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

[MrWendel]

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

BY TESSA STUART May 18, 2016

Here's what several men had to say for themselves after threatening Roberta Lange and calling her a "b-tch"



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.)

None of them were present at the convention; none of them even live in Nevada. They watched from their homes in Texas, Georgia and Utah, and felt the brazen theft they witnessed validated their actions. All of the men we spoke to reject the idea that their words could be interpreted as threats or harassment. And all of them were concerned about the media contorting their words. So, in their words — edited only for length and clarity — here is what they had to say for themselves.

(Rest in link)

[SunSeeker]

1. K & R for exposure. nt

[TwilightZone]

2. Another silly conspiracy theory debunked.

What a shock.

[MrWendel]

3. Like I mentioned ....

in the GD: P the interviews are amazing, you have to read the whole thing.

[Rose Siding]

6. No kidding. The one who walked away from his job to "campaign"?

Bernie netted some real cases.

[MrWendel]

4. Q: Did you intend your message as a threat?

A: Like, from a legal perspective… I didn't make it a direct threat. There's an implication, and I'm implying, right? I'm inferring that I could do something, but I was doing that to show — it was kind of just a, Hey, let's set the mood here and see if anything will happen.

[Rose Siding]

5. Wow, everyone should read this. BS has corraled some really damaged types-

When did I really, really get involved? As of January 4th, I quit my corporate job and I went independent, and I have just been pushing the campaign since then.

(Interviewer asks: ) You quit your job to campaign full-time for Bernie?

The idea was so I could give back and support the campaign. I feel like if I don't do something, I'm just going to, like, sit back with some cozy job at some software company while everybody else just gets screwed....

But I would say the true thing that really hooked me was when the bird landed on his podium. It was the first time that something political actually moved me, and it moved me to the point where I cried…. I'm a person that has a military dad, my parents got divorced, my grandmother had Parkinson's — I just had this very rough, challenging childhood where I was just kind of sad. It was such a sad childhood.... I was just a tough kid. I only cry in a funeral for family, and all of a sudden I'm 29, I see a man who I'm already just all about his campaign, and then the bird lands on his thing, and people's reaction — I connected. I connected to a moment with all those people about something just way different.

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/pro-bernie-trolls-on-why-they-harassed-nevadas-democratic-chair-20160518#ixzz494Ejh2N9

Even as he's explaining he's no threat, the guy sounds just a bit.....off?

[MrWendel]

7. Yeah....

Last edited Thu May 19, 2016, 03:08 AM - Edit history (1)

The first two were cowardly. Last guy was not exactly driving on all fours.

[lunamagica]

8. K&R, for exposure

[Hoyt]

9. "Progressive" Tbaggers and Yahoos.