Politico does a piece on Symone Sanders, a Black Democratic progressive , that switched bosses….
“My politics are not tied to Bernie Sanders and they are not tied to Joe Biden,” Sanders tells me when I asked her about this seeming contradiction. “I have great respect for Senator Sanders and I have great respect and admiration for Vice President Biden. If I didn’t, I would not be working for him right now. But he does not define me.”
This is a striking statement from a young staffer in a town where status is generally determined by how important your boss is—and your standing with your boss depends on how unquestioned your loyalty is.
It points to Sanders’ unusual status in Washington. It’s common for Democrats to build a career as a political operative and then transition to a role as a political commentator—perhaps while maintaining their work in politics. It’s much rarer to see someone rise through both spheres concurrently.
That might explain why Sanders seeks to separate her politics from her own candidate. “I’ve never agreed 100 percent with anybody I’ve gone to work for,” Sanders says. “Obviously I’ve disagreed with Vice President Biden.”
There’s also the possibility that this is a kind of loyalty: She’s sending a pro-Biden message to her fellow skeptical progressives, reminding them that ideological purity may, in this case, be less important than waging the most competitive challenge to Trump. Sanders, like the rest of the Biden campaign, is insistent that her candidate is the best one, not because of any single policy issue or a vision of America, but because of Biden’s ability to appeal to two constituencies that the next Democratic nominee is going to need: black voters and the Rust Belt workers who went for Trump in 2016….
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Sanders says her relationship with Biden, like her relationship with [ Democrat Chuck] Hassebrook on that first campaign, is “very frank” one. She travels with Biden, too, and has served as a surrogate in the spin room at the Democratic presidential debates. “I help with everything from debate prep to the political team. I help support the comms team, obviously people have seen me on television for the president. I help with delegate chasing. I help with fundraising.” The former vice president is her direct supervisor, she says. When I ask her how much of Biden’s ear she has, Sanders says: “I’m engaged and involved in our campaign strategy. But it’s not just him. I speak with my colleagues, other advisers, the deputy campaign managers. I’m involved as much as I want to be or as least as I want to be.”
Sanders says her portfolio on the campaign includes progressives, minorities, and young voters, but she has also been a frequent spinmaster and part of the Biden cleanup crew….
image….Sanders is centre in green…Ebony Magazine