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2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: "My Mom"-Daughter Of Slain Sandy Hook Principal Stars In New Hillary Clinton Ad [View all]Fla Dem
(23,656 posts)116. Bernie Sanders hands are not clean. He has backed the Military Industrial Complex
and the NRA when it suited him.
Bernie Sanders Loves This $1 trillion War Machine
The Daily Beast
2/9/2016
MANCHESTER, New Hampshire Sen. Bernie Sanders has railed against big defense corporations at rallies, but he has a more complex history with the military-industrial complex. Most notably, hes supported a $1.2 trillion stealth fighter thats considered by many to be one of the bigger boondoggles in Pentagon history.
Sanders has made his opposition to Hillary Clintons hawkishness a cornerstone of his campaign. But he hasnt exactly been antiwar all his career. When it has come time to choose between defense jobs and a dovish defense policy, Sanders has consistently chosen to stand with the arms-makers rather than the peaceniksleading to tension with some of the most adamant adherents of progressive ideology.
In 1985, for example, protesters massed at the General Electric plant in Burlington, Vermont, where Sanders was serving as mayor. They were protesting the fact that the plant was manufacturing Gatling guns to fight socialists in Central America.
Jim Condon, now a Democratic state legislator in Vermont, was news director of a local radio station at the time and describes himself as an old acquaintance of the senator.
There were protesters who were unhappy that General Electric was manufacturing Gatling guns at the plant, and so they would lock themselves to the gates and engage in civil disobedience. And so the mayor, Bernie, finally got cops to go in and arrest the protesters, Condon told The Daily Beast. The GE plant was one of the largest providers of jobs in the city. So it was economically important that the plant stay open and people who worked there went to work.
When it comes time to make speeches, Sanders has slammed defense corporations for political gain.
We know that there is massive fraud going on in the defense industry. Virtually every major defense contractor has either been convicted of fraud or reached a settlement with the government, Sanders said in Iowa City last year at a town hall. We need a strong military, it is a dangerous world. But I think we can make judicious cuts.
But when those defense corporations come to his own backyard, he quietly welcomes them in.
The Vermont senator persuaded Lockheed Martin to place a research center in Burlington, according to Newsweek, and managed to get 18 Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets stationed at the citys airport for the Vermont National Guard.
In very clever ways, the military-industrial complex puts plants all over the country, so that if people try to cut back on our weapons system what theyre saying is youre going to be losing jobs in that area, Sanders said at a Q&A in New Hampshire back in 2014. Weve got to have the courage to understand that we cannot afford a lot of wasteful, unnecessary weapons systems, and I hope we can do that.
History has shown that Sanders has not had the courage to do that.
Immediately after he made those comments, an audience member pointed out that the F-35 fighter jet project had a lifetime cost of $1.2 trillion: When you talk about cutting wasteful military spending, does that include the F-35 program? the questioner asked.
>>>snip<<<
Sanders countered that the plane was essentially built. He acknowledged in his 2014 Q&A that while the F-35 was incredibly wasteful, it is now the plane of record and it is not going to be discarded.
>>>snip<<
In New Hampshire, where the Democratic primary is being held Tuesday, Sanders rallied supporters at a downtown Manchester theater. For an hour, he railed against the big banks and the current minimum wage. He never mentioned national security policyor the big defense corporations he sometimes supports.
More>>>>
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/02/09/bernie-sanders-loves-this-1-trillion-war-machine.html
The Daily Beast
2/9/2016
MANCHESTER, New Hampshire Sen. Bernie Sanders has railed against big defense corporations at rallies, but he has a more complex history with the military-industrial complex. Most notably, hes supported a $1.2 trillion stealth fighter thats considered by many to be one of the bigger boondoggles in Pentagon history.
Sanders has made his opposition to Hillary Clintons hawkishness a cornerstone of his campaign. But he hasnt exactly been antiwar all his career. When it has come time to choose between defense jobs and a dovish defense policy, Sanders has consistently chosen to stand with the arms-makers rather than the peaceniksleading to tension with some of the most adamant adherents of progressive ideology.
In 1985, for example, protesters massed at the General Electric plant in Burlington, Vermont, where Sanders was serving as mayor. They were protesting the fact that the plant was manufacturing Gatling guns to fight socialists in Central America.
Jim Condon, now a Democratic state legislator in Vermont, was news director of a local radio station at the time and describes himself as an old acquaintance of the senator.
There were protesters who were unhappy that General Electric was manufacturing Gatling guns at the plant, and so they would lock themselves to the gates and engage in civil disobedience. And so the mayor, Bernie, finally got cops to go in and arrest the protesters, Condon told The Daily Beast. The GE plant was one of the largest providers of jobs in the city. So it was economically important that the plant stay open and people who worked there went to work.
When it comes time to make speeches, Sanders has slammed defense corporations for political gain.
We know that there is massive fraud going on in the defense industry. Virtually every major defense contractor has either been convicted of fraud or reached a settlement with the government, Sanders said in Iowa City last year at a town hall. We need a strong military, it is a dangerous world. But I think we can make judicious cuts.
But when those defense corporations come to his own backyard, he quietly welcomes them in.
The Vermont senator persuaded Lockheed Martin to place a research center in Burlington, according to Newsweek, and managed to get 18 Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets stationed at the citys airport for the Vermont National Guard.
In very clever ways, the military-industrial complex puts plants all over the country, so that if people try to cut back on our weapons system what theyre saying is youre going to be losing jobs in that area, Sanders said at a Q&A in New Hampshire back in 2014. Weve got to have the courage to understand that we cannot afford a lot of wasteful, unnecessary weapons systems, and I hope we can do that.
History has shown that Sanders has not had the courage to do that.
Immediately after he made those comments, an audience member pointed out that the F-35 fighter jet project had a lifetime cost of $1.2 trillion: When you talk about cutting wasteful military spending, does that include the F-35 program? the questioner asked.
>>>snip<<<
Sanders countered that the plane was essentially built. He acknowledged in his 2014 Q&A that while the F-35 was incredibly wasteful, it is now the plane of record and it is not going to be discarded.
>>>snip<<
In New Hampshire, where the Democratic primary is being held Tuesday, Sanders rallied supporters at a downtown Manchester theater. For an hour, he railed against the big banks and the current minimum wage. He never mentioned national security policyor the big defense corporations he sometimes supports.
More>>>>
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/02/09/bernie-sanders-loves-this-1-trillion-war-machine.html
NRA tweets support for Bernie Sanders
The Hill
By Tim Devaney - 03/07/16 11:36 AM EST
The National Rifle Association is tweeting its support for comments from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) at Sunday's Democratic presidential debate.
The NRA tweeted Monday that Sanders was spot-on during the debate when he defended his vote for legislation that would hold gun manufacturers liable for shootings.
http://thehill.com/regulation/272029-nra-tweets-support-for-bernie-sanders
The Hill
By Tim Devaney - 03/07/16 11:36 AM EST
The National Rifle Association is tweeting its support for comments from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) at Sunday's Democratic presidential debate.
The NRA tweeted Monday that Sanders was spot-on during the debate when he defended his vote for legislation that would hold gun manufacturers liable for shootings.
http://thehill.com/regulation/272029-nra-tweets-support-for-bernie-sanders
The Washington Post
By David A. Fahrenthold July 19, 2015
How the National Rifle Association helped get Bernie Sanders elected
BURLINGTON, Vt. A few days before Election Day in 1990, the National Rifle Association sent a letter to its 12,000 members in Vermont, with an urgent message about the race for the states single House seat.
Vote for the socialist, the gun rights group said. Its important.
Bernie Sanders is a more honorable choice for Vermont sportsmen than Peter Smith, wrote Wayne LaPierre, who was and still is a top official at the national NRA, backing Sanders over the Republican incumbent.
More>>>>
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-the-nra-helped-put-bernie-sanders-in-congress/2015/07/19/ed1be26c-2bfe-11e5-bd33-395c05608059_story.html
By David A. Fahrenthold July 19, 2015
How the National Rifle Association helped get Bernie Sanders elected
BURLINGTON, Vt. A few days before Election Day in 1990, the National Rifle Association sent a letter to its 12,000 members in Vermont, with an urgent message about the race for the states single House seat.
Vote for the socialist, the gun rights group said. Its important.
Bernie Sanders is a more honorable choice for Vermont sportsmen than Peter Smith, wrote Wayne LaPierre, who was and still is a top official at the national NRA, backing Sanders over the Republican incumbent.
More>>>>
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-the-nra-helped-put-bernie-sanders-in-congress/2015/07/19/ed1be26c-2bfe-11e5-bd33-395c05608059_story.html
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"My Mom"-Daughter Of Slain Sandy Hook Principal Stars In New Hillary Clinton Ad [View all]
Haveadream
Apr 2016
OP
NO doubt Hillary is the most anti-gun candidate. We shall see how that plays out in the GE.
jmg257
Apr 2016
#1
PRECISELY! HILLARY IS VERY GOOD AT "USING" PEOPLE WHO HAVE SUFFERED GREAT TRAGEDY!
CorporatistNation
Apr 2016
#28
Really you're equating Gadaffi's death to all those children in Sandy Hook? Despicable. nt
Fla Dem
Apr 2016
#100
You're the one who used her laughing over a the death of a murderous dictator to say
Fla Dem
Apr 2016
#106
A world leader cackling gleefull over the taking of any human life is sick.
notadmblnd
Apr 2016
#107
Madeleine Albright on 500,000 dead Iraqi children: ''We think the price is worth it.''
Octafish
Apr 2016
#109
Bernie Sanders hands are not clean. He has backed the Military Industrial Complex
Fla Dem
Apr 2016
#116
Have any video of him laughing gleefully at deaths of those whom his decisions caused?
notadmblnd
Apr 2016
#140
It does not matter what the value is. Either all life has equal value or it does not.
notadmblnd
Apr 2016
#173
If you're defining it as everyone being equal without quantification or qualification,
nolawarlock
Apr 2016
#174
HRC saved no one. In fact, her decisions made things in the Middle East worse and many many more
notadmblnd
Apr 2016
#175
Stop with your nastiness. The daughter of the slain mom wants to be heard. Shame on you
riversedge
Apr 2016
#164
It's been a major issue in just about every Presidential campaign since I can remember.
George II
Apr 2016
#99
Wrong. This is a BIG issue for HRC. You certainly won't hear from the NRA loving BS.
Fla Dem
Apr 2016
#105
If only we could believe HRC would do anything at all about this after the GE
mikehiggins
Apr 2016
#14
She has a very personal right to speak out. The NRA wants to silence their voices.
Fla Dem
Apr 2016
#118
I like Obama very much too but he didn't take action on gun control until his second term
aikoaiko
Apr 2016
#147
To politicize Hillary's vote on IWR and blame Hillary for Bush's decision would be no different
Thinkingabout
Apr 2016
#127
If HRC follows Obama's example, she won't push for any changes until after her second term election
aikoaiko
Apr 2016
#29
I don't have the same "core values" that I did 10 years ago, or 20. Does that make me evil?
IamMab
Apr 2016
#35
I'm not sure. Having had a family member killed in gun violence I can totally empathize
CTyankee
Apr 2016
#61
the fact is that the gun was too easily available. It was in the house, always loaded,
CTyankee
Apr 2016
#90
thanks honey. I spoke with the sister, my older niece because I found out that my
CTyankee
Apr 2016
#102
How about you post a link proving there's a law that bars suing pillow manufacturers?
kcr
Apr 2016
#124
Erica is beautiful, just like her mother who died trying to save the children
Haveadream
Apr 2016
#98
Does she know that Annie Oakley approved $4 million in gun sales from that manufacturer?
jfern
Apr 2016
#80
Annie Oakley has pivoted again on guns this time in Pa another of her "home states."
dr60omg
Apr 2016
#176