8 Times Bernie Supporters Revolted on Twitter

The primary election has garnered a slew of hashtags with which Bernie Supporters have spurred the revolution, crying out against corruption and media bias. Some have been quite comical, others far more serious. The following list will be updated with additional tags as the primary continues. Hashtags are in order of date of appearance.

#HillarySoProgressive

During the fifth democratic debate, Hillary was asked whether she considered herself a moderate or a progressive after previously laying claim to both labels. Hillary insisted she was a "progressive who gets things done." But her words didn't seem to convince Twitter users, who tweeted the hashtag #HillarySoProgressive to point out her more moderate record.

#WhichHillary

Ashley Williams, a Black Lives Matter activist, protested at a Hillary Clinton fundraiser holding a sign with the hashtag #WhichHillary and a quote from Clinton referring to black youth as "superpredators" from a 1996 speech in support of the Violent Crime Control Act. Hillary has said that she stands with the BLM movement, but she had no comment for Williams on her concerns and had the girl escorted out. Once the video of Ashley's protest was posted, Twitter users tweeted the hashtag to call out Clinton on her history of shifting viewpoints and to question which of those views points she actually holds.

#MoveBillGetOutTheWay

During the Massachusetts primary, Bill Clinton campaigned for his wife outside of a polling station, blocking voters from getting to the polls, prompting the hashtag #MoveBillGetOutTheWay. He also went inside of the polling location and shook hands with poll workers and voters. There's some dispute on whether or not Clinton was in violation of campaign law, which states there can be no voting solicitation with 150ft of a polling place. However, a petition was started for his arrest and a law suit filed against his actions. There's allegations that Bill Clinton continues to break campaign law at other polling places across the country.

#BernieMadeMeWhite

Throughout the primary, the media has reported that Bernie only does well with white youth voters. When Bernie swept the caucuses in Washington, Hawaii, and Alaska, three of the most diverse states in the US, the media continued their rhetoric. Twitter shot back with #BernieMadeMeWhite where people of color voiced their support for Bernie and their frustration at the media's refusal to acknowledge their existence.

#ToneDownForWhat

Bernie Sanders challenged Hillary Clinton to a debate in NY before the April primary, but an aid for the Clinton campaign said the debate wouldn't happen until Sanders changed his tone, alleging that Sanders had broken his pledge not to run negative attacks. Twitter responded with #ToneDownForWhat, asking if pointing out the truth of Hillary's record and campaign donations could be considered negative and whether or not Hillary could handle Trump if the pressure from Bernie was too much. The Clinton campaign later agreed to a debate.

  #ImSoSick

A Greenpeace activist asked Hillary Clinton at a rally if she would pledge to refuse campaign donations from big oil. Hillary's response was heated, saying "I'm sick of the Sanders campaign spreading lies! I'm sick of it!" But Hillary's connections to the fossil fuel industry aren't lies, and Twitter users tweeted #ImSoSick with their own frustrations, calling out Hillary for her establishment ties and the media for their bias toward Hillary's campaign.

#ApologizeForWhat

Still following the events after the Greenpeace activist, Hillary Clinton made a statement that she felt sorry for people who believed the lies perpetuated by the Sanders campaign about her receiving fossil fuel donations. After such remarks, Bernie asked Hillary to apologize for lying about his campaign. Hillary supporters took to Tumblr with the hashtag #ApologizeForWhat, accusing Bernie's campaign for lies and smears against Hillary. But the hashtag was quickly taken over by Bernie Supports who tweeted various downfalls of Hillary's political career that they felt she needed to apologize for.

#HillarySoQualified

After Bernie stated that Hillary was not qualified to be president, Hillary supporters went to Twitter with the hashtag #HillarySoQualified to tout her qualifications. But Bernie supporters hijacked the hashtag and tweeted all the ways they felt Hillary wasn't qualified.

CNN First Democratic Debate Breakdown

Who Won?

I really don't get this whole "Who won the debate?" thing. It's all opinion anyway. People who like Hillary are going to feel Hillary won, and people who like Bernie are going to think Bernie won. What is the point of this argument? No one is going to agree. And I'm really not into arguing for the sake of arguing.

And, yes, there are polls out there, and yes Bernie did really well and then some. And then the media went out and ignored their own polls. But still, who exactly are participating in these polls? And how exactly does that reflect the rest of the United States who maybe didn't care enough to participate but still watched the debate? Or people who didn't care enough to watch the debate at all? Are we just assuming these people aren't going to be bothered to vote or that they don't care that much about social media?

I just don't take much store in these things. They're cool and all. I'm just not convinced of their accuracy. And I find the debate over who won the debate completely pointless until someone is actually elected President. Then, and only then, can we actually point to who the people support (unless you're George Bush, but we don't talk about that).

Joe Biden

[RANT WARNING!]

Before the debate started, the announcers spent a good amount of time speculating about Joe Biden, which drove me nuts. Dear media, please shut up about Joe Biden. No one freaking cares. Like at all. I am so sick and tired over speculation about Joe Biden. Will he run? Won't he run? Would he hurt Hillary or help Hillary? Would he hurt Bernie or help Bernie? Hey, Bernie, let's take up some of your valuable time and ask you what you think of about Biden!

No. One. Cares. Please, for the love of God, just stop it already. The man is not running. And if he does decide to run (unlikely at this point, don't you think?), you can talk about him then. Not before. Please stop wasting valuable air time talking about such a pointless, unproductive, unimportant issue.

[RANT OVER]

Okay, I'm done. I digress.

....

So, Bernie debate parties. I didn't go, and I didn't throw one. I wanted to, but I decided the time of the debate was a little too late for me to hang out with strangers when I'm going to immediately want to go to bed afterwards. Still, there were a lot of cool pictures, and I did participate in #DebateWithBernie on Tumblr. So there. I was a good grassroots participant.

There's a lot of snark in this post. I don't know if you're picking up on it. But if you are, I apologize. Pointless things get me riled up.

Best Bernie Moments

Speaking of pointless things, one of the best moments of the debate was when Bernie said Americans were sick and tired of hearing about Hillary's "damn emails" (and here's the part of that speech that CNN cut out from their regular broadcast).

Other good moments of the debate:

When Bernie said, "Black lives matter."

When Bernie said, "Wall Street regulates congress" (and here's the whole big banks debate).

When Bernie said, "You have not been in the US congress. And if you think we can simply go forward and pass something tomorrow without bringing people together, you are sorely mistaken" (gun debate). Here's Bernie's initial statement.

When Bernie said, "I suspect I would vote yes" (marijuana debate). Here's Hillary's response.

When Bernie said, "What we said 50 years ago is every kid in this country should be able to get a high school education regardless of income. I think we have to say that is true for everybody going to college."

When Bernie answered how a Democratic Socialist could win the white house. (Seriously, there's so many good lines in here, I couldn't pick one)

When Bernie said climate change was the biggest threat to national security.

When Bernie said he'd shut down the NSA.

When Bernie explained his vote on Immigration reform.

When Bernie explained when he'd use force to defend the US.

Other good discussions were the ones on Social Security and Healthcare.

Bernie's closing statement.

Additionally, if you missed the debate, the full debate is currently on youtube in various formats. Just search "CNN full debate 2015" and it will come up.

The Crazy Theories of Bernie's Black Lives Matter Protests

There's been a lot of questions surrounding the Black Lives Matter protests of Bernie. And with the questions have come a lot of theories. Crazy or plausible, who can say?

The Questions:

Why Bernie? As has been discussed among Bernie supporters many times, he has an extensive civil rights record. He would seem like the candidate to go after the least, yet he's been targeted the most.

Why not other candidates? Bernie has been targeted twice now with no protests at the events of other candidates. You'd think there'd be at least some action at a few GOP events. O'Malley was at Netroots during that protest, but Black Lives Matter hasn't protested one of his events since. Was it Bernie they were after all along?

Why do the venues seem to cater to the the protesters? No efforts were made to remove the protesters at Netroots or Seattle. And in Seattle, music was played as the protesters took the stage. Did they somehow get control of the sound system?

If they wanted a response from Bernie, why don't they just ask? With Bernie's civil rights record and the numerous responses (tumblr, twitter, youtube, website) he's given on the issue, you'd think he'd be open to the idea of having a conversation with BLM. So why don't they initiate one? Surely, that would be ideal. Since when is screaming at someone and forcing them off the stage effective in getting your questions addressed?

The Theories

They aren't actually protesting Bernie. Netroots stated it's policy for them not to quiet the voices of women or minorities as reasoning for why they didn't shut down the protest. And if someone actually did give the protesters access to the sound system in Seattle, then it seems like these two events were ones the protesters knew they could get into. So, one running theory is these protests don't have anything to do with Bernie at all. His events are just less "secure" than an event by someone like Hillary Clinton. And the protesters are simply using the events they know they can use to draw attention and broadcast their message. Nothing more.

They're being paid to do this. Why aren't they protesting other candidates with far worse track records? And why Bernie even though he has an extensive record? Because someone wants to run a smear campaign on Bernie Sanders and get his name pushed negatively in the media.

They're actually pushing Bernie. These "protesters" actually see Bernie as the ideal presidential candidate. They keep appearing at his events because they want to push him on the issues so he continues to respond. By continuing to show up at his events and giving voice to their issues, they're more likely to get the policies they want implemented because they know Bernie's track record and they know he'll respond.

These are extremists from the BLM movement. Black Lives Matter doesn't actually hate Bernie. The protesters who have shown up are just using the connections they have to voice their personal frustrations and should largely be ignored.

The Alternative

I'm not sure I believe any of these theories. But they certainly make it confusing when trying to talk to people about the issue. Of course, the alternative to all those theories is that Black Lives Matter really is protesting Bernie.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Bernie and representatives of BLM really need to schedule a publicized meeting with each other and just get this all out in the open. It would answer a lot of questions, put these theories to bed, and I think make a whole bunch of people breathe a lot easier. That, I feel certain about.

Has Anyone from Black Lives Matter Actually Tried Contacting Bernie Sanders?

Yesterday, there was a second disruption of one of Bernie Sanders' events by the Black Lives Matter Movement. You might remember that there was a previous disruption at Netroots Nation where Sanders and Martin O'Malley spoke. (I've heard rumors that in both cases these may have been extremists from the movement and the protests weren't officially sanctioned, but I have no idea how much truth there is in that).

The first time this happened, I was sympathetic. The issue of police brutality in this country and the alarming number of African American lives that have been taken as a result is a serious one. And despite Bernie's long history of upholding human and civil rights, the protesters at Netroots specifically wanted to know "not what you have done, but what you will do." That, to me, seemed a perfectly valid distinction. And I think both O'Malley and Sanders were caught off guard and weren't confident in how to address it (though, I agree with the sentiment that's hard to respond properly to people screaming at you).

Even so, the issues of racism and police brutality were issues that Bernie hadn't discussed much, and I felt his reply at Netroots fell a little flat. But since the event, Bernie has spoken to it, both in interviews and on social media (and in more places and ways than I can possibly link to). And then he's protested again.

I haven't been able to find complete footage of the event, but this video shows the protester's takeover and this one shows what happens when they are handed the mic. I don't know at what point Sander's rally was shut down and he decided not to speak anymore (at least, I assume that's what's implied by "shut down").

As I've said, I was sympathetic with the first event. But this one just rubbed me the wrong way. For one thing, I cannot get passed the attitudes of the protesters. The guy who takes the podium after Bernie steps back tells the protesters that he will give them the mic after Bernie has had the chance to speak. And the girls just keep screaming over him.

True, the same happened at Netroots. But I was more understanding at that point of the feeling that you have no choice but to force your way through to have your voice heard. As I said then, that's what Bernie's campaign is all about - stepping up and making yourself heard when big money won't listen. So it made sense to me that the protesters felt the need to do the same. Especially since, Bernie hadn't talked about the issue much before.

But Bernie has responded to the protest at Netroots, more so than other presidential candidate. I have no doubt that he hasn't spoken to everything the BLM movement would want him too, but he's at least shown that he's willing to respond. Why, after getting such a response from him, would they feel the need to protest again? They keep shouting over and over about not wanting to be silenced, but Bernie has already shown that he agrees with their movement and is willing to speak to the issues! Why do another protest? It just boggles my mind why some progress isn't being made here!

The question that I keep coming back to over and over again is has anyone from the Black Lives Matter movement actually tried contacting Bernie Sanders and asking for an interview or a filmed Q&A or to speak at a rally with him? Seriously, I want an answer to this because I can think of no reason for Bernie to turn such a request away. I'm certain that if contact was made, Bernie would be more than happy to have a two-way conversation where people don't have to scream over each other.

And let's say for a moment that these protesters were in fact extremists from the movement and they just organized all of this on their own. It still looks bad on the official movement. Since the Seattle protest, I have heard from a number of people who previously supported BLM and are now withdrawing that support. Like me, they can't justify this second protest that seems a blatant disregard for the fact that Bernie is willing to listen and speak to the issues. 

I'm sure there are heated emotions on both sides, from Bernie Sanders supporters and supporters of BLM. Assuming contact has not been made previously with Bernie's campaign, I hope and in fact urge that both Bernie and BLM reach out to each other to make such contact and mutually agreed meeting and talk happen. Both sides could benefit from settling the dust and opening discussion.

Black lives matter. So, let's talk about it. No one wants to see another Seattle protest.

I have written to both Bernie's campaign and the Black Lives Matter movement requesting they work toward a filmed meeting. If you'd also like to politely make such a request to mend relations, you can email Bernie's campaign at info@berniesanders.com and BLM through this form.

UPDATE 8/11/15: fixed incorrect video link.

Bernie Sanders at Netroots Nation: "Black Lives Matter" and "Say Her Name"

Yesterday, I found myself in a discussion over the Black Lives Matter and Say Her Name movement and the "disruption" by protesters at Netroots Nation. My initial research on the matter took me to this Times article that painted the event as an onslaught of chants, boos, and questions that presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley couldn't get through.

Thankfully, I dug a little deeper. You can see a video the protesters' takeover of the event here (starting at 19:38).

"It really boils down to the fight for black and brown lives," one of the women says. "It really boils down to not what you have done, but what you will do. What will you do to stop police unions battering our names after their law enforcement kills us? I want to hear concrete actions."

O'Malley opened up his response on a statement regarding "all of the lives that have been lost to violence," which was met by angry and persistent shouts from the protesters.

"Do not generalize this shit!" one of them yelled.

O'Malley finally answered that all police departments should be required to report police shootings and discourtesy and brutality complaints. He also said that all police departments should have civilian review boards and that they should be staffed. As president, O'Malley said he'd be rolling out a criminal justice reform package. However, he fumbled in his closing statement, "Black lives matter, White lives matter. All lives matter."

Someone shouted back, "The system is set is up for white people. We don't need to hear that [...]. We already know white lives matter. [...]on black people, on brown people, on immigrants, on trans people. We want to hear that[...]!"

At that point, O'Malley's time was up and he left the stage.

When Bernie Sanders took the stage, he requested the opportunity to talk before addressing questions. However, his speech on right-wing controlled media and income inequality was interrupted by chants of "say her name" and insistent shouts that he address "black lives."

Bernie Sanders continued his speech, and the protesters continued their yells and chanting. After sitting down, Sanders addressed the question of racial injustice by saying, "Black people are dying in this country because we have a criminal justice system that is out of control, because we have a system in which over 50% of young African American kids are unemployed, are out in the streets, and where we have right now - it is estimated that a black male baby born today stands a 1 in 4 chance of ending up in the criminal justice system."

Protesters shouted, "What are you going to do about that?"

"I'll tell you what we're gonna do!" Sanders shouted back. "We're going to transform economics in America so that we create millions of decent paying jobs. We're going to make public colleges and universities tuition free. We're going to raise the minimum wage to a living wage. We're going to transform our trade policy so corporate America invests in this country and not low income countries around the world. That's some of what we're gonna do."

Protesters continued to shout, asking for specific proposals.

"For a start," Sanders said. "You create an economy where people have decent jobs at decent wages, and that's why we are talking about a trillion dollar program to create thirteen million jobs rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure. That's number one."

The shouts from protesters died down as Sanders finally spoke on criminal justice reform.

"Number two, when you talk about the criminal justice system, we need fundamental reform in police departments all over this country. I was the mayor of the city of Burlington. And what we moved toward was community policing. Where police officers are part of the community and not seen as an oppressive force. We've got to do that as well."

Protesters took up shouting again.

At the end of it all, it's hard to say which candidate, if either, satisfied the crowd.

Supporters of Bernie Sanders are quick to point out his civil rights record, having led sit-ins against segregation and marching with Martin Luther King Jr. on Washington. But what those supporters fail to grasp is what Bernie did fifty years ago does not address the issues of today.

How does witnessing King's "I have a Dream" speech provide concrete plans for what Bernie will do regarding the injustice of Eric Garner who was strangled to death by an illegal choke hold performed by police officers? How does it speak to Walter Scott who was fired upon eight times while running away from a police officer? How does it speak to Sandra Bland who was pulled over for failing to signal while changing lanes and later found dead in a jail cell?

It doesn't. And continuing to flaunt it as though it does only upsets the African American community that we would love to see take up Bernie's banner.

Most African Americans who know of Bernie Sanders also know he marched with Martin Luther King Jr. They don't care. Or perhaps, more accurately, they do. They want to know if he's willing to take the civil activism he showed fifty years ago and revitalize it today.

His speech at Netroots Nation wasn't promising. Though I can respect Bernie's desire to avoid phraseology, reiterating his usual speech on income inequality and speaking to its effect on minorities does not go far enough to address the issues the black community wants addressed. At Netroots Nation, the discussion on immigration shifted to college affordability, and Bernie's talk ended to chants of "stop deportation."

Bernie's message that is said to be for all Americans is falling flat with minorities. If he wants their vote, he's going to have to address the issues important to them. And current Bernie Sanders supporters need to be understanding in the voice minority groups are asking for.

The fact is, we are all frustrated. The reason Bernie Sanders has been so popular is because he speaks to a majority of the American people who are tired of being beat down by large corporations and billionaires who corrupt our political system. We want our voice heard, and Bernie has given us a voice. Is it so wrong for Immigrants and African Americans to call on Bernie to be their voice too?

Many Bernie Sanders supporters have criticized the Black Lives Matter movement at Netroots Nation. But if this had been a Koch brother's speech and they got on about the rights of corporations, would we not have shouted and chanted at them? And would that not have been championed among us? It wasn't that long ago that Hillary had a heckler who was championed by some Bernie supporters for asking Hillary's stance on an issue she hasn't been transparent about and for asking questions when Hillary refused to take any.

These "protesters" at Netroots Nation were no different than the rest of us. They simply demanded a voice. And they might have succeeded, albeit in small steps. Both O'Malley and Sanders said the phrase "black lives matter" and Bernie later tweeted #sayhername, though the post was later taken down and reposted without the hashtag. After the Netroots Nation event, Sanders reportedly canceled other events he'd scheduled for the day and reappeared at a fundraiser for the Latino Victory Project where he asked for help in combating racial injustice.

It would seem the protesters at Netroots Nation shook something loose. The next day when Sanders spoke in Dallas, TX, he mentioned Sandra Bland and Freddie Gray by name (at 52:50).

But a mentioning of police brutality and racial equality (here and here and here) will only get Bernie so far. The protesters at Netroots Nation called for concrete action plans, and I don't think Bernie's method of rolling these issues into his fight for income equality and unemployment is what they want to hear.

"Black lives matter" is a call to recognize the injustice African American's face in this country. It goes beyond income equality and unemployment. It speaks to racism, police brutality, white supremacy, and the fact that even though we elected an African American president, we still have a long way to go. Until Bernie Sanders or another presidential candidate takes up the call and gets serious about combating these issues, the African American community may just stay home when it comes time to vote next year.

UPDATE: 7/21/15

This post was reblogged by dermoosealini on tumblr, and I couldn't agree more with her statement:

"Exactly, except I also think this is less about votes and more about white liberals taking a step back to give a necessary platform to the black community on issues that directly effect them. So let them speak because what they have to say is important for all people to hear.

By all means, Bernie is doing well but this is a welcome push for his campaign and supporters to do better and don’t just stop at being critical of Bernie. This is a real opportunity to really get into the thick of politics and hold the entire system to account."