The Faux Fracas in Nevada: How a Reporter Manufactured a Riot

[Judi Lynn]

May 18, 2016
The Faux Fracas in Nevada: How a Reporter Manufactured a Riot

by Doug Johnson Hatlem

Jon Ralston, the dean of political reporting in Nevada, has spread nothing less than a pack of lies about what went down at the state’s Democratic convention on Saturday. And the fact averse oligarchic national media has run completely riot with the provable falsehoods. No chairs were thrown at the convention Saturday. No death threats were made against the chair of the convention Roberta Lange. And Bernie Sanders delegates were not simply mad because their louder shouting was ignored.

Ralston has been the culprit behind each of these falsehoods; and the New York Times, CNN, MSNBC, and a dizzying array of other outlets have swallowed them whole then regurgitated them for their much more massive audiences.

While as late as 2012 Ralston could be counted on as someone with a known Liberal establishment bias who would nevertheless stand firm where it came to truth and journalistic integrity, his ethics began to slip in the years since. (And let’s be clear, refusing to write for an outlet anymore that pulled a column unfavorable to Harry Reid is honorable; waiting over two years to reveal that fact is a bit dastardly.)

. . .

As it turned out, Ralston finally admitted last night that he hadn’t seen this himself but was relying especially on local reporter Andrew Davey. Davey first said he had still frames showing the chair throwing which he would publish. He has not produced the stills in question, but did retweet a still image of a chair held high that was initially posted on Reddit. I spoke with the person who posted it to Reddit and confirmed that it was grabbed from the video now widely seen which shows that other Sanders supporters quickly took away the chair in question. I asked Davey by Twitter if he still had photos to publish, then criticized him for retweeting the Reddit image instead. He blocked me.

More:
http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/05/18/the-faux-fracas-in-nevada-how-a-reporters-pack-of-lies-ran-riot-in-the-fact-averse-media/

[BeyondGeography]

1. Amazing how he got Boxer to play along

[Jopin Klobe]

22. Boxer? ...

... that's not so amazing ...

[DarkScholar82]

25. Boxer Got Booed

Hardly what I'd call violence.

[LiberalArkie]

27. But she is not used to that, so it had to be traumatic

[bvar22]

129. I've seen the tape. There was no violence, but Boxer did her best to incite some.

The story that she was frightened is pure BS.
She was actively taunting Sanders supporters.

[LiberalArkie]

131. I think just someone talking back to her or questioning her would be traumatic.

[BeyondGeography]

37. She thought it was violent

Silly girl.

[SkyIsGrey]

113. Oh nohs! A significant amount of people are booing me!

I'm being violently repressed!

[Baobab]

128. It seems they all played along, but the evidence is apparently not there - no 'riot' ever occurred!

If you have any evidence, where is it? No evidence, no riot.

[bvar22]

130. No injuries, no arrests, no property damage, no reports of violence from Nevada Police.....

The Magic Riot that Never Happened.

[pangaia]

2. It is too late for the truth.

The old adage about how fast a lie can travel.

The Clinton campaign is without a doubt the sickest, dirtiest Democratic campaign I have seen in my long lifetime. And for someone I consider to be the worst, most self-centered, arrogant, candidate I have seen as well..

I probably missed some real bad shit way back when... but,, still. this one takes the cake...

[SammyWinstonJack]

39. She's horrible...no question. Self-centered and arrogant...

That's her to a tee.

[kayakjohnny]

77. Thank you

Spoken with perfection.

Very well done.

[arikara]

85. The vile creeps she hired to run her campaign

is proof of how filthy it is. I don't know how her supporters can justify the lies and cheating, they have to be aware of it on some level. But I guess it doesn't matter because hey-- "its her turn".

[dchill]

97. +1,000,001

[cui bono]

3. And how the Hillary fans perpetuate it to this day.

Truth and honesty is not a strong point in the Clinton campaign.

.

[Ferd Berfel]

24. This will should give us an idea of how honest and transparent her administration would be.

[Plucketeer]

47. Hey

She says she always TRIES to tell the truth. Surely there's some things too complicated and convoluted for our lilliputian ears to process and so those points are better for us once they've been pasteurized and packaged appropriately.

[dae]

69. Yes, she "tries" and has yet to succeed.

[cui bono]

124. Her record in office already telegraphs that.

The only thing transparent about her is her lies and corporate connections.

.

[Judi Lynn]

4. How Democrats Manipulated Nevada State Party Convention Then Blamed Sanders For Chaos

How Democrats Manipulated Nevada State Party Convention Then Blamed Sanders For Chaos

by Kevin Gosztola
Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Days after a convention in which leaders incited chaos and disorder, the Nevada State Democratic Party demonized supporters of Bernie Sanders in a letter written to the Democratic National Committee.

“We believe, unfortunately, that the tactics and behavior on display here in Nevada are harbingers of things to come as Democrats gather in Philadelphia in July for our National Convention,” declared Bradley S. Schrager, the state party’s general counsel. “We write to alert you to what we perceive as the Sanders campaign’s penchant for extra-parliamentary behavior — indeed, actual violence — in place of democratic conduct in a convention setting, and furthermore what we can only describe as their encouragement of, and complicity in, a very dangerous atmosphere that ended in chaos and physical threats to fellow Democrats.”

The letter written by leadership of the Nevada State Democratic Party appears to be an attempt to control the narrative, so that citizens throughout the United States view what happened at the convention as the result of “violent” Sanders delegates, who had no respect for the rules, and not as the result of anti-democratic conduct by the state party.

Nevada State Democratic Party leaders “claim that the Sanders campaign has a ‘penchant for violence,'” Sanders said in a statement. “That is nonsense. Our campaign has held giant rallies all across this country, including in high-crime areas, and there have been zero reports of violence.”

“Our campaign of course believes in non-violent change and it goes without saying that I condemn any and all forms of violence, including the personal harassment of individuals. But, when we speak of violence, I should add here that months ago, during the Nevada campaign, shots were fired into my campaign office in Nevada and apartment housing complex my campaign staff lived in was broken into and ransacked.”

More:
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2016/05/18/how-democrats-manipulated-nevada-state-party-convention-then-blamed-sanders-chaos

[JDPriestly]

41. Thom Hartmann invited a supporter of the Bernie campaign who is also an established

member or the Democrat Party.

She explained that the rules required that in order get a vote to change the rules at the floor of the convention, petitions signed by 20% of those attending had to be submitted by something like 9:30 a.m. (I'm not certain about the exact time.) That was the rule.

Bernie supporters, including millennials, claim that they presented petitions that satisfied the requirements on time and that Lange rejected them without cause.

That is what angered the Bernie supporters.

Lange refused to allow their petitions to be recognized and refused to allow them to be heard.

I would like to hear Lange's response to this rather serious allegation of unfairness at the Nevada convention.

This is what I heard on Thom Hartmann today.

[questionseverything]

125. thanks for that bit of info jd

i too would like to hear why lange rejected their petions

[pangaia]

46. Could this be the "Dean Scream" subterfuge?

I mean, they are so after Sanders, it is just frightening...
How he keeps his cool as well as he does is beyond me..

How his supporters in NV did NOT storm the 'stage' is a small miracle...

[ReRe]

90. Exactly where my mind jumped to...

... "the Dean" scream incident. Then I thought of "the Rahm effect"... throwing the base to the curb, which he did as far back as the WJC administration, but most recently for PO in his first term.

[silvershadow]

5. K&R nt

[Progressive dog]

6. That riot is way past the point of deniability,

but that hasn't stopped the Bernie cheering squad yet.

[jeff47]

7. Just like it was undeniable that Dean's scream showed he was insane, right? (nt)

[Progressive dog]

9. So you are claiming that Dean screamed and

then you are equating that with imagined claims of Dean's insanity.

[jeff47]

15. Nope.

I'm claiming that the media will happily create narratives out of their own sloppy reporting. Just like they did with Dean.

Feel free to post any pictures or videos of chair throwing and/or rioting....you'll note the media hasn't quite managed to do so.

[Progressive dog]

16. You can keep claiming there is no pictures or videos

but the MSM keeps showing them.

[jeff47]

17. Great. Link them.

If they're being shown all over the media, surely that would be a trivial request.

[retrowire]

54. Hmm it's been about 2 hours and they still haven't produced that proof they stand by.

lmao hillary supporters.

[ejbr]

59. Photoshopping should be quicker

than this.

[retrowire]

66. EXACTLY. nt

[Progressive dog]

119. LINK

Two whole hours, most of us have a life other than sitting at a computer, you apparently don't know that.
[link:https://www.rawstory.com/2016/05/bernie-backers-reality-check-nevada-violence-video-proves-we-only-lifted-a-chair-in-frustration/|

[bvar22]

132. The link you posted DISPROVES your claims...100%.

See, the way this works is that you are supposed to post a link to something that SUPPORTS your claims, not disproves them.

When you post a link disproving your own claims it ruins your credibility,
and people laugh at you, like they are now.

Cheers!!!

[Judi Lynn]

135. That was odd, wasn't it? Thanks. n/t

[Progressive dog]

159. Disproving claims would require disproving the

eyewitnesses.

[Javaman]

139. will someone think of the children!!!??! they lifted a chair!!!

[Leith]

67. I've Searched and Searched

What I found is below. Maybe somebody can help me - in none of them is there a chair being thrown. There are no chairs up front like they have been thrown. The most violent act is that of Roberta Lange slamming the gavel down and stomping off. The nastiest thing that was said was Boxer's taunting of Sanders supporters.

Andrea Mitchell claiming that a chair was thrown

Lange closes, no chairs thrown

attendee, no mention of chairs

The Young Turks
Lange had a temper tantrum when she banged the gavel

Here's another:

And another, a compilation

If I somehow missed the chair as it flew or lying on the floor, please let me know which video it was in and the time index. Thanks.

[ReRe]

91. That's a serious compilation of film...

... you have there, Leith. Thanks for putting it together for us. The Nevada Dem Party apparatchiks planned it all out. And in the end, they lucked into the payload with Jon Ralston. It was quite a manufactured product.

[Leith]

123. Thanks

I considered starting a new thread on it, but I would rather stay on the edges of this whole mess. I live in Nevada so this whole debacle hits me where I live.

However...
I'm a regular poster at DI (fighting the good fight as City Kitty) where I don't mind rolling in the mud. I can start a thread with my above post there.

But DU matters and I want to still be here when the mud stops flying.

[Progressive dog]

118. link

[link:https://www.rawstory.com/2016/05/bernie-backers-reality-check-nevada-violence-video-proves-we-only-lifted-a-chair-in-frustration/|

[jeff47]

127. Lifting a chair is proof of a riot. You actually want to make that claim?

SMH

[nikto]

74. Please help by providing links to said photos

Claims without proof go nowhere.

[Progressive dog]

117. Here

[link:https://www.rawstory.com/2016/05/bernie-backers-reality-check-nevada-violence-video-proves-we-only-lifted-a-chair-in-frustration/|

[Javaman]

140. the great lifting of the chair incident again!

many a chandelier lost their lives when said chair was hoisted too high. oh the humanity...

[Progressive dog]

142. Right, he just threatened to throw it

so that's OK with you.

[Javaman]

153. LOLOLOLOL!!!

>wipes tears from eyes< bhahahahahaha!!!

[JeaneRaye]

99. Wrong...

They are NOT showing them because the chair throwing didn't happen. Rachel Maddow showed video of people throwing chairs but it was at a WRESTLING match.. not at the Democratic convention in Las Vegas. Don't you think if she'd had the actual video, she would shown that inside!?

[Progressive dog]

115. Posted link to "raw story" in this thread

[nikto]

137. But those Bernie-Bros hug so aggressively!!!!!!!!!!

Aggressive hugging can be so violent & scary.

[lakeguy]

107. where are the pics??

[Progressive dog]

116. Link in this thread

[JustinL]

111. add me to the list of those requesting a link to these pictures and videos n/t

[Progressive dog]

114. Heres Raw story

[link:https://www.rawstory.com/2016/05/bernie-backers-reality-check-nevada-violence-video-proves-we-only-lifted-a-chair-in-frustration/|

[bvar22]

133. #1 You link DISPROVES your claims.

#2 Claims of a "riot" with no injuries, no reports of violence, no arrests, no police reports, no hospital reports, no injuries, no property damage= NO RIOT

[Progressive dog]

143. So assault and threats are OK with you

as long as it doesn't cause injuries. As a bonus, you believe if you get away with it, it didn't happen.

[bvar22]

144. You claim there was an "assault"?

Please post a link to this "assault".
There were plenty of police on the scene,
yet no arrests, no injuries, no video, no photos, no charges of assault filed = No Assault.
You have zero credibility. Produce some support for your claim from a credible source and we will talk.

I'm NOT OK with violence or intimidation, and there was NONE by Sanders supporters at the Vegas convention. "Booing" is NOT assault or intimidation.

I'm also not OK with people posting LIES to DU,
especially when they are as transparent as you.

[Progressive dog]

145. This is definition of assault

A person has committed an aggravated assault when that person attempts to: cause serious bodily injury to another person with a deadly weapon.

An assault is carried out by a threat of bodily harm coupled with an apparent, present ability to cause the harm.

Attempts

make an effort to achieve or complete (something, typically a difficult task or action).

So yes threatening someone with a chair is assault.

Battery is when someone is harmed.

[bvar22]

146. OH, I see what your problem is.

You are confused.

THIS is an assault:

‘The Wire’ actor Wendell Pierce charged with battery, reportedly for attacking Sanders supporter

"The altercation, which took place in a bar in the Loews Hotel in Atlanta, reportedly arose from a conversation about politics. Pierce, an avowed Hillary Clinton supporter, allegedly began arguing with a Bernie Sanders supporter and her boyfriend at The Lobby, the hotel’s bar, around 3:30 a.m., according to TMZ. The site goes on to report the conversation became heated, and Pierce “became enraged, pushed the boyfriend and then went after his girlfriend … grabbing her hair and smacking her in the head.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/05/16

SEE?
Witnesses.
Arrested by Police.
Link and everything.

<cue the music>
This is how we do it!
This is how we do it, Yeah!
<mike drop>

[Progressive dog]

147. What exactly does that have to do with the riot?

No one could possibly try to justify the Bernie supporters at the Nevada convention with that crap.

[bvar22]

149. Talk to The Hand

or in this case, a post by DU member woo me with science.

The goal of the propaganda assaults across the internet is not to convince anyone of anything.

It is to thoroughly hijack, pollute and therefore eliminate public spaces where real discussion and organization can occur. Occupy is disbanded with clubs and pepper spray. Dissent and organization online are disrupted with surveillance and propaganda.

It is no accident that propaganda brigades post new threads on discussion boards far out of proportion to their presence in the community, and that they nearly *always* demand the last word in any interchange.

The goal is to disrupt the important public space for liberal thought, discussion, and organization that these boards offer, and to keep the participants busy instead batting off the corporate lies and talking points.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023359801
woo me with science Sun Jul 28, 2013

[Judi Lynn]

151. So glad you posted this. It is accurate, and it's great to see it written so well. n/t

[Progressive dog]

158. That is bizarre (reasoning?)

[Exilednight]

152. Legally speaking, what happened in Nevada could not be classified as assault.

Assault must be acted upon and not just threatened. If someone waves a gun and threatens to shoot you for trespassing, no assault has happened. If the person fires in your general direction and misses, then assault has occurred.

In other words, the chair would have had to leave his hands for assault to occur. It also depends on whether or not the person was taunted and to what degree.

[Progressive dog]

157. Witnesses made the claim of chairs being thrown

Video would be more evidence. Correct me if I'm wrong but the Bundy ranch group are awaiting trial and they never fired a bullet.

[Exilednight]

160. they were illegally trespassing and failing to obey law enforcement.

[Javaman]

141. again with the lifting of the chair.

no matter how many times you post it, the chair will still not take flight.

[leftinportland]

8. What riot?

Barking up the wrong tree...

[Progressive dog]

10. Yes you are

the riot that is all over MSM with video.

[arcane1]

28. Where is the video?

Surely if it's "all over MSM" then you can provide a link to this "riot", right?

[Ferd Berfel]

29. You were asked for links to prove your point

Haven't seen one yet.

You're making baseless claims perpetuating lies.
Links?

[AgingAmerican]

50. There was no riot

No video exists

[Plucketeer]

51. Rioting

is defined by folks raising their voices and shaking their signs? Boy, aren't we lucky your brand of "civility" didn't reign in the 1770s! We might still be a commonwealth of the British Empire.

[JimDandy]

101. Ok, that was funny. n/t

[Plucketeer]

53. Look at this agitated soul!

[stupidicus]

57. run Forrest, run

it looks like you aren't up for the "link it" challenge eh?

[nikto]

75. Do you even have ONE link?

[pangaia]

81. WHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[lakeguy]

108. how much are you getting paid to keep pushing this lie?

is it by the post or by the hour?

[nikto]

138. Here's the ACTUAL LINK TO THE BERNIE SUPPORTERS' BIG FIGHT

Not for the faint-hearted ...

[beardown]

11. Riot?

You must live in a gated community where someone getting a parking ticket is a crime wave.

How the world has changed since the civil rights' riots. Back then, the folks with 'progressive' titles supported those having their rights stolen and not those doing the stealing.

[Progressive dog]

13. You must live in a special world where intimidation

and harassment are thought of as civic virtues. That's a world that government exists to prevent.

[Perogie]

23. You still haven't provided a link of the video or still picture

[The Wizard]

60. Congratulations on reaching full ignore (NT)

[mrdmk]

88. Agreed, BS on ignore. It is getting real thick with this violence stick

[mountain grammy]

64. If you have a link to the "riot" please post it..

[billhicks76]

103. Believe No One With Progressive, Liberal or Democrat in their Screen Name

That's my policy. Every single one acts the opposite. Why do they try to convince us so hard of what they are??? I'm noticing a pattern and so are many other people.

[QC]

154. It's a DU tradition for conservatives to adopt ostentatiously lefty handles.

The other dead giveaway is that Che avatar.

[billhicks76]

155. Military Contractors For Hillary Is Trending...lol

[lakeguy]

109. you must live in a special world where lying non-stop is considered

a respectable thing to do.

[leftofcool]

20. The Bernie cheering squad will continue to deny all this right up to criminal charges.

[LiberalElite]

26. haha haha keep dreaming nt

[Ferd Berfel]

30. A guy picked up a chair and put it down

Stop Swiftboating and show some links

[YOHABLO]

94. Yes, he picked up the chair and another guy said no no and he put it down and they hugged it out.

Big f..ing riot. You people must not have been around during the 60s and Watts. Now that is the definition of a riot.

[Ferd Berfel]

126. Or at the '68 Democratic Convention when THE POLICE RIOTED

Look it up . the other Warren Commission that investigated that one concluded that the Police Rioted.

[zeemike]

36. And the Hillary people will keep escalating the narrative up to crimes were committed.

And ignoring the fact that the burden of proof is on the accuser...no links no proof just rhetoric that gets more serious as it goes along.
There is a name for that.

[ReRe]

96. The "ACORN" effect...

... remember that one? Non-profit that registered voters was set-up by the O'Keefe character and without nary an investigation, Congress cut Acorn's Federal funding and shut it down. Voila'! Voter registration stopped!

[zeemike]

100. That's a good name for it.

They never let a lie go to waste.

[bvar22]

161. I'm still angry about how FAST The Democratic Party and President Obama dropped ACORN..

and RAN from them...based on a Fox News story, and THAT was back when the House & Senate had a large Dem majority.

[ReRe]

162. I know!!!

I can not tell you how that disturbed me. Tabloid justice: Spread a rumor. Down goes ACORN!

That WAS NOT democracy. It took me a long time to get over that.

[glinda]

38. They arrested a HRC supporter that attacked a Bernie person.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

80. You're talking about Clinton's criminal charges?

[ReRe]

95. If there are any charges brought...

... they should be against those who perpetrated the whole debacle from the get-go: the Democratic Party of Nevada.

[pangaia]

48. There was no riot...

[AzDar]

76. It's time to back your shit UP. You say there was a "riot" please provide evidence...If you cannot

and continue the promulgation of this narrative...that makes you a LIAR.

[The Straight Story]

148. Whitewater, vince foster, drugs, carpet bagging, etc - some say they passed that point too

Just because it appears a lot of places and is something you want to believe about someone doesn't make it true, does it?

[Enthusiast]

12. K&R! This post should receive hundreds of recommendations.

[blackspade]

14. It was obvious ratfuckery from the beginning

But establishment political operatives and the M$M couldn't resist the opportunity to bash Sanders' supporters.
Fucking pathetic.

[scottie55]

33. Sickening

Every day fewer Bernie Supporters will end up helping or voting for Hillary.

No one likes being screwed over.

[leftofcool]

18. I guess all those death threats were manufactured as well?

The phone calls to Roberta's boss all manufactured as well?

[jeff47]

71. Which ones? There have been death threats to delegates of both candidates. (nt)

[arikara]

86. If the shoe fits

A bunch of liars. Nobody believes that bullshit either.

[billhicks76]

104. By Whom?

Maybe Clintonites manufactured them. I'm curious how left you really are.

[Ford_Prefect]

19. And The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves!

DNC Debbie and the ringer squad pull a fast one on the MSM. Meanwhile the MSM is hungry for more drama after months of the TRump goons acting out so they leap to the obvious with out so much as as spot check for truth and accuracy.

Never let the truth get in the way of a good and colorful lie!

It seems to me that the rate of repeated ratfucking suggests that the HRC Campaign are scared of something bigger than a few progressive votes and delegates. They fear the truth might get some traction. They have been hard at it removing progressive democrats from the party at any level they can. Looking at this sham of a party convention in NV should be an eye opener for their plans in Philadelphia this July. Dick Daley's Ghost has risen indeed!

[jwirr]

45. And I just got done watching a video here on DU about 1968.

As I see you also did - Daley - and I am actually afraid of what they have planned.

But they had best watch the same video because Humphrey was not hated nearly as much as Hillary and he was ignored by most voters.

[Ford_Prefect]

61. I suspect most of the people who are in denial about it do not know about Daley.

They either were not there, or here, (too young perhaps) or simply never got the message about how all that went down and what strings Daley, and the other power brokers in the party at that time, pulled to get the candidate TPTB wanted to have. How ugly the run up to the convention was and the nasty infighting at the convention and who it was that insisted then on party purity and loyalty.

It did not help that the war was going so horribly wrong, and that people had become aware of just how bad it was and how they'd been lied to about it. But then we have similar conditions occurring now regarding truth about foreign policy decisions and events in Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, Yemen, Iraq and Iran.

I wish those who are so dedicated to the inevitable would spend some time reading outside the sacred texts.

T.E. Lawrence wrote: "All the revision in the world will not save a bad first draft: for the architecture of the thing comes, or fails to come, in the first conception, and revision only affects the detail and ornament, alas!"

We are now at the mercy of those who rewrite party history to suit the 1% agendas. Shame on them.

My father, my mother, and many, many more like them did not walk in Selma, and Memphis, and Washington, and Philadelphia to build a world where the poor and the middle class are sacrificed that the rich might have a better car or a better 2nd home at the beach while the rest of us have poisoned water and food to feed our children on. I did not march around the Pentagon and the Capitol to enable endless war and the death of the planet. Martin, John and Robert died from the poisoned system they fought to change. Carter was unhorsed by it. Now we have the inevitable on the horizon. I guess if you don't read the history you cannot learn the lesson.

[jwirr]

63. So very much love you last paragraph. That is where we are

today. We need every advantage we can get it we are going to fix this mess.

[Boomerproud]

73. Let me second the Standing Ovation for your last paragraph.

I get the feeling we are screaming into a canyon and no one is listening. I thank you and your family for your service and sacrifice for a better country for all of us. I also think of my WWII vet Democrat father. What would he be thinking now?

[Ford_Prefect]

84. Your dad and mine and a whole lot more went to war to stop this kind of thing.

The oligarchs have no idea how badly they are screwing up the world. It doesn't have to be that way but extreme wealth is an addiction they are unlikely to solve at Betty Ford Clinic. They imagine they are immune by reason that they can buy safe places to hide from it all. When what falls as rain is so toxic that nothing grows and you can't drink it, when there are no more fish in the oceans or the ice at the poles is all gone it will be too late for all of us.

The simple fact is they do not care because they do not need to care. They have other needs which they use the rest of us to accomplish for them. I'd like to put them all on an island somewhere that they cannot leave. They can live as well as they want to as long as they stay far away and do nothing whatsoever to interfere with the rest of us who need to get on with real life and saving what is left of the planet.

Of course I didn't say it was a very tall island, did I?

[Gman]

21. Hmmm... Damage control

Because some supporters can't control themselves and make the campaign look bad.

[scottie55]

102. Some Party Chairs Screw People And Make The Party Look Far Worse

Put the blame where it belongs.

[ViseGrip]

32. What do the Hillary supporters say about this now? Now it's just their supporter who punched

someone in the face?

[scottie55]

35. When Hillary Loses It Will All Be Bernie's Fault

You heard it here first.

[840high]

40. Of course. I'll tell her supporters

to STFU.

[jalan48]

42. I'm so upset I'm going to send Babs a package of Depends-fear is a terrible thing.

[procon]

43. Sure, it was just an imaginary ruckus and the police were only there for the free food.

Sanders most virulent followers are killing his campaign. The wild scene from Nevada is not an isolated incident. Sanders has tacitly given his approval by not banning that faction of his fans who are endangering his legacy. He's gone from being a principled champion for progressive causes to an unethical spoiler, drunk on the hero worship from his raucous audiences.

C&P all these little puff pieces you can find, it doesn't change the pictures of the screaming mob, the videos of the hooligans threatening people, the nasty social media texts, or the death threats. That is the new take away image of Bernie Sanders that came out of Nevada, and it just cost him any chance he ever had of being nominated.

[AgingAmerican]

55. The cops stood there

Doing nothing.

Hillary supporters are liars on this one.

[procon]

65. News reports don't support your fictional claim.

The police had to surround the stage to safeguard the officials and stop Sanders supporters from taking over the microphone.

"Bernie supporters then held a sit-in, but security and local police officers forced them out, saying “it is now in the hands of the attorneys.”

“If we do not leave, it becomes a big issue,” said one Sanders supporter. “I’m not leaving.”

After some time, the lights at the convention were shut off to get Bernie supporters to leave."

http://www.nationofchange.org/news/2016/05/16/police-called-amid-chaotic-nevada-democratic-convention/

[AgingAmerican]

68. There were multiple cameras live from multiple angles

Nothing you claim actually happened. Your whole premise is demonstrably false and predicated on lies.

[procon]

70. Yes, we know, everyone is out to get you...

Sanders was robbed, blah-blah-blah, everyone is out to get him, blah-blah-blah, the system is rigged, blah-blah-blah. Its the Sanders theme song.

[AgingAmerican]

72. The lies have been exposed

None of what you claim exists. It's all falsehoods.

But don't let that interrupt your sad...

[procon]

78. Yes, its a global conspiracy against Sanders.

Armies are massing, drones have launched, and satellites are tracking his every move. Everything is a lie. Only the loyal Sanders troops know that he was robbed, blah-blah-blah, everyone is out to get him, blah-blah-blah, the system is rigged, blah-blah-blah.

That should cover it.

[frylock]

98. You done now?

Yes. Yes you are.

[billhicks76]

106. Wow. Clinton Group Working Overtime.

And all that huffing and puffing and still not even close to the truth. Remember when you scolded Rove for suddenly denouncing exit polling in 2002? We ALL knew he did it because they hacked voting machines or tossed paper ballots. We ALL knew we verify ejections in other countries based on exit polling which only has a 4% margin of error. Well the exit polling in Clinton's victories doesn't line up with the results. In all those states the results were much closer than recorded. You can't have it both ways. It's not ok just because it's your favorite candidate. And we all know that military contractors favor Hillary due to her support of that industry. They do not want Bernie. How does that not make you cringe if your a Democrat??? We don't want more wars I thought.

[billhicks76]

105. There Are Videos Of Clinton Cheating During The Caucuses

That's the only vids of wrongdoing.

[procon]

82. I read what the police said, yes.

I read that the facility was closing and Sanders people refused to leave by sitting down. I've never heard that democracy or freedom of speech had anything to do with trespassing on private property. They were behaving foolishly, but I suspect this was all orchestrated, a preview of what that crazy Sanders is going to do to the national convention.

[procon]

87. Puhleese, just stop.

It was a stupid idea for Sanders people to refuse to leave the casino. They were acting like anarchists and the cops were called because they were disrupting a business that had absolutely nothing to do with the Democrats or the Nevada Convention. Did they even have a plan, or were they confused and got mad at the casino owners, or maybe they thought the Dems owned the facility, who knows! They sure didn't go to the party headquarters office to stage a protest, did they.

[procon]

92. Yeah, I know, everyone is picking on you, everyone is lying, everything is BS...

what a loopy argument. And look here, make up your mind. If you're going go off on a tirade about the boogeyman "establishment' in one sentence, and then switch to being all fake concerned and "a Clinton defeat" in the next line, which is it? You can't have it both ways... unless maybe you're just being contrary and this has been a ruse because you really have nothing valid to add.

[libodem]

44. WooHoo

Worth jumping on the couch for this bit of truth.

Sofa King good to see this clip.

[asuhornets]

49. Why do you hate the truth?

[drokhole]

52. 1. Steamroll people’s rights and opinions. 2. Anticipate and leverage resistance. 3. Profit!

Briefly, this is a conversation worth a listen (with a guy who authored a book more than worth a read):

http://davidswanson.org/node/4671

Note particularly the point where the guest speaks to the fact that those in power often orchestrate or perform some egregious action, only to turn around and denounce reactions and feign innocence of any initial infraction or systemic injustice (a common tactic of the powerful and those in charge).

Longly (from another author/researcher), there are stories that unite and stories that divide (posted this in another thread, but bears repeating to highlight the inner workings of the establishment's attempt to continue to actively misrepresent what happened, and concoct, control, and perpetuate a narrative that has been discredited):

Stories that unite
Have elements of play
Focus on changeable behavior
Identify qualities group members share
Poke fun at the powerful

Stories that divide
Lack elements of play
Focus on essences of people
Identify qualities few people have
Belittle, reject less powerful

"To tell great stories is to inspire, unite, animate, and find opportunities for power.

My study of fraternity teasing, however, also offered a cautionary tale about the potential abuses of power in storytelling. Our high-power, active fraternity members told stories that were often lacking playful markers. They went after lower-status targets in blunt, humiliating, and isolating attacks. This result has been replicated in other studies as well. Studies of bullies (PDF) find that their jokes generate little laughter but instead humiliate. Sexual harassment, always perpetrated by the more powerful, often begins in stories and jokes that isolate, demean, and coerce.

More generally, power can lead to a demeaning form of storytelling I call narratives of exceptionalism. These are stories that people who hold entrenched power tell about how extraordinary those at the top are.

Narratives of exceptionalism have the attributes of stories that divide. They focus on rare “essence” of people rather than changeable behavior, and suggest that the unusual traits of a select few separate them from the hoi polloi.

(...)

Narratives of exceptionalism matter. They are used to justify people’s positions of power, thus impeding social progress. They blind people to their own abuses of power. And they can deter deserving people from pursuing positions of power that would allow them to make valuable contributions to society." - Dacher Keltner (from The Power Paradox)

Now, let's look how each "side" officially responded following this past weekend's events:

The explosive situation arose in large part because a portion of the community of Sanders delegates arrived at the Nevada Democratic State Convention believing itself to be a vanguard intent upon sparking a street-fight rather than attending an orderly political party process. Surprised and outraged at the idea of being out-organized and thus outnumbered in the convention hall by Clinton delegates, a portion of the Sanders delegation rushed the dais immediately upon the opening of the convention and halted the progress of any convention business for much of the day. Indeed, every point during which Sanders delegates did not agree with any aspect of the proceedings saw them press up against the dais and scream obscenities and threats at the Chair, First Vice Chair, and any other speaker. In fact, event security provided by the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino took it upon themselves to increase the security perimeter around the dais so the convention could simply move forward with its routine business in relative safety. In other words, the hour-to-hour business of Nevada Democrats was necessarily conducted in an atmosphere of impending eruption of physical threats and intimidation for more than 12 hours. Scuffles, screams from bullhorns, and profane insults marked nearly the entirety of the event. Numerous medical emergencies among delegates pressed up against the dais had to be attended to throughout the day.

The Sanders Campaign spent its time either ignoring or profiting from the chaos it did much to create and nothing to diminish or mitigate.

(...)

The people who fostered, encouraged, and gained from the unsettling scenes at the Nevada State Democratic Convention bring dishonor and discredit to our state and national parties. Having seen up close the lack of conscience or concern for the ramifications of their actions—indeed, the glee with which they engaged in such destructive behavior—we expect similar tactics at the National Convention in July.

And, from Sanders:

“It is imperative that the Democratic leadership, both nationally and in the states, understand that the political world is changing and that millions of Americans are outraged at establishment politics and establishment economics. The people of this country want a government which represents all of us, not just the 1 percent, super PACs and wealthy campaign contributors.

The Democratic Party has a choice. It can open its doors and welcome into the party people who are prepared to fight for real economic and social change – people who are willing to take on Wall Street, corporate greed and a fossil fuel industry which is destroying this planet. Or the party can choose to maintain its status quo structure, remain dependent on big-money campaign contributions and be a party with limited participation and limited energy."

The contrast couldn't be more stark. Right out the gate, the Nevada Democratic Party officials - with violently charged language - seek to smear and demean in "blunt, humiliating, and isolating attacks." Whereas Sanders, given the same opportunity in opening remarks, doesn't attack the disenfranchised and powerless, but calls for more inclusion and fights on their behalf.

"But once people feel powerful, their attention shifts. They often stop prioritizing others’ interests and the greater good. They become concerned with gratifying their own desires, and they become vulnerable to a lack of empathy, impulsive behavior, and stories that divide and humiliate others.

This is the power paradox: The very skills that help us attain power vanish once we feel powerful or live a life of privilege. And the paradox is evident in the ways in which power is intertwined with storytelling." - Dacher Keltner

[Blue_Tires]

56. Good old nutty CounterPunch....

And 104 recs, too? Garbage...

So I guess Ralston is the latest lib to get thrown under the bus? I should have kept a list...

[stupidicus]

58. how much more dumb, dishonest, and disgusting can they get?

I'd say as much as they wanna be

[Dont call me Shirley]

62. It's time to bring a final end to psychopathic rule. This lying, cheatin, stealing, bullying,

abusing, killing crap is getting really really old! Psychopaths suck!

[concreteblue]

110. Being a Troll for Hillary must not pay much...

You guys (girls?) are horrible. Could not troll your way out of a wet paper bag. YOU SUCK! And it takes a special snowflake to be that bad at trolling. Really.

[Helen Borg]

112. Same trick as the manufactured Bernie's Bros.

[bloom]

120. "There’s little disagreement that the convention was chaotic." PolitiFact Nevada was there

"Our ruling

Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver said Nevada Democratic Party leaders "hijacked the process on the floor" of the state convention "ignoring the regular procedure and ramming through what they wanted to do."

Caucuses and delegate math can be incredibly confusing, and the arcane party structures don’t reflect how most people assume presidential selection works.

But the howls of unfairness and corruption by the Sanders campaign during Nevada’s state Democratic Convention can’t change the simple fact that Clinton’s supporters simply turned out in larger numbers and helped her solidify her delegate lead in Nevada.

There’s no clear evidence the state party "hijacked" the process or ignored "regular procedure."

We rate this claim False."

http://www.politifact.com/nevada/statements/2016/may/18/jeff-weaver/allegations-fraud-and-misconduct-nevada-democratic/

[Progressive dog]

121. Link to NPR

[link:http://www.npr.org/sections/ombudsman/2016/05/18/478579787/fact-checking-nprs-reports-on-vegas-violence|

[rhett o rick]

122. The Clinton Campaign are the bullies. They think because they have the major corporation backing

them that they are entitled. And all bullies, when confronted will become the victim and whine. And bullies are cowards if they don't have the upper hand. We must keep the pressure on and they will crack. The Oligarchy must be brought down.

[bvar22]

134. Call me paranoid, but I believe there is more to this than a rowdy night in Vegas.

I am worried that the Clinton Campaign and the Party Bosses are using the Vegas Fabrications to lay the groundwork for a very real and pre-emptive violent suppression of Bernie Supporters at the Convention....
because "we know they thugs that have a reputation for violence and disruption."
"I mean, we ALL saw what happened in Vegas" (even though in reality, there was nothing to see). The meme has been started, and is being repeated by the Media and the trolls on DU.

MY Spidey Senses are tingling.
Something EVIL this way comes.

[rhett o rick]

136. Yikes. I think you've got something. I can't help thinking about our founders that

were fighting the corporate domination by the East India Company, the world's first corporation. We are fighting for the lives of those in the 99% struggling while our DINO's friends are fighting for Goldman-Sachs bigger profits.

[LiberalElite]

150. Kicking nt

[Uncle Joe]

156. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Judi Lynn.