Bernie Sanders On Hillary Clinton Ticket? Clinton Campaign Chairman’s Latest Comments Fuel More Speculation
The notion of Bernie Sanders being on a Hillary Clinton ticket as her vice president, or possibly being offered a position within her cabinet, was one of the talking points that CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Clinton campaign chairman, John Podesta, Tuesday night. The interview took place before the former secretary of state took the stage in Brooklyn, New York, to deliver her historic speech as the first female presidential nominee of the United States.
Tapper asked Podesta if Clinton is poised to offer Sanders a place on “the ticket or a position within in her cabinet.” Podesta clearly didn’t rule out the possibility, and he emphatically highlighted the polarizing differences that Clinton and Sanders share from Donald Trump’s political views. He answered Tapper by stating that the “differences” between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are “minuscule” in contrast to their differences from Trump. The campaign chair said a “gulf” separates them from the presumptive Republican presidential candidate. He went on to say that Clinton and Sanders want to increase incomes, reduce inequality, and advocate for affordable college education.
John Podesta echoed similar sentiments when Politico reported him as saying that Hillary Clinton will be speaking to Bernie Sanders “soon.”
.@johnpodesta says @HillaryClinton plans to talk to @BernieSanders “soon” https://t.co/ML6RMuMrsg pic.twitter.com/KCO3w0vsYm
— POLITICO (@politico) June 8, 2016
The report notes that Podesta’s comments in his discussion with MSNBC occurred after the New Jersey Democratic primary resulted in Clinton clinching the 2,383 delegates needed to secure the Democratic nomination.
“I’m sure she’s going to talk to Bernie soon and begin the process of bringing the two campaigns together to honor what he’s achieved and to be able to appeal to his voters, and she’ll talk directly to them tonight about moving the country in a progressive direction,” Podesta said prior to Clinton’s speech Tuesday night.
A source said to be close to the situation said Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook and Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver had been in contact on Tuesday as well.
Sanders hasn’t conceded defeat in spite of Clinton’s delegate count. It’s fueling speculations the stage is being set for a fight at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Podesta expects Sanders and Clinton to solidly unite when they face Republicans in the general election.
“We’re confident that, as he said, he wants to beat Donald Trump. We can come together,” Podesta said on MSNBC. “The differences between us and Trump are so much greater than the differences between Sen. Sanders and Hillary Clinton.”
Heavy published a rundown on why Bernie Sanders could unsurprisingly be on Clinton’s ticket for the 2016 general election. One such reason is she hasn’t publicly ruled him out as her VP.
“I’m certainly going to unite the party, but I’m not getting ahead of myself. I think that would be a little bit presumptuous,” Clinton said in a debate. “If I’m so fortunate as to be the nominee, the first person I will call to talk to about where we go and how we get it done will be Sen. Sanders.”
Super Tuesday 3 Results Confirm Clinton Needs to Put Bernie Sanders on the Democratic Ticket https://t.co/hmyEYSCRs1 #MyElectionFear
— EverNoticeThat (@EverNoticeThat) May 29, 2016
Sanders responded to the same question.
“I happen to respect the Secretary very much, I hope it’s mutual,” the Vermont senator said. “And on our worst days, I think it is fair to say we are 100 times better than any Republican candidate.”
A number of news outlets have reported that Sanders would consider Clinton’s VP slot if offered. In May, he made it known that the main focus was the next five weeks of winning the Democratic nomination.
Lastly, if Bernie Sanders is on the ticket, Hillary Clinton has a better chance of winning over his voters.
[Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]
