We called up Bernie fans who threatened Nevada Dem Chair & asked them to explain themselves

[Blue_Tires]

...Soon afterwards, Lange’s cellphone number was posted online, and the local offices were vandalized. In a formal letter of complaint written to the Democratic National Committee, the Nevada Democratic Party said Lange has received hundreds of insulting and often threatening calls and texts. The letter said, too, that they feared the same behavior will happen again at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in July.

As Stassa notes, many Sanders supporters condemned what happened at the Nevada convention and the threats against Lange. The Nevada Dems, though, placed the blame squarely on Sanders’ camp, drawing no distinction between the campaign itself and its supporters:

We write to alert you to what we perceive as the Sanders 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. Indeed, the threats to the Chair of the Nevada State Democratic Party are ongoing at time of this writing, as Sanders activists have posted her cell phone and home address online, and have bombarded her with threats to her life and the safety of her family. We have attached some examples of this conduct, which is not merely offensive but obviously criminal in nature. We can provide audio of threatening phone calls made directly to the Chair, which now number in the hundreds.

The state party also released a Dropbox folder that had links to some of the texts and voicemails Lange received.

In these voicemails, she is called a cunt and a bitch, and many callers express hopes that she’s seriously harmed. “Praying to god someone shoots you in the FACE,” one says, “and blows your democracy-stealing head off!” Another called for her to be “hung in a public execution.”

http://theslot.jezebel.com/we-called-up-bernie-fans-who-threatened-nevada-dem-stat-1777177985

[mcar]

1. They seem brave

[riversedge]

7. Only cowards leave such vile messages.

[mcar]

12. Very true

It must make them feel soooo important!

[Agschmid]

2. The people who made these threats are mentally ill.

[arcane1]

3. "Sanders Campaign’s penchant for extra-parliamentary behavior—indeed, actual violence"

So, where is the violence, and where is the "Sanders campaign" committing it?

[MADem]

5. ....

[Trajan]

4. Well, from what I understand, these were Democrats who did this

They were members of the Democratic Party, who did these awful things ...

When did the Democratic Party lose it's soul and allow it's members to behave in this manner?

This is awful what the Democratic Party has done ... They had members who behaved very badly!

What should be done to protect humanity from vicious Democratic Party Members ?

(NOTE: This is a rhetorical argument, not a condemnation of the Democratic Party in general)

[JCanete]

8. +1! and I never +1, heh. Well drawn example of this absurdity though. NT

[Blue_Adept]

6. Worth looking to see what people responded with

The first was a man from Atlanta, who called Lange a “corrupt bitch” and texted her, “Someone will hurt you.”

Atlanta Man declined to give his name when I reached him. He sounded weary and embarrassed. He said he’d been getting phone calls all day.

“Most of them are just hangups,” he said. “I’ve gotten threats on Twitter, too. But I don’t make a big deal out of that stuff. All I can say is that I’ve apologized to her and I’m sorry. I said one thing I guess that somebody took as a threat.”

“What was your actual intention?” I asked.

“I can’t really say for sure if there was an intention on that,” he replied. “I don’t really want to say too much.”

no surprise there. We've had other things online where women have gone back at people who pull this kind of stuff online, or talked with the person's mother in some cases to really great effect. Once confronted, well, you see what you get above.

[JimDandy]

9. Absolutely NO violence occurred at the convention. Saying otherwise is a lie.

Zero evidence.

But in your face evidence of the absolute corruption of Roberta Lange is in full view in video after video of the convention. Her conduct was disgusting and she must be replaced in order to start anew and return democratic processes back to the Nevada State Democratic Party. Corruption has no place in our party.

Remove Roberta Lange immediately!

[Blue_Tires]

14. Lange has endorsed Sanders, genius...

[JimDandy]

15. LMAO... No. Roberta Lange has declared herself as uncommitted.

Political activists found that pronouncement of hers incredulous and patently ridiculous, as everyone is very aware that her loyalties lie with Hillary Clinton.

Where do you people get crap like: Lange endorsed Sanders; or 'there was violence at the Nevada Convention'?

I wouldn't deign to apply the word 'genius' to you, even sarcastically . I value it's definition too much to sully it with the likes of you.

ETA - am slowly taking you Clinton supporters off ignore. It is more dangerous for our democracy to ignore all the falsehoods you all sprout, than it is beneficial to the quality of my experience on this board.

[Skwmom]

10. Like this proves they were Bernie Supporters or that it even occurred. Sorry but the Party has

zero credibility. That is the problem with lying.

[Blue_Adept]

11. The comments section is pretty interesting as well

I tend to not get into those with most sites, but Jezebel tends to have some good commenters, like AV Club for its reviews. An interesting array of reactions there that are mostly calm and evenhanded. Felt like a weird oasis compared to here right now.

[LonePirate]

13. It's interesting how these fans of the anti-war candidate have no problems with violence or threats

[Blue_Tires]

16. Rolling Stone gets in on the action:

Pro-Bernie Trolls on Why They Harassed Nevada's Democratic Chair

Democrats have been in a froth this week in the aftermath of Saturday's contentious, and at times violent, Nevada state convention. As Rolling Stone reported Tuesday, Bernie Sanders supporters, incensed by the party's handling of the proceedings — and the fact that Sanders failed to hold on to two pledged delegates he unexpectedly gained at the Clark County convention — clashed with Clinton supporters, who in turn called for the Sanders supporters' arrest.

Pissed off Sanders supporters, watching the events unfold online from around the country, began circulating the personal contact information for state party chair Roberta Lange. As a result, Lange became the target of a barrage of harassment, including death threats and threats of violence sent via voicemail and text message. On Monday, the party shared many of those messages — notably, and perhaps regrettably, without redacting some of the senders' phone numbers.

Rolling Stone spoke to several of the men who sent Lange angry, menacing text messages to find out what was going through their heads as they pelted a stranger with epithets and threats, both veiled or explicit, to her and her family's safety, and to find out if — as some diehard Sanders supporters have suggested — they were actually Clinton campaign operatives out to smear Bernie.

They were not. All of the men we spoke to were genuine Sanders supporters, most with well-documented histories online of feeling the Bern. (Although only their first names are used below and their phone numbers have been redacted, we verified all of their identities.)

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/pro-bernie-trolls-on-why-they-harassed-nevadas-democratic-chair-20160518