At the start of his interview with Chris Hayes, last night, Bernie Sanders was asked what he thought of the disruptions regularly occurring at Donald Trump rallies. Sanders' reply was surprising to Hayes, as it may be to many on the left who see no violation of rights in the disruption of speech.
Trump's right to give a speech and be heard by his audience is not grounded in the 1st Amendment. We all know that. Sanders knows that. When he says “You know, people have a right to give a speech,” he is not invoking the Constitution. Rather, he is relying on his own sense of what is right and what behavior is compatible with democratic process. (Impeding the free flow of opinions is not.) One can agree or disagree. However, it is hard to imagine a more counterproductive strategy for the left than abandoning its support for everyone's right to speak freely.
Chris Hayes: Alright, Senator Sanders, let me start with this. There is another example this weekend of some really upsetting violence at a Trump rally – a Trump supporter beating up a protester (he was arrested) – and this comes in the wake of a lot of protests, the roadblock to an event. There are some commentators who are saying, as responsible as Donald Trump is for what is happening in his rallies, that the protest efforts now at those rallies – the disruptions, the blockages – are essentially playing into his hand. What do you think of that?
Bernie Sanders: Well look, I think that Trump has been incredibly divisive; I think he has insulted almost every group in America; I think his policies are outrageous. But, in America, people have a right to hold rallies. So, I think, my own feeling is, it is absolutely appropriate for thousands of people to protest at a Trump rally, but I am not a great fan of disrupting rallies. So if people want to be outside, they want to talk about his attacks on Mexicans, his outrageous attacks on Muslims, on women, on African Americans, that is absolutely appropriate. But I think in some ways you're right: I think it plays into Trump's hands; it's counterproductive. Protests, yes. Disruptions, no.
Chris Hayes: That is not the answer I would have expected from you.
Bernie Sanders: Why not? I don't believe – You know, people have a right to give a speech. And people have a right to protest. But I'm not a great fan of disrupting people's speeches.