Bernie on Mass Incarceration in 1994 (railing against the Federal Crime Bill)

[AZ Progressive]

[beam me up scottie]

1. This is why he voted for the Violence Against Women Act:

Because people want to know why he finally voted for Clinton's crime bill.

[boston bean]

2. And then went on to vote for it. He is one principled guy.

[jfern]

3. He voted against the bad parts in amendments

But he'd be attacked for being a sexist gun nut if he didn't vote for the Violence Against Women Act or the assault rifle ban.

[boston bean]

4. Did he or did he not vote for it? I mean isn't compromising on issues a real bad thing?

He wants to hold himself up to be the purist of the pure and all knowing... He needs to walk the walk.

Or is it a fact that he is a politician that's been in Congress for decades like many others, doing the best they can with what they got?

[jfern]

5. He'd be attacked for voting against if it he voted against it

It was a damned if you and damned if you don't vote. But as I said, he voted against the bad parts in amendments.

[boston bean]

6. He voted against it before he voted for it.

I understand what you are saying. But Sanders and his supporters have set the bar very high.

He is either a person who compromises his principles.

or

More likely, like all democrats, takes the best they can get at the time.

[jfern]

7. You're just straw manning here

[morningfog]

8. That's one word for it.

[virtualobserver]

11. he doesn't compromise his principles, he compromises on legislation

he has never claimed to do otherwise.

they are not the same thing.

It is you who are setting the bar here, and trying to set it at impossible.

The difference here is that while this bill was going through Congress....Bernie was actively fighting the horribly damaging elements of this.....Bill and Hillary were actively lobbying for the harsh and damaging elements.

For Clinton surrogates to be blaming Bernie for the things that he fought against and that the Clintons lobbied for is incredibly insane, and it shows how dishonest the Clinton campaign really is.

[boston bean]

12. He actually made a vote for it. As far as I know, Hillary did not have a vote.

I know it's fashionable to blame Hillary for everything Bill has ever done, with no understanding of what was happening at the time...

It is ludicrous to hold Bernie up as some pure candidate who never compromises his principles, as he certainly did here.

It's much better to understand the nuances of situation, the crime problem back then, and how and why votes are cast.

You cannot hold a double standard in favor for one and against another.

Which is what many BSers really like to do.

[virtualobserver]

14. Hillary personally lobbied Congress for the damaging things that Bernie fought against

....there is no nuance..

It is dishonest to attack Bernie for things that he fought against that Hillary and Bill lobbied to get into the bill and Bernie railed against and voted to remove from the bill through amendment.

Dishonest.

Bernie did not compromise his principles......if he had voted against this Bill you would be attacking him for voting against the Federal Assault Weapons Ban and the violence against Women act.

The Clintons try to win through dishonesty.

[AZ Progressive]

21. According to Thom Hartmann, Bernie still voted for it because he supported the...

Violence against Women act and the Assault Weapon ban.

This is FAR better than Hillary's total support of the bill:

[oasis]

9. I've always admired Bernie's passion on social issues. That was his thing.

To his everlasting credit, it remains his thing. Unfortunately, for a person making a serious bid for leader of the free world, it can't be his only thing.

[nc4bo]

10. Same schtick from the exact same campaign, dusty! At least Swiffer off the dust first. Achoooooooo

Thanks.

[oasis]

13. "Same Schtick" This from a backer of a one-trick-pony campaign.

Gotta give it a well deserved five chuckles.

[nc4bo]

15. I do not buy the one-trick bullcrap. His message highlights just how neglectful politicians have

been towards the needs of the people of this country. How the needs of the wealthy outweigh the needs of the citizen and how our very democracy has been destroyed because of it.

He warned us. He constantly warned us. He now has the attention of millions of people who agree with his message.

That one trick pony bullshit is lame and dusty. We've been telling you guys we've heard this entire script before with HRCs attacks against an "inexperienced" and "naive" Senator Obama. We told you we recognized the script earlier in THIS campaign.

Time for some new material.....I'm sure it's coming. So in the meantime.........

[oasis]

16. "Goldman Sachs bad, big banks bad, oligarchs, billionaires bad"

It's time Bernie ventured into "some new material". Like foreign policy perhaps?

[nc4bo]

17. BARACK OBAMA vs HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON. She campaigned on his lack of foreign

Policy experience. There ARE videos out there in Googleland, I'm fairly sure of that. Obama did have pretty decent judgement though.

Guess who won?!

[oasis]

18. "Pretty decent judgement" won't cut it with the rise of ISIS.

Imagine the GOP ads in the GE, casting doubts about conciencous objector, Bernie's ability to protect America.

[nc4bo]

19. LOL yea....let's just bomb bomb bomb Iran!

Yea bomb everybody......yea, let's do that!

Its about judgement or the lack thereof.

[oasis]

20. Let's see if Bernie employs that tactic in tonight's debate

in an attempt to divert scrutiny of his glaring lack knowledge in the realm of foreign policy.

Anyway, I wish Bernie the best of luck in whatever the future holds for him. He's a remarkable guy.

Nice talking with you. Bye for now.

[AZ Progressive]

22. I am sure the black community could forgive Bernie for voting for the bill once they saw that video

I'm not sure they could forgive Hillary though.