The American public is sadly finding it nearly impossible to form an accurate picture of what happened at the Nevada convention based on media reports. Unfortunately, a lazy, compliant media seems uninterested in ascertaining the facts regarding what actually occurred, and merely echoes baseless and slanderous characterizations of Bernie Sanders convention delegates.
Bernie Sanders convention delegates were a diverse group of all races, genders and ages: from college students to grandmothers. They were legitimately upset by the highly unusual and blatantly undemocratic abuses of power perpetrated by party chair. There was no mêlée. They did not riot. There were no threats. They conducted themselves non-violently as they attempted to follow normal rules and procedures to have their voices, concerns, and petitions heard. Yes, they booed and expressed their outrage. There was a single incident where a man picked up a chair, other Sanders delegates immediately stepped in, coaxed him into putting the chair down, and are seen on video giving him a hug.
The slanderous accusation that “chairs were thrown” is now known to be false. The source of this allegation was a single Nevada reporter, who was NOT present, but was passing on unverified second-hand information. The claim is now completely debunked (see Snopes.com). And yet, for multiple days, these accusations of “riot”, “melee” and “chairs thrown” were endlessly echoed and reported on as fact, in unison and in lockstep, by CNN, MSNBC, the NYT, the Washington Post, and NPR. None of these institutions have yet apologized for their abject failure to perform their most elementary journalistic duties. Apparently, when it comes to smearing Bernie Sanders, they have no shame and they have no pride.
Tellingly, despite a large police presence only one convention-goer was arrested: a male Clinton supporter who assaulted two Sanders delegates at a bar after the convention, punching a woman in the face.
Party Chair Roberta Lange’s deliberate mismanagement of the convention is a truly a sad and shocking story. This story is being deliberately buried by the media, even as they promote a “guilt by association” mentality based on the actions of a few social media trolls who had nothing to do with the actions of duly elected convention delegates. These Delegates were treated with outrageous disrespect, and stood up for their rights courageously and non-violently.
Here is the sad sequence of unjust events:
1) At 9:30 am, as delegates were waiting in long lines to enter the convention, scheduled to begin at 10am, the Party Chair calls for a voice vote to make permanent a set of temporary rules that she herself had written.
The Nays vastly outnumber the yeas, and this is obvious from the audio. These rules give her essentially unlimited authority, and were fraudulently passed prior to the conventions official opening.
The delegates, upset by this blatant abuse of power and can be heard booing.
Roberta Lange states:
“The ruling by the chair is not debatable, cannot be challenged, and I move that the rules are passed by voice vote”
These rules:
· Negated the results of the second tier County Convention that favored Sanders.
· Mandated that all votes on the floor of the convention would be decided ONLY by a voice vote.
· Mandated that the results of all voice votes would be decided ONLY by Nevada Democratic Party Chair
Roberta Lange, and that her say was to be final, with no head-counts permitted.
2) After the opening of the convention, a speaker states:
“9:30am was too soon to hold a vote, and I move for a recount”.
Rules clearly state that a recount is required if a voice vote is questioned. The motion is seconded. Despite the outcry from delegates and officials, the motion is ignored and no recount is allowed.
3) Roughly 60 duly elected, previously credentialed, Sanders delegates are ejected from the convention when the credentials committee claims that they could not be located on Party rolls, or that their addresses on Party rolls could not be verified. (it is unknown how many fell into each of these two categories)
The credentials committee representative then reports “post-purge” delegate tallies to the convention floor, giving a 33 delegate majority to Clinton.
4) Leslie Sexton, Co-Chair of the Credential Committee, then attempts to give a “minority report”.
(Because rules were broken that should have allowed ejected delegates to appeal and have an opportunity to demonstrate their eligibility).
Roberta Lange then attempts to forcibly grab the mic. from Ms. Sexton’s hands. This Committee Co-Chair, clearly intimidated, then withdraws saying she had been forbidden to give her report.
…The crowd begins to chant “let her speak”…
5) A scheduled speaker later defers a portion of his time so that Credentials co-chair Leslie Sexton can give the minority report. Sexton states that:
“The Credentials minority report is based on the challenge of 64 Sanders delegates. Contrary to the procedures and precedents set by the Committee, nearly none of these 64 people were presented with the opportunity to be heard by the committee or to demonstrate that they are registered Democrats," Sexton said. "Without the opportunity to be heard, no delegate could be stricken. The actions of the Credentials Committee violates the spirit of the Nevada state delegate plan which encourages full participation in the democratic process, and it violates the spirit and values of our state and our nation."
6) Roberta Lange then responds by commandeering all mics so that no Sanders people are able get on a mic and try to make motions.
Eventually Dan Rolle (NV 2nd Congressional District Candidate) was able to get on a mic. He made a motion calling for the removal of Roberta Lange as Chair. As he was making that motion, his microphone was cut.
This motion, like all other motions and petitions, was ignored.
7) Lange calls for a voice vote to adjourn the convention, despite the fact that there were still motions on the floor, and petitions with the required number of signatures, pending. These had been presented to the chair and were ignored. Rules forbid adjourning the convention under these circumstances. The voice vote was again overwhelmingly “No”, but Lange calls it for the “yeas” and hurriedly leaves amid vocal protests.
Fellow Democrats:
Whether you support Clinton or Sanders, the conduct of the Party leaders running this convention was truly a shameful display, and a disturbing and serious abuse of their authority.
We should be united as Democrats in wanting our conventions to be run honestly, fairly, with respect and integrity.
That did not happen in Nevada, and the victims of this sordid abuse had every right to be upset, and to protest.
What Happened at the Nevada Convention?