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pnwmom

(108,925 posts)
Sat May 28, 2016, 01:56 PM May 2016

AIDS activists blast Bernie's campaign for "using and abusing" them in the publicity

for a meeting they had, which the Bernie campaign falsely portrayed as a meeting to discuss CA's drug pricing ballot initiative, ahead of the CA primary.

They were already upset with him for canceling a meeting to discuss their concerns, and then having to be pushed to reschedule. But when the meeting finally happened things only got worse.

The campaign put out a press release lying about the AIDS activists’ support of a CA drug pricing initiative that Bernie has endorsed and implying that this was a focus of the meeting. One of the leaders said he felt “used and abused” by the Sanders campaign. They haven’t endorsed the initiative -- they actually have serious concerns about it -- and Bernie knows that.

The activists are worried that it is a badly written law that may have the unintended consequence of preventing the state from buying critical AIDS drugs.

http://americablog.com/2016/05/aids-activists-blast-sanders-lying-meeting.html

Sanders had agreed to the meeting a while ago, then abruptly canceled; incurring the wrath of AIDS activists after refusing to reschedule. The criticism apparently grew to be too much and Sanders was forced to relent and hold the meeting.

Here’s the text of what Peter Staley wrote:

Feeling used and abused by the Sanders campaign right now. They just issued a press release making it sound like our meeting was about his endorsement of AHF’s drug pricing ballot initiative in CA. Senator Sanders never brought the issue up during our meeting. WE brought it up near the end, only to tell him that we had been flooded with messages from all the leading AIDS organizations in CA with deep concerns about AHF’s initiative — they are worried it could actually negatively impact access to AIDS drugs. Those groups have tried to reach the campaign with these concerns but had hit a brick wall. We asked Sanders to designate someone in his campaign to talk with these groups, and he agreed to this. WE DID NOT ENDORSE AHF’S INITIATIVE. His campaign should not have issued a press release implying this was a major topic of discussion at the meeting, and that there was general agreement on the Senator’s position on this. Anything but.


It’s a complicated issue that John Weir gets into in detail here. But what isn’t complicated is that a group of America’s top HIV activists sat down with Bernie Sanders and told him unequivocally that they opposed this initiative. Sanders turned around and lied about them, and their alleged support for this initiative, ostensibly to endear himself to key organizations in California that can help him in the upcoming primary race in that state.

SNIP

It’s bad enough that Sanders blew off the AIDS community last month, and that up until a month or so ago Sanders didn’t even mention AIDS on the rather-short-on-substance LGBT page on his campaign site (the page was only beef upped after I publicly complained about its paucity). But for Sanders to take a community that’s already ticked at him, that he’s already dissed, and then use his meeting with them to curry favor with key political allies in a primary state is the height of the very Machiavellian politics that Sanders claims to eschew.

John Weir’s public Facebook post:

https://www.facebook.com/john.weir.7796420/posts/10154884037947519


They were already upset with him for canceling a meeting to discuss their concerns, and then having to be pushed to reschedule. But when the meeting finally happened things only got worse.

The campaign put out a press release lying about the AIDS activists’ support of a CA drug pricing initiative that Bernie has endorsed and implying that this was a focus of the meeting. One of the leaders said he felt “used and abused” by the Sanders campaign. They haven’t endorsed the initiative and Bernie knows that.

The activists are worried that it is a badly written law that may have the unintended consequence of preventing the state from buying critical AIDS drugs.

5 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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AIDS activists blast Bernie's campaign for "using and abusing" them in the publicity (Original Post) pnwmom May 2016 OP
How is this worse than the things Hilliary has done and said? Perogie May 2016 #1
Bernie Sanders is racist, sexist, and homophobic! XemaSab May 2016 #2
are you an expert? Perogie May 2016 #3
They aren't accusing Bernie of homophobia. They are accusing him of misrepresenting pnwmom May 2016 #5
The activists were satisfied with the outcome of the meeting they had with her. pnwmom May 2016 #4

XemaSab

(60,212 posts)
2. Bernie Sanders is racist, sexist, and homophobic!
Sat May 28, 2016, 02:02 PM
May 2016

It's true! I read it here on DU!

Would you rather have a racist, sexist homophobe or someone who loves all the people of the earth so much that she let all of them--Chinese, Nigerians, Saudis, and Russians alike--have access to her email for years?

She's a humanitarian!

pnwmom

(108,925 posts)
5. They aren't accusing Bernie of homophobia. They are accusing him of misrepresenting
Sat May 28, 2016, 02:14 PM
May 2016

the purpose of the meeting and their position on a key bill that could impact critical care for AIDS patients, in order to benefit his campaign.

pnwmom

(108,925 posts)
4. The activists were satisfied with the outcome of the meeting they had with her.
Sat May 28, 2016, 02:09 PM
May 2016

http://www.washingtonblade.com/2016/05/12/clinton-meets-with-hivaids-activists/

According to the statement from HIV/AIDS activists, delegates in the meeting also raised concerns about pharmaceutical prices and global access to medicine, including problems that result from trade deals and intellectual property law.

The activists requested that Clinton commit to stop the Trans-Pacific Partnership and similar trade agreements in addition to stopping U.S. pressure on India to change the patent laws, which they say allow it to produce generic medications. In response, Clinton reaffirmed her opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership particularly on the grounds of its intellectual property provisions regarding pharmaceuticals, according to the statement. Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, praised Clinton in a statement for taking part in the meeting, saying it demonstrates her commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS.

“It is essential that our next president be an outspoken champion for ending the HIV and AIDS epidemic,” Griffin said. “Secretary Clinton’s meeting today with advocates underscores her commitment to do everything she can to help people living with and affected by HIV, and to work with us to end the epidemic and the continued stigma around HIV.”
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