Where were those chairs, Jon?

[kiva]

Jon Ralson, a Las Vegas based newsman, reported that Sanders "threw chairs at the stage as they rushed forward to try to take control of a convention they had lost" https://www.ralstonreports.com/blog/sour-grapes-revolution-rocked-paris-hotel

I was there and didn't see any chairs thrown, but it was a big room and I could have missed it. So I asked four other people who were seated/standing in different parts of the room, and none of them had seen it either.

I watched at least a dozen videos of the end of the convention and no one was throwing chairs.

A poster here said s/he was there and saw someone pick up a chair, but then put it back down.

Last night I was messaging a delegate who was seated at the front of the room, and she didn't see any chair thrown either.

Ralston also repeated the lie that Sanders' supporters booed Nina Turner, despite the fact that she tweeted that was a lie.

In a normal world this wouldn't matter, but this isn't a normal world. People have taken Ralson's unproved allegation and used it to refer to the protest as a "riot". He uses the lie about Turner to show Sanders supporters as hostile even to allies.

Ralston and his minions post and repost the threats against Lange but completely ignore the fact that Christine Kramer, who was removed as the credentials chair the night before the county convention, also received threats but that those threats were ignored by the Democratic party. In Kramer's words "The party has allowed the harassment of those who are not in power for a very long time. It was inevitable with how the party culture has been so negative toward the activists for so long that there would be this blowback."

If you want a textbook case on how the media can vilify a group of people in an attempt to deflect criticism from a party, Ralson is the perfect example.

[Jackie Wilson Said]

1. Drumpf is gonna steal the election, with the help of BoB AND Hillary supporters

who cant leave well enough alone

[kiva]

5. For someone who keeps insisting they are a Bernie supporter,

you spend a lot of time scolding real Bernie supporters.

[QC]

10. You've noticed that too, eh?

And not only scolding Bernie supporters but engaging in constant apologetics for Hillary.

I doubt anyone has been fooled.

[kiva]

19. Pretty much every post I've seen from them

starts out saying, "I'm a Bernie supporter BUT..."

[QC]

21. Reminds me of those really transparent freeper types who call CSPAN

and say things like, "As a lifelong librul in the Democrat Party I think George W. Bush is the greatest American in history."

Uh huh.

[ThePhilosopher04]

11. He or she is no Bernie supporter.

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. Or those of us who now believe

The election is well compromised.

[Jackie Wilson Said]

20. Not enough, if BoB act like this in Philly, and if DNC organizers arent also reasonable

and cooperative, we will absolutely have a repeat of 68

[catnhatnh]

88. Sorry Jackie

But bring it the fuck on. Which part of all done don't you get? Oh-you forgot to mention the '68 election was marred by Republican treason:

"Richard Nixon was a traitor.

The new release of extended versions of Nixon's papers now confirms this long-standing belief, usually dismissed as a "conspiracy theory" by Republican conservatives. Now it has been substantiated by none other than right-wing columnist George Will.

Nixon's newly revealed records show for certain that in 1968, as a presidential candidate, he ordered Anna Chennault, his liaison to the South Vietnam government, to persuade them to refuse a cease-fire being brokered by President Lyndon Johnson."

http://www.commondreams.org/views/2014/08/12/george-will-confirms-nixons-vietnam-treason

[timmymoff]

51. Hillary supporters own trump's presidency

those like Jackie Wilson Said. Good job conservadems

[Jackie Wilson Said]

58. Way to go Timmy, supporting Drumpf even if thru the backdoor...sad

[timmymoff]

60. Jackie, you support Trump throught the backdoor

by supporting Hillary. The person you support last is Bernie sanders. First Hillary which is obvious by virtually every post, second Trump because you support our weakest candidate, and third sanders but I seriously doubt that. Since I started reading your posts I have always doubted your support and your coddling of Her Corporate Majesty is the biggest factor of your secondary support for Trump. Own it, you built the 2016 loss. Pathetic and sad .

[Jackie Wilson Said]

61. I and ALL Liberals will be fighting on the OPPOSITE side of you

We will be fighting for a non DRumpf White House, your actions will facilitate it.

Bernie and I are very disappointed in you

[CobaltBlue]

62. Jackie Wilson Said—If you are for Hillary Clinton, rather than Bernie Sanders, you are not "liberal"

[Jackie Wilson Said]

64. 1. I am a Bernie voter 2. If Bernie loses, I and ALL liberals will vote for Hillary

[CobaltBlue]

75. Jackie Wilson Said—I'm not interested in your post-primaries intentions.

[timmymoff]

65. You won't fight for shit

because Hillary supporters don't fight for shit, they seek out the republican alternative instead of fight. GFY and your false support and name dropping. No use for the lemming class of the democratic party.

[Jackie Wilson Said]

66. You embarrass real liberals like myself who have fought the fight for decades.

[timmymoff]

67. You arent a liberal dear

anymore than im a christian

[Jackie Wilson Said]

68. LOL ...oh god, if you only knew...

[timmymoff]

71. I can tell by your faux support for sanders

and your elevated support for our Goldwater girl.

[Jackie Wilson Said]

73. You are embarrassing yourself, you really are. I have forgotten more

about it than you know if you have that attitude.


REAL liberals NEVER give up and would NEVER allow a Drumpf or ANY republican in office if they could prevent it.

N E V E R

Learn what it means to be a liberal, seriously.

[timmymoff]

74. I do not care about your opinion of me.

it's only your opinion. I do not sugarcoat shit for others to feel more comfortable. You are a GOP lite supporter, own it. your masquerade is as phony as your true candidate HRC . You will be complicit in Novembers loss. Own it.

[timmymoff]

76. that isn't liberal that is lessor of two evils

such as I get a choice between shit sandwich number one and a shit sandwich with sprinkles .. still a shit sandwich. You would ask for seconds. Because you have no convictions your only motivator being fear.

[grasswire]

2. and a textbook case of inciting hysteria in those who do not value evidence..

...and are willing to let themselves be led by poseurs on twitter.

[Skwmom]

3. Ms. Corporate Puppet (aka Maddow) showed them. Oh wait, that WAS stock footage of people

throwing chairs into a fighting ring.

Such integrity. NOT

[notadmblnd]

6. From an old Jerry Springer show no doubt

[2cannan]

53. I think it was a WWF wrestling match. I kept expecting tRUMP to show up on screen! nt

[notadmblnd]

83. Lol, Thanks for the visual

I just pictured Trump in tights. That would be a sight to make eyes bleed.

[lagomorph777]

7. She nattered on and on about how crazy the Bernie people were,

and made up a bunch of crap about delegates "missing the deadline" (no doubt they were purged). I assume the real complaint was about the election irregularities. What a load.

[Skwmom]

32. She doesn't have a shred of integrity left. They should study her show in journalism class as an

example of how low a person will go to toe the corporate line.

[arcane1]

9. Please tell me she did not do that. She can't be THAT fake!

What's next, palm trees in Wisconsin in winter?

[winter is coming]

24. She did do that. And then she showed a clip from the convention

with a caption saying something like "Reports of chairs being thrown at convention" but no one in the footage was actually throwing chairs.

Apparently, Ralston made an unsubstantiated claim that chairs were being thrown and the rest of the media lapped it right up.

[lapfog_1]

26. Rovian tactic.. state a lie, get the social media sites to pick it up, eventually making to

the mainstream media...

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the Echo Chamber...

( I thought there was a ringing in my ears )

[winter is coming]

27. And she participated in it. She's smart enough to know better. n/t

[Skwmom]

33. I think she is far from the sharpest tool in the shed because her manipulative b.s. is so obvious.

[puffy socks]

30. Where was that ?

inquiring minds want to know!

Here is her report. What time?

[Skwmom]

87. Last night at the beginning of her show I believe.

It was really stupid.

[notadmblnd]

4. Their lies are just part of their ploy to destroy Sanders

In this day and age where everyone has their cell out to video shit- and not a one surfaces? Even I don't believe her bots are that technologically inept as to not know how to utilize it.

It doesn't exist. It didn't happen.

[2cannan]

8. This is a really well-written summary of what happened and there is no mention of chairs being

thrown.

When the System Feels Rigged, How Surprising is Convention Mayhem?
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/05/16/when-system-feels-rigged-how-surprising-convention-mayhem

[jwirr]

80. But there are two elections today. They including Rachel

are aiming at the low info voter in KY and OR. Notice just before every election the Big Lie comes out and then you never hear it again after the election.

Rachel is such a disappointment. She has been bought and paid for. Just another mouth.

As for Tina - Bernie supporters love her and would never boo her.

[Sky Masterson]

12. The way they describe it there was bloodshed and many corpses

Flaying may have taken place as Ramsey Bolton was spotted nearby.

[me b zola]

48. Best summation I have seen!

[TheKentuckian]

81. LOLZ!

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. Hmmm it gets more interesting

By the way, what you state about party culture. I have seen some of that as a fly in the wall here. It is not just limited to one state

[bigtree]

15. why would Clinton supporters harrass Kramer?

...what is it that they would be protesting? They won the caucus and they held a majority at the convention.

This is bad fiction. I'll go with the trusted and respected Ralston.

[kiva]

17. Christine never said it was Clinton supporter who harassed her.

Reread her quote. She says that she was harassed and threatened and the the Democratic Party did not respond to those threats.

And yet when Roberta began to receive threats it was automatically assumed that Sanders supporters were behind those threats and the Party leaped into action to defend her. Hypocrisy.

And no, Hillary didn't 'win' the county caucus, she lost hundreds of delegates, and yes her people were pissed.

Ralston is part of the old boys, let's all talk about when the mob ran the city, bunch. You can certainly choose to believe him, but know that he is not exactly an unbiased source.

[disillusioned73]

16. And yet..

post after post, right here on DU the claim keeps being made... as well as the twitter shots & the email shots of the "angry & evil" Bernie supporters... it's so transperant

[Skwmom]

35. It is not hard to make up fake twitter shots.

[lumberjack_jeff]

18. It must be tough to be a Clinton messaging operative.

She has better ideas!
She doesn't? Okay, it's her turn!
It's not? Well then, she has more experience!
No? But look at her huge rallies!...
Sanders has bigger ones? By a factor of 100x?
Women supporters? "Evenly split"? Seriously?
Democracy! Voters! She's winning caucuses... by kicking out Sanders supporters and ignoring the participants?
Bernie bros! He's the candidate of those horrible white people!... those bastards, they owe it to the country, THE WORLD to vote for me!
Sidewalk chalk! Naughty words!.... look at the chair! He's touching a chair!

[underthematrix]

28. It is an ABSOLUTE certainty the next president will be white.

One is a mentally disturbed ignoramus
Another is old, angry and disheveled
And then there's the one bringing realness, FLAVA speaking truth to crazy. HRC has shifted her focus to NAZI Trump and she's ridin' his ass like a cowboy - hard, rough and persistent. And I'm here for all of it.

[lumberjack_jeff]

29. She's not disheveled. n/t

[underthematrix]

41. You're right

She's classy and immaculate in her appearance. Bernie is the old angry disheveled white guy

[Warren DeMontague]

44. And if you're voting on that basis, I cant help you.

Personally, for me, it's about specific policy proposals, but YMMV.

[underthematrix]

49. NOPE - it's just shorthand

HRC is well educated and a lawyer. She has the experience, the executive leadership and she has a powerful network to help her get things done.

[Warren DeMontague]

50. She's certainly connected.

I'd like her to lead in a more progressive direction, personally, but like Obama I am sure she will appreciate it when those of us who support a livable minimum wage for all our citizens, support strong encryption and oppose warrantless surveillance, expect the failed drug war to be brought to a long overdue conclusion, support a meaningful public option, etc etc hold her proverbial "feet to the fire", as Obama said, on real progress worthy of the 21st century.

[2cannan]

56. That's really sexist to comment on her appearance. I thought such things were off-base? nt

[Warren DeMontague]

40. It is vitally important that our president be sheveled.

[underthematrix]

42. This is funny

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

52. That's a bit harsh, calling Hillary disheveled.

[underthematrix]

54. The old angry and disheveled meme belongs to

Bernie

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

85. I think you are confused.

Bernie is the one bringing realness, FLAVA speaking truth to crazy.

[ThePhilosopher04]

69. Lay off the crack

[underthematrix]

77. And you should lay off the

crackers

[ThePhilosopher04]

79. Hardy har har

[azurnoir]

22. No the line of the day is "I saw it on TEEVEE!!!!!"

but for some odd reason neither CNN nor MSNBC is posting video's interesting that

[kiva]

25. They have to belive Ralston and company.

The fact is that without chairs being thrown, the criticism devolves into "Some people shouted some bad words", which doesn't play nearly as well on the screen.

[nadinbrzezinski]

31. I got another piece of observation

why is just Ralston reporting on this? Reporters tend to hang out in packs. You should have others report on the same

[kiva]

34. Everything that I've seen about chair throwing

comes back to Ralston's initial report. Now Ralston is trading on his "chair throwing" report: https://twitter.com/ralstonreports/status/725464281458712576 . I figure his next step is to trademark "throw a chair"

[nadinbrzezinski]

37. I am in the business and this is off

I have covered a state convention... this makes little sense, from a news business side. Oh and here are some questions I asked.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511983057

And I mean it, that I do not feel like pulling the full string.

[Warren DeMontague]

38. Every damn person in that room no doubt had a cell phone with a camera

Its dowright odd there's not a single piece of footage of said chair throwage.

[kiva]

45. Chair throwage!

My favorite new phrase

[Warren DeMontague]

47. Or chairish throwerry, if you're not into the whole brevity thing

[2cannan]

59. Lots of chair clownery, gaveling and stomping off the stage as in Roberta Lange, Nev Dem Party Chair

[Snarkoleptic]

89. Here's the chair throw video...warning...scary stuff!

https://mobile.twitter.com/Bernie4People/status/732619789424832512/video/1

[Warren DeMontague]

36. "Chair throwing" just SOUNDS good.

Asking whether it actually, you know, happened is so pedestrian, dah-ling.

[kiva]

39. Yeah, me and my friends,

we're going to hang out and throw some chairs

[Warren DeMontague]

43. Isnt that what cirque de soleil is for?

See some really artistic, athletic chair thowing in vegas.

Now playing at The Bellagio: "Chaise"

[enlightenment]

84. Okay - laughed out loud.

That deserves some Photoshop manipulation for a great meme. I wish I could do that sort of thing!

[pmorlan1]

46. Great Post

Thank you so much. I just tweeted it.

[winter is coming]

55. K&R. n/t

[AzDar]

57. He's a Liar and A Shill- he, along with J Capehart have no business being referred to as journalists

[haikugal]

63. More AstroTurf from the Hillbots...it will continue just like the beatings will continue, until

moral improves....which we all know will be NEVER unless we grapple with the powers that be and either recover the party from the corporate coup or start over. Reality. TPTB will not go willingly, we must fight them.

[winter is coming]

70. Maybe we should ask him to look for Hillary's transcripts.

He seems to be pretty good at whistling up things no one else can see.

[senz]

72. K&R x 1000!! Excellent and VERY necessary OP.

Thank you so much for this, kiva.

[senz]

78. NPR and NYTimes are both pushing the "chairs thrown" lie.

I am shocked. The establishment will stoop to anything to stop the Sanders campaign.

This is so ugly. I do not see good things ahead.

We need some major media voices to counter this.

[dchill]

82. If chairs had been thrown...

Arrests would have been made. There were plenty of cops there.

[liberal from boston]

86. Go Bernie

WOW-- no evidence, no injuries, no arrests. Chanting Recount is now violent. Suggest you read ;
what Erin who with her father, a former Congressman, both delegates witnessed what happened.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511975215

[MaeScott]

90. So ashamed of the Party right now.

Pity is she wouldnt win without all the extra help.
Sigh