Sanders' California director leaves campaign

[sufrommich]

Bernie Sanders’ campaign parted ways with its California state director Michael Ceraso on Wednesday morning, 27 days before the primary in the state that Sanders has repeatedly said is crucial to his effort to capture the Democratic nomination.

The surprise move came after a period when Ceraso advocated for a California strategy that involved more investment on field and digital organizing than on television advertising — a staple of Sanders’ campaign elsewhere so far.
Sanders’ campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ceraso, who was Sanders’ deputy state director in New Hampshire and helped lead the teams in a series of March-voting states, had been working for the Vermont senator in California for weeks. As the campaign turned more of its attention to California and its 475 delegates late last month, it also brought in Robert Becker — Sanders’ Iowa state director and another veteran of a series of other contests since then, including New York — to work in the state.


Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/bernie-sanders-california-michael-ceraso-223077#ixzz48NFdUnbN
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Sounds like there's some trouble in the Sanders campaign.

[Koinos]

1. Maybe Tad didn't want TV advertising (and his commissions) to be cut.

[sufrommich]

4. I think there's a better chance they're running out

of funds and can't afford much more than commercials and rallies.

[Surya Gayatri]

8. Those enormous venues cost a bundle, not to mention all of the support infrastructure around them.

[MADem]

21. Bingo--they're short on cash, and someone is gonna get paid.

It's not going to be the savvy CA campaign leader with the completely sensible "ground game." It's gonna be the guy who has pulled millions out of that campaign in the last few months.

[stonecutter357]

2. trouble in the Sanders campaign.

[puffy socks]

7. So hard to believe!

Isn't it?

[Cha]

35. Big Trouble. he LOST.

[George II]

3. Uh oh.

[puffy socks]

5. Someone finally willing to face the music.

Good!

[yallerdawg]

6. Money problems?

Sanders himself has started spending more time there in recent days, but he has yet to spend any money on television ads there after months of outspending Hillary Clinton in primary battlegrounds. Campaigns traditionally rely heavily on television in California, which has 11 media markets. But Sanders himself suggested to the Sacramento Bee on Monday that he may not spend on TV ads.

[yellowcanine]

29. It would seem so. California is an expensive TV market.

Can't be a good sign. It is a little late in the season for campaign staff shake ups.

[displacedtexan]

34. He was here in SF yesterday and stopped by a local coffee shop, but there was no

mention on the news that he was coming. He looked stooped and grumpy on the news.

[Koinos]

9. After he gets through paying back illicit contributions, he may not have plane fare to California.

The FEC is not going to wait forever.

[shenmue]

10. Preach

[jmowreader]

15. He may not have the money to pay them back, either

The People Powered Revolutionary has been spending money faster than it comes in, and it's not coming in nearly as fast as it was.

[IamMab]

20. I will bet anyone here $10 that Sanders uses a Kickstarter to pay off his campaign debt. nt

[jmowreader]

25. No dice.

Two problems: you know he will so you're asking us to make a sucker bet, and Kickstarter is the wrong site to use to beg for money for this purpose. Go Fund Me is the one for him.

[MADem]

22. Yes, his spending has always been SPIGOT ON FULL BLAST--it goes out as fast as it goes in.

No margin for error--and he's made a lot of errors.

The crap-through-a-goose method of campaign funding only works at the very very END of a campaign, but he's been operating that way from the get-go....he's got no reserves to weather a rough patch.

[caquillo]

30. And the money kept rolling in...

... and out.

[LiberalFighter]

16. Maybe he will get stranded somewhere with no way to get back to Vermont.

[Koinos]

17. We'll all be glad to pitch in and buy him a bus ticket back to Vermont.

Maybe the pope will send him a euro or two.

[Her Sister]

11. Interesting list of BS Campaign Personnel

Here: http://www.p2016.org/sanders/sandersorg.html

Found Michael Ceraso there:

CALIFORNIA
Offices: >
5500 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028 ...open April 20, 2016
5615 College Ave., Oakland, CA 94618

State Director Michael Ceraso
Served as deputy state director on Sanders' New Hampshire primary campaign from Sept. 2015. Deputy program director at Airbnb, June 2014-Sept. 2015 in the Los Angeles area. Ceraso has worked on numerous campaigns and organizing efforts since 2008, including as a deputy field director in Manchester, NH on the Obama campaign, May-Nov. 2012 and a field organizer on the Obama campaign in Carlsbad, NM, Aug.-Nov. 2008. In addition to campaigns he has worked with Greenpeace as a training coordinator in the L.A. area, 2006-11, and city coordinator in the Philadelphia area, March-Aug. 2008. B.S. in political science and government from Pitzer College, 2014. twitter

https://twitter.com/MichaelCeraso?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

[SharonClark]

38. Thanks for posting that link.

[Her Sister]

39. http://www.p2016.org/clinton/clintonorg.html

http://www.p2016.org/clinton/clintonorg.html

[BootinUp]

12. This is terrible!

[Koinos]

13. I agree.

You can fracture a rib laughing.

[stopbush]

14. Just losers losing.

[Tarc]

18. Sanders had no infrastructure in CA capable of reaching 5m voters

California has always been a serious logistical mismatch for him. It's an open primary, which I loathe, but between the Hispanic and A-A support and his poor outreach, I expect a 55-45 for Hill.

[IamMab]

19. He fought Devine and Devine won.

Ceraso advocated for a California strategy that involved more investment on field and digital organizing than on television advertising

And the scam continues.

[mcar]

23. That is not a good sign

[SunSeeker]

24. Ceraso is lucky to leave while the paychecks are still clearing. nt

[IamMab]

26. Mwuhahaha, well put! nt

[TwilightZone]

33. That's probably why he left. Writing on the wall.

He'll probably end up on Hillary's staff in some capacity before long. Man's gotta eat.

[Thinkingabout]

27. It is winding down but to lose a worker in the large delegate state does not sound good.

[Gothmog]

28. I have a good friend who was also let go by the Sanders campaign

[Historic NY]

31. He saw the hand was writing on the wall.....

the end is near.

[Koinos]

32. Bernie can't afford to compete in California.

And the director didn't want to get the blame.

One should bail out BEFORE the plane crashes.

[Her Sister]

36. Ceraso? What connection to the protest last week at HRC's rally!?

Follow

Tom Watson
?@tomwatson Tom Watson Retweeted AlGiordano
I think @AlGiordano is on to something here. My sources tell me there was real embarrassment/regret in CA on this.Tom Watson added,
AlGiordano @AlGiordano
I mean, was Ceraso behind the "harassment street theater" disaster? Did he oppose it? This may be a big part of the untold story of his exit

https://twitter.com/tomwatson/status/730594692467937281

[Koinos]

37. Given Sanders reaction to the incident...

It appears to me that Sanders has endorsed more protesting of Hillary's rallies, while Ceraso might have opposed it.

I believe that Bernie found the outrageous behavior more "acceptable" than Ceraso did. Just a guess, based on Sanders' insensitive response to the harassment.

[Her Sister]

40. Inquiring minds want to know!