Democrats fear mayhem from Bernie Sanders' supporters at convention
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Bernie Sanders is under fire from Democratic Party leaders and elected officials who say he isn’t doing enough to address disruptive behavior by his supporters that some fear could spill over into the party’s convention in July.
Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz slammed a statement that Sanders issued responding to mayhem that took place at the Nevada Democratic Convention on Saturday. She called the statement "anything but acceptable” and told CNN Wednesday that it fell short of making sure such conduct doesn’t continue.
“In no way is it ever acceptable to condone or to ignore violence and intimidation against officials with whom you’re frustrated,” Wasserman Schultz said.
Sanders' supporters angrily protested Nevada Democratic Party convention rules and proceedings that they believe favored Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. Roberta Lange, the state party chairwoman, said the protesters tossed chairs, rushed the convention stage and targeted her with death threats.
Sanders' statement, issued Tuesday, condemned “any and all forms of violence, including the personal harassment of individuals.” But it also accused Nevada’s party leaders of using their power to “prevent a fair and transparent process from taking place.”
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, who discussed the convention uproar with Sanders, told CNN Tuesday that "Bernie should say something -- not have some silly statement. Bernie is better than that.”
Wasserman Schultz said Sanders' statement seemed to justify the violence and intimidation.
But the Vermont senator's supporters rejected those criticisms and references to the Nevada protesters as "violent."
Nina Turner, a former Ohio state senator who spoke at the Nevada convention as a Sanders surrogate, said she was there for eight hours and witnessed no violence. She said there's "no proof" the threatening phone calls to Lange were from Sanders' supporters.
Charles Chamberlain, executive director of the progressive political action committee Democracy for America, said Sanders has done all he could to say he opposes inappropriate behavior by supporters.
"Should Bernie do a nationwide barnstorm, going around talking about how people shouldn't be violent in political campaigns? I mean, give me a break." said Chamberlain, whose organization has endorsed Sanders.
Clinton, who won Nevada's Feb. 20 caucus with 52.6% of the vote, picked up seven more pledged delegates at the convention, and Sanders gained five.
In his statement, Sanders faulted Lange for not allowing a head count on the convention's rules, for refusing to accept petitions for amendments to the rules, and for allowing a ruling that disqualified 58 potential Sanders delegates without offering an opportunity for them to be heard.
Turner said tensions escalated and some Sanders supporters surrounded the stage after Lange passed the convention rules by voice vote, even though no votes seemed to outnumber yes votes. Some Sanders supporters objected to portions of the rules, including one that made Lange the chair of the convention, she said.
"I don’t think that this is necessarily one little incident," Turner said. "This has more to do with the feeling among many of Sen. Sanders supporters in Nevada and beyond that the entire establishment, the entire system, is rigged against Sen. Sanders."
The Nevada state party's general counsel, Bradley Schrager, said in a formal complaint to the DNC on Monday that "scuffles, screams from bullhorns, and profane insults marked nearly the entirety of the event" and cited "numerous medical emergencies" resulting from delegates pressed up against the dais. He warned that the tactics and behavior on display in Nevada would be "harbingers of things to come" at the national convention in July.
Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., a Clinton supporter who was booed at the Nevada convention, told CNN on Wednesday she called Sanders to discuss the “scary situation,” with red-faced people shouting obscenities from six feet away.
“I did fear for my safety and I fortunately had a lot of security around,” she said. “He was very distressed about it and it was a very warm conversation. He expressed shock that his people would do it.”
Discord over what happened in Nevada comes as Sanders aims to boost his support among superdelegates, party leaders and elected officials who are free to vote for the candidate of their choice at the convention. Clinton is far ahead of Sanders in superdelegates.
Chamberlain acknowledged Wednesday that, "anytime the Sanders campaign is forced to scuffle with the Democratic establishment, it doesn't help his case with superdelegates."
Even so, Sanders has shown a willingness to go head-to-head with party leaders over rules he deems unfair.
On May 6, he warned Wasserman Schultz in a letter that he was prepared to mobilize his delegates for floor fights at the national convention if committee assignments don't reflect the support he's received. Sanders said Wasserman Shcultz ignored most of his recommendations for appointments to standing convention committees and selected two committee chairmen who are "aggressive attack surrogates" for Clinton.
Sanders' campaign manager, Jeff Weaver, accused Wasserman Schultz on CNN Wednesday of "throwing shade on the Sanders campaign from the very beginning."
The vast majority of Sanders' supporters at the national convention will be "peaceful, loving people," but there could be "rabble-rousers" and some who will do the wrong thing, Chamberlain said Wednesday. Sanders' supporters have organized rallies and protests at the convention via social media. One event calls for a 9.9-million-person march on Philadelphia to “occupy the convention.”
To decrease the chances that "something terrible happens," Chamberlain said, the campaigns and the DNC must agree to boost Sanders' representation on the convention committees, give him a prime-time speaking slot, and provide a transparent process so his supporters don't feel "shut out."
"If we want to avoid people being angry and in the streets, then we have to make sure the process is fair and that's the key to the convention, as well," Chamberlain said.
Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon said on CNN Wednesday that Sanders did the most important thing by condemning the violence.
“People are making too much of the idea that this is going to be a harbinger for Philadelphia,” he said. “We don’t think that.”
Boxer said she didn't want to describe herself as "worried" about the convention and is working to make sure it will be peaceful. She said she feels better after her conversation with Sanders and expects him to “get a hold of this whole situation.”
“That’s what I expect from a leader and Bernie has shown that he’s a leader in this country,” she said.
In an interview with reporters in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday, Vice President Joe Biden described Sanders as "a good guy" and said he doesn't blame Sanders for the behavior of his supporters.
"If it happens again, he'll have to be more aggressive in speaking out about it," Biden said. "I'm confident that Bernie will be supportive if Hillary wins. I'm not worried. There's no fundamental split in the Democratic Party."
Contributing: Deirdre Shesgreen, Paste BN.