One of the main sticking points against Bernie Sanders during the 2016 Democratic primaries—in case you didn’t know, because somehow we are still talking about this—was the perception that he lacked foreign policy experience.
Now, Politico reports that Sanders has been meeting with several figures close to the mainstream Democrat establishment as part of his new position as “outreach chairman,” to which he was appointed by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. While Sanders’ advisors insist that he is merely performing the expected meetings for his new position (which was created specifically for him), these activities have led news outlets to speculate that actually, really, this is about Sanders addressing his perceived political weaknesses in advance of a 2020 presidential run.
Sanders has met extensively with American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten and former defense secretary Bill Perry, and while news outlets and Democrats all agree that this could mean Sanders is filling the gaps in his political resume, Sanders’ own senior advisor, Ari Rabin-Havt, says he “doesn’t see the changes as prep for 2020.” Robin-Havt told Politico: “He’s in charge of outreach for the caucus. So when people say he’s doing a better job of reaching out? Well, yeah, he’s doing his job. This is a new phase of his career.”
Sanders now finds himself as the most popular elected official in America, with much greater responsibilities in Congress. Most of these supposedly preparatory moves have come in Washington, as the Vermont Senator finds himself there with much greater frequency than before. Politico quotes Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison saying Bernie is doing positive things by reaching out to both Democrats and his more progressive voter base: “Anything that makes Bernie more effective at reaching that movement, and continuing to build a powerful progressive base of engaged Americans is good for the Democratic Party.”
At the very least, every insider acknowledges that Sanders is definitely working with the Democratic Party now, not against it. Sanders has long been an anti-establishment politician, but he’s also become the linchpin for leftist politics in the United States. His new prominence requires him to consider the more established powers—although this consideration may also be due to the fact that he spends most of his time fighting Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and extend tax breaks to corporations, and his only allies in this fight are almost entirely Democrats.
So it’s not officially a presidential bid, at least not yet. For now, it’s just about doing whatever is best for the party in the face of the endless onslaught by Republicans. And that’s okay—not everything has to be refracted through the lens of a presidential election. Sometimes it really is just a popular politician doing his job. And sometimes it’s more.