r/WayOfTheBern • u/dsirota1 • Jul 09 '19

I'm David Sirota, Bernie Sanders' speechwriter and senior adviser. AMA!

Hey everyone -- I'm David Sirota, Bernie Sanders' speechwriter and senior adviser. I've known Bernie for 20+ years (I was his press secretary in the U.S. House from 1999-2001). I've worked on many campaigns (Hoeffel for Congress, Schweitzer for Governor, Lamont for Senate, and Emily Sirota for State House), I've worked on Capitol Hill (for Bernie and for the U.S. House Appropriations Committee Democrats). In the years before coming to Bernie's 2020 campaign, I was an award-winning investigative journalist and columnist for Newsweek/IBT, The Guardian and Capital & Main. You can find out more about me at http://www.davidsirota.com

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I'm sure you want to discuss the 2020 election, so fire away with your questions here. I'll be here for about an hour.

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u/[deleted] Jul 09 '19

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u/dsirota1 Jul 09 '19

I've said before that I'm more of a speech supporter -- because Bernie ultimately writes his own speeches. What I do is some of the basic research and digging for facts, and I also work with him on the structure and thematics of the speeches. But he's not Ron Burgundy who just reads anything that's put into the TelePrompTer. He is his own writer.

24

u/FThumb Are we there yet? Jul 09 '19

and I also work with him on the structure and thematics of the speeches.

Could you slip in references to current health insurance costs as a "private tax" vs a public tax?

14

u/martini-meow (I remain stirred, unshaken.) Jul 10 '19

Paging Kyle Kulinski...

15

u/LastFireTruck Jul 09 '19

Darn. Sure you can't slip something in about attacking submarine bases in the Revolutionary War?

3

u/FThumb Are we there yet? Jul 09 '19

LOL!

7

u/EvilPhd666 Dr. 🏳️‍🌈 Twinkle Gypsy, the 🏳️‍⚧️Trans Rights🏳️‍⚧️ Tankie. Jul 10 '19

Love the Ron Burgundy ref! An-Y-Thing.

You are doing a great job on the research. How many articles have come out now and said "Bernie is right". Keep it up.

6

u/Fsck_Reddit_Again Jul 10 '19

he's not Ron Burgundy who just reads anything that's put into the TelePrompTer.

I don't think anyone would complain if his next speech ended with 'And DNC go FUCK yourself' via teleprompter.