Posted on 05/18/2016 8:16:07 AM PDT by HomerBohn
Bernie Sanders campaign fired back at Debbie Wasserman Schultz on Wednesday after the Democratic National Committee chairwoman panned the campaigns anything but acceptable response to reports of violence at the Nevada Democratic convention over the weekend.
The Nevada Democratic Party lodged a formal complaint to co-chairs and members of the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee on Tuesday over the conduct of Sanders supporters and representatives of his campaign at the convention. The state party warned that the very dangerous atmosphere that ended in chaos and physical threats to fellow Democrats is indicative of what could happen in Philadelphia in July.
Sanders released a statement before the convention and again after speaking with Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid on Tuesday.
He categorically condemns any kind of threats that went on absolutely unacceptable, Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver told CNN before accusing Wasserman Schultz of throwing shade on the Sanders campaign since the very beginning, citing a limited debate schedule that featured weekend debates, the campaigns revoked access to its voter data and a joint fundraising agreement with Hillary Clintons campaign that Weaver said takes money away from state parties and goes to the DNC.
Look, I gotta say its not the DNC, Weaver added. You know, by and large, people at the DNC have been very good to us. Debbie Wasserman Schultz really is the exception.
In a statement Tuesday, Sanders condemned any and all forms of violence but noted that months ago shots were fired into his campaign office and a housing complex his campaign staffed lived in was broken into and ransacked.
If the Democratic Party is to be successful in November, it is imperative that all state parties treat our campaign supporters with fairness and the respect that they have earned, he said.
Appearing on CNN on Wednesday morning, Wasserman Schultz said Sanders statement wasnt good enough. With all due respect, when there is a but in between condemnation of violence generally, and after the word but you go on to seemingly justify the reason that the violence and intimidation has occurred, then that falls short of making sure that going forward this kind of conduct doesnt occur in the future, she said.
In his appearance on MSNBC, Weaver said Wasserman Schultzs remark was ridiculous.
Its been pretty clear almost from the get-go that she has been working against Bernie Sanders I mean, theres no doubt about it for personal reasons, he said, again ticking through the criticisms he launched earlier but this time adding that the chairwoman appointed really hostile Hillary Clinton partisans to head standing committees, too.
Debbie Wasserman Schultz has really been the divider and not really provided the kind of leadership that the Democratic Party needs, he said.
Weaver said he speaks with high-ranking Democrats at the DNC with frequency but suggested there isnt consensus in terms of her tactics, calling the revoked voter data access a unilateral decision from Wasserman Schultz.
Believe me, there was tremendous pressure inside the party structure for her to relent, Weaver said. I dont really know what her motivation is, but its been clear theres a pattern of conduct from the beginning of this campaign that has been hostile to Bernie Sanders and his supporters and shes really become a divisive figure in the party.
Wasserman Schultz maintained that the rules are eminently fair, arguing that the current set of rules are the same regulations that resulted in Barack Obamas nomination.
But regardless, it is critical that we as candidates, we as Democratic Party leaders, everyone involved needs to make sure that we can take all the steps that we need to, to ensure that the process is not only run smoothly but that the response from the supporters of both candidates is appropriate and civil, she said. No one should be subjected to death threats.
Tuesdays letter from the Nevada Democratic Party alleged that Sanders supporters posted state Chairwoman Roberta Lange's personal information online and threatened her and her family.
Wasserman Schultz said Lange has been essentially stalked by phone, has had to endure unacceptable feedback through violence and intimidation and called it her responsibility as DNC chair to ensure candidates and everyone involved understand the appropriate way to respond to frustration over process is with civility.
Despite the indirect back and forth, both parties expressed confidence that the Democratic Party can unite behind the eventual nominee, with Weaver, who reiterated that Sanders will support the nominee and do whatever he can to prevent a Donald Trump presidency, calling what happened in Nevada a Nevada-centric issue.
Lets not confuse what went on in Nevada with some kind of broader issue, Weaver said. Weve had great relationships with state parties all across this this country and continue to.
Clinton press secretary Brian Fallon credited Sanders for condemning the violence and encouraged people not to read too much into what transpired in Nevada.
Theres been state party conventions happening quietly without much notice across the country, Fallon told CNN. This was really the exception, not the rule. So we dont think its a harbinger for Philadelphia.
Hillary has the pervert vote locked up since she's one of the LGBT gaggle. And her murderous affairs have long been forgotten by a largely illiterate electorate.
That being said, the DNC is a group that gets to control it's own brand. They dislike Sanders as to them he's just too conservative (small C).
Washerwoman Schultz is a grating, homely Democrat that I can't bear to watch or listen to.
Second time I’ve heard the term “throwing shade” after 55 years of having never heard it. Anyone know the origins? I get the gist of the meaning from the context here. I’ve also heard the term “shading” used to describe someone concealing their identity with sunglasses.
Ohhhhhhhhhh, Bernie! You're so...street. ;)
Some of my smartest Conservative friends think that Bernie’s supporters are on the verge of losing it. That Nevada was just a tiny little taste of what is to come.
That the hard-left has determined the moment for revolution his here, and they cannot let it pass. That political street violence IS going to happen. And that for the most part it will be aimed at establishment Democrats.
Bernie was a club fighter thrown in the ring to do nothing more than sell tickets for the prize fighter...and give Killary a cake walk to the main event.
Bernie was supposed to have been nothing but a means to give an appearance of a fight. Little did they know, Killary is hated by many in her own party. Cripes, he’s not even a democrat.
In a statement Tuesday, Sanders condemned any and all forms of violence but noted that months ago shots were fired into his campaign office and a housing complex his campaign staffed lived in was broken into and ransacked.
First time I’ve ever heard of it.
Killary will make sure Bernie gets a heart attack pill before that happens.
Actually it was in some of the MSM news yesterday. But you had to read down to like the fourth or fifth paragraph to find it.
The Repubs and Dems are really all the same. The parties diss their members, pull s__t and then wonder why the members get so pissed off.
I think it is a black drag queen expression.
Wow. That entry was dated 2006. Guess I don’t hang with the cool kids.
“Washerwoman Schultz is a grating, homely Democrat that I can’t bear to watch or listen to.”
She’s Rancid Penis in a skirt! BTW it’s Washerwoman-Shitz! Both parties are led by cretins who couldn’t get a real job anywhere in the private sector.
Ebonics.
“I think it is a black drag queen expression.”
That is what I am thinking. It sounds very racist to me. Hahaha
(Hey, it beats a picture of Bernie or Hillary)
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