a statement with some biases away from national averages that are different but just as big as the strangeness that exist in Iowa demographics.

An early primary in California would certainly put California's capacity for donating 'big money' in a different place, with perhaps different consequences for under performing campaigns hoping to survive to compete in states with later primaries.

[JDPriestly]

33. Your analysis is good. Thanks.

California would not have to be the very first, but it should be earlier. The winner in Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina (none of them as liberal as California) has a head start because of the press coverage. That's wrong. Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina residens and those in other small, early primary states, are not, in terms of their demographics and interests and problems typical or a good measure for most citizens of the US.

California has huge cities but also the Central Valley and Northern and Eastern California which are rural. We are a good mix of what America is.

[HereSince1628]

35. California sort of must include a lot of the mix that is America

it's what? About 10% of the population? Upward of 14% of the national economy?

But simply as a matter of demographics it's less Black, less non-Hispanic White, several times more Hispanic, significantly more Asian, more first generation American, rather more urban (~290 per square mile vs ~90 for the nation) than the rest of the nation.

I don't think any of those differences from national averages is bad.

I don't think being perfectly like the US is particularly important to the earliest primaries. I'm not sure matching US demographics produces much good.

I suspect this will make as uncomfortable as it made me... in 2006 CNN found WISCONSIN to most closely matched US demographics. And, believe me when I say, I wouldn't want Wisconsin to be cloned all across America.

[morningfog]

23. And we still have over six months until the first primary.

Does he have to hit them in order?

Making inroads in Iowa and NH was a necessary start. Now he has 6 months to build national support from that foundation.

[SoapBox]

10. Total Kick & Rec!

Go Bernie Go!

[artislife]

29. Arizona

That made my head scratch at first, too.

Then I thought about it. What is Arizona known for?

Border issues
Anti-Latino
Large Latino population

If Bernie can reach both groups, if they both can see who he is and how the 1% has taken the jobs, the pensions and the hope. That both groups of people actually have the same work ethic, family values are generally all christians, they might see that they actually have a lot more in common than they thought. And the real threat to their lives is not from each other but from the 1%.

So yea! Go to Arizona, Bernie