Bernie Sanders Campaign Shakes Up New Hampshire Operation

[George II]

(note: this is a pay site)

Senator Bernie Sanders has overhauled his New Hampshire state operations five months before the primary, as his campaign fights to maintain support in a state he won by more than 22 percentage points in 2016.

Senator Bernie Sanders has overhauled his New Hampshire state operations five months before the primary, as his campaign fights to maintain support in a state he won by more than 22 percentage points in 2016.

In a series of moves, the campaign has replaced the New Hampshire state director, Joe Caiazzo, with Shannon Jackson, who is a member of Mr. Sanders’s inner circle and who led the senator’s re-election campaign in Vermont last year. Mr. Caiazzo, who was Mr. Sanders’s political director in Massachusetts and Rhode Island during the 2016 campaign, has been named state director in Massachusetts.

The moves were announced to the campaign’s New Hampshire staff on Sunday.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/15/us/politics/bernie-sanders-new-hampshire.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur

[Gothmog]

1. A major campaign shake up is never a good sign

[Hassin Bin Sober]

3. So he moved one person up in NH and moved the NH person to run Mass.?

Wow, big shake up!

[Gothmog]

13. More than 50 members from Sanders' state steering committee applauded

This was in one of the articles on this shake up https://politicalwire.com/2019/09/15/sanders-shakes-up-new-hampshire-campaign/

Sen. Bernie Sanders “has replaced the New Hampshire state director of his presidential campaign after growing indignation from his fiercest supporters that their concerns about losing the first-in-the-nation primary states were being ignored,” Politico reports.

“More than 50 members from Sanders’ state steering committee applauded on Sunday afternoon when they heard that Joe Caiazzo had been reassigned to Massachusetts.”

[BannonsLiver]

14. This is actually disqualifying.

[LincolnRossiter]

2. Any insight into why? Usuaually not a good sign, but I don't want to presume.

I expect Sanders and Warren to really duke it out over NH. Joe probably doesn't stand much of a chance of placing higher than 3rd here. But he needs to make it a respectable 3rd (and of course secure enough votes to win delegates).

[George II]

9. If things remain the same in Feb Biden, Warren, and BS will each get 8 delegates, give or take one.

[ritapria]

4. Bernie has been doing pretty well in NH Polls

The Boston Herald just published a NH poll with the following results : Bernie 29% Biden 21% Warren 17% ...On the other hand, a recent CBS/YouGuv NH Poll has Warren at 27% Biden 26% Bernie 25% …. I strongly believe Bernie or Liz has to win the Iowa Caucus in order to become Joe Biden's major challenger in the election …...If Bernie or Warren carries Iowa , NH will be a layup 8 days later ...If Joe wins Iowa, he's pretty close to wrapping this thing up before it begins ...I guess Sanders fired his state director because he was doing a pretty bad job …… Bernie and Warren are both very well organized in Iowa while Joe is playing catchup ….Iowa is shaping up as The Progressive Semi- Final ...

[George II]

6. Boston Herald media bias:

?w=700&ssl=1

[George II]

10. In the early four states, based on current polls, the delegate haul will be:

Biden 95, Warren 29, and BS 31.

[NYMinute]

5. Bernie is done and finished

If he doesn't win NH, he will drop out.

If he wins it by a small margin, he will have a few weeks of life left and then he will drop out.

The handwriting is on the wall.

[ritapria]

7. If Bernie is Done and Finished What about Beto ?

[NYMinute]

8. Beto, the next VPOTUS

[ritapria]

11. Vice-President Beto ?

Bernie will choose Beto as his running mate ?

[Gothmog]

12. Top adviser Ehrenberg parts ways with Sanders campaign after 'fundamental disagreements' on strategy

Link to tweet

While the Caiazzo transfer may have received national headlines, to Granite Staters who are fans of Sanders – and to many state political activists in general – Ehrenberg’s departure was a shock.

In an interview, Ehrenberg, who has been involved in New Hampshire politics for about three decades, told WMUR: “From the very beginning of this campaign, the state director (Caiazzo) and I had fundamental and very strong disagreements about how to wage a successful New Hampshire primary campaign.

“After months of discussion between me and key people in the campaign, it became clear that we could not agree, and within the last couple of days we agreed that I would no longer be part of the campaign. As of the end of the month, I will no longer be advising Bernie Sanders on campaign strategy.”

[oasis]

17. A shocking departure "after months of discussion".

Looks like one of those, "If things don't get better soon, I'm outta here", kind of situations.

[Tarheel_Dem]

15. New Hampshire ain't the problem. I'd start with his national campaign team.

[sheshe2]

18. +1!!!

[Tarheel_Dem]

19. Hey sheshe!

[sheshe2]

20. Hey Tarheel!

[Gothmog]

16. Sanders campaign wracked by dissension

From the daughter of one of DU's posters

Link to tweet

Some of Bernie Sanders’ fiercest supporters are sounding the alarm that the campaign is bogged down by disorganization, personality clashes, and poor communication between state operations and national headquarters.

After a pair of setbacks this week — the acrimonious shakeup of his staff in New Hampshire on Sunday and loss of the Working Families Party's endorsement to Elizabeth Warren a day later — Sanders’ allies and former aides are worried that recent disappointments are not one-off stumbles but rather emblematic of larger problems in his bid for the White House. The concerns are particularly acute in New Hampshire.

“Seeing the campaign not be able to outshine Warren with WFP progressives doesn’t have me questioning WFP’s process,” said Rafael Shimunov, a former national creative director for WFP and 2016 Sanders volunteer. “It has me questioning where the Bernie campaign could have done better, because I want to make sure the strongest candidate unmasks Biden and unseats Trump.”

The worries come as the campaign enters a critical, more urgent phase. After Labor Day, more voters typically tune into the election and begin to make up their minds. Expectations for Sanders are sky-high, especially in New Hampshire, where he defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016 by 22 percentage points.

[Gothmog]

21. Is it ironic that the request not to leak is being leaked?

Link to tweet