WEAVER LEADS CHARGE AGAINST MEDIA
- Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ senior adviser, slams the media Monday morning for publishing what he said were flawed polls that show support slipping for the Vermont senator and for “declaring the Sanders campaign over.”
- “There seems to be a direct correlation between media coverage of polls and Bernie Sanders’ specific standing in those polls,” he said. “The better the number is in the poll, the less coverage it receives, and the worse he does, the more it receives.”
- “That’s on top of headline after headline, in various media, declaring the Sanders campaign over. CNN’s headline ‘Bernie 2020 in big trouble,’ ‘Iowa is no longer feeling the Bern.’ The Washington Post, I mean, you know, it’s legion there, so,” he added.
SANDERS VS BEZOS
- Monday evening, Sanders focused in on the Washington Post.
- Sanders said that the newspaper’s negative coverage of his campaign stems from his criticism of working conditions at Amazon, both are owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos.
- “I talk about that all of the time,” he said. “And then I wonder why the Washington Post — which is owned by Jeff Bezos, who owns Amazon — doesn’t write particularly good articles about me. I don’t know why. But I guess maybe there’s a connection.”
- On Tuesday, in an interview with CNN, he walked these comments back.
- “I think my criticism of the corporate media is not that they are anti-Bernie, that they wake up, you know, in the morning and say, ‘What could we do to hurt Bernie Sanders?’ — that’s not the case, that Jeff Bezos gets on the phone to the Washington Post.”
REVAMPED STUMP SPEECH IN N.H.
- Sanders spoke at length about his Medicare for all proposal before discussing gun control and the need to address climate change by reining in the fossil fuel industry.
- “Look, what can you say, we have one planet and if we don’t preserve it for our children and our grandchildren, what kind of custodians of the planet are we,” he said.
- Other top-tier candidates, including Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren, have also recently targeted the fossil fuel industry with rhetoric that is not dissimilar to that of climate activists and fervent supporters of the Green New Deal.
OTHER NEWS
- The Sanders campaign also launched a newsletter called “Bern Notice” that will provide “scoops, insights and news nuggets” about the election. This is the latest in a digital media strategy that includes a campaign podcast and live-streaming speeches, as a way to bypass traditional media.
- Some saw similarities between Sanders’ attack on the press and those launched by President Donald Trump, but the Vermont senator told the Wall Street Journal his critiques are different.
- In the first edition of “Bern Notice,” the campaign outlines how Sanders’ rebuke of The Post is warranted. “Reporters don’t have to receive a call from Jeff Bezos to know that their paychecks are signed by a billionaire with a well-known personal and corporate agenda.”
- The New York Times’ Sidney Ember writes that Sanders was aloof with Iowans during the state fair last weekend, and that this attitude underscores “how he has grounded his campaign in championing ideas rather than establishing human connections.”
- Politico reports that a little over a month ago, the campaign privately concluded that a shakeup in approach was needed, and decided Sanders should focus primarily on Medicare for all and the issue of health care.
- This week in New Hampshire, the new strategy was in full effect, with Sanders spending the bulk of the time discussing health care.
- Cardi B’s interview of Sanders was released Thursday. In the 12 minute video, the two discuss immigration, police brutality, health care and raising the minimum wage.
- Ben & Jerry will be campaigning for Sanders in New Hampshire over the weekend, as two more field offices open — one in Manchester and another in Concord. Sanders continues to target the Granite State and in recent weeks has gained ground on Joe Biden, who leads in the polls.
- Donation sizes are down from Bernie’s last bid — dropping from $27 in 2016 to $16 in the last quarter — leading the campaign to asking for “slightly larger” donations.
- “Like, normally we ask people making their first online contribution to give $2.70. But with so many donations, even a $5 first contribution from people would put us in terrific shape,” the campaign wrote.
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THE REST OF THE FIELD
Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has dropped out of the race for 2020, perhaps to make a run for the Senate. Beto O’Rourke has recast his campaign and will more forcefully challenge Trump. Warren suggested in an interview Tuesday that she would seek to repeal the 1994 crime bill. Kamala Harris received her field-leading 10th endorsement from a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. A donor with deep ties to Ukraine loaned Joe Biden’s younger brother $500,000 at the same time the then-vice president oversaw U.S. policy toward the country.
IN THE POLLS
(The Post Courier/Change Research poll of South Carolina conducted August 9-12 compared to a June survey).
- Joe Biden 36 (-1)
- Elizabeth Warren 17 (0)
- Bernie Sanders 16 (+7)
- Kamala Harris 12 (+3)
- Pete Buttigieg 5 (-6)
- Cory Booker 4 (-1)
A LOOK AHEAD
Sanders is heading back to South Carolina, but only for one day. He will hold four different campaign events throughout Columbia on Sunday and senior adviser Nina Turner will join him in the southern state.
BERNIE VS THE PRESS
With the recent back and forth between the campaign and the media, Monday’s softball game between the press and the Sanders’ camp could get heated.
It remains to be seen whether the campaign will live-stream the showdown, but on a press call earlier this week, CNN’s Ryan Nobles asked other reporters to be ready.
“I would like to make a specific plea to everyone who wants to participate in the softball game on Monday,” Nobles said. “We need a really good team so we can beat the Sanders campaign.”
