Did Bernie really vote against the Amber alert?

[redqueen]

Yes. Yes he did.

Here's why.

https://www.reddit.com/r/WayOfTheBern/comments/by8p17/did_bernie_really_vote_against_the_amber_alert/

This shit is weak. It was weak 4 years ago and it's weaker now. Out of context quotes and standard republican playbook bullshit.

I know republicans expect voters to be stupid and easily manipulated but trying to sell this here? At least stop pretending it's anything other than a stupid right wing talking point.

[George II]

1. That explanation (in reddit?) is weak as well. Claiming he was against the three strikes provision..

...and mass incarceration, but he had no qualms about voting for a bill containing the three strikes provision and "mass incarceration" in 1994, and lobbied to make that bill even tougher in 1995.

[redqueen]

5. ...

...
While the Clintons have defended the 1994 crime law until quite recently, Sanders was always careful to point out that he saw the law as a compromise — and regularly stated his concerns with mass incarceration.

In 1994, for example, he said that he would support it because it included the Violence Against Women Act, which helped crack down on domestic violence and rape. Sanders said:
...
https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/2016/2/26/11116412/bernie-sanders-mass-incarceration

And Biden wrote the damn bill!

[George II]

11. In 1995 when Democrats wanted to address the disparity in penalties for crack cocaine....

....vs. powder cocaine by lowering the sentence guideline for crack cocaine, he insisted on raising the penalty for powder cocaine. If he was successful that would have further contributed to "mass incarceration".

So much for him being against "mass incarceration".

[uponit7771]

6. +1

[thesquanderer]

8. Every combination is a different balancing act of what's good in it vs. what's bad.

Why would it be hard to believe that someone would vote yes on one bill that had some bad stuff in it along with the good he wanted, and then vote no on a bill that had different bad stuff along with different good stuff? Each bill is its own combination... how many good things are on it and how good are they, versus how many bad things are in it and how bad are they.

Amber Alert is important. It has played a part in rescuing about 1000 kids over the last 15 years or so. I don't know how much damage was done by the bad parts of that bill. It's not an easy calculation. The 1994 Crime Bill also included the Violence Against Women provision, I'm not sure how we quantify the value of that, either, vs. the damage of the bad parts of that bill.

This stuff isn't easy. I don't fault any of our representatives for having to make difficult decisions on some complex votes like these.

[LovingLife]

2. Watch the Video. Yes he did, and he won't explain why.

[NurseJackie]

4. We deserve better. I don't like his attitude.

[Nanjeanne]

3. Here's some background

Among the add-ons placed on the bill by House Republicans was one restricting the discretion of federal judges in crafting sentences for a range of crimes.

Sanders has said he is a strong supporter of the Amber Alert program, and signed onto a 2004 letter to the House leadership requesting full funding for it.

But he voted against the Amber Alert bill because he felt its sentencing provisions were an unconstitutional intrusion by Congress, taking power that should rest with the judiciary.

The late Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist agreed. He wrote a letter to the Congress saying the sentencing provisions would do "serious harm to the basic structure of the sentencing guideline system" used by federal judges "and would seriously impair the ability of courts to impose just and reasonable sentences."

[progressoid]

7. +1

[George II]

9. More background:

AMBER alerts are used by law enforcement to notify the public about missing children thought to have been abducted.

AMBER Alerts are only used for the most serious child abduction cases, when authorities believe a child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death. The goal of AMBER Alerts is to add millions of extra eyes and ears to watch, listen and help in the safe return of the child and apprehension of the abductor.

How it works

Law enforcement officials issue AMBER Alerts with photos and information about missing children and possible abductors, along with contact numbers to report sightings or provide information. Alerts are sent to radio and television stations and cable TV outlets, which may use the Emergency Alert System to relay the information to local communities throughout the United States and its territories.

Law enforcement officials may also transmit AMBER Alerts using the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) System to the WEA-capable mobile devices of participating wireless carriers.

https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/amber-plan-americas-missing-broadcast-emergency-response

So he sacrificed the safety of abducted children.

[lunasun]

10. +2