Subject: DWS Request / TIME Mag Cover on Bernie
From: "Paustenbach, Mark" <[email-masked]>
To: "Miranda, Luis" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 20 May 2016 09:46:15 -0700

Phil Elliott is doing a lengthy cover story for next week's issue of TIME on the Sanders phenomenon, which he needs to finish by mid-day Tuesday. He wants to interview the Chair in person or over the phone before then. Phil would need at least part of the interview to be on-the-record and the rest can be on background. As he said, we'd be mad if they did a story on the soul/direction of the party and decided not to talk to her. The piece will tee up nicely the California primary. Here are the key points the story will hit on (not to be shared outside the building):

-          A general look at "Feel the Bern"/"Bernie-mentum"/"Bern this Down" and the implications for the next generation of the Democratic Party.

-          He thinks Bernie is a zombie candidate that will continue to exist even after his likely loss.

o   Bernie is perhaps preparing for a floor fight

o   He plans to mess with the platform committee

o   He will come out against everything in the platform that HRC pushes for

-          Relationship between HRC and Bernie

o   In the 1990s they were friends

o   They met a couple months ago in the Acela lounge and chatted warmly

o   Then, Bernie rolled his eyes at the debate and called her "unqualified"

-          Can HRC and Bernie reconcile? What does détente look like?

-          The culmination of this election is about what the soul of the Democratic Party looks like

o   Deliberate, policy driven and results-oriented or more liberal, pie-in-the-sky?

Mark Paustenbach
National Press Secretary &
Deputy Communications Director
Democratic National Committee
W: 202.863.8148
[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>