The state Democratic Party has filed a stinging complaint with national Democrats over the "explosive situation" and "paranoid fantasy of fraud and delegate theft" created by Bernie Sanders supporters at Saturday's state convention, warning it could be a harbinger of what's to come in Philadelphia in July.
The key section from party lawyer Bradley Schrager to the DNC's Rules Committee: "We believe, unfortunately, that the tactics and behavior on display here in Nevada are harbingers of things to come as Democrats gather in Philadelphia in July for our National Convention. We write to alert you to what we perceive as the Sander Campaign’s penchant for extra-parliamentary behavior—indeed, actual violence—in place of democratic conduct in a convention setting, and furthermore what we can only describe as their encouragement of, and complicity in, a very dangerous atmosphere that ended in chaos and physical threats to fellow Democrats."
And Schrager is clear he the party does not believe this is band of rogue delegates: "The Sanders Campaign spent its time either ignoring or profiting from the chaos it did much to create and nothing to diminish or mitigate. It was clear to the NSDP that part of the approach by the Sanders Campaign was to employ these easily-incensed delegates as shock troops to sway the convention proceedings. At the very least, these delegates became a way for the Sanders Campaign to seek the advantage of disruption at any particular moment while trying to disavow any responsibility for their actions even as it was ongoing. At no time did any Sanders representative make anything more than token gestures towards peace in the hall, and at the times of most intense crisis offered little more than shrugs and smirks."
Sanders himself has yet to decry the death threats to state Chair Roberta Lange or the raucous antics of his followers.
The state Democratic Party has filed a stinging complaint with national Democrats over the "explosive situation" and "paranoid fantasy of fraud and delegate theft" created by Bernie Sanders supporters at Saturday's state convention, warning it could be a harbinger of what's to come in Philadelphia in July.
The key section from party lawyer Bradley Schrager to the DNC's Rules Committee: "We believe, unfortunately, that the tactics and behavior on display here in Nevada are harbingers of things to come as Democrats gather in Philadelphia in July for our National Convention. We write to alert you to what we perceive as the Sander Campaign’s penchant for extra-parliamentary behavior—indeed, actual violence—in place of democratic conduct in a convention setting, and furthermore what we can only describe as their encouragement of, and complicity in, a very dangerous atmosphere that ended in chaos and physical threats to fellow Democrats."
And Schrager is clear he the party does not believe this is band of rogue delegates: "The Sanders Campaign spent its time either ignoring or profiting from the chaos it did much to create and nothing to diminish or mitigate. It was clear to the NSDP that part of the approach by the Sanders Campaign was to employ these easily-incensed delegates as shock troops to sway the convention proceedings. At the very least, these delegates became a way for the Sanders Campaign to seek the advantage of disruption at any particular moment while trying to disavow any responsibility for their actions even as it was ongoing. At no time did any Sanders representative make anything more than token gestures towards peace in the hall, and at the times of most intense crisis offered little more than shrugs and smirks."
Sanders himself has yet to decry the death threats to state Chair Roberta Lange or the raucous antics of his followers.
Here's the letter:
160516 Letter DNC RBC NVDemsConvention by Jon Ralston
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