The Note: The Hillary and Bernie Show

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July 12, 2016

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The Hillary and Bernie Show

Sanders' Backers Reflect on 14-Month Primary Campaign

Bernie Sanders is expected to endorse Hillary Clinton at a joint event in New Hampshire later this morning, almost a month after the last votes in the Democratic Party's primary were cast, ABC's MARYALICE PARKS notes. The Vermont Senator won 22 states, received more than 12 million votes, and guaranteed that Clinton campaigned for the nomination until the very end. During interviews with ABC News, Sanders' biggest backers said they were confident that the senator's prolonged candidacy, and refusal not to bow out even weeks after Clinton became the party's presumptive nominee, would not dent his legacy. When asked to reflect on what the lasting legacy of the Sanders campaign might be, the senator's first congressional endorser, Arizona's Raul Grijalva, got a little teary-eyed. "A little bit of passion, a lot of emotion and chipping at the rock," he said of his colleague. "It behooves our party to understand that you can't poll-test sincerity and it behooves our party to understand that you can't super-PAC sincerity." http://abcn.ws/29Ejp6T

GOP Counterprogramming

To mark the occasion of Clinton and Sanders' joint event, the Republican National Committee is out with a memo this morning titled, "The Top 15 Sanders Attacks on Clinton," which features the Vermont senator questioning everything from Clinton's qualifications and judgment to her ties to Wall Street. FULL MEMO: http://bit.ly/2a5jZbr

Biden 'Not Interested' in Re-upping VP

Vice President Joe Biden said he has no interest in being vice president again under Hillary Clinton. During an interview with ABC News' GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, Biden said he plans to help Clinton get elected. "I'm not interested in re-upping for VP. I'll do anything I can to help her win. And I think she's going to win, but I have been proud to serve for eight years as vice president, and I think that's enough," Biden said. More from ABC's SERENA MARSHALL: http://abcn.ws/29BeYaz

Analysis -- ABC's Rick Klein

If there is a new Donald Trump, this might be the moment for him to enter. Will Trump do what virtually everyone around him is advising as the prudent, smart, and sensible thing – uniting the Republican Party on the eve of his formal nomination? Or will Trump … be Trump? That's the choice in front of him as he considers his finalists in the vice-presidential sweepstakes, a process that's looked like a Trumpian endeavor only if you compare it to the bland public process being employed by Hillary Clinton. Specifically, Trump knows that the easy call is Mike Pence, a Midwestern governor with House leadership experience and strong bonds with religious conservatives and GOP-aligned advocacy groups. Choosing retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn might cause a floor fight over Trump's selection. Newt Gingrich and Chris Christie carry their own baggage with segments of the party, their personal relationships with the candidate aside. Trump may be bored by the choices in front of him, particularly the one advisers and party regulars are gravitating toward as the veepstakes winds down. But, at this critical moment, will Trump let Trump be Trump?