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[fantomena]

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is raising questions about the surprise cancellation of a town hall meeting in West Virginia, which was scheduled for Monday morning and was to be filmed for an MSNBC special. In a statement, Sanders said that a National Guard armory that had been booked for the town hall had canceled without explanation, and that the network was unable to find a new venue on short notice.

“If anyone in West Virginia government thinks that I will be intimidated from going to McDowell County, West Virginia, to hold a town meeting, they are dead wrong,” Sanders said in a statement. “If they don’t allow us to use the local armory, we’ll find another building. If we can’t find another building, we’ll hold the meeting out in the streets. That town meeting will be held. Poverty in America will be discussed. Solutions will be found.”

The town hall meeting was set to be held in McDowell County, the poorest part of West Virginia, with the highest rate of drug overdose in the state and the lowest life expectancy of any county in the United States — 64 years. In November, Donald Trump won 74.1 percent of the vote in the county, but in the Democratic primary six months earlier, Sanders won 55.2 percent of the vote.

“I want people to see, firsthand, how poverty leads to terrible despair and that, in reality, how it is a death sentence for many,” he said. “In McDowell County, one of the poorest areas in one of our poorest states, people are now living shorter lives than their parents. Unemployment is sky high, drug addiction is at an epidemic rate, and the schools lack adequate funding. It is high time that we, as a nation, heard from the people who are impacted by this crisis and determined the best ways forward.”

Source

 

[BronsonLee]

On one hand it wouldn't surprise me if some sneaky shit is afoot, but on the other, I've helped put events at National Guard armories together and there's some stuff that actually does trigger them to cancel on short notice sometimes

 

[Inuhanyou]

I want more places for Bernie's ideas to be discussed en mass, to get that out to the public. The next town hall should definitely talk about immigration policy considering what Trump is doing right now

So cancellations of this kind of thing are really sad. On the other hand, sometimes there are unforeseen circumstances, i don't want to say there is automatic foul play involved

 

[rjinaz]

That Bernie is so upset about it kind of indicates to me that maybe he heard some things behind the scenes.

Either way, his message is an important one so I'm glad to see he is so determined.

 

[outunderthestars]

This is my home. I encourage all of you to take a moment to watch this


http://hollowdocumentary.com

Or to google image search the county. See for yourself how the area has been left behind. See how the government allowed coal companies to come in, destroy the land, and bankrupt the county to create cheap energy for the north east portions of the country.


Litttetally every school I attended has been abandoned, 85% of the grocery stores have gone out of business. Almost nothing has been done to help the people trapped in the county.

 

[Geist-]

On one hand it wouldn't surprise me if some sneaky shit is afoot, but on the other, I've helped put events at National Guard armories together and there's some stuff that actually does trigger them to cancel on short notice sometimes

Hey, Bernie is trying to make a point here, he doesn't need you shooting holes in his narrative.

Spoiler

Honestly though, I'm glad he's doing whatever it takes to get a that county to become politically involved. It's something Democrats should be doing in all red states.

 

[Brandon F]

On one hand it wouldn't surprise me if some sneaky shit is afoot, but on the other, I've helped put events at National Guard armories together and there's some stuff that actually does trigger them to cancel on short notice sometimes

But in those situations was the reasoning for the cancellation disclosed? I mean what could be happening in McDowell, WV that is so urgent and secretive that a nationally broadcast townhall mtg must be cancelled without justifiable reasoning?

 

[BronsonLee]

Hey, Bernie is trying to make a point here, he doesn't need you shooting holes in his narrative.

pew pew pew

But in those situations was the reasoning for the cancellation disclosed? I mean what could be happening in McDowell, WD that is so urgent and secretive that a nationally broadcast townhall mtg must be cancelled without justifiable reasoning?

I've had it be:
training exercises
live ammunition being stored in the venue, unsafe for public use
other shit I can't remember

Nothing I'd classify as secretive, but it's stuff that does come up. The kicker with using National Guard armories for events is that they are extremely cheap to rent and the staff is almost always very kind and helpful, but this is the fly in the ointment, so to speak.

 

[LegendofJoe]

Things like this are sorely needed, Bernie is showing some real leadership here.

 

[dramatis]

I think people should stop fixating on Bernie Sanders and start thinking more about issues and policies.

 

[Inuhanyou]

I think people should stop fixating on Bernie Sanders and start thinking more about issues and policies.

They are one in the same. Sanders is bringing light and good perspective to issues and policies most of these politicians don't have the balls to go out on tv and raise hell about unless its in a dicey political season for them and even then they likely dont care anyway.

Nobody was going to go out and talk about money in politics during the election if he had not done it first. Even trump cribbed his foe populist rhetoric and critical points of Hillary directly from Sanders.

 

[Exile20]

I think people should stop fixating on Bernie Sanders and start thinking more about issues and policies.

Do you not know history?

Any change that happens, happens when people rally behind someone(a leader).

 

[Mr.Shrugglesツ]

I think people should stop fixating on Bernie Sanders and start thinking more about issues and policies.

Is this supposed to be ironic?

 

[Coriolanus]

I want more places for Bernie's ideas to be discussed en mass, to get that out to the public. The next town hall should definitely talk about immigration policy considering what Trump is doing right now

So cancellations of this kind of thing are really sad. On the other hand, sometimes there are unforeseen circumstances, i don't want to say there is automatic foul play involved

He's welcome to talk about it, but would be quite silly to make it the focus of attention, despite recent events. These people are horrendously poor, and thus their priorities probably lie elsewhere.

 

[Deleted member 80556]

I think people should stop fixating on Bernie Sanders and start thinking more about issues and policies.

I think Bernie is doing good work by doing this town hall meetings. He's considered a figure of authority, so people listen to him, and if he can educate people and get them more involve, I say let him do his things and let people keep talking about Bernie.

 

[akira28]

Don't hold it at the armory, duh.

those places have bad history.

 

[Valhelm]

I think people should stop fixating on Bernie Sanders and start thinking more about issues and policies.

What do you think this town hall was about?

 

[K-Gun]

I think people should stop fixating on Bernie Sanders and start thinking more about issues and policies.

LOL, you've been fixated with him for months.

 

[Inuhanyou]

Do you not know history?

Any change that happens, happens when people rally behind someone(a leader).

That's not really true, a lot of the time. Protests and mass demonstration can effect change even if its not organized by a single individual.

But what Sanders is doing here is necessary and a good thing to educate people in any way possible, and maybe give more perspectives on important issues that we can carry forward.

Goodness knows i have heard less than a squeak about saving entitlement benefits or the importance battling climate change and combating neo-liberalism from any of these news networks otherwise, even in these blatantly corrupt types of putting exxon mobile CEO's in major positions of power.

If we're lucky we can talk about the ban on Muslims or the witch hunt against latino immigrants in the moment it is breaking news, but not much else

 

[AlphaDump]

They are one in the same. Sanders is bringing light and good perspective to issues and policies most of these politicians don't have the balls to go out on tv and raise hell about unless its in a dicey political season for them and even then they likely dont care anyway.

Nobody was going to go out and talk about money in politics during the election if he had not done it first. Even trump cribbed his foe populist rhetoric and critical points of Hillary directly from Sanders.

Funny how quiet you became when Bernie lost the primary. I rarely, if ever, have seen you attack trump, but you let everyone know about how corrupt hillary is.

We dont know the reason why it was cancelled, but Bernie has already caused conflict regardless. He is a political opportunist just like everyone else.

He isnt protesting the pipeline because he doesnt want to actually step on any of the actual big players toes. He had no issues with protesting when obama was around and it was a headline because he knew it would play him up as a more pure democrat. But now? Not even a fart from his direction.

 

[Arkeband]

Bernie's doing good work - people, unfortunately, require some kind of motivation to educate themselves, and it seems like Bernie is the anti-Trump, fostering a populist movement that is hungry for reasoned change instead of change at any cost.

If Bernie were a little younger and determined to run again, this kind of thing, done regularly over the next four years, would guarantee him the Presidency. The Democratic Party would be utterly fucked without him having joined them for his presidential bid.

Funny how quiet you became when Bernie lost the primary. I rarely, if ever, have seen you attack trump, but you let everyone know about how corrupt hillary is.

We dont know the reason why it was cancelled, but Bernie has already caused conflict regardless. He is a political opportunist just like everyone else.

He isnt protesting the pipeline because he doesnt want to actually step on any of the actual big players toes. He had no issues with protesting when obama was around and it was a headline because he knew it would play him up as a more pure democrat. But now? Not even a fart from his direction.

Bernie has been one of the most outspoken politicians on Trump's corruption, and it's been a torrential downpour of bad policy - he's only one dude, if he was strapped to a pipeline right now you'd be going "WHERE'S BERNIE'S OUTRAGE ON ISSUE #18934901874?!?! OPPORTUNISM MUCH???"

 

[Zyae]

I think people should stop fixating on Bernie Sanders and start thinking more about issues and policies.

You mean the guy talking about issues and policies?

 

[Valhelm]

Funny how quiet you became when Bernie lost the primary. I rarely, if ever, have seen you attack trump, but you let everyone know about how corrupt hillary is.

We dont know the reason why it was cancelled, but Bernie has already caused conflict regardless. He is a political opportunist just like everyone else.

He isnt protesting the pipeline because he doesnt want to actually step on any of the actual big players toes. He had no issues with protesting when obama was around and it was a headline because he knew it would play him up as a more pure democrat. But now? Not even a fart from his direction.

Wow, this a choice HillaryGaf post.

Allegations of opportunism, an all-or-nothing outlook, total refusal to acknowledge problems within the Democratic leadership AND the insinuation that a random poster must be a secret Trump voter.

 

[shintoki]

Talking about a dumpster fire post.

He isnt protesting the pipeline because he doesnt want to actually step on any of the actual big players toes.

Bernie on the pipeline once Trump gave the go ahead. Calling Trump out.

He had no issues with protesting when obama was around and it was a headline because he knew it would play him up as a more pure democrat. But now?

Bernie on the pipeline once Obama signed to stop it. Praising Obama stopping it.



Not even a fart from his direction.

 

[Mr.Shrugglesツ]

Funny how quiet you became when Bernie lost the primary. I rarely, if ever, have seen you attack trump, but you let everyone know about how corrupt hillary is.

We dont know the reason why it was cancelled, but Bernie has already caused conflict regardless. He is a political opportunist just like everyone else.

He isnt protesting the pipeline because he doesnt want to actually step on any of the actual big players toes. He had no issues with protesting when obama was around and it was a headline because he knew it would play him up as a more pure democrat. But now? Not even a fart from his direction.

Weird.

https://www.sanders.senate.gov/news...vance-keystone-xl-and-dakota-access-pipelines

 

[Perfect Blue]

Funny how quiet you became when Bernie lost the primary. I rarely, if ever, have seen you attack trump, but you let everyone know about how corrupt hillary is.

We dont know the reason why it was cancelled, but Bernie has already caused conflict regardless. He is a political opportunist just like everyone else.

He isnt protesting the pipeline because he doesnt want to actually step on any of the actual big players toes. He had no issues with protesting when obama was around and it was a headline because he knew it would play him up as a more pure democrat. But now? Not even a fart from his direction.

hahaha the Hillary or Bust crowd is never not funny.

 

[Tinfoilhatsron]

hahaha the Hillary or Bust crowd is never not funny.

It got tiring after a while.

 

[Toxi]

We dont know the reason why it was cancelled, but Bernie has already caused conflict regardless. He is a political opportunist just like everyone else.

He isnt protesting the pipeline because he doesnt want to actually step on any of the actual big players toes. He had no issues with protesting when obama was around and it was a headline because he knew it would play him up as a more pure democrat. But now? Not even a fart from his direction.

This isn't helpful right now.

Conservatives control most of our government and are marching lockstep on every issue. This is not a time for the Left to turn on its own.

 

[Drek]

Bernie's doing good work - people, unfortunately, require some kind of motivation to educate themselves, and it seems like Bernie is the anti-Trump, fostering a populist movement that is hungry for reasoned change instead of change at any cost.

Good work like filling tens of thousands of people's heads with stupid shit like:

- NATO/international free trade is bad.
- Free education for all via a tax on stock market transactions.
- Big corporations are the problem with our economic system.
- The problems with our country are economic, not racial or cultural.

Populism is inherently reductive and simple minded.

 

[AlphaDump]

Weird.

https://www.sanders.senate.gov/news...vance-keystone-xl-and-dakota-access-pipelines

Oooh he issued a statement!

Bernie, like his followers, would rather actively kick democrats in the balls than challenge republicans.

He is an opportunist. He would rather take to the streets for his townhall cancellation.

 

[onadesertedisland]

What is the connection to this event and Hillary? Is it just bitterness from Clinton supporters?

 

[LegendofJoe]

Bernie's doing good work - people, unfortunately, require some kind of motivation to educate themselves, and it seems like Bernie is the anti-Trump, fostering a populist movement that is hungry for reasoned change instead of change at any cost.

If Bernie were a little younger and determined to run again, this kind of thing, done regularly over the next four years, would guarantee him the Presidency. The Democratic Party would be utterly fucked without him having joined them for his presidential bid.

I wish Bernie was younger, it's a damn shame he isn't. He needs to either train or annoint a successor to carry his message forward. Whoever that is will have a good shot at the Presidency. The sooner he or she starts to gain momentum the better.

 

[PdotMichael]

What is the connection to this event and Hillary? Is it just bitterness from Clinton supporters?

Maybe we could get a word from Hillary... oh wait.

 

[Zyae]

What is the connection to this event and Hillary? Is it just bitterness from Clinton supporters?

Hillary die hards still blame Bernie for her loss. They cant accept that she was a terrible candidate, fucked up her campaign and lost to a near neo nazi.

 

[Mr.Shrugglesツ]

Oooh he issued a statement!

Bernie, like his followers, would rather actively kick democrats in the balls than challenge republicans.

He is an opportunist. He would rather take to the streets for his townhall cancellation.

He isnt protesting the pipeline because he doesnt want to actually step on any of the actual big players toes. He had no issues with protesting when obama was around and it was a headline because he knew it would play him up as a more pure democrat. But now? Not even a fart from his direction.

He didn't do much more with Obama.

So which is it, a fart or a protest?

 

[Toxi]

Good work like filling tens of thousands of people's heads with stupid shit like:

- NATO/international free trade is bad.
- Free education for all via a tax on stock market transactions.
- Big corporations are the problem with our economic system.
- The problems with our country are economic, not racial or cultural.

Populism is inherently reductive and simple minded.

Disagreeing with Sanders on these issues is fine.

The problem is you're spending time trying to discredit his character at a point where we frankly don't need that shit right now. It's the same shit that infuriated me about Bernie or Busters during the election. We're focused on whether a politician is pure when the other side of the aisle is willing to side with the rotting carcass of a goat if it means getting some of the things they want. Save the shit for when we're not struggling to survive.

 

[AlphaDump]

He didn't do much more with obama.

So which is it, a fart or a protest?

A fart. Just enough to cropdust the democrats. Much like his "debate" last week. Bernie goes back and forth to I and D when it is convenient.

 

[Drek]

Disagreeing with Sanders on these issues is fine.

The problem is you're spending time trying to discredit his character at a point where we frankly don't need that shit right now. It's the same shit that infuriated me about Bernie or Busters during the election. We're focused on whether a politician is pure when the other side of the aisle is willing to side with the rotting carcass of a goat if it means getting some of the things they want.

I'm not discrediting his character. I'm discrediting his intelligence, at least if he believes the shit he's peddling. The same shit that fueled those Bernie or Busters.

I'm not looking for purity. I'm looking for competence. Bernie feeds those who rail against competent government in favor of change. Well congrats, they've gotten the change they wanted.

 

[fantomena]

Oooh he issued a statement!

Bernie, like his followers, would rather actively kick democrats in the balls than challenge republicans.

He is an opportunist. He would rather take to the streets for his townhall cancellation.

He spoke a bit too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE-0wEjfGgs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98oCuDBjqnU

 

[BotoxAgent]

This is my home. I encourage all of you to take a moment to watch this


http://hollowdocumentary.com

Or to google image search the county. See for yourself how the area has been left behind. See how the government allowed coal companies to come in, destroy the land, and bankrupt the county to create cheap energy for the north east portions of the country.


Litttetally every school I attended has been abandoned, 85% of the grocery stores have gone out of business. Almost nothing has been done to help the people trapped in the county.

Thanks for this link. This is really interesting.

 

[Toxi]

I'm not discrediting his character. I'm discrediting his intelligence, at least if he believes the shit he's peddling. The same shit that fueled those Bernie or Busters.

I'm not looking for purity. I'm looking for competence. Bernie feeds those who rail against competent government in favor of change. Well congrats, they've gotten the change they wanted.

"Discrediting his intelligence" is discrediting his character. "Looking for competence" is a purity test.

The Democrats need to be able to work with what they have. Bitterness towards Bernie Sanders (Or for that matter, Hillary Clinton) misses why they lost.

 

[AlphaDump]

He spoke a bit too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE-0wEjfGgs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98oCuDBjqnU

There is a difference here... second link was in September, and go figure he is actively campaigning and giving speeches as though at a rally. At the pipeline. With the Young Turks...

And now, a written statement? I thought he teamed up with Cenk (lol) from TYT as the justice democrats? Which is also a reminder that it is all bullshit.

 

[Valhelm]

Good work like filling tens of thousands of people's heads with stupid shit like:

- NATO/international free trade is bad.
- Free education for all via a tax on stock market transactions.
- Big corporations are the problem with our economic system.
- The problems with our country are economic, not racial or cultural.

Populism is inherently reductive and simple minded.

NATO and international free trade are both oppressive institutions, being particularly brutal against people in the third world.

 

[Abelard]

Good work like filling tens of thousands of people's heads with stupid shit like:

- NATO/international free trade is bad.
- Free education for all via a tax on stock market transactions.
- Big corporations are the problem with our economic system.
- The problems with our country are economic, not racial or cultural.

Populism is inherently reductive and simple minded.

It's like you forgot the 2008 financial crisis...By the way, some of the greats like Roosevelt were populists so this generalization is stupid.

 

[Maxim726X]

I think people should stop fixating on Bernie Sanders and start thinking more about issues and policies.

But... He's trying to discuss issues and policies?

Guys, the primary is over. Let's move forward here.

 

[Mr.Shrugglesツ]

A fart. Just enough to cropdust the democrats. Much like his "debate" last week. Bernie goes back and forth to I and D when it is convenient.

So your implication that he was "protesting" obama to be a "purer democrat" is garbage.

There is a difference here... second link was in September, and go figure he is actively campaigning and giving speeches as though at a rally. At the pipeline. With the Young Turks...

And now, a written statement? I thought he teamed up with Cenk (lol) from TYT as the justice democrats? Which is also a reminder that it is all bullshit.

Campaing staffers, not Sanders himself.

 

[Foffy]

I think people should stop fixating on Bernie Sanders and start thinking more about issues and policies.

Seeing as the issues are the rise of the precariat and a system in disarray, isn't Sanders actually one of the few shedding light to this? Isn't this good?

How many on the left-ish side really talk about how bad neoliberalism is? I state the left and don't generalize in a more "public" sense because the right is entirely a lost cause on this issue. Sanders, Robert Reich, and Elizabeth Warren are some of the more profound figures talking about the key stuff, if we're talking those in the political arena in some fashion.

 

[AlphaDump]

So your implication that he was "protesting" obama to be a "purer democrat" is garbage.

That is literally what Bernie campaigns on. What do you think the "establishment" represents? Why does he go back between I and D?

No need to answer because we already know.

 

[Back-In-Black]

Is this supposed to be ironic?

 

[fantomena]

At the pipeline. With the Young Turks...

Isn't it just TYT who has a clip of the video in their video?

..
I thought he teamed up with Cenk (lol) from TYT as the justice democrats? Which is also a reminder that it is all bullshit.

You thought?