Bernie Sanders Gets Snippy with Local Reporter Who Presses Him on Ugly Supporters,

[lapucelle]

Bernie Sanders Gets Snippy with Local Reporter Who Presses Him on Ugly Supporters, Tells Her Maybe They're Fake.

Independent Vermont Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders got snippy with a local reporter in Washington state, repeatedly interrupting her as she grilled him about online abuse from his supporters, and suggested those supporters are impostors.

KCPQ’s Brandi Kruse scored an interview with Sanders before his rally in Tacoma, WA Monday night, and asked him about the mounting attention being paid to abusive behavior by Sanders supporters online, which has sparked demands by other candidates for Sanders to put a stop to it, and was the focus of a Mike Bloomberg ad this week.

“Your campaign has taken some flack in recent weeks for the behavior of your supporters,” Kruse said, adding “There was a Michael Bloomberg ad that came out today, I don’t know if you saw itm but it’s basically things your supporters have said, they’ve called Elizabeth Warren a snake, they called Pete Buttigieg a rat.”

snip===================================================================

“So you don’t think that there’s an issue with vitriol that’s specific to your base, or special to your base?” Kruse pressed.

“Look I just said to you, I just said to you,” Sanders said as Kruse tried to finish her question, “that I don’t know that they’re even coming from my campaign. All right?”

“Well not your campaign, nobody is accusing you of it coming from your campaign, but supporters,” Kruse said

snip===================================================================

“When you have two and a half million supporters, people will say things, and maybe these are people who are not supporters of me,” Sanders said, then asked “Do you know for a fact that they are?”

“So they are people posing as Bernie Sanders supporters?” Kruse asked.

“That could well be the case. That could well be the case,” Sanders said, and again told Cruz that people on his campaign have been attacked...

Video at the link.

https://www.mediaite.com/news/bernie-sanders-gets-snippy-with-local-reporter-who-presses-him-on-ugly-supporters-tells-her-maybe-theyre-fake/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

[RandySF]

1. Who will want to volunteer in such a toxic environment?

[helpisontheway]

2. I'm not volunteering for him. He will get 5 votes from my family in general election but that's it.

Trump will win in a landslide.

[Voltaire2]

3. A dog faced pony soldier?

[lapucelle]

10. They've been looking for BS "victory captains" in my area for a while. N/T

[uponit7771]

34. THIS !!!! I don't want to go to rallies where they start fights like Sanders !!

[evertonfc]

4. He is going to

set back our party years.

[NurseJackie]

5. Hmmm. Interesting.

[lapucelle]

11. Some are trying to spin the interview as a positive exchange

and a BS victory.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287535202

[NurseJackie]

15. It's revealing. And that's not positive.

[lapucelle]

18. Someone is also insisting that getting snippy and defensive with the local press

is good because "the proof is in the pudding".

And besides, questions are silly.

[NurseJackie]

19. Shit rolls downhill and all that.

Honestly, he's not setting a very good example for how he "says" that people should behave. That's some very divisive rhetoric right there.

[sheshe2]

24. Hello?

Bernie mounted a more assertive defense against allegations of verbal abuse from his backers. “No campaign can control two and a half million people.”

Assertive? Lol.

Ya can't control 2.5M supporters "No campaign can control two and a half million people. Yet he wants to rule and advocate for 333,546,000 in the US as President.

Woah!

[Cha]

33. Of course.. & major pushback..

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[George II]

6. It's apparent that he's never going to address this. His lack of addressing it tell us...

...that he's satisfied with the behavior of his supporters, who are not-so-subtly egged on by his highest staff employees.

[Cha]

9. smh :(

[Cha]

7. omg.. do tell.. "..floated the idea that those online who are reportedly harassing Culinary Union..

Link to tweet

[msongs]

8. lol when a person shows you who he is....etc. nt

[LeftTurn3623]

12. Sanders is 100% correct

And this is maybe the biggest non issue I seen in politics. It’s dumb to even talk about.

People looking for scraps to bring Bernie down

[lapucelle]

16. So you disagree with Pete over this

and you're worried that people are trying to bring BS down?

Interesting.

[LeftTurn3623]

17. Absolutely

Bernie cannot control people on Twitter- he already Criticize them and disavowed them.

What more can he do? Nonsense

[lapucelle]

20. Good leaders show a capacity and a willingness to actually lead.

Alternately denying that a problem exists and expressing helplessness over the problem doesn't inspire confidence.

[LeftTurn3623]

23. What is he supposed to do?

I’m mean really.

[sheshe2]

26. First step.

Get rid of the Stein supporters that are his top three.

[LeftTurn3623]

28. They aren't the ones on Twitter

[squirecam]

30. They are all over twitter

nt

[sheshe2]

41. Yep. nt

[Cha]

22. No, he isn't

[Hassin Bin Sober]

13. Good.

The proof is in the pudding.

The rest is all bullshit.

[DanTex]

14. And good for him for answering those silly questions the way he did.

[Cha]

21. Mahalo for doing your job and trying, KCPQ's Brandi Kruse!

Link to tweet

[essme]

25. How many people has he (he) poked in the chest? nt

[lapucelle]

38. I'm not sure if he pokes, but BS does seem to get testy with women...

Link to tweet

[Deero]

27. Biden

says something to somebody and Bernie fans still haven't stopped talking about it.

Double standard I guess.

[lapucelle]

40. "What about that one time when..." is one of the typical tactics

of both the campaign and the toxic faction that is beyond the presidential hopeful's control, by his own admission.

For some reason, "What do you expect me to do about it?" doesn't sound very presidential.

[Deero]

43. out of his control

maybe, but he is paying David Sirota and BJG...

[David__77]

29. He seems very patient to me.

...

[lapucelle]

39. Perception isn't always reality. But good for that young woman reporter.

It appears that she is not intimidated by testy politicians with nasty edges who aren't used to being pressed for details. The attempt to swat away her professional, politely framed, incisive questions certainly failed.

[David__77]

42. Thanks for sharing your perspective.

...

[lapucelle]

44. And thank you for sharing yours.

[LanternWaste]

45. "squawkers gonna squawk"

We know... we know... IOIYASS*

(space provided free of charge below to insert distinction lacking relevant difference)




(It's Ok If You're A Sanders Supporter)

[radius777]

31. Viciously doxxing and cyberbullying

is no small issue to brush aside or play the false equivalency game ('everybody does it') when no other campaign has this level of vitriol being aimed at anyone who questions it.

Joy Reid spoke about this the other day, saying she even had to block official members of his campaign on Twitter.

They think they're cute/clever with this stuff, like to play tough especially when going after women, PoC, older people etc - but are biggest cowards when actually confronted.

[dalton99a]

32. If you don't like something, call it fake

Sounds so familiar

[Cha]

37. :(

[betsuni]

35. K&R

[robbedvoter]

36. "Maybe it was China, or a 400 lbs guy on his bed" - how do you know it was Russia?

I just had Deja vu. Or, as SNL put it

Link to tweet