Bernie Sanders cut short after 'Black Lives Matter' takes over rally
By KOMO Staff and Associated Press Aug 8, 2015
SEATTLE - Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders was shoved aside by several Black Lives Matter activists and eventually left a Social Security Works rally at Westlake Park without giving his speech.
Sanders was just starting to address several thousand people gathered shoulder to shoulder at Westlake Park when two women took over the microphone.
When the crowd asked the activists to allow Sanders to speak, one activist called the crowd "white supremacist liberals," according to event participants. Participants also said a Black Lives Matter activist confronted Sanders, stating he needed "to be held accountable".
Several chants could be heard from members gathered. "I can't breathe" was chanted out as a Social Security Works rally organizer tried to calm the crowd.
After waiting about 20 minutes, Sanders himself was pushed away when he tried to take the microphone back.
Social Security Works rally organizers pleaded with Black Lives Matter activists to leave the stage and allow Sanders to speak, but the activists remained on stage until the event was forced to end.
I was pondering this event this morning (and the hyperventilating response by the Sanders campaign and the supporters I know) when it struck me there is a fearful symmetry at play here.
Consider Donald Trump (no, really! Just for a minute, I promise) and the embarrassment he has caused the Republican party. How are they similar?
Behold the monsters you created, come home to eat you.
The Donald is pandering to the worst elements the GOP has attracted—nay, courted—since the 1960s. They want their due. They aren't content to fill the ranks, they want to lead the parade. They are the real embarrassment, Trump is just the parade balloon they're anchoring. If the party as a whole doesn't move quickly to distance itself from this crowd they will drive everyone else away and it will be their parade alone.
The identity politics that have propped up the Democratic party is fighting it's way onstage as well. The nonstop celebration of anger and protest has resulted in...angry protest. When the only tactic young black people have been taught is to accuse anyone in their way of racism and the only evidence they need is that the accused is old and white well, that makes the old, white figureheads in their party vulnerable to friendly fire.
It's hard to resist the schadenfreude of watching liberal firebrands having to squirm and prove they aren't racists, when being accused alone was always good enough for their enemies. It's hard not to be amused by Republicans having to confront the Bubbas in their midsts and tell them "You're going to have to get behind someone else, because the guy just like you is embarrassing. Which means you are embarrassing if you think about it, which we used to be sure you wouldn't do but aren't anymore."
But our country's future is at stake. So really it's not funny. Not funny at all.
This should shed some more light of what is going on here, this is from the true progressive point of view; not party affiliated. This may also shed some light on why they have no problem with Clinton and all of the other Republicans, think about it.
Do you realize that four people responded here to you? That they espoused opinions that would be at least somewhat in line with what yours would seem to be if you weren't just tossing chaff into the wind.
So yes, it's probably good for the Democrats in the short run, but bad for our country. I need to go back and read up on the death throws of other political parties but it seems like the shift of demographics, attitudes in the country and the internal strife of the Republicans is shaping up to make things tough for them next year.
I only counted two responses until yours, but no matter. I was going to respond to haresfur, but checked in to see where things had gone in the meantime. So maybe this will cover both your and his points.
Of course its good for one party when the other party's vote is split. It is the goal, right, at least in a two party system.
But how is it bad for the country ? The two party system is bad for the country, period, right ? If you want to start a viable third party it has to start as a split from an established party. Actually Lazy8 addressed this about a week ago and I agree with his assessment that winning the White House is a false standard.
Anything that weakens a party is good, right ? Especially if its goals are not in the best interest of the country and try and rule against the will of the people. The Democrats are all about social justice, open borders and spreading around the wealth. That's good right ? What do the Repubs want ? Well the establishment wing wants the same thing, but for different reasons, yet they want the same thing. On the borders, Chris Matthews finally spoke the truth when he said that the Democrats wanted more voters via amnesty and the Repub establishment wanted cheap labor. That is why immigration reform is in limbo The anti establishment Repubs wants to close the borders and stand up for the American worker and legal immigrants who are getting screwed by the establishment in its quest for more voters and cheap labor. The center has been sacrificed by both sides.
Then the fight for the center... I will agree that in the past the repubs have fought to redefine the center while the Dems have moved to exorcise the center as proved by the purge of the Blue Dogs by Pelosi in 2010 that led to the Repubs getting the House in 2012 and the Senate in 2014. The purge was successful as evidenced by the DNC Chair's inability to articulate the difference between a democrat and a socialist. This time around, the fight in the repubs is establishment vs the anti-establishment. The center has little to do with it at this present stage of things.
In terms of the debate and its aftermath, it would seem as if Fox was clearly acting on behalf of the Repub establishment based on the questions asked and who got face time vs those who didn't. The tone was set with the first question and the buttons were pushed by the moderators in the quest of imploding the anti candidates, namely Trump, Cruz and Paul. The overall purpose it seemed was to expose weakness and start a food fight more than to get the candidates to expound and expand on their strengths and overall ideas of what was important to them in general.
Probably none of the above made any sense to anyone as I tried to address too much at once. Oh well ...
Given Hitler's fierce anti-communist rhetoric (and anti-Nazi Communist violence), that sounds very implausible.
The KPD was fiercely opposed to the Nazis and vice-versa. They (KPD) couldn't get along with anybody, and bickering between them and the Social Democrats led to the Nazis seizing power in 1933.
It wasn't until it was time to carve up Poland that the Nazis and Communists made common cause, and these weren't domestic Communists.
ok. I heard the original statement from a bunch of Trotskyites, and you probably know how reliable they are.
Given Hitler's fierce anti-communist rhetoric (and anti-Nazi Communist violence), that sounds very implausible.
The KPD was fiercely opposed to the Nazis and vice-versa. They (KPD) couldn't get along with anybody, and bickering between them and the Social Democrats led to the Nazis seizing power in 1933.
It wasn't until it was time to carve up Poland that the Nazis and Communists made common cause, and these weren't domestic Communists.
I suppose one could blame the left parties for letting the Nazis seize power, but not without pointing out that it was the (opportunistic) coalition between the Nationalist-Conservatives (DNVP, formerly Germany's largest conservative party) and the Nazis that put Hitler in the driver's seat. A convenient fire then led to the establishment of absolute power. The rest is, as they say, history.
Yeah, I got that before I replied and subsequently asked the question.
and so I ask again, what is wrong with splitting the vote from a non Repub point of view ?
Answer, nothing. It is good for Democrats. It ensures a Democratic victory. That is a good thing if one is not a Republican.
Do you realize that four people responded here to you? That they espoused opinions that would be at least somewhat in line with what yours would seem to be if you weren't just tossing chaff into the wind.
So yes, it's probably good for the Democrats in the short run, but bad for our country. I need to go back and read up on the death throws of other political parties but it seems like the shift of demographics, attitudes in the country and the internal strife of the Republicans is shaping up to make things tough for them next year.
Given Hitler's fierce anti-communist rhetoric (and anti-Nazi Communist violence), that sounds very implausible.
The KPD was fiercely opposed to the Nazis and vice-versa. They (KPD) couldn't get along with anybody, and bickering between them and the Social Democrats led to the Nazis seizing power in 1933.
It wasn't until it was time to carve up Poland that the Nazis and Communists made common cause, and these weren't domestic Communists.
If I recall, the German Communist Party supported Hitler in the 1930s, thinking it would make things so bad that there would be a backlash of support to the left. Didn't work out so well for them.
Given Hitler's fierce anti-communist rhetoric* (and anti-Nazi Communist violence), that sounds very implausible.
This is an interesting sentence. (A) is why he should be out (among other reasons) but (B) is why the Party (any party) needs to excise the tumor. Because the longer they let him run, and he generates enough of a following for him to do a Ross Perot, you're going to have a split vote again. If they get him out now, well over a year before the election (!), people won't have committed so much to supporting him that they're unwilling to abandon him when he goes indy. There's already a guy locally who's had a Trump banner painted on the side of a truck trailer and parked it on the highway... how easy do you think it will be for him to vote for Jeb come the general, if Trump's running as an independent?
I wonder what his motives are. With his current popularity and the ugly wing of the party (those that have mistake 'honest talk' with rude vulgarity) still propping him up, he's going to be around for a bit. He doesn't need the money and as long as his ego is in the mix it will be a case of "any publicity...". This might be helping his brand anyway. An independent run, once he is drummed out of the Republican tent, will just be another round of commercials for him.
And no, I don't think this is a good thing. The more legitimacy you lend to him the less legitimacy is left for our entire process. I already don't like the 18 potential candidates model where 2/3rds are really just looking for a book deal. This isn't theater, it's how we go about selecting leaders. If we let it devolve into a shit slinging reality show the few good people willing to put up with the unpleasant parts of the process are going to bail out completely.
He is highly unlikely to vote for Jeb under any circumstances. I would guess that this guy is one of the millions of Repubs who stayed home and didn't vote for McCain and Romney. My Dad was one of those guys. These people gave the election to Obama as we now know with the post election analysis of those two elections. And if its between Jeb and Hillary, I am very likely to stay home on purpose for the first time since 1972 as I once stated earlier.
So why the concern with splitting the Repub vote ? You are not a Repub nor likely to vote for one as far as I can tell. Splitting the Repub vote should make you happy, yes ?
There is a downside, especially in the longer term. If two groups are saying similar things, there is a tendency for them to be given greater weight in public opinion, no matter how outrageous. There is also the issue of 'moving the centre' - a tactic that conservatives have employed very successfully. This not only makes non-TP republicans seem centrist, but it drags Democrat positions to the right.
I'm not a believer in tactical support for views that I disagree with. If I recall, the German Communist Party supported Hitler in the 1930s, thinking it would make things so bad that there would be a backlash of support to the left. Didn't work out so well for them.
But yeah, getting out the vote is the most critical factor in US elections. Citizens here are required to vote so it isn't the same issue.
Bernie Sanders cut short after 'Black Lives Matter' takes over rally
By KOMO Staff and Associated Press Aug 8, 2015
SEATTLE - Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders was shoved aside by several Black Lives Matter activists and eventually left a Social Security Works rally at Westlake Park without giving his speech.
Sanders was just starting to address several thousand people gathered shoulder to shoulder at Westlake Park when two women took over the microphone.
When the crowd asked the activists to allow Sanders to speak, one activist called the crowd "white supremacist liberals," according to event participants. Participants also said a Black Lives Matter activist confronted Sanders, stating he needed "to be held accountable".
Several chants could be heard from members gathered. "I can't breathe" was chanted out as a Social Security Works rally organizer tried to calm the crowd.
After waiting about 20 minutes, Sanders himself was pushed away when he tried to take the microphone back.
Social Security Works rally organizers pleaded with Black Lives Matter activists to leave the stage and allow Sanders to speak, but the activists remained on stage until the event was forced to end.
I was pondering this event this morning (and the hyperventilating response by the Sanders campaign and the supporters I know) when it struck me there is a fearful symmetry at play here.
Consider Donald Trump (no, really! Just for a minute, I promise) and the embarrassment he has caused the Republican party. How are they similar?
Behold the monsters you created, come home to eat you.
The Donald is pandering to the worst elements the GOP has attracted—nay, courted—since the 1960s. They want their due. They aren't content to fill the ranks, they want to lead the parade. They are the real embarrassment, Trump is just the parade balloon they're anchoring. If the party as a whole doesn't move quickly to distance itself from this crowd they will drive everyone else away and it will be their parade alone.
The identity politics that have propped up the Democratic party is fighting it's way onstage as well. The nonstop celebration of anger and protest has resulted in...angry protest. When the only tactic young black people have been taught is to accuse anyone in their way of racism and the only evidence they need is that the accused is old and white well, that makes the old, white figureheads in their party vulnerable to friendly fire.
It's hard to resist the schadenfreude of watching liberal firebrands having to squirm and prove they aren't racists, when being accused alone was always good enough for their enemies. It's hard not to be amused by Republicans having to confront the Bubbas in their midsts and tell them "You're going to have to get behind someone else, because the guy just like you is embarrassing. Which means you are embarrassing if you think about it, which we used to be sure you wouldn't do but aren't anymore."
But our country's future is at stake. So really it's not funny. Not funny at all.
So why the concern with splitting the Repub vote ? You are not a Repub nor likely to vote for one as far as I can tell. Splitting the Repub vote should make you happy, yes ?
This is an interesting sentence. (A) is why he should be out (among other reasons) but (B) is why the Party (any party) needs to excise the tumor. Because the longer they let him run, and he generates enough of a following for him to do a Ross Perot, you're going to have a split vote again. If they get him out now, well over a year before the election (!), people won't have committed so much to supporting him that they're unwilling to abandon him when he goes indy. There's already a guy locally who's had a Trump banner painted on the side of a truck trailer and parked it on the highway... how easy do you think it will be for him to vote for Jeb come the general, if Trump's running as an independent?
He is highly unlikely to vote for Jeb under any circumstances. I would guess that this guy is one of the millions of Repubs who stayed home and didn't vote for McCain and Romney. My Dad was one of those guys. These people gave the election to Obama as we now know with the post election analysis of those two elections. And if its between Jeb and Hillary, I am very likely to stay home on purpose for the first time since 1972 as I once stated earlier.
So why the concern with splitting the Repub vote ? You are not a Repub nor likely to vote for one as far as I can tell. Splitting the Repub vote should make you happy, yes ?
GOP leaders say erratic attacks hurt Trump, but he vows to fight and win.
Republican leaders who have watched Donald Trump’s summer surge with alarm now believe that his presidential candidacy has been contained and may begin to collapse(A) because of his repeated attacks on a Fox News Channel star and(B) his refusal to pledge his loyalty to the eventual GOP nominee.
This is an interesting sentence. (A) is why he should be out (among other reasons) but (B) is why the Party (any party) needs to excise the tumor. Because the longer they let him run, and he generates enough of a following for him to do a Ross Perot, you're going to have a split vote again. If they get him out now, well over a year before the election (!), people won't have committed so much to supporting him that they're unwilling to abandon him when he goes indy. There's already a guy locally who's had a Trump banner painted on the side of a truck trailer and parked it on the highway... how easy do you think it will be for him to vote for Jeb come the general, if Trump's running as an independent?
Trump is many things, most not so good, but he is no lunatic. Partisans are fooling themselves if they think that he is and he speaks no truth.
He's not a lunatic, he just spouts lunacy at regular intervals (on some subjects). Few are wrong or crazy all the time. Like the familiar stopped clock that tells the right time twice a day. There is a spectre haunting the U.S....
