This afternoon, a few hours after saying that Hillary Clinton should refuse to debate Bernie Sanders unless the Vermont senator changes the “tone” of his campaign, Clinton’s chief campaign strategist Joel Benenson got a bit more cryptic:
Clinton strategist Joel Beneson says Sanders is going to "campaign like a brooklynite, while Clinton is going to campaign like a senator."
— Max Tani (@maxwelltani) March 28, 2016
Sanders’s recent string of victories seems to have gotten under the skin of Clinton’s team. But Benenson’s comment about the New York primary raises important questions. Is Benenson aware that Clinton’s campaign headquarters is in Brooklyn? Has Benenson been to Brooklyn in the last quarter-century? Does Benenson think that insulting the people of Brooklyn will help Clinton win the New York primary?
And what does it mean to “campaign like a Brooklynite?” Does Benenson expect Bernie Sanders to walk down Fulton Street yelling “I’M CAMPAIGNING HERE” and “IF YOU DON’T VOTE FOR ME ... YOU BETTER FUGGEDABOUTIT!” while eating a dollar slice? To shout at his weed dealer because his product wasn’t locally sourced? By falling in love with a sweet, if a little dumb, Italian-American plumber? Or to mutter to himself while he waits in a long line for brunch?
Update: “Brooklynite” is a compliment, apparently.
Of course "Brooklynite" was a compliment! I'm an outer borough guy from Queens and we'are all proud New Yorkers. https://t.co/GrHaP42whg
— Joel Benenson (@benensonj) March 28, 2016