I'll keep this very simple

[Tom Rinaldo]

If the Republican Party in America isn't employing lots of people to to do and say vile things, particularly via the internet - under the guise of supporting Bernie Sanders - then magically the Republican Party has suddenly become kinder and gentler than the Republican Party I have done battle with for all of my life - going back to Richard Nixon. They do it to their own during their intramural wars (the McCain/Bush primaries were epic for that), they sure as hell don't mind doing it to us during ours. Under J Edgar Hoover the FBI had already perfected the portfolio of tricks used to sow distension among members of an identified opposition. It isn't rocket science, and it works.

Their is genuine anger and frustration festering among millions of Americans about the status quo in this nation and how the system is rigged to keep the winners winning and the losers losers. Those sentiments cross over party lines, though they manifest differently on the Right and the Left. Younger Americans in particular feel that frustration, it is their future that is being looted to fatten the current oligarchy. That anger and frustration among them has been channeled in large part into positive and passionate support for Bernie Sanders. When young people feel screwed they tend not to act as polite about it in response as do many Americans of older years, who have long ago acclimated to "the way things are". I know that from my own life. I was out in the streets during the Vietnam War, my parents weren't. My elders at the time thought we were disrespectful of authority even while the protests we engaged in were overwhelmingly non-violent in response to the horrific violence that was literally killing tens of thousands of our peers in a war that should never have been fought. But there were also trained agent provocateurs thrown into the mix by the government to discredit a movement that threatened them. That was Domestic Counter Insurgency Tactics 101.

So when I read all of the uproar about death threats being sent to Clinton supporters by Sanders supporters, and how effective that uproar has become to virtually tar entire generations of activists for being unhinged and out of control, I get it. I know how this works. Down to the last individual Bernie Sanders supporter who I know, each and every one of them, they are passionately committed to non violence as a way of life, not just as a tactic. They are passionately committed to dialogue and communication between people of differing opinions about all of the issues that matter. But unlike most Americans, they are also willing to vocally protest against the things that are wrong about our nation. And that, I suppose, makes them easy prey for today's version of red baiting.

[JaneyVee]

1. Operation Chaos 2016

[democrank]

6. David Brock

.

[MelungeonWoman]

7. Wow! Thanks for the tip!

I just googled "operation chaos" 2016 and the first entry was a Breitbart story on Limbaugh calling out his trolls to join the ranks of Hillary. My, my.

They'll call me a Republican for sharing my findings.

[B Calm]

9. +1

[bvar22]

16. Of course the REpublicans want to help Hillary, and will do so by hook or crook.

The Republicans want to run against the weaker candidate in the General Election.

[yuiyoshida]

19. I can not believe how much Flame bait I have seen recently

and gee so many low post count members. Does that say anything to anyone? Just curious.

[BootinUp]

2. There are all kinds of dynamics going on, in a way its fascinating as a case study

of our nation. We have to eventually pull this party together though, the system while not perfect, is the only one we have.

[Tom Rinaldo]

11. For this election cycle, I agree

But it is fair and proper to work inside the Democratic Party for change inside the Democratic Party also. There will be calls for some fundamental changes at the Convention this summer. It is appropriate that they be seriously considered as a part of pulling together for the future.

[BootinUp]

12. Agreed. nt.

[bvar22]

17. It WILL be interesting how those "calls for fundamental change" will be received...

...by those who benefit immensely from the system exactly the way it is now.

[Hortensis]

3. No doubt the Nasty Right is very very busy already,

mostly in the background, that they do want to tar all activism on the left, and that we are seeing their agents and their propaganda all over DU.

However, let's be complete about this.

The Nevada State Democratic Party is charging The Sanders Campaign itself of organizing and directing the hooliganism at their convention. Not conservative infiltrators.

Some of Bernie Sanders' supporters are conservatives, however, both far-right and moderate, and it would be reasonable to assume they are acting like conservatives, whatever that would mean. However, probably none is employed in a position of responsibility on Bernie's staff.

Some of Bernie Sanders' supporters are radical in personality and some are even officially radical in political orientation, and of course both groups have a tendency to behave in ways that have been identified as characteristic of radicals by political scientists.

I mention all this because some Bernie supporters who are genuinely committed to nonviolence and/or to progressive ideals are empowering these other elements by agreeing with statements and defending behaviors that should be considered beyond the pale. They believe, of course, that this will further their progressive goals, but they need to consider if what they have been excusing is morphing into something that could have the opposite effect.

[Tom Rinaldo]

13. Nevada is complex

I will try to only make objective comments about what happened there for the sake of a good discussion. Whatever the ultimate facts may turn out to be, when and if they are ever known, there were certain clear and unquestionable flash points that happened at that final state convention. A sizable number of Sanders delegates were suddenly disqualified, enough to flip the final total delegate win from Sanders to Clinton based on how the Nevada Democratic Party had the multi tiered delegate selection process designed. It was their system that allowed Sanders to potentially win more delegates than Clinton after the initial caucus round was over. Maybe they should have been disqualified, though it seems non credible to me that only Sanders delegates were subject to to a fair purging. Regardless, there was no appeal process allowed, and at least some of the Sanders delegates purged had strong credentials that should have proved in any fair appeal that they had a right to participate in that convention. Right there that created significant tension.

Further there was a sudden temporary rules change essentially imposed on that convention that significantly narrowed normal democratic oriented procedures while dramatically enhancing the power of the Convention Chair. Then there is clear video evidence that even those procedures were not followed when the result of doing so would have questioned the agenda of the Chair.

The Nevada Democratic Party, like every other institution, is made up of individual human beings with their own priorities and biases. No institution, even our courts, can be presumed to be free from influences that taint their deliberations and decision making. I don't presume to know all the facts in question, but I do not automatically assume that the Nevada Democratic Party leadership is being fair and impartial in the accusations it may now be making against the Sanders campaign.

[NorthCarolina]

4. It's not the Republicans either. It's Brock. -nt-

[democrank]

5. Thank you for shining a light on what you correctly call "today`s version of red baiting"

The MILLIONS of us out there engaged in principled, non-violent protests during the Vietnam War got the same reaction from the establishment that Bernie Sanders supporters get today. The establishment didn`t want any of it....no reminders about blue collar kids getting drafted into slaughter while the kids of people who really mattered got deferments.

I`m with you. In spite of the red-baiting, every single Bernie Sanders supporter I know, from 18 to 78, respectfully differs with the establishment and is willing to say so. They don`t have to spend their time spinning responses to why their positions today are opposite of what they were yesterday. They, like Bernie, stand for the same principles they stood for decades ago.

~PEACE~

[Armstead]

8. Thank you Tom -- Cognent as usual

[Todays_Illusion]

10. I consider that to be mostly astroturfed and political dirty tricks as well, it is everywhere.

[Skwmom]

14. The GOP has it's hand in this but Camp Clinton hardly has clean hands. Plus, it wasn't the GOP that

caused the Clinton supporters to act in the outrageous undemocratic manner that they did in NV.

Boxer from CA (with her comments and being from an upcoming primary) made it obvious that this was just another in a long line of manufactured stunts to try to smear Bernie Sanders and his supporters.

[Tom Rinaldo]

15. I suspect the GOP for the worst of it. However...

I have no doubt that Brock has dirty hands smearing Sanders supporters. It's his classic style, to turn a candidate's strength - in this case a ability to inspire idealism and an influx of new voters - into a scary negative. God save us all from rowdy Sanders hooligans or the Republic is DOOMED! Distortion is such an easy tactic to master, as is tarring with a very broad brush.

[Scuba]

18. Great post, thanks.

[VulgarPoet]

20. My soon-to-be in-laws were hippies during the Vietnam protests, and when they heard about this

They gave me a call last night, and all they said was "you called it". I was talking to them in February, how I believed they'd try some kind of setup to pain us as violent, unruly domestic terrorists, and they'd use agent provocateurs to do it. Of course, Camp Weathervane is screaming about it being more InfoWars conspiracy theorizing, because the Dems are supposed to be the GOOD guys, who WOULDN'T stoop to that... right?

Right?

[Tom Rinaldo]

21. No one can put a patent on a political dirty tricks tactic

With the internet amateurs and pros alike can participate. Clearly there is strong evidence that Republicans play some pretty vile dirty tricks on each other during primary contests. They would have no hesitation to trying anything they could to help propel Democrats at each others throats heading into the Fall election. What follows of course is my own opinion only. I don't think David Brock or anyone associated with the Clinton campaign would actually make fake death threats to Clinton supporters while pretending to be Sanders supporters, but I am not as confident about garden variety harassment emails and Facebook posts etc. I don't put that past Brock attempting, it is a useful means to help sour State party officials and Super Delegates on the entire Sanders campaign.

No doubt some posts like that get made by individuals who actually do support Sanders also. There are millions of us out there, not every person who may choose to support Bernie has their head screwed on right. It would be pretty easy for Brock or anyone else to mimic each genuinely rude Sanders supporter post made to a Clinton supporter with several fakes, amplifying greatly the negative backlash that they cumulatively cause.

Death Threats against Clinton supporters and their families, and the posting of obscene language like C*NT etc. ring completely false for true Sanders supporters. Sanders supporters, both male and female, are overwhelmingly pro-feminist, justice minded environmental peaceniks. Those are the roots of the passion that animates them. Shouting down someone they disagree with on a stage, yes, a minority of Bernie supporters might do so when they are really worked up, but not death threats against families and the like. You know who engages in that type of behavior? The far right does. They also are quite comfortable using filthy and degrading language against their perceived enemies.

Sitting anonymously in their homes they can stalk anyone they want online while pretending to support Bernie. They don't give a fig about the feelings of the "liberals" they are harassing - they just want to throw gasoline on a fire and hopefully start a civil war on the Democratic side That totally fits their M. O. and it totally disgusts me that no one in the media even questions for a moment whether it is genuine Bernie supporter supporters leaving vile messages and death threats on answering machines of key Clinton supporters. They just buy into it as if no one has ever heard of Trolling or dirty tricks in politics.