Former Campaign Manager Says Bernie Sanders Is Still the 'New' Voice America Needs
*By Chloe Aiello*
As 2020 approaches, one question is dominating the Democratic Party: Who can defeat President Trump? According to Jeff Weaver, the campaign manager of Bernie Sanders' 2016 bid for the White House, Americans want someone new. And that "new" voice is still his old boss.
"I think most Americans agree that we need to replace the president with someone who can bring us together, who can meet the needs of working families and marginalized communities ー and Trump's obviously not only not doing that, he's tearing this country apart," Weaver told Cheddar on Monday.
Americans "want somebody new," he said.
"Who is that person? I've been pretty clear about my view on that," Weaver said. In fact, the last three words of his book, "How Bernie Won," are "Run, Bernie, run."
The Vermont Democrat hasn't yet decided whether or not he will throw his hat into the 2020 ring, although Weaver said he is "actively considering it."
In the event he does enter the race, Weaver said Sanders has learned substantive lessons from his 2016 campaign that his team will apply to 2020. "I think this time we have a much better sense of how to ... put together a winning campaign," he said.
Specifically, he said they would put campaign workers on the ground in key states earlier in the race. He said they also plan to build a bigger and more diverse team.
Weaver acknowledged that the crowded Democratic slate for 2020 will pose new challenges. Roughly 30 Democratic candidates are thought to be toying with a bid for the White House, including veterans like former Vice President Joe Biden and newcomers like Beto O'Rourke.
A recent Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom poll of likely participants in the Iowa caucuses found Sanders in second place in a hypothetical field, ahead of O'Rourke but behind Biden.
Some of Sanders' rockstar status has been eclipsed by O'Rourke, whose unsuccessful campaign against Sen. Ted Cruz for a U.S. Senate seat still catapulted him to national fame. Meanwhile, like Sanders, Biden comes with a blend of longtime Washington experience and a progressive platform.
But Weaver said it "is healthy for the Democratic Party to have this broad range of voices," so long as the process is open and fair.
Weaver also does not begrudge other Democrats the progressive stances that Sanders championed in 2016.
"Other candidates have gravitated to those positions. I think that's fantastic, I think to the extent that we can move the discussion in the primary process around a progressive agenda ... I think that's a very healthy debate to have," Weaver said.
Sanders may have worked up a devoted following in 2016, but if he runs again in 2020, Weaver said the campaign wouldn't take that popularity for granted.
"I don't think anybody running can take anyone running for granted. Each time you go out, you're going to have to go out and make your case again to the American people," he said.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/will-bernie-sanders-run-again).
The U.S. cannabis industry is on track to hit almost $25 billion in sales, according to New Frontier Data. Vivien Azer, managing director and senior research analyst at Cowen, and Russell Stanley, managing director and equity research at Beacon Securities Limited, join Cheddar News to give their predictions for the budding industry in 2022.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore. 3rd District), the co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, joined Cheddar's "Cannabiz" to discuss the state of marijuana legalization on the federal level as more states continue to greenlight medical and adult use. He stated that there couldn't be a better time to revise the old policies on marijuana with more than 90 percent of Americans, including a majority of Republicans, on board. "This tidal wave of support continues. There were five states that approved in the last general election, and I think, rather than one single event, it is this momentum and the demonstration of broad public support that is making the difference," Blumenauer said.
Megan Horneman, Director of Portfolio Strategy at Verdence Capital Advisors, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where she says there is some profit-taking ahead of the upcoming Fed meeting, and elaborates on some of the topics investors will be watching for more closely this week.
Rachel Bachman, senior sports reporter at the Wall Street Journal, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where she explains how U.S. athletes have been inserted into the middle of a political debate after the country declared a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing.
Lance Ippolito, Head Trader at the Future Of Wealth, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell where he discusses the factors that have contributed to the recent slide of major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ether.
President Biden spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the fourth time this year. Biden and Putin spoke for two hours about the massing of Russian troops and materials near the Russian border with Ukraine. Various outlets have reported that the U.S. has intelligence that Russia could be planning an invasion of Ukraine in the next few months. Both countries said the call was productive, but the situation remains tense.
Hagar Chemali, foreign policy expert and host of "Oh My World!" on YouTube, joins Cheddar Politics to discuss.
A recent Wall Street Journal poll indicated that Hispanic voters are up for grabs for the upcoming midterm elections, with 41 percent of respondents saying they would vote for Democrats and 44 percent for Republicans. Bryanta "Bre" Maxwell, a Democratic Strategist, former political director for Jaime Harrison's senate campaign, and principal and CEO of Indigo Consulting, LLC, joined Cheddar to break down the numbers and to dive into what this specific electorate is looking for as the balance of power in Congress hangs in the balance in 2022.
