John Lewis on Bernie Sanders' work in the civil rights movement: "I never saw him. I never met him."
Darren Sands ?@darrensands 1h1 hour agoRep. John Lewis on @BernieSanders work in the civil rights movement: "I never saw him. I never met him."
Darren Sands ?@darrensands 1h1 hour ago
As John Lewis said he never met or saw Bernie Sanders during his time in the civil rights movement, people in this room GASPED.
from Buzzfeed:
A reporter, noting Sanders’ involvement with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the 1960s, asked Lewis, about Sanders’ record in the civil rights movement.
Sanders has made his history as a participant in the March on Washington and as a student organizer in SNCC a part of his campaign.
“Well, to be very frank, I don’t want to cut you off, but I know where it’s going,” Lewis said.
As Lewis began to lean into his answer, the room tensed, and someone let out an “uh oh.”
“I never saw him. I never met him,” Lewis continued. “I was chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee for 3 years, from 1963 to 1966. I was involved with the sit-ins, the Freedom Rides, the March on Washington, the march from Selma to Montgomery and directed to voter education project for six years. But I met Hillary Clinton. I met President Clinton.”
Lewis’ comments drew applause from some members of the audience.
= new reply since forum marked as read
depressing 
major turnoffs fingers in ears sort of thing pretty bad day for John Lewis too. , that he can be used
and somehow I think you already know that.
The Clintons have never lifted a finger for anything that didn't feather their own nests.
Who knew? 
Did he meet every single person who worked for civil rights? 
Aka the kitchen sink Bernie talked about at his victory speech in NH
Try this cast iron sink I pulled out of a customer's house.
But I've made it a point to stay away from all of that. I dont even bother to click those threads on DU. I guess I didnt realize it was such a "thing". 
And I take your word about the annoying part. Being a white chick from NH, I know Im not who theyre trying to impress. 
I bet most of these landmark historical events were a lot less exciting than they sound, especially for kids at the time.
I wonder how many peoples true experience of something like Woodstock was actually sleeping through most of it, and spending most of the rest jostled in crowds not hearing much. 
Choosing not to go is one thing, but trying and getting stuck.. he must have been frustrated for years after over that one!
" I was chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee for three years -- 1963 to 1966," he said. "I was involved in the sit-ins, the freedom rides, the March on Washington, the march from Selma to Montgomery. I directed the board of education project for six years."
And he never met him?:
That must have stung.
That must have stung!
Sorry - I know that's childish but I am sick of these non issues being thrown in Bernie's and our face(s).
That's all I need to know.
God bless John Lewis a REAL american HERO!
So John Lewis' comments are merely comments.
bern indeed eh?
This comment from John Lewis is merely a comment.
ETA: Not like he met Hillary or Bill in those civil rights events. So, what he's trying to imply is disingenuous.
moving in different circles than you, Congressman Lewis.
I have the utmost respect for John Lewis but I do not understand the point of this.
Many people were involved in activism during the civil rights movement. You are not going to work with all of them.
That's impossible.
I respect Lewis but that's a pretty shitty way to dismiss the hard work of thousands of activists from that time who were active all across the country.
desperate in '08, that she kept invoking the RFK assassination, and IIRC, at one point she pretended to cry...
They are SHAMELESS
First, All Folks Supporting The Civil Rights Movement During The 1960's Where Not Required To Check In with John Lewis.
Second, Well, There's This -- From FactCheck.org:
I hate to say it, but Mr Lewis has already made clear exactly where his loyalties lay. He is either being forgetful or outright dishonest to support his candidate of choice.
Bernie Sander's record in Civil rights is just as unquestionable as Mr Lewis. Does Mr Lewis suggest that he intimately remembers everyone involved in the civil rights movement.
"The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), as an organization, began with an $800.00 grant from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) for a conference attended by 126 student delegates from 58 sit-in centers in 12 states, along with delegates from 19 northern colleges, the SCLC, Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), National Student Association (NSA), and Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). Out of this conference the SNCC was formed.[7][8]"
Bernie Sanders was a activist with for the Congress for Racial Equality in Chicago, and would have likely been directly involved in the formation of the SNCC.
He would have had to turn around in order to meet Bernie.
Response to bigtree (Original post)
I think some, who talk about it on the internet, think that doing that is enough. I admire people who actually get out in the street and walk the talk.
but since it's being posted all over the place, maybe it shows that John Lewis knows Bernie Sanders now.
He also knows Hillary Clinton. When he had to decide whom to endorse in the primaries, he decided to endorse Hillary.
End of story.
"insider" stories during their decades long association in the House of Representatives. Same side of the aisle and all.
*sigh* My God.
Hillary is desperate.
John's paying back a favor but he needs to cut the Clintons loose.
The Clintons ain't on our side.
We have a choice for once.
We don't have to hold our nose & vote against the Republican this time.
This is 2008 all over again & she's scared to DEATH!
This IS her last chance to fulfill her old childhood ambition.
To be the First Female President of the United States.
So she will do ANYTHING it takes. I just hoped it wouldn't be this.
If Hillary had integrity & stuck to her guns on progressive issues, she would have no problem fulfilling that childhood ambition.
We would have GLADLY made her the First Female President.
But you sold out. You got compromised. You got corrupted.
If we have a choice, we will not support you.
There's a reason why you keep getting blindsided by candidates who run from "The Left".
You have no conviction other than reaching this last achievement of being the First Female President of the United States.
Obama didn't quite live up to that 2008 campaign but I'm glad he ran it.
It set the stage for a new energized coalition that will run politics in America for the next coming decades.
Bernie is taking advantage of the coalition Obama forged & will follow through on what that campaign stood for.
And he has ALL the credentials backing him up to do it.
John Lewis despite participating in this foolishness I still respect you.
Nobody can take away YOUR credentials in the Movement.
But please don't let yourself get tainted with the skullduggery of the Clintons.
There's no future in that. Their time is over.
He was the best we could do in 1992 to slow down that Republican coalition.
We have better choices now.
And furthermore John, it won't work.
This is the Information Age now.
You can tell a whole story with a simple GIF that goes viral in meme form.
I know you may owe the Clintons favors but don't pay 'em back like this.
People will see right through it. Enough of them will anyway.
Bernie Sanders will be the Democratic nominee & there's nothing Hillary Rodham & her Superdelegates can do about it.
Next go round. Try integrity. It especially works when you do it when it's unpopular.
John Lucas
The more lies and character assassination by Clinton supporters,
the more $$$ goes out to Bernie.
his remark about "I never saw him, I never met him," is beneath him.
There were millions of people in the Civil Rights Movement. Whether or not they all got to meet John Lewis is not any kind of a legitimate litmus test. I certainly hope no one ever tells me I wasn't active in the anti-apartheid movement in the 1980s because they never saw me at a protest. Or that I wasn't a student leader in the Jerry Brown for President Campaign ('92) because they met me. Or that I wasn't at President Obama's first inauguration because they don't recall seeing me there.
It's just a completely, thoroughly, and in all other ways, ludicrous thing to say.
Rep. Lewis has every right to support Hillary and I'm sure he has very good reasons for doing so that I would never dare to impugn. But "I never saw Bernie Sanders during the Civil Rights Movement" is not one of them.
Respect.
