Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders burst onto the presidential political scene with deep conviction and passionate advocacy of his progressive ideals.
In stump speeches across the country, the Democratic presidential candidates has raised roofs and riled up crowds with his message about the corrupting impact of money in politics, the importance of education - not incarceration – and the needs of the working class.
Sanders' conviction and enthusiastic speaking style has even led to the creation of a caricature captured in popular culture by Larry David on "Saturday Night Live."
PHOTO: On the Stump: Bernie Sanders' Presidential Campaign
But shortly after first Democratic debate on October 13, Sanders’ tone shifted. While the substance of his argument didn’t, Sanders’ stump speech was noticeably, well, quieter.
When asked about this, Sanders’ campaign manager, Tad Devine, said he is “not seeing a fundamental re-positioning of Bernie’s tone.”
Around the same time, Sanders entered a new phase of his campaign that led to specific changes in his strategy.
Sanders hired a pollster and he focused on speaking to smaller, more intimate audiences. Two concrete changes for a candidate who has shunned the traditional molding required to respond to public opinion polls and attracted thousands of people at rallies.
The campaign has taken on more traditional trappings but when it comes to the delivery, they urge caution.
“I wouldn’t make too much out of subtle things,” Devine said.
A TYPICAL BERNIE SANDERS STUMP SPEECH IN ONE CLOUD:
