His message to the members was
simple, said Sanders: "We have got to fight for the needs of the middle class
and working families of this country." But were some too busy booing to
hear it?
Bernie Sanders spoke to
Democratic members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday but was
reportedly booed as he attempted to explain that his endorsement of presumptive
nominee Hillary Clinton might not fit into an easy timeline and that
transforming the nation is about more than one election.
While providing anonymity to
all of its sources, Politico reported
how "one person inside the room" said there were "boos from
lawmakers" while Sanders was addressing questions about endorsing Clinton.
One unnamed "senior
Democrat" described being personally frustrated that Sanders used the
meeting to talk about the central issues of his historic campaign while
refusing to simply say when Clinton would receive his blessing publicly.
"It was frustrating because he's squandering the movement he built with a
self-obsession that was totally on display," the individual said.
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.),
who was present during the meeting, took issue with the version of events
offered by Politico's sources, writing on Twitter:
.@politico story is false. Bernie was
respectfully received by Caucus. Some disagreements, yes, but a friendly venue
Sanders was reflective and
thoughtful in responses. Expressions of disagreement are NOT booing
Sanders also disputed the
reporting by Politico, telling CNN's Wolf Blitzer during a midday interview
that "by and large the response was pretty good. There were some people
who were in disagreement."
Blitzer asked if he heard
actual booing. "I don't know," Sanders shrugged in response. There
were, he added, "a few people... discontented."
In its reporting, CNN
cited three Democrats who said there was "a group of members booing
[Sanders] at one point." The news outlet reported:
The vast majority of House
Democrats endorsed Clinton's candidacy early in the primary process, but
Sanders was invited to attend the weekly meeting as a courtesy extended to all
presidential candidates. When Clinton appeared last month, she was applauded
and praised for her commitment to help Democrats regain control of Congress
this fall.
Many Democrats have been
reluctant to publicly criticize Sanders for continuing his campaign because
they want to ensure that the supporters he activated through the long primary
contest will come out and vote for the Democratic ticket in November.
Strikingly, of the available
reporting, only those who requested or received anonymity from journalists
reported hearing boos, while all those identified, including Rep. Steny Hoyer
(D-Md.) and House Democratic Caucus Chairman Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.), both of
whom spoke to CNN, said they did not.
Meanwhile, the Huffington Post
offered
this account of the contentious portion of the meeting, reporting that
things got increasingly "testy" when the "topic turned from
policy to politics":
At some point during the
question-and-answer session, members began asking Sanders for a timeline for
when he would endorse Clinton. Some began chanting the word “timeline.” Rep.
Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.) was yelling from the back of the room, asking him when
he’d endorse.
Sanders repeatedly declined to
offer a specific date, which resulted in some booing from the members.
“How do we unite?” asked Rep.
Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), according to the high-ranking aide. “You are the person
who has me the most frustrated.”
Beatty’s office declined to
comment, citing the off-the-record rules of the meeting.
Sanders eventually responded
that the goal was not to win elections. He paused at this juncture, at which
point came the boos. “The goal is to transform America,” he said. The Sanders
aide said that members in the room applauded at that point.
Leaving the meeting, Sanders
spoke briefly to reporters.
“My message was a simple
message: We have got to fight for the needs of the middle class and working
families of this country,” he
said. “We got to get people involved in the political process, we got to
get a large voter turnout, and if we have a larger voter turnout, Democrats
will regain control of the Senate and I believe they’re gonna take the House
back.”
Throughout the rise of his
unlikely presidential run, there has been widespread recognition that serious
tensions exist between the so-called "Establishment" order of the
Democratic Party, represented by Clinton and her backers, and more progressive
elements drawn to the vision of the broadly-framed "political
revolution" articulated by Sanders.
If the reporting on
Wednesday's meeting is an indication, it seems that even as the race winds down
and the Democratic National Convention approaches, those tensions may still be
a long way from being resolved.
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