Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Bernie Sanders Doesn't Listen

When questioned on his views about gun control on the NBC TV show “Meet the Press”, Bernie Sanders, the Independent Senator from Vermont campaigning for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, replied, “Coming from a rural state, I think I can communicate with folks coming from urban states, where guns mean different things than they do in Vermont, where [they are] used for hunting. That’s where we have to go. We don’t have to argue with each other and yell at each other. We need a common sense solution.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-guns_55b54b5fe4b0a13f9d18e1a5

But can Sanders really communicate with people who hold different views than he does? Does he really want to? I don’t think so.

Although some credit Bernie’s first election win to the NRA,
when Ed Cutler, President of Gun Owners of Vermont, spoke with the Washington Post, he said that whenever he calls Sanders’s office asking for a meeting he never gets one adding that, “We have no input with him.” 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-the-nra-helped-put-bernie-sanders-in-congress/2015/07/19/ed1be26c-2bfe-11e5-bd33-395c05608059_story.html

When Sanders was interrupted by hecklers from Netroot Nation in Arizona who shouted ,“Black lives matter”, instead of discussing their concerns or trying to set up a meeting to do that at, he responded, “Black lives of course matter, but I have spent 50 years of my life fighting for civil rights and if you don’t want me to be here that’s OK.” 
According to one media report, after the confrontation, Sanders proceeded to cancel all the meetings he had scheduled for that day including one with some of the “African-American protesters and leaders”.
http://www.theroot.com/articles/politics/2015/07/how_bernie_sanders_and_martin_o_malley_botched_blacklivesmatter_at_netroots.html

Curtiss Reed, a racial equality trainer and the executive director of the Vermont Partnership for Fairness and Diversity, sent an open letter to the press, http://vtdigger.org/2015/07/30/vermont-diversity-leaders-have-advice-for-sanders/, saying that Sanders needed to talk to people in Vermont to learn how racism in America has evolved in the last 50 years. He wanted Bernie to meet with “leaders of color right here in his own state, which is something that he hasn’t done.” (Sanders was elected Mayor of Burlington, VT, in 1981 and has been an elected official here ever since, going from Mayor to Congressman to Senator.)

According to a Facebook post by Curtiss who I believe strongly supports Sanders, Bernie or his staff have reached out to speak with him after his letter was published.

If you google, “seattle sanders protesters”, you will find several media reports about 2 young black women interrupting a Sanders’s speech. If you look at the comments, you will see that instead of addressing the issue they raise, Sanders’s fans, the people he has been surrounded and encouraged by for decades, are trashing the women rather than addressing the very real national issue they want Bernie to address. This blog entry describes better than I can how I feel about that.
http://changefromwithin.org/2015/08/09/interrupting-bernie-exposing-the-white-supremacy-of-the-american-left/

Speaking at a town meeting in Cabot, VT to a small group of Vermonters who were interrupting him, Sanders yelled, “Shut up!”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ77iOfSBAM. He also said, “You don’t have the microphone.”  “I am answering a question and I do not want to be disturbed.” “You’re entitled to your view. I’m entitled to my view.” “Do I have to answer those questions? I don’t.”

When I tried to speak to Sanders or his staff back in the 1990s about dietary supplements and silver supplements in particular I too got the distinct impression that Sanders and his staff wanted nothing to do with me.  

I was so annoyed that I told his receptionist that Bernie wasn’t born into the House of Lords. If he wants to represent the people, he has to talk to them. Then I stood outside his Burlington office wearing a sign asking, “How much does it cost to talk to Bernie?” I haven’t heard yet.

The reason I was so disappointed with Sanders was that I had really believed that he represented and connected with me, one of your proverbial little guys who he constantly claims he is fighting for. Ironically, while Sanders’s staff was hostile to me, I got a lot of help from other elected Vermont officials like Senator Patrick Leahy, then Senator Jim Jeffords, and then Governor Howard Dean, people I’ve never heard rant about battling the-powers-that be on behalf of ordinary folks like me. 

However, it all made sense when I learned that Sanders has strongly advocated for alt med practitioners, most, if not all, of whom, sell, recommend, and use dietary supplements, including silver, the dangerous snake oil that disfigured me over 50 years ago, http://rosemaryjacobs.com/naturopaths.html, which again is very ironic since Bernie constantly rants about the big bad greedy drug companies. Surely he knows that many drug companies are heavily invested in the unregulated multibillion dollar supplement industry. 

Sanders has also worked hard to force third party payers to reimburse the “services” of alt med practitioners like naturopaths.

IMO, Bernie only speaks with those who agree with him and admire him, unless as was the case with the NRA, he wants something from them. Many say, “Oh he will learn.” Well you could say that about anyone including Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, but I for one seriously doubt that Clinton, Trump, or Sanders will “learn”. Oh, they may change their position on an issue if they think it will get them the votes they need to become president, but as soon as they get what they want, they will revert to their default position.


Tags: Bernie Sanders, racism, black lives matter, diversity, Seattle Sanders protest

35 comments:

  1. A great article on the topic:
    http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/08/10/1410719/-Open-letter-to-progressives-You-re-doing-it-wrong-and-it-ll-cost-the-Democratic-Party?detail=email

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  2. Thanks for the great insight concerning Bernie Sanders. Im a black progressive i believe that everyone should be treated fairly. Im deeply disappointed with the people at the Seattle rally. Oh i have to tell u this Rosemary keep giving them hell . Im proud of u and your very beautiful

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  3. You are very kind, Joe. I find Sanders' hardcore followers truly offensive. To me they sound like they are privileged, arrogant and affluent. By having surrounding himself with such people for decades, Sanders has lost touch, if he ever had been in touch, with the real world, the one you and I live in. He thinks that by simply having the government throw money at a problem it can be solved. He simply doesn't understand that with all the government spends on public school education many of our children go through the system and come out illiterate. That is a tragedy. He thinks racism is a purely economic issue when in fact it goes far deeper than that.

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    1. Thanks for responding beautiful lady. If u decide to run for office u got my vote.. We need more sensible voices that should heard by the mainstream media instead of nutcases like Donald trim

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    2. Sorry about that last blog pretty lady. I didnt spell that nutcase of a candidate correct.. I,m so disappointed with these candidates all about money pleasing there donors views outlook on life. I guess who cares about the common man and woman. Good morning Rosemary hope u great day,

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  4. Joe, you and I and, I think, a great many others, maybe the majority, are very troubled and disappointed with the candidates. At this point, all we can hope is that the polls have been terribly wrong or that a good Independent throws his hat into the ring. I've never seen this country so polarized. We have to find our way back towards the center. Even if an extremist wins this election and doesn't cause a major disaster, he won't get anything done and in the next election there will be such a backlash that we will swing to the other extreme.

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  5. Hello beautiful lady, i had a hard time earlier getting through had a nice blog for you. The problem is that there is no civility the only voices that get heard now is the most extreme.views or who screamed the loudest. The sad thing about it is we dont take time to listening to opposing views without demonizing others is different from our own. Personally thats very scary. Oh yeah the world is watching how divided we are

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  6. I agree with you totally, Joe. Although I think there is a time for screaming, I think that we have to try to communicate and understand where others are coming from first. The screaming comes in when you reach a point we you are pretty certain that the other person is out to enrich himself at the expense of others and you want to warn others about what he is up to.

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    1. Rosemary. Your correct also sometimes you do have to scream because some people truly have evil agendas. Rosemary i like to know what you think about the water crisis in flint Michigan ,

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    2. Joe, I haven't followed the Flint water crisis so I can't comment on it.

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    3. Rosemary the state and city had kno w about the high levels of lead in the water for a year.

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    4. In that case, Joe, their failure to act is criminal.

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    5. Rosemary some people this environmental racism at its finest. Since the city is majority minority and poor

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    6. Joe, in my experience with small town politicians I've found that many are "good ole boys" who want control and power to reside with their click. They will take advantage of anyone if they think that they can get away with it. Unfortunately, it is the poor and uneducated and minorities who are the most vulnerable, the ones least able to defend themselves and standup to the powers-that-be.

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    7. To defend themselves and to prevent being victimized in the first place, people have to be educated, confident and articulate. In my opinion, one of the main tragedies in the US today is that the public school system has failed so badly in so many places, especially where minorities live. I think we as a people have to figure out why and come together to solve that problem.

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    8. Rosemary so many people i know personally dont vote on regular basis. They usually complain how bad things are so often i hear that if i did vote nothing is going to change anyway. So many politicians can feel confident that i don't have to deal those people anyway. We should always hold those politicians accountable decisions they make effects our life. Flint Michigan is the prime example.

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    9. Rosemary being educated is very important since we don't look like the status quo they often look down on us. Thinking those people are willing to accept the scraps thrown there way when it comes to policy addressing there issues and concerns. The public school is in horrible shape Rosemary i know someone that teacher the stories i hear is unbelievable and sad. So many issues before class even start from what i hear its like nothing like when we was in school. Personally we need to solve this solve this problem its a unspoken national tragedy. .

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    10. Joe, if you are on Facebook, please send me a friend request.

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    11. Joe, please email me when you have a chance, rosemary@rosemaryjacobs.com

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    12. Rosemary if your interested here is my number. 567-315-0858

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    13. Please call me rosemary ive sent you a couple of emails i don't if you got them. Take care my friend hope to hear from you soon.

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  7. Hello Rosemary what are your thoughts on a Clinton Trump match up in November

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  8. Hi, Joe. I think Trump is a loose cannon, unpredictable and dangerous. There is no way to know what he would do in any given situation.

    Clinton is at least sane. I hope that if she is elected that she will realize that the nation has to come together in the middle, that we cannot let the extreme right or the extreme left run our nation.

    I hope that after this horrible presidential campaign that all our politicians have learned their lessons well and will stop representing small cliques and start representing real people again.

    But I'm not holding my breath. Things could get a lot worse before they get better.

    What do you think?

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    1. Good afternoon Rosemary hope your having a good day
      Hillary will getting my vote in November we need a sane person in the white house. Watching meet the press earlier this morning trump said it was okey to use nuclear weapons dealing with are adversary's around the world. Personally that's scary. Hope to hear from you soon my friend

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    2. That is very scary and insane and it seems as if there is a good chance that he might win!

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    3. The sad thing about this flawed candidate is that he have million's of supporters. I feel like I'm watching a episode of the twilight zone.

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    4. A lot of us feel the same way. I know some who are hoping that when the election comes many will forget their anger, act sensibly and vote for Hillary. Only time will tell.

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  9. I truly hope there are enough sensible voters in November.

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    1. Hello rosemary like to know your thoughts on President trump so far

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  10. Hi, Joe. I think DT is dangerous and unpredictable, a disaster threatening the foundation the nation was built on and that we have to hold him accountable and try to rein him in by screaming, contacting our reps and protesting whenever we hear or see him do something we think is horrible or when we think he should take action but doesn't.

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  11. Hello Rosemary I totality agree with you trump is a very dangerous man. His first week in office has been a disaster so far. The sad thing about this situation is that trump is holding true to his campaign promises and should very scary to a sensible thinking person. Take care rosemary hope to hear from you soon

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  12. Hello Rosemary hope your having a good day. The american nightmare continues with the President

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