Primary odd couple pushes to unite Democratic party
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-V.t, right, speaks as Hillary Clinton listens during the CNN Democratic Presidential Primary Debate at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York.
WASHINGTON >> It seemed like a surprising party of two.
There was Robby Mook, Hillary Clinton’s top campaign aide, known for his calm temperament and fiercely disciplined ways, and Jeff Weaver, a combative political fighter often called Bernie Sanders’ alter ego, sharing a Friday night dinner in Burlington, Vermont.
But over the long months of a frequently contentious primary, the two rival Democratic campaign managers struck up an unusually friendly relationship, founded on exhaustion, goofy jokes and a shared affection for their home state of Vermont.
They talk almost daily, text frequently and email often.
Now, as Sanders lingers in the presidential race, refusing to concede the nomination to Clinton even as he says he’ll vote for her on Election Day, the competing campaign managers have become a powerful political odd couple, responsible for engineering a graceful conclusion to a hard-fought Democratic contest.
“I’ve really come to respect him,” Mook said. “There were some tense moments, but he was always honest, straightforward and very easy to work with.”
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Weaver is equally effusive in his praise.
“I think he’s the kind of guy who is doing what he does for the right reasons,” Weaver said about Mook. “He believes in the cause and he believes in making the world a better place.”
After Clinton and Sanders met in at Washington hotel this month, their managers stayed until almost midnight, attempting to hammer out an agreement that would give Sanders some of the changes he wants to make to the party’s platform. During his Friday trip to Vermont, Mook made sure to meet with Sanders supporters.
Some of the communication hints at far closer cooperation to come.
The two camps are increasingly comparing notes on how best to attack presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump. Clinton’s campaign and state Democratic parties have hired some Sanders staffers, and there is chatter about joint events to come.
Both Mook and Weaver share a slightly silly sense of humor.
Mook, 35, regales his fiercely loyal band of young operatives, known as the Mook Mafia, with impressions, including spot-on impersonations of Bill Clinton and Sanders.
Weaver, 50, who owns and operated a Falls Church, Virginia, comic book and gaming store before taking the helm of Sanders’ campaign, made up gag business cards at the start of the campaign describing himself as the “comic book king.”
“His Bill Clinton is pretty good,” Weaver said of Mook. “It’s not only the voice, but it’s the subject matter.”
But their back-channel negotiations are nothing but serious.
While Clinton has largely unified Democratic leadership around her bid, she’s struggling to win over the young and liberal voters who supported Sanders, a Vermont senator.
Sanders is pushing for ways of addressing key economic issues in the Democratic platform, including trade, providing free college tuition and expanding Medicare and Social Security.
He also wants procedural changes, such as allowing independents to participate in primaries and curtailing the role of superdelegates — the party leaders who help determine the party’s nominee.
On Friday, Sanders told MSNBC that he would vote for the former secretary of state. But he shied away from offering a formal endorsement or urging his supporters to back her.
Instead, he’s kicked off a new phase of his “political revolution,” campaigning on behalf of like-minded Democrats who are running for Congress or local office.
To close that gap, the candidates may rely on the personal rapport between their two top aides, a relationship helped along by formative years in Vermont politics.
Weaver was raised in a rural, northern Vermont town. Mook, the son of a Dartmouth professor, grew up in Norwich, near the New Hampshire border.
As a 20-year-old Boston University student, Weaver drove Sanders around the small state during Sanders’ unsuccessful campaign for governor. Mook’s first campaign memory: going to the dump to get petition signatures and distribute literature.
While they knew of each other, the first time they met in person was in October, at the Iowa Democratic Party’s Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, a key stop for presidential candidates.
Wearing matching outfits of khakis, blue blazers and Johnson & Murphy brown shows, they posed for photos with their legs propped up on a security barrier.
“His shoes were in better condition,” joked Mook.
In New Hampshire, they were subjected to a series of interviews about each other’s campaigns — while sitting kitty-corner. The experience was remarkably friendly, Weaver recalled, allowing them to commiserate over the lack of sleep and endless travel that is part of a presidential campaign.
After that, the conversation slowly expanded. Today, their relationship has grown far closer than that of their bosses.
Though Clinton and Sanders have known each other since she came to Washington as first lady in 1993, they rarely communicate, say aides.
Former President Bill Clinton, according to aides, was particularly frustrated by Sanders’ ability to cast himself as above politics-as-usual while firing off what he considered to be misleading attacks on his White House legacy.
For Weaver, his focus remains on ensuring that Sanders and his supporters are represented in the party and the platform that will be voted on at the Philadelphia convention.
“It obviously is important that the secretary during the general election speaks to the aspirations of that 13 million people who voted for Bernie Sanders,” Weaver said. “It’s important those people be heard — not just feel like they’ve been heard — but be heard.”
18 responses to “Primary odd couple pushes to unite Democratic party”
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That old man should just retire to a retirement home…just grappling for his last shot of publicity but he is a loser no matter what people think and wants a piece of the pie…what a sore loser…….just sickening….i have no respect for him or Tulsi Gabbard……..PERIOD.
“That old man” has more experience and looks and carries himself more like a president than either of the other stooges, and I finally figured out how this will all work to his favor. Hillary will win the election (oh my goodness, God help America and the rest of the world), then get brought up on federal charges tied to her illegal activity while Sec of State, then low and behold the VP takes over; who of coarse is “That old man”.
So there; finally something to cheer about in this election.
Once Hillary gets in they’ll cover up the lies, corruption, emails, If Trump wins by some miracle the Regime will spend the rest of their lives in prison. High stakes indeed.
So who do you respect? The Donald? A man with no experience? So you have no respect for a candidate that gave the presumed front runner a run for her money. Question is why? Did you expect the democratic party to just coronate sweet Hillary?
Now you know why Mitt with a billion dollar war chest lost to Obama. The RNC should change their color to Yellow. No spine.
Mitt did well in the first debate. In the second debate, he choked, stumbled and fell. No spine is being way too kind.
Boots, I’d rather have Trump than some body who has 30 years of bad experiences. We need somebody who can get us out from the mess we’re in. Not somebody who has a terrible and fatal track record.
Wouldn’t it be interesting if Sanders urged “his people” to vote for Trump ???
Sanders has been clear on his steadfast opposition to Trump, and he suggested he could be willing to vote for Clinton (although stopped short of saying he will). After what happened to the UK/EU last week, anyone with sense recognizes that, if there ever was a time to be playing with Trump’s fire, now is certainly not the time to be doing it.
Hillary will endorse Bernie Sanders for POTUS.
“Party Odd Couple”? That’s a good one! “The Sickle and Hammer” guy VS “The World Class Liar”…….Hmmmmmmm seems like the Democrats don’t have TWO many options these days. We have “Crooked Hillary”…who nobody in their right minds trusts and a Self Denying Socialist who is still living in a pipe dream and hasn’t yet gotten the memo that he lost the Democratic presidential race! Time to wake up Bernie and feel the Burn!lol
I don’t think Bernie will have such an impact on his voters, to vote for Crooked Hillary……They simply HATE her! (And that laugh? OMG!) This is evident why so many voters coalesced around Bernie during the race.
For Bernie? After all the trash he was hurling at Hillary? Do you think they’ll come around and say, OK,sure let’s Vote for Hillary……I don’t think so! I believe the outcome will be ,because of the frustration of Bernie’s supporters.They LOST! They(not all) will Simply Stay at Home and not vote at all!
To all you voters still contemplating whether to vote for Hillary or not ,just do your ABC’s. “Anybody But the Clintons”. Have your heard? Words out that alot of Bernie Sanders supporters are switching sides to support Donald Trump! How’s that ! Go Donald!
If Bernie cannot persuade his supporters to go for Clinton, then he’s not much of a leader.
Hillary will endorse Bernie Sanders for POTUS. Word is The FBI is taking its time to make an irrefutable case. The Key is the star witness.
You wonder about Sanders. Does he really think he has a chance at winning the nomination?
In case you haven’t figured it out the Revolution is on. Trump, Bernie Brexit ANTI ESTABLISHMENT. Bernie doesn’t support a lying Hillary with blood on her hands. Can’t blame him.
After a year of investigations, the AG is talking about love and compassion. The bottom line is the FBI has to say yea or nay. If they don’t have an indictment they have to say so. Going into the election Trump has to hammer this down.
Btw, my Trump banner got egg bombed two nights ago. One of the dark side’s supporters. If the perpetrators are reading this ………Caveat.
Does anyone know where Obama was on 9/12/2012?
Tyrone was having trouble in school; his teacher was always yelling at him, “You’re driving me crazy, Tyrone; can’t you learn anything?”
One day Tyrone’s mother came to school to see how he was doing. The teacher told her honestly that her son was simply a disaster, getting very low marks, and that she had never had such an unmotivated and ignorant boy in her entire teaching career.
Tyrone’s mom, shocked at the feedback, withdrew her son from school and moved out of Detroit, relocating to Cleveland.
Twenty-five years later, the teacher was diagnosed with irreversible cardiac disease. Her doctors all strongly advised her to have open heart surgery, which only one surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic could perform.
Left with no other options, the teacher decided to have the operation, which was remarkably successful.
When she opened her eyes after the surgery she saw the handsome young doctor who headed her surgical team smiling down at her.
She wanted to thank him, but could not talk.
Her face started to turn blue, she raised her hand, trying to tell him something, but quickly died.
The doctor was shocked, wondering what went wrong so suddenly.
When the doctor turned around to leave the room, he saw Tyrone, now a janitor at the Clinic, had unplugged the life-support equipment in order to plug in his vacuum cleaner.
If you thought that Tyrone had become a heart-surgeon, there is an extremely high likelihood that you will vote for Hillary.