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Segami
Segami's Journal
Segami's Journal
December 19, 2015
Brian --
Progressives are justifiably outraged at what appears to be a power play by the Democratic establishment. Over just the past couple of hours, more than 50,000 DFA members have signed on to stand with Bernie Sanders against it.
Every moment that the Sanders campaign is blocked from using its own voter file data hurts his campaign deeply. We need to build momentum NOW: Will you share Democracy for America's petition telling the DNC to restore Bernie's access to the voter file on Facebook now?
It seems like the DNC is doing all it can to blunt the momentum of Bernie's campaign -- just 24 hours after it received major endorsements from DFA and the Communication Workers of America.
First, the DNC refused to schedule an appropriate number of debates -- and hid the ones they did schedule by setting them up near holidays or on weekend nights.
Now, in a huge overreaction to a situation involving a security glitch by a data vendor, the DNC has completely removed the Sanders campaign's access to its very own voter file data -- and they won't say when or if they will give it back.
Not having access to this data for the upcoming primary process in 2016 would seriously cripple the Sanders campaign. This is unacceptable.
The Democratic Party establishment may not want Bernie in the race, but it cannot and must not drown out the voices of the people. Help us send a clear message to the DNC by sharing DFA's petition on Facebook now.
Robert Reich
Former Secretary of Labor
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-hanley/robert-reich-explains-how_b_8842478.html
Robert Reich Explains How DNC Is ROYALLY Screwing Over Bernie Sanders
In an email addressed to members of the progressive group, Democracy for America, former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich explains why Bernie Sanders needs their help.
Brian --
Progressives are justifiably outraged at what appears to be a power play by the Democratic establishment. Over just the past couple of hours, more than 50,000 DFA members have signed on to stand with Bernie Sanders against it.
Every moment that the Sanders campaign is blocked from using its own voter file data hurts his campaign deeply. We need to build momentum NOW: Will you share Democracy for America's petition telling the DNC to restore Bernie's access to the voter file on Facebook now?
It seems like the DNC is doing all it can to blunt the momentum of Bernie's campaign -- just 24 hours after it received major endorsements from DFA and the Communication Workers of America.
First, the DNC refused to schedule an appropriate number of debates -- and hid the ones they did schedule by setting them up near holidays or on weekend nights.
Now, in a huge overreaction to a situation involving a security glitch by a data vendor, the DNC has completely removed the Sanders campaign's access to its very own voter file data -- and they won't say when or if they will give it back.
Not having access to this data for the upcoming primary process in 2016 would seriously cripple the Sanders campaign. This is unacceptable.
The Democratic Party establishment may not want Bernie in the race, but it cannot and must not drown out the voices of the people. Help us send a clear message to the DNC by sharing DFA's petition on Facebook now.
Robert Reich
Former Secretary of Labor
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-hanley/robert-reich-explains-how_b_8842478.html
December 19, 2015
The facts about what happened are still developing, but assuming there are no other provisions in the agreement between the DNC and the campaign, the DNC’s actions appears to be an obvious violation of the agreement. From what I have read, it sounds like the Sanders’ staffer did not handle the situation in a way most people would consider appropriate. From a legal perspective, however, the Complaint (paragraph 19) claims that the actions, even if stupid or improper, were not a violation of the agreement with the DNC:
Thus, the DNC did not appropriately terminate the agreement and there would be no valid reason to justify the DNC terminating the agreement. It will be interesting to see the DNC’s response, but on the face of the Complaint the DNC should be ordered to immediately restore access to the campaign data. The DNC should also have to pay some amount of damages for breaching the agreement.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/12/19/1461690/-Bernie-Will-Win-His-Lawsuit
Bernie Sanders Will WIN His Lawsuit
As a young lawyer and Sanders supporter, I was very interested to read the lawsuit filed by the Sanders’ campaign regarding the DNC’s decision to deny the campaign access to DNC voter data. Paragraph 13 of the Complaint is particularly important as it recites the termination clause of the agreement between the DNC and the Sanders’ campaign:
Either party may terminate this Agreement in the event that the other party breaches this Agreement; the non-breaching party sends written notice to the breaching party describing the breach; and the breaching party does not cure the breach to the satisfaction of the non-breaching party within ten (10) calendar days following its receipt of such notice.
The facts about what happened are still developing, but assuming there are no other provisions in the agreement between the DNC and the campaign, the DNC’s actions appears to be an obvious violation of the agreement. From what I have read, it sounds like the Sanders’ staffer did not handle the situation in a way most people would consider appropriate. From a legal perspective, however, the Complaint (paragraph 19) claims that the actions, even if stupid or improper, were not a violation of the agreement with the DNC:
The Agreement does not obligate the Campaign to maintain specific security measures with respect to Confidential Information, to notify the DNC of security breaches arising in the DNC’s Voter Data systems, or to protect any confidential information inadvertently disclosed to the Campaign by the DNC.
Thus, the DNC did not appropriately terminate the agreement and there would be no valid reason to justify the DNC terminating the agreement. It will be interesting to see the DNC’s response, but on the face of the Complaint the DNC should be ordered to immediately restore access to the campaign data. The DNC should also have to pay some amount of damages for breaching the agreement.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/12/19/1461690/-Bernie-Will-Win-His-Lawsuit
December 19, 2015
Bernie Sanders is suing the Democratic party for $600,000 a day in damages, claiming it breached its contract with the campaign by dramatically removing all access to crucial voter records just weeks before the Iowa caucus. A copy of the lawsuit filed with a federal court in Washington reveals that the agreement to use a shared computer system for voter registration and supporter data included a provision for a 10-day notice period for any changes to access. It comes as the Democratic National Committee (DNC) immediately suspended all access for the Sanders team to a shared database system as punishment for a data breach in which a number of staff accessed records belonging to Hillary Clinton’s campaign during a software glitch. The Clinton campaign responded equally angrily to the breach on Friday night, claiming the access amounted to “theft” on the part of their rivals and took place through 24 different queries to the database on Wednesday. It also disputed claims by Sanders that no downloads were made.
However, he declined to be drawn into the fairness of the DNC response, which Clinton staff suggested may simply be to make sure that software vulnerabilities, which temporarily removed a firewall between the two accounts, are not exploited again. “It’s up to the Sanders campaign and the DNC to work out whether anybody should be punished in one way or another,” added Mook. The Clinton campaign manager also hesitated when asked if any of his staff had access to Sanders records, saying he was sure no one had “reached into Bernie Sanders’ data and extracted it in the way that the Bernie Sanders campaign did this week”. Earlier, Sanders’ campaign team had claimed the DNC’s crucial voter information was being “held hostage” by party leaders who are “actively trying to undermine” the senator’s presidential campaign.
In a dramatic escalation of a row over Sanders officials accessing voter data belonging to the Clinton campaign, the Vermont senator’s campaign manager, Jeff Weaver, accused the DNC of actively trying to “sabotage” his campaign by denying it all access to the Democratic party’s master voter list as a punishment for the breach. The DNC insists Sanders’ campaign continues to possess private information from the Clinton campaign. This is vociferously disputed by the Sanders campaign, which claims that it first reported vulnerabilities caused by a faulty software system two months ago.
~snip~
The DNC has long been accused of trying to rig the Democratic primary to benefit Hillary Clinton. Only four debates were scheduled before the Iowa caucuses and they have been scheduled for weekend evenings when relatively few voters are home to watch. In a television appearance afterwards, Schultz, who endorsed Clinton in 2008, dismissed these complaints. “The Sanders campaign doesn’t have anything other than bluster,” she said. “We are taking on the establishment and I’m sure there are people in the Democratic establishment who are not happy at that,” Weaver added.
cont'
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/dec/18/bernie-sanders-set-to-sue-democratic-national-committee-over-data-access
Bernie Sanders SUES DNC for $600,000 A DAY Over Removal Of Data Access
One DNC member, Heather Mizeur of Maryland, is threatening to resign her position in protest if the Sanders campaign does not regain access to the voter file. Mizeur, a former state legislator and gubernatorial candidate, wrote on her Facebook page: “If the DNC doesn’t reverse its decision to give the Sanders campaign access to its voter file data again, I am ready to resign my post as a Democratic National Committeewoman from Maryland in protest. The DNC is expected to stay neutral and supportive of all candidates during the primaries and their response to this situation is heavy-handed and ill-conceived.”
Bernie Sanders is suing the Democratic party for $600,000 a day in damages, claiming it breached its contract with the campaign by dramatically removing all access to crucial voter records just weeks before the Iowa caucus. A copy of the lawsuit filed with a federal court in Washington reveals that the agreement to use a shared computer system for voter registration and supporter data included a provision for a 10-day notice period for any changes to access. It comes as the Democratic National Committee (DNC) immediately suspended all access for the Sanders team to a shared database system as punishment for a data breach in which a number of staff accessed records belonging to Hillary Clinton’s campaign during a software glitch. The Clinton campaign responded equally angrily to the breach on Friday night, claiming the access amounted to “theft” on the part of their rivals and took place through 24 different queries to the database on Wednesday. It also disputed claims by Sanders that no downloads were made.
“This is incredibly disappointing,” Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook told reporters. “This is someone who said they were going to run a different type of campaign, and yet stole our data and is fundraising off it.”
However, he declined to be drawn into the fairness of the DNC response, which Clinton staff suggested may simply be to make sure that software vulnerabilities, which temporarily removed a firewall between the two accounts, are not exploited again. “It’s up to the Sanders campaign and the DNC to work out whether anybody should be punished in one way or another,” added Mook. The Clinton campaign manager also hesitated when asked if any of his staff had access to Sanders records, saying he was sure no one had “reached into Bernie Sanders’ data and extracted it in the way that the Bernie Sanders campaign did this week”. Earlier, Sanders’ campaign team had claimed the DNC’s crucial voter information was being “held hostage” by party leaders who are “actively trying to undermine” the senator’s presidential campaign.
In a dramatic escalation of a row over Sanders officials accessing voter data belonging to the Clinton campaign, the Vermont senator’s campaign manager, Jeff Weaver, accused the DNC of actively trying to “sabotage” his campaign by denying it all access to the Democratic party’s master voter list as a punishment for the breach. The DNC insists Sanders’ campaign continues to possess private information from the Clinton campaign. This is vociferously disputed by the Sanders campaign, which claims that it first reported vulnerabilities caused by a faulty software system two months ago.
~snip~
The DNC has long been accused of trying to rig the Democratic primary to benefit Hillary Clinton. Only four debates were scheduled before the Iowa caucuses and they have been scheduled for weekend evenings when relatively few voters are home to watch. In a television appearance afterwards, Schultz, who endorsed Clinton in 2008, dismissed these complaints. “The Sanders campaign doesn’t have anything other than bluster,” she said. “We are taking on the establishment and I’m sure there are people in the Democratic establishment who are not happy at that,” Weaver added.
cont'
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/dec/18/bernie-sanders-set-to-sue-democratic-national-committee-over-data-access
December 19, 2015
Denunciations of the DNC’s heavy-handed action against the Bernie Sanders campaign are pouring in all over the place, with MoveOn.org and Democracy For America starting petitions with tens of thousands of signatures already, and at least one DNC committeewoman threatening to resign if this is not immediately fixed.
The latest criticism of the DNC comes from former Obama chief strategist and White House senior adviser David Axelrod:
David Axelrod ✔@davidaxelrod
W/out evidence that his hierarchy knew about data-poaching, harsh penalty v. @BernieSanders looks like @DNC is putting finger on scale.
6:27 PM - 18 Dec 2015
David Axelrod ✔@davidaxelrod
The disproportionate @dnc reaction actually got @BernieSanders crew off the hook for their own stupidity. Not helpful to @HillaryClinton.
6:52 PM - 18 Dec 2015
I agree completely with Axelrod. It’s a stupid move by this staffer. You have to know that the DNC— headed by Clinton's 2008 co-chair— isn’t supportive of your campaign at the outset and would love an excuse to drop the hammer. But at the same time, the punishment not fitting the crime— which, absent further evidence, seems rather obvious— is going to blow up in the faces of Hillary and Debbie. This will be a fundraising bonanza for Bernie, motivate the hell out of his supporters and earn sympathy from outsiders. And if Hillary wins the nomination, it just makes it that much harder to unite the Party and win in November. The Hillary campaign and Debbie might think this is good for Hillary, but ultimately this isn’t good for anyone, except maybe the Republicans.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/12/19/1461694/-Former-Obama-Chief-Strategist-Absent-more-evidence-looks-like-DNC-putting-finger-on-the-scale
Former Obama Strategist Axelrod: Absent More Evidence, Looks Like DNC "PUTTING FINGER ON THE SCALE"
Denunciations of the DNC’s heavy-handed action against the Bernie Sanders campaign are pouring in all over the place, with MoveOn.org and Democracy For America starting petitions with tens of thousands of signatures already, and at least one DNC committeewoman threatening to resign if this is not immediately fixed.
The latest criticism of the DNC comes from former Obama chief strategist and White House senior adviser David Axelrod:
David Axelrod ✔@davidaxelrod
W/out evidence that his hierarchy knew about data-poaching, harsh penalty v. @BernieSanders looks like @DNC is putting finger on scale.
6:27 PM - 18 Dec 2015
David Axelrod ✔@davidaxelrod
The disproportionate @dnc reaction actually got @BernieSanders crew off the hook for their own stupidity. Not helpful to @HillaryClinton.
6:52 PM - 18 Dec 2015
I agree completely with Axelrod. It’s a stupid move by this staffer. You have to know that the DNC— headed by Clinton's 2008 co-chair— isn’t supportive of your campaign at the outset and would love an excuse to drop the hammer. But at the same time, the punishment not fitting the crime— which, absent further evidence, seems rather obvious— is going to blow up in the faces of Hillary and Debbie. This will be a fundraising bonanza for Bernie, motivate the hell out of his supporters and earn sympathy from outsiders. And if Hillary wins the nomination, it just makes it that much harder to unite the Party and win in November. The Hillary campaign and Debbie might think this is good for Hillary, but ultimately this isn’t good for anyone, except maybe the Republicans.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/12/19/1461694/-Former-Obama-Chief-Strategist-Absent-more-evidence-looks-like-DNC-putting-finger-on-the-scale
December 19, 2015
Bill Press & Roland Martin: "I SMELL A RAT"
MSNBC's Erika Hill talking to Bill Press and Roland Martin. DNC and Bernie Sanders!
December 19, 2015
Bill Press & Roland Martin: "I SMELL A RAT"
MSNBC's Erika Hill talking to Bill Press and Roland Martin. DNC and Bernie Sanders!
December 19, 2015
I don’t know if the DNC quite realizes their negotiating position on kicking the Sanders campaign out of their database.
1. One of Hillary’s biggest critiques is that she’s a manipulative politician.
Guess what the DNC kicking Bernie out makes the Hillary Clinton campaign look like?
I think this is a bigger issue than the DNC thinks because it gets to the heart of the issue many people have with Clinton — that she’s a politician and not trustworthy.
While not having access to the voter database may hurt Bernie’s campaign, it only makes him look sympathetic in the media and to the grassroots.
Example of what I’m seeing my FB/Twitter feeds.
2. If Clinton wins the primary, what does she need to do before the general election?
Reconcile with people who supported Bernie Sanders.
Good luck doing that if people think you cheated!
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/12/18/1461643/-The-DNC-voter-database-scandal-is-a-much-bigger-issue-for-the-DNC-and-Hillary-than-Bernie-Sanders
The DNC Voter Database Scandal Is A Much BIGGER Issue for the DNC & HILLARY Than Bernie Sanders
I don’t know if the DNC quite realizes their negotiating position on kicking the Sanders campaign out of their database.
1. One of Hillary’s biggest critiques is that she’s a manipulative politician.
Guess what the DNC kicking Bernie out makes the Hillary Clinton campaign look like?
I think this is a bigger issue than the DNC thinks because it gets to the heart of the issue many people have with Clinton — that she’s a politician and not trustworthy.
While not having access to the voter database may hurt Bernie’s campaign, it only makes him look sympathetic in the media and to the grassroots.
Example of what I’m seeing my FB/Twitter feeds.
2. If Clinton wins the primary, what does she need to do before the general election?
Reconcile with people who supported Bernie Sanders.
Good luck doing that if people think you cheated!
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/12/18/1461643/-The-DNC-voter-database-scandal-is-a-much-bigger-issue-for-the-DNC-and-Hillary-than-Bernie-Sanders
December 18, 2015
For safety’s sake, security breach information is usually held close to the chest. Most security breaches aren’t even reported to media unless there is a danger that users need to be made aware of. You don’t want to give hackers any ideas or provide them with road maps. Security issues should be hush hush by their very nature.
I have never seen an audit trail of an actual breach being passed on to the media before. For me, this is unheard of. While, in this case, it may not actually pose a significant risk, it is most definitely bad practice.
This information wasn’t passed on to media to warn end users, so what was the purpose in its being released? And who decided to release it?
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/12/18/1461565/-DNC-Data-Security-Breach-Who-Gave-The-Media-Access-To-Audit-Trail-And-Why
DNC Data Security Breach -- WHO Gave The Media ACCESS To Audit Trail...And Why?
This is the oddest reporting on a data security breach I have ever seen. It’s bizarre, and seems to fall outside the typical protocols for dealing with security issues.
For example, this is from www.nbcnews.com:
After Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign was disciplined by the Democratic National Committee for improperly accessing the Hillary Clinton campaign's proprietary voter database, documents obtained and reviewed by NBC News appeared to show that at least four individuals affiliated with the Sanders campaign conducted searches and saved the Clinton campaign's lists of potential voters over a period of more than 40 minutes.
A series of documents outlining an audit trail maintained by the database company, obtained and reviewed by NBC News, shows that the four individuals spent a total of about 40 minutes conducting searches of the Clinton data. Those searches included terms that point to Sanders' team gaining access to proprietary lists from more than 10 early voting states of Clinton's likely supporters as well as lists for Sanders backers. That data was saved to personal folders.
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/bernie-sanders-campaign-penalized-dnc-after-improperly-accessing-clinton-voter-n482341
A series of documents outlining an audit trail maintained by the database company, obtained and reviewed by NBC News, shows that the four individuals spent a total of about 40 minutes conducting searches of the Clinton data. Those searches included terms that point to Sanders' team gaining access to proprietary lists from more than 10 early voting states of Clinton's likely supporters as well as lists for Sanders backers. That data was saved to personal folders.
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/bernie-sanders-campaign-penalized-dnc-after-improperly-accessing-clinton-voter-n482341
For safety’s sake, security breach information is usually held close to the chest. Most security breaches aren’t even reported to media unless there is a danger that users need to be made aware of. You don’t want to give hackers any ideas or provide them with road maps. Security issues should be hush hush by their very nature.
I have never seen an audit trail of an actual breach being passed on to the media before. For me, this is unheard of. While, in this case, it may not actually pose a significant risk, it is most definitely bad practice.
This information wasn’t passed on to media to warn end users, so what was the purpose in its being released? And who decided to release it?
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/12/18/1461565/-DNC-Data-Security-Breach-Who-Gave-The-Media-Access-To-Audit-Trail-And-Why
December 18, 2015
.
FIRED Bernie Sanders Campaign Staffer Speaks Out | MSNBC
Josh Uretsky, fired Sanders campaign staffer, is interviewed by MSNBC's Steve Kornacki with his perspective on the controversy following Clinton campaign data being accessed by the Sanders campaign during a DNC firewall failure.
.
December 18, 2015
Jake Tapper needs to ease up on his dumb facial expressions.......
Tad Devine: DNC Trying To "SHUTDOWN" Biggest Grassroots Campaign
Tad Devine, a senior adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders campaign for president, says the DNC is "arbitrarily" penalizing Sanders for this data mishap.
Jake Tapper needs to ease up on his dumb facial expressions.......
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