For supporters of a presumptive Presidential nominee, some ostensible HRC supporters certainly are behaving as though they aren’t.
The ginned up attacks on Sanders continue apace, even as such solid Democrats as Vice President Joe Biden, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Harry Reid have signaled in public statements that they are not down with Sanders bashing.
The latest smear being propagated is that Sanders is “threatening to derail the Democratic National Convention”.
This is evidently based on a report by Rachel Maddow about a letter sent by the Sanders Campaigns legal team to the Co-chairs of the Rules and Bylaws Committee of the DNC. Maddow did indeed characterize the letter as threatening to “derail” and “grind the Convention to a halt” if Clinton partisans Barney Frank and Gov. Dannel Malloy were not removed from the Co-Chairmanships of the Standing Rules Committee and the Standing Platform Committee respectively.
Unfortunately for Maddow, the letter doesn’t bear out her characterization.
Here’s the key passage that Maddow mischaracterizes.
If this committee is unable to provide its advice and assistance pursuant to the RBC regulations, the Campaign will seek resolution of these issues by presenting its objections in motions as the first items of business at the initial meetings of the Standing Platform and Rules Committees and, to the extent necessary, will request the drafting and adoption of Minority Reports from both Standing Committees for presentation to the floor of the full Convention.
That’s it. No threats of “derailment” or “grinding the convention to a halt”. Just a statement that the Sanders Campaign will follow the regular procedures for redressing such disputes at the Convention.
It should be recognized that this isn’t anything new or unprecedented. Credentials challenges are provided for and hardly unheard of.
Why Maddow, who I have had great respect for, would so grossly misrepresent this action I can’t say. It’s demonstrable that she has done so though. I think a correction/clarification is in order and will be contacting her and her employer to say so, with civility and courtesy.
I suggest that others do so as well.
Saturday, May 28, 2016 · 11:16:10 PM +00:00
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WB Reeves
If you bother to wade through the comments, first thing you may noticed is that the overwhelming number of those criticizing the diary refuse to address the actual facts presented. They essentially are all arguing some variation of “the facts don’t matter”, whether it be by saying so outright or by diversion into character assassination, CT or dismissing established democratic procedures as illegitimate or expendable.
If this is representative of the “thinking” in camp Clinton, I have grave doubts about our chances in November.