Employees from Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign allege 'sexual violence and harassment'

[brooklynite]

Source: New York Daily News

A group of former staffers from Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign have requested a meeting with the top Democrat to “discuss the issue of sexual violence and harassment.”

In a letter sent to senior Sanders officials Sunday and acquired by Politico, more than two dozen former staffers hinted at misconduct during the failed campaign.

“We — the people who worked on Bernie 2016 — know that much of the success of our campaign was due to the intense commitment, passion and sacrifice of women, people of color and LGBT staffers,” the signatories wrote.

“In recent weeks there has been an ongoing conversation on social media, in texts, and in person, about the untenable and dangerous dynamic that developed during our campaign.”

Read more: https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-news-bernie-sanders-campaign-sexual-violence-20181230-story.html?outputType=amp&__twitter_impression=true

[George II]

1. This could be trouble.

BTW, not yours but that first sentence contains a misnomer, unless it refers to status during the 2016 primary campaign, not today.

Senator Sanders at this time is most certainly NOT "the top Democrat".

[brush]

84. All conveniently kept quiet in 2016 so the Hillary and Dem party bashing could continue...

to turn voters away from the nominee and we ended up with trump.

Now two year later this comes out?

Every sniff of alleged negativity of Clinton and her campaign was immediately yelled from the rooftops but sexual harassment in their own ranks was being hidden.

Absolutely shameful!

[karynnj]

115. It was not unique to Sanders' campaign

It might, in fact, be something that exists in many campaigns. Especially in the general election where within months of clinching the nomination, the nominee needs to staff what would be a pretty large "business". Everyone with some power needs to be vetted. This whole issue is complex as there needs to be clear definition of what is unacceptable and abusive.

In fact, the issue of staffers (not the nominee) being abusive and the response of the campaign could have been raised against Clinton as well. When the early "me too" charges came out, a story of a top staffer from Clinton's 2008 campaign came out. https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/01/hillary-clinton-response-burns-strider-sexual-harassment-report Even her 2017 or 2018 response was not accepted by some people in the me too movement.

From the description in the article, she kept the man on after he was clearly guilty of harrassing some women staffers - though she did reach out to the victims and took some action. We have not heard the stories of Bernie Sanders' campaign. We did hear some people were fired, other reprimanded. It might be there will be very little difference between the problem or the way it was treated. Not to mention, there is the issue of Bill Clinton, which would have made any criticizing Bernie for staffers' actions something that would have almost immediately led to "what about Bill?"

I disagree that the Sanders campaign's fight against Hillary Clinton was tougher or harsher than the interaction in the primaries in any other campaign. Clinton's own 3 am call ad and Bill Clinton's attacks on Obama's definition of himself were both at least as bad.

[brush]

116. What does the 2008 campaign or Bill Clinton have to do with abuse...

during the 2016 campaign being kept secret? Had it not been the consolidation of the nominee's support towards the general would certainly have been swifter with fewer defectors to Stein, trump or to non-voter stances.

[R B Garr]

118. Exactly. The Whatabout Hillary distractions are so intellectually dishonest. nt.

[karynnj]

119. You spoke of the issue not coming up in 2016

In fact, as others posted, there were stories on BOTH the Sanders and Clinton campaign.

As to what 2008 and Bill Clinton have to do with it? I thought I was clear that allies of Clinton or the campaign itself would have had their own interests at heart in NOT going after Sanders on this. It would have backfired bringing up the issue of Bill Clinton - as "me too" did later. That would have hurt Clinton.

As to people rallying around the nominee, that happened when it tends to in EVERY campaign that I have seen since 1976. (In 1972, this was a huge problem when it didn't.) It should be noted that an estimated 25% of HRC primary voters voted for McCain, while only 10% of Sanders' primary voters voted for Trump.

[R B Garr]

120. "there were stories on BOTH"... typical deflection and that is not true. We all saw Sanders'

campaign and how they treated Hillary was a huge tip-off as to the campaign culture. Clinton knowing one man from years ago does not equate to an internalized culture that we saw with some Sanders' staffers and others named in the letter. It is a travesty that this was not exposed more during the appropriate time instead of only holding Clinton accountable for one man she knew.

Your analogy to Clinton about withholding this behavior is just more Whatabout Hillary. There is no reason that Sanders should be sheltered from accountability because someone will twist it into a Bill C bashing session.

[R B Garr]

117. False analogies -- again. We all saw the way Bernie Sanders campaign ran, and the complaint

letter fits what we saw happening in real time right before us. Trying to say there are bad apples in every campaign is not what we saw happening in Bernie's campaign. It was on a whole 'nother level of machismo and demeaning of Hillary in ways that are truly disturbing and disgusting. That is an undeniable fact, and we all saw it. No excuses.

Hillary knowing one man over a period of years is not equivalent to a pervasive environment that permeates an entire campaign. It's just not. It is not an excuse to not hold Sanders' accountable for his own campaign environment.

[NanceGreggs]

2. Who is the "top Democrat" ...

... referenced here?

Surely it's NOT Bernie - because he's NOT a Democrat.

[George II]

5. Nor the "top".

[thesquanderer]

7. The linked article doesn't say that, I guess they quickly fixed it...

... Paragraph currently reads:

Two dozen ex-Sanders staffers sent a letter Sunday seeking a meeting with the former candidate — who might run again in 2020 — to “discuss the issue of sexual violence and harassment” in the Vermont senator’s 2016 run.

[George II]

8. I see that now, and a first sentence was also added since the OP was posted:

Original version (I stilll had a window with the NYDN article open):

A group of former staffers from Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign have requested a meeting with the top Democrat to “discuss the issue of sexual violence and harassment.”

Corrected version:

The #MeToo movement is catching up with staffers on Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign.

Two dozen ex-Sanders staffers sent a letter Sunday seeking a meeting with the former candidate — who might run again in 2020 — to “discuss the issue of sexual violence and harassment” in the Vermont senator’s 2016 run.

[cstanleytech]

29. Well they had to for accuracy as describing him as the top democrat was clearly a mistake as he

is not a member of the Democratic party rather he merely caucuses with them.

[Honeycombe8]

9. Depends. If they are referencing the campaign, Bernie was the top Democrat in that campaign.

Since he was running as a Democrat.

But now he's not a Democrat. Unless he runs again under the mantle of the Dem. Party, in which case he will be.

Confusing. I think he has to register as a Democrat, when he runs as one. Then I guess he changes back.

[cstanleytech]

31. The party needs to implement a fix to prevent such things and no I do not mean because of Bernie

rather I am thinking of preventing more people like Jim Justice from running on the Democratic ticket.
Hopefully we can get a strong candidate to kick his slimy ass out of office.

[Honeycombe8]

96. I agree. That was my point, really.

If someone is a Democrat, s/he doesn't change back and forth for the purpose of a campaign. Belonging to a political party is more than that. It means you believe in most of the party platform, and you are mostly aligned with most of the Democrats that you serve with.

[True Blue American]

111. The DNC changed

The rules so that can not happen again .

After hearing the names Bernie’s staff called Hillary’s I do not want Bernie or any of his fans any where near th e Democratic Party. He can run as the Independent he claims to be.

[Me.]

33. But He Wasn't...The Winner.....HRC...Was

[Honeycombe8]

97. I think it means the top one in the campaign? Dunno. Maybe not. ??? nt

[Me.]

99. Honestly. I'm Confused

How can one be the top one in a campaign when they aren't, never was. The experts say it was over by April 19 and the rest was just dragging it out for ...what...? Anyway...

[Honeycombe8]

100. Me, too.

[ehrnst]

140. +1000

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

49. I agree... and he SHOULD change back if he decides to run in the Democratic primary.

[yardwork]

54. Bernie wasn't a "top Democrat" in 2016 either.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

73. I agree completely, Bernie needs to register as a Democrat should he take a 2nd shot @the nomination

and I do think he will.

[Honeycombe8]

98. I think it's required. It's not a choice. If he doesn't, he doesn't have a "(D)" by his name....

so when voters vote, there won't be a (D) to vote for. That's a problem, esp if they vote party ticket.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

101. Yes, I agree... hence, my use of the word "need," as in required, not a choice.

[yardwork]

52. I noticed that too.

[Cha]

123. He's not even "top".. but you'd

think the news people could get his affiliation right for once.

[tblue37]

3. Includes this:

“We are addressing what happened on the Bernie campaign but as people that work in this space we see that all campaigns are extremely dangerous to women and marginalized people and we are attempting to fix that,” the staffer said.

[George II]

6. I hope that's not going to be used as a rationalization or, to be more blunt, an "excuse".

If the staffer feels this way now, in 2018, one wonders why it has taken two years and a formal complaint to address it.

[sheshe2]

10. You mean something like all campaigns do it so...

[sheshe2]

17. Dr Ford showed us why it takes time for this type of harrassment to come forward.

More harassment. Becoming a victim all over again. Blame. Shame. Most importantly, FEAR.

It takes courage to come forward and apparently now they have. They are ready to face the filth that will be coming their way, just as DR Ford did. Death threats. And no doubt in my mind they will be vilified.

[George II]

19. Unfortunately it appears that the campaign itself was aware of this back in 2016, wonder why....

....it was never publicly acknowledged back then?

[sheshe2]

24. Umhmmm.

[guruoo]

26. Bernie haters have another fail

Last edited Sun Jan 6, 2019, 06:55 PM - Edit history (5)

So we now can see that Bernie's campaign had indeed made a good faith effort to identify and properly punish the known offenders.

Now let's just sit back and watch the usual suspects attempt to "splain" that part away.

Could be they'll just settle for attacking the messengers.

[sheshe2]

45. Did you say that when Dr Christine Blasey Ford came forward?

Any sexual harassment charge is serious and should not be taken lightly and never be treated as a spectator sport watched with a box of popcorn.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

69. Agree with you there...any sexual miscoduct charge should be taken extremely seriously and

how politicians handle such charges must be carefully evaluated. It's disappointing, to say the least, that this guiding principle was not standard operating procedure much sooner... no doubt, the political landscape would look a helluva lot different.

[betsuni]

72. ...

[Eyeball_Kid]

76. There is never a good time to expose the ugly side of politics. Except now.

[Eyeball_Kid]

77. There is never a good time to expose the ugly side of politics. Except now. n/t

[Cha]

124. "Complaint"?.. of 24 people on BS' staff

wanting to address him personally on the "pervasive sexual harassment"?

I say they're "Complaints".. and your flippant attitude with your popcorn isn't helping BS.

[Chemisse]

64. I wonder if it's because BS is planning to run again.

And staffers want to clean up the behaviors and procedures around them in advance so they can participate with less harassment.

Whereas if he was not going to run they would have just let it go?

[brush]

11. I'm shocked, shocked, that sexual harrassment was going on....

in such a holier than... oh, never mind.

[George II]

12. I could write an entire essay on this and send it to my local newspaper.

[sheshe2]

25. Yes, you could.

Hm.

[Progressive dog]

4. That is poor reporting

Bernie Sanders is not a Democrat.

[groundloop]

13. Here's what didn't make it into the original post due to 4 paragraph restriction:

The committee acknowledged “a number of HR actions taken” during the 2016 run, with consequences ranging from “employee counseling to immediate termination.”

During Sanders’ 2018 re-election campaign in Vermont, his staff employed “more robust policies and processes regarding discrimination and harassment,” said the response letter, which was also obtained by Politico.

“Harassment of any kind is intolerable. Hearing the experiences and thoughts of individuals who worked on Bernie’s 2016 campaign is a vital part of our commitment to work within our progressive community to improve the lives of all people,” the response letter says.

This makes it sound like the Sanders campaign took action soon after finding out there were problems.

[DRoseDARs]

16. How much you wanna bet this will be glossed over for the sake of false narratives? nt

[George II]

20. Perhaps, but it also was kept quiet for two years. Wonder why?

[klook]

21. Aw, don't spoil the fun! (nt)

[guruoo]

34. Oops! We sure can't have that part gettin out there...

It's just a too divisive(TM).

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

35. Yes, actions were taken... unlike your more typical politician who doesn't take responsibility.

Yeah, let's just ignore all that... bashing Bernie is more important.

[bahrbearian]

42. He can't be bought ,so he must be smeared.

They don't talk policy , because they have none.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

47. Smearing Bernie is not going to work this time if he runs...

it's going to be an issue-based primary, as it SHOULD be. Let the best candidate, with the best progressive ideas, win!! Then, let's all unite behind that candidate regardless of who wins and kick the Shroom's azz in 2020... our survival as a nation depends on it!!

[guruoo]

63. Imagine Bernie-Beto ticket

Heads explode.

Now imagine this:
President Sanders (I) Vice President O'Rourke (D)

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

65. I'd much prefer to see a woman on the ticket and Elizabeth, who is more progressively in tune

with Bernie, is obviously my first choice... I'd even be happy to see the two candidates in either order:
Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
... or Elizabeth & Bernie 2020!!!


Having a POC on the ticket would also be a phenominal development... can think of many whom I'd like to see team up with one of those two.

I do think, if Bernie does decide to run, he will make the right decision and run as a Democrat.

I like Beto just fine... he just needs a few more years of seasoning in the Congress and, with time, I think he'll see the benefits of moving more to the left on certain progressive issues, which will only make him that much more politically popular.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

106. I understand your feelings, but, I must respectfully disagree...

I truly believe Elizabeth's stories of her childhood and, at least to me, she's tried to be transparent about her heritage by releasing the DNA test results. If Native Americans are insulted by this, that's fair, and Elizabeth should speak to them and apologize... I thought I read somewhere that she had. But, to let this overshadow her distinguished career and body of work that includes many accomplishments, that's not fair either.

[betsuni]

70. ...

[Sherman A1]

66. Precisely

Problems are going to crop up. They will be of various degrees and of various nature. No human organization is exempt. It is what is done to address those problems that is the real test. Apparently when these were discovered they were addressed, perhaps not perfectly but something was done.

However, as you elegantly point out "bashing Bernie is more important" so no other information beyond the negative should be taken into account.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

67. If Bernie decides to run a second time, being more seasoned, he's familiar

with the kinds of problems that periodically crop up in campaigns and with the variety of forces out to destroy him this time. So, I'm not that worried... should Bernie take his well-deserved turn at bat in 2020, no doubt, he will have a "rapid response team" out in full force to support him. With that, he should get a fair shake and can swing for the fences!!

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!

[George II]

68. Well that didn't take long. Now we're turning this into "bashing Bernie"....

[Cha]

138. Actually these women say they weren't taken..

Last edited Fri Jan 4, 2019, 07:05 PM - Edit history (1)

The response from survivors has been one of deep pain.

“That half-hearted apology he throws in is the 1st any of us female staff have heard out of him in the 2 years since we brought this to his attention in early 2017,” tweeted Masha Mendieta, who repeatedly has alleged that Sanders knew about the problem.

“I’m not quite sure how to put into words how furious I am right now,” tweeted Zoey Jordan Salsbury, the former American University Students for Bernie president who spoke to HuffPost about her experiences in November 2017.

“I didn’t feel like I was not treated appropriately,” Salsbury told me Thursday in an email. “I wasn’t. There is no subjectiveness to this.”

“His apology sounded like a classic non-apology that so many women know all too well,” she added. “And it only came after he mentioned how many states he had won. ... I wish I had gotten a true apology a year ago, when I came forward. Instead I got a call from a lawyer who blamed me for being harassed.”

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-bernie-sanders-campaign-sexual-harassment-2016-2020_us_5c2e50cce4b08aaf7a975068?fbclid=IwAR37gfnsQ112A8zUb4v9EjYuXUdNyECDX1x_uXCDGWyD3mM2IV1

ETA~ https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=11621545

[yardwork]

79. Read the full letter from the staffers, linked below.

The staffers are requesting a face to face meeting with Sanders and Jeff Weaver to address "sexual violence" and "the predatory culture" of Bernie's 2016 campaign.

[yurbud]

93. yep

[mcar]

14. This must be thoroughly investigated

[Raine1967]

38. It should, that said:

By whom?

It's not a snarky question. Who can investigate this?

[crim son]

75. Read Response #13. n/t

[a kennedy]

15. Damn.......

[George II]

18. The NY Daily News article is based on an article in Politico. Here's that report:

Bernie alumni seek meeting to address 'sexual violence' on ‘16 campaign

The signees are looking to change what they call a pervasive culture of toxic masculinity in the campaign world.

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/30/bernie-sanders-campaign-harassment-1077014

Here's the letter:

https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/5671807/Sanders-Campaign-Harassment-Letter.pdf

[Cha]

125. Right.. so it hasn't been addressed yet

as some are alleging.

[groundloop]

22. HR actions taken .... with consequences ranging from employee counseling to immediate termination

Folks, read the entire linked article, not just the 4 paragraph excerpt. Also read the Politico article linked in the previous post.

It appears that there may have been issues with a small number of staffers and that the Sanders campaign took appropriate action as soon as they found out. I wish more details had been provided, it's awful easy to jump to conclusions when we don't have all the facts.

[ZeroSomeBrains]

23. Yeah I read the whole article as well

It's definently discouraging to hear that it happened but it sounded like an unnamed intern and one other staffer and that they fired or dealt with the abuses they heard of. Having an open culture capable of hearing complaints like this is incredibly important in every organization. I've been sexually abused before so I'm happy to hear that this is getting taken seriously. Hopefully positive progress can be made and everyone who runs in 2020 looks to create an environment that can listen and hear from those who have been hurt if it happens within their campaign.

[Catch2.2]

27. Yup

I have full faith in Bernie Sanders that he or his campaign would've taken care of this swiftly & appropriately. Glad they did! Too bad we don't have a president with his morals & ethics.

[DRoseDARs]

28. The Politico article in another thread is blatant in their slant, omitting completely that part.

They're having a grossly disingenuous field day with it there too.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211605988

[George II]

32. "Disingenuous field day"? You seem to be glossing over these incidents....

....that have been kept secret for over two years.

Did you read the actual letter?

[George II]

30. Sorry, it most likely wasn't a "small number of staffers"....

....that letter refers to a "predatory culture" in the campaign.

That's a pretty serious claim.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

36. Details, details... why let facts get in the way of a good Bernie bashing?!?!

[sheshe2]

40. Question.

If this were about Hillary's campaign?

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

48. Then, undoubtedly, people would also properly point out if & how Hillary took appropriate action.

That information should not be intentionally omitted, if that's what you're asking, no.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

51. Okay, sorry... I thought we were having a serious conversation.

[sheshe2]

53. We are.

Sorry you can't answer the question.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

55. Yeah, that's it... you win.

[sheshe2]

57. umhmm.

[Gothmog]

94. The letter is asking for a meeting with sanders

Has this meeting occurred?

[Cha]

127. Evidently, the "Pervasive Sexual Harrassment" charges

weren't addressed to the satisfaction of these 24 BS staffers or they wouldn't have written The Letter requesting a sit down with BS and jeff weaver.

[Gothmog]

37. From my twitter feed

Link to tweet

?s=20

[DRoseDARs]

39. Don't know your Twitter handle, but you understand Politico deliberately omitted critical parts?

It's shameful and disgusting that they did, and painful that so many are taking the bait.

[Gothmog]

41. Time will tell

This story needs to be investigated

[DRoseDARs]

44. Er, time *did* tell. NYDN and Politico reported on the same thing. NYDN reported what Politico didnt

That's kinda the point here. They told two versions of the same story, one painting an awful picture and the other an interesting story. The editorial decisions were deliberate in both cases. One decided to report the story, the light-on-details bad and the good that followed, the other decided to print a gross hit piece and hoped no one would notice.

Yes, this story continues but this is a meta-story of contrasts between media sources and how narratives are shaped. Politico decided to manipulate their readership, NYDN decided to report on a story to their readership.

[yardwork]

80. Has the meeting taken place yet?

[Gothmog]

86. There is a pattern here

I was a Clinton delegate to the national convention. Real campaigns carefully vet their delegates. I know that I was vetted and I was on a committee that vetted other delegates. The reason for this vetting is that (a) all delegates including pledged delegates has the power to vote for the candidate of their choice and (b) a campaign's delegates reflect on the campaign. All Clinton delegates were warned to be on our best behavior because our conduct would reflect on the candidate.

The Clinton campaign had a very well organized whipping infrastructure. Early on, we were prepared for a series of floor votes on credentials and platform issues. On the first night of the convention, I was warned by my whip that there would be a planned stunt by the sanders delegates where they would boo Congressman John Lewis. I got the text from my whip about 20 to 30 minutes before Congressman John Lewis was to be introduced. According to my whip, sanders was asked to stip this stunt and he declined.

There was really nasty booing of Congressman John Lewis at the convention when he was introduced including some nasty shouts from the sanders delegates. Again, this was a planned stunt by the sanders delegates that sanders was informed about.

In addition to the above, my daughter was my guest to the convention. This was a once in a lifetime trip. A group of sanders delegates yelled at my daughter and called her the c-word because she would not try to get me to change my vote.

It appears that sanders has not met with the signers of the letter and the statement from the friends of sanders is nice but is not sufficient without a committment from the candidate. Time will tell but sanders will need to address the above conduct at somepoint. My whip worked for the DNC during the mid terms and he and other campaign officials would be happy to discuss the convention if sanders runs again.

[yardwork]

121. Booing John Lewis at the DNC was incredibly rude and, frankly, racist.

I don't see how a candidate that allowed that to happen recovers unless they're running as a Republican.

[Gothmog]

122. Congressman John Lewis is a national treasure

I have heard Congressman John Lewis tell the same "preaching to chickens" story in person four time and it does not get old. The attack on Congressman John Lewis was a bad move in my opinion.

[Brother Rainbow]

43. Disappointing.

This is disappointing, but it must fully be addresses. This cannot be passed over.

[FreepFryer]

46. RUH ROH (n/t)

[PatrickforO]

56. Well, I'm going to weigh in on this one.

I am going to speak very strongly to all of you in favor of all of us cultivating a healthy sense of paranoia.

What do I mean? Well, look how the Russian Cozy Bears concentrated on social media to shape opinion in just a few key districts in certain swing states.

Remember, if you will, back in the sixties and seventies - when the national intelligence services came up with COINTELPRO. The government itself planted provocateurs in numerous civil rights and women's rights groups.

None of you should ever, ever forget that the powers the be - the people who own the Republican party, Wall Street, the banks, multinational corporations - they feel the right wing can be easily manipulated by constantly feeding their fears and insecurities. No Fairness Doctrine? Manufactured consent? Merchants of doubt? Corporate propaganda designed to foster mistrust, selfishness and fear. Consumerism as patriotism.

So where do we on the left stand? On thin ice most of the time.

The POB wink and slap the wrists of right-wing extremists. It only gets rough if you demonstrate on the left. Look at the line on my signature - it is a quote from AOC that I find very apropos.

I guess what I mean to do with this admittedly rambling post is to remind all of you how fragile we all are, and how fragile our Democratic platform and party are if we allow ourselves to be duped by provocateurs at every juncture, which I believe happened in the 2016 primary, and then to Hillary Clinton in the general election.

About forty five years ago I read a book called the Outsiders. It was about a gang of boys in NY in the maybe late fifties, maybe early sixties. The line I want to quote here was said to the protagonist, Ponyboy, by his best friend Johnny as Johnny was dying of burns after saving a little kid from a fire.

Stay gold, Ponyboy, he said, meaning stay pure of heart.

So folks, we need to stay gold. Let us believe the best of one another until proven otherwise. The stakes are too high to fall prey to someone else's smear campaign. Let us not feel outrage at one another, but upon the Republican Party, which is the biggest threat to the world today.

Our world is dying because we are polluting it so badly. Earth may well become uninhabitable for humankind and the Republicans don't give a shit because they care more about short-term shareholder profits that the good of our species. WE ARE THE ONLY HOPE here, people.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

71. Interesting thoughts... thanks for taking the time to share.

BTW, I love the AOC quote in your signature line... wise words coming from a soon-to-be rising star. Alexandria's an absolute gem!! No doubt, she'll go far!!

[George II]

74. In other words, you're saying this didn't happen and the report that the Sanders campaign....

...addressed this in 2016 is false?

[PatrickforO]

90. No, George - you and I have fenced before, and I know that

you dislike Bernie. That's fine. Yes, investigate all you want. However, it does sound as if the Bernie campaign nipped this in the bud when it began happening.

My point is that when something like this comes up, we must always refrain from rushes to judgement and be especially watchful of accusations that may come from right-wing or hostile foreign sources.

You know, George, that we as a party have in the past been quite vulnerable to such baseless accusations - How many times have we all see us file neatly into a circle and form a circular firing squad while the right-wingers scream laughter and cackle with glee.

Anyway, Bernie's had his run. I genuinely doubt he'll survive the early primaries.

In the meantime, our job is to be as unified as we can around the really good platform we have and make sure we get a LOT sharper at recognizing political hatchet jobs. You don't like Bernie, but you know, if he did in fact take care of this way back when, then this is potentially a hatchet job and he's square with the house.

[George II]

92. All of those making the accusations (now up to 24) were all staff members, some high up....

...as indicated in the letter and article. It's not a question of liking someone or not. Most, if not all, of previous accusations were from people that our Democrats have come across in their public life, not staff members.

If the accusations coming from within the campaign are from right-wing or hostile foreigners, that more serious than a false accusation.

[PatrickforO]

95. Maybe so. We'll see how it plays out.

Sexism and sexual harassment have got to go, for sure.

[obamanut2012]

89. And once again sexual harassment is "rationalized" away

Just stop.

[PatrickforO]

91. Nobody's rationalizing anything. Due process is the cornerstone of our system of

justice. That's all.

You throw that out, then we become something that is not democracy, not free.

I hear you about the fierce urgency of addressing sexual harassment. But we simply cannot begin executing people. There has to be due process.

[obamanut2012]

133. Yes they are -- you belittled it in your subthread with George II

And, others on this thread and other threads about it are resorting to "whataboutism," like the GOP does, and paranoia and false flag claims. Good lord, he released a statement telling Franken to resign. It is ridiculous. Just stop!

And, people bringing up Hillary and Kamala Harris to make this all okay? Double shame.

[PatrickforO]

136. No, it's not OK. None of it is OK. I have three daughters and two granddaughters.

I don't ever want them to have to go through that.

All I was doing is cautioning against a rush to judgement.

[McKim]

58. An Early Attack

So this is an early attack by those who just want to refight the presidential democratic primary and get Sanders out of the way. Neocons? That’s how it looks but let’s wait for more information.

[11cents]

59. Oh yes. Totally looks like neocons.

This is an absolutely typical ploy by the specific people you have in mind; only a fool could fail to see that this looks like neocons. Smells like 'em too. I bet all these "Bernie staffers" have neocon names and look neoconnish.

[LongtimeAZDem]

78. ...

[Raine]

61. Exactly

I'm not buying this for a second!

[yardwork]

81. Bernie's 2016 staffers were neocons?

I don't know that I would go that far. Some of them seemed like very sincere, good people to me.

I don't agree that all these former Sanders staffers are neocons. I think that's painting Sanders' campaign with an unnecessarily negative broad brush.

[McKim]

83. Not suggesting that Sanders Staffers might be Neocons

To clarify I was not suggesting that the Sanders staffers were Neocons. But whoever edited out the facts that this harrassment issue was dealt with by the campaign long ago, was perhaps editing it out to make Sanders look weak at the beginning of the candidate vetting process by democrats.
This would serve Neocon interests.

I agree with every poster who pointed out that starting fights amongst ourselves and keeping them going on this site is counterproductive. I look forward to looking more at the issues and platform ideas at this stage. I will back whomever is the Democratic Party candidate.

[yardwork]

85. Did you read the letter? It's linked in this thread.

The letter is requesting a face to face meeting with Sanders and Weavers to address "sexual violence" and "the predatory culture" of the Sanders' campaign in 2016. Obviously, these staffers feel that such issues have NOT been dealt with yet.

[Cha]

126. This are serious allegations from BS' own Staff.

[obamanut2012]

134. Yes, 24+ mainly female campaign staffers for Bernie are neocons

Do you even get how ridiculous and sexist and dismissive of sexual misconduct you are being?

[Gothmog]

60. From my twitter feed

Link to tweet

?s=20

[apcalc]

82. This is NO surprise. And neither is Sanders' response.

The misogyny was evident . A portion of the Bros were/are jerks , especially to women.

[Gothmog]

87. Has there been a meeting yet?

Link to tweet

[recentevents]

88. Short memories here

This has not taken 2 years to "come out" as some would suggest. This did get addressed during the campaign and the Sanders campaign took action. Some here may not think the action taken is enough, but action was taken.

Many campaigns have had serious issues on the subject of sexual harassment/assault. It's in the culture of politics. I think this letter was written at this time because the writers believe Bernie may be running again and want to address the issue while he is starting to staff up. Make the issue at the forefront so the creepers aren't welcome back.

It would be horrendous if the Sanders campaign stood by the harassers/assaulters by moving the victim(s) to another area in the campaign, then rehiring the the harassers/assaulters for this next campaign. Now THAT would be something to be disgusted by.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

108. +1,000,000!!

[madville]

113. There were similar reports from both Sander's and Clinton's campaigns, link from 2017

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/360976-women-say-they-experienced-sexual-harassment-while-on-clinton-sanders

I remember a steady stream of stories all the way back to 2016.

[mjvpi]

102. It sounds like the people wanting this meeting are strong Bernie supporters.

In preparation for working hard again, for a candidate that they believe in, they want to make sure that problems don’t repeat themselves. Sounds like a positive move presented as a hit piece.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

109. Yes, makes perfect sense and I have no doubt Bernie will respond positively.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

107. Cue the Aerosmith music... same old story, same old song and dance my friend.

[Gothmog]

112. NBC is covering this story

Link to tweet

?s=20

[R B Garr]

114. Excellent! Glad to see it is not being ignored. Imagine if everyone started

every single interview with him about this like is done to many other politicians. I seem to remember he thought Franken should lose his Senate seat for far less. I miss Al Franken.

[Cha]

128. Good! Some are trying to say it was already

taken care of when that's obviously Not the case.. when 24 of BS' staffers want a sit down with him and jeff weaver to address the "pervasive sexual harassment" that went on.

[Gothmog]

129. To my knowledge, sanders has not met with these former staffers

This story is not going to go away

[Cha]

130. I'm sure they'd

tweet it if it did.

[lanlady]

131. Sexism AND ageism

As a 60-something woman I was appalled at the sneering condescension from the Bernie Bros of my acquaintance. Whenever I asked what Bernie had actually accomplished in his lifetime to merit being elected president, I got nothing but contempt a la what do you know about anything, old biddy, we've got a revolution to run. Maybe this did not come from Bernie himself but it turned me against his candidacy and his campaign.

Plus, Bernie is NOT A DEMOCRAT. He is a Socialist. And that's fine by me, but he needs to stop the charade of associating himself with the Democratic Party when it suits him.

[Gothmog]

132. From the NYT

Link to tweet

[Cha]

139. Thanks for the NYT on this, Goth..

Link to tweet

[Blue_Tires]

135. And THIS is where the rubber meets the fuckin' road...

Because a whole lot of high-profile Dem bloggers and pundits on twitter decrying sexism when Bill or Franken were in the crosshairs have all of a sudden gone into "Yeah, but...." mode.

[Gothmog]

137. Sexism Claims From Bernie Sanders's 2016 Run: Paid Less, Treated Worse

I know one of the sanders supporters who was named in the NYT article https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/02/us/politics/bernie-sanders-campaign-sexism.html

Political campaigns can be grueling experiences for both the women and men involved. But some involved said they considered the treatment of women on the Sanders campaign especially upsetting because the senator positioned himself as a champion of progressive ideals and equality, according to interviews and messages shared on Facebook.

“I don’t think he has to be the vehicle or the platform for the movement that emerged from his campaign,” said Sarah Slamen, who worked for the campaign in Texas, was the state coordinator in Louisiana and helped build out Our Revolution, a progressive organization born from Mr. Sanders’s presidential campaign.

“Do you know how hard that is for me to say after working so hard for him?” she said.

Ms. Slamen quit the organization at the end of 2016 after she said she was berated by a male member of the Our Revolution steering committee for suggesting an organizing plan. In emails reviewed by The Times, she raised issues about sexist behavior with committee members who saw the incident and Our Revolution’s national board of directors. She said she received no reassurance that anything would change.

I gave Sarah a sanders sign that I brought back from the convention.