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2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Bernie's current proposed strategy could win him the nomination. [View all]frylock
(34,825 posts)41. Raucous Caucus
Activist Dolores Huerta sent a tweet claiming Bernie Sanders supporters shouted 'English only' at her, but witnesses gave conflicting accounts.
[font size="26"]FALSE[/font size]
Example: [Collected via Twitter, February 2016]
Origin:On 20 February 2016, the Nevada Democratic caucuses ended in a victory for Hillary Clinton. Not long after that, actress America Ferrera tweeted that that supporters of Bernie Sanders shouted "English only!" at longtime civil rights activist Dolores Huerta (who had apparently offered to translate from English to Spanish at an event at Harrah's casino on the Las Vegas strip), objecting to a translation of remarks from English to Spanish:
Shortly thereafter, Huerta tweeted:
Huerta initially didn't specify how she identified the chanters as Sanders supporters. We spoke to Erin Cruz, who was present at the rally with a nurses' union to support Sanders:
Cruz told us she was accompanied by ten other nurses and actors Susan Sarandon and Gaby Hoffman. Cruz said she was unaware of any recording during the disputed chanting:
@KimLaCapria @brooklynmarie I don't know that anyone was recording, but I would gladly give a statement along with all the other nurses. Erin Cruz (@neuroticnurse75) February 20, 2016
A video of Huerta speaking surfaced not long afterward:
Huerta has been extremely outspoken in her support for Hillary Clinton in recent weeks, and in fact was at the Nevada event to stump for her.
Later on 20 February 2016, Huerta told ThinkProgress that she was able to identify Sanders' supporters as the "room was divided with the Hillary people on one side and the Bernie people on the other." Huerta then nullified the "English only" claim entirely, herself stating that objections were raised not about translation but due to her affiliation with the Clinton campaign. Huerta further confirmed that the "English only" statement was made by the temporary precinct chair and not those objecting:
The fellow that was running the caucus said that the first person to come up to the stage could translate, so I went up. Nobody else did, she said. Then the Bernie people started yelling no, no, no. One of their people came up, and I suggested we both translate. But the moderator decided we would have no translation. So the Bernie people preferred we would have no translation just because I was going to do the translating. Its ridiculous, because if I had said something that wasnt accurate, Im sure somebody would have corrected me.
A subsequent tweet from Susan Sarandon (who was present at that caucus) provided an account of the dispute in question along with a longer video clip:
Also present was actor Gaby Hoffman, who tweeted:
As Sarandon correctly stated, the segment in dispute started around the 53:30 mark, when parties called for a Spanish-language translator. As she indicated, at 55:18 the caucus moderator (not Sanders' supporters) simply stated that the inability to locate a neutral translator meant the caucus would continue in "English only." At no point did any Sanders supporters appear to have refused a translator based on the fact that translation was objectionable to them; nor was "English only" used in a pejorative fashion. The term was invoked a single time, during the moderator's assertion that no suitable translator was located to provide Spanish-language translations:
A number of readers pointed us toward a 20 February 2016 BuzzFeed item titled "Sources: Bernie Supporters Did Chant English Only At Latina Labor Activist," which held:
On Saturday, Bernie Sanders supporters chanted English only! at a longtime labor and Latina activist, two neutral sources unaffiliated with either campaign told BuzzFeed News.
On 22 February 2016, we contacted BuzzFeed reporter Evan McMorris-Santoro to ask whether we could obtain more information on the "two anonymous sources" cited in the piece. McMorris-Santoro apologized and stated he was unwilling to discuss the claim, adding that his reporting "speaks for itself" in that respect.
Significant edits to that item might be the reporting to which McMorris-Santoro referred. On 21 February 2016, the item was updated to include the following passage:
BuzzFeed News asked Huerta about the specific wording of Ferraras tweet: Harrahs casino site- Bernie supporters chant English-only to stop civil rights leader @DoloresHuerta from providing Spanish translation.
... asked to detail what happened, she described a scene different from the image of a legion of Sanders faithful engaged in a racist chant that some read into the Ferrara tweet. When videos of the Harrahs site posted online didnt show a scene of mass chants, some dismissed the Huerta story entirely.
What happened was this, Huerta began. We were there as observers, Bernie supporters and Hillary supporters in the back of the room. Somebody said, we need translation and the gentleman running the caucus said we can have translation and the first person on stage can be the translator. I started walking toward the stage. Bernie supporters chanted, no, no, no. A Bernie supporter said he wanted to translate. The gentleman running the caucus said were not going to do that. It got very loud, and I stepped off the stage.
An individual or individuals yelled English only Huerta said, part of general yelling and chanting by Sanders supporters at the Harrahs site aimed at her.
Theyre whole attitude is, I call it crash and burn, which is if we cant do it wed rather not have anyone do it, she said of the translation scene.
We examined Nevada State Democratic Party caucus guidelines with respect to general procedure, and were unable to locate any specific procedural policy about translators. If such a provision was codified, it wasn't available in caucus-related instructional material.
However, caucus policy documents published by the Nevada State Democratic Party in 2008 [PDF] and 2016 [PDF] appeared to favor the objections to Huerta's participation after the caucus was called to order, because of her clear identification as a campaign operative, advocate, volunteer, or surrogate. (Below, Huerta speaking outside the caucus on 20 February 2015, wearing a Clinton campaign t-shirt and hat):
huerta caucus
Guidelines from 2008 stated that campaign operatives were prohibited from communicating in any fashion with caucus participants once the caucus was called to order:
Only eligible, registered caucus participants may participate on caucus matters or elections ... Campaign Staff and campaign volunteers that are observers will not be allowed to communicate, signal, or instruct the eligible caucus participants once the caucus is called to order by the Temporary Chair ... Anyone may attend the caucus as an observer but may only observe and may not participate or attempt to influence the caucus in [any way] if they are not eligible to caucus.
Under the heading "Campaigning and Other Activities" in Nevada Democrats' 2016 At-Large Precinct Caucus Guidelines, that procedure was reiterated:
Persons appearing on behalf of candidates or issues not specifically mentioned in the agenda will not be offered an opportunity to speak during the caucus. However, they may speak individually with attendees, pass out literature or collect signatures prior to the caucus being called to order at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 20 ... No campaigning activity by presidential campaigns is permitted inside the registration area of the At-Large Precinct site ...
... Only eligible, registered caucus participants may participate on caucus matters or elections ... Campaign staff and campaign volunteers who are observers will not be allowed to communicate, signal, or instruct the eligible caucus participants once the caucus is called to order by the Temporary Chair.
We tried several times to contact Huerta on 20 February 2016, but have not yet received a reply.
On 22 February 2016 we contacted Raymond Buckley, Chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party and Temporary Precinct Chair (TPC) of the 20 February 2016 Harrah's Caucus. Presumably, Buckley was the individual referenced as TPC in media reports and made the call to proceed without translation under the circumstances:
buckley harrah's 1 buckley harrah's 2 buckley harrah's 4 buckley harrahs 4
A representative for Chairman Buckley responded to our initial query, but we have not yet made direct contact with the Harrah's TPC, nor have we confirmed he was one of the two neutral parties with whom BuzzFeed purportedly discussed Huerta's claims.
Last updated: 23 February 2016
Originally published: 20 February 2016
Featured Image: Flickr
Tags:
hillary clintonbernie sandersamerica ferreradolores huertanevada caucusbuzzfeed
http://www.snopes.com/sanders-english-only-huerta/
[font size="26"]FALSE[/font size]
Example: [Collected via Twitter, February 2016]
Origin:On 20 February 2016, the Nevada Democratic caucuses ended in a victory for Hillary Clinton. Not long after that, actress America Ferrera tweeted that that supporters of Bernie Sanders shouted "English only!" at longtime civil rights activist Dolores Huerta (who had apparently offered to translate from English to Spanish at an event at Harrah's casino on the Las Vegas strip), objecting to a translation of remarks from English to Spanish:
Shortly thereafter, Huerta tweeted:
Huerta initially didn't specify how she identified the chanters as Sanders supporters. We spoke to Erin Cruz, who was present at the rally with a nurses' union to support Sanders:
Cruz told us she was accompanied by ten other nurses and actors Susan Sarandon and Gaby Hoffman. Cruz said she was unaware of any recording during the disputed chanting:
@KimLaCapria @brooklynmarie I don't know that anyone was recording, but I would gladly give a statement along with all the other nurses. Erin Cruz (@neuroticnurse75) February 20, 2016
A video of Huerta speaking surfaced not long afterward:
Huerta has been extremely outspoken in her support for Hillary Clinton in recent weeks, and in fact was at the Nevada event to stump for her.
Later on 20 February 2016, Huerta told ThinkProgress that she was able to identify Sanders' supporters as the "room was divided with the Hillary people on one side and the Bernie people on the other." Huerta then nullified the "English only" claim entirely, herself stating that objections were raised not about translation but due to her affiliation with the Clinton campaign. Huerta further confirmed that the "English only" statement was made by the temporary precinct chair and not those objecting:
The fellow that was running the caucus said that the first person to come up to the stage could translate, so I went up. Nobody else did, she said. Then the Bernie people started yelling no, no, no. One of their people came up, and I suggested we both translate. But the moderator decided we would have no translation. So the Bernie people preferred we would have no translation just because I was going to do the translating. Its ridiculous, because if I had said something that wasnt accurate, Im sure somebody would have corrected me.
A subsequent tweet from Susan Sarandon (who was present at that caucus) provided an account of the dispute in question along with a longer video clip:
Also present was actor Gaby Hoffman, who tweeted:
As Sarandon correctly stated, the segment in dispute started around the 53:30 mark, when parties called for a Spanish-language translator. As she indicated, at 55:18 the caucus moderator (not Sanders' supporters) simply stated that the inability to locate a neutral translator meant the caucus would continue in "English only." At no point did any Sanders supporters appear to have refused a translator based on the fact that translation was objectionable to them; nor was "English only" used in a pejorative fashion. The term was invoked a single time, during the moderator's assertion that no suitable translator was located to provide Spanish-language translations:
A number of readers pointed us toward a 20 February 2016 BuzzFeed item titled "Sources: Bernie Supporters Did Chant English Only At Latina Labor Activist," which held:
On Saturday, Bernie Sanders supporters chanted English only! at a longtime labor and Latina activist, two neutral sources unaffiliated with either campaign told BuzzFeed News.
On 22 February 2016, we contacted BuzzFeed reporter Evan McMorris-Santoro to ask whether we could obtain more information on the "two anonymous sources" cited in the piece. McMorris-Santoro apologized and stated he was unwilling to discuss the claim, adding that his reporting "speaks for itself" in that respect.
Significant edits to that item might be the reporting to which McMorris-Santoro referred. On 21 February 2016, the item was updated to include the following passage:
BuzzFeed News asked Huerta about the specific wording of Ferraras tweet: Harrahs casino site- Bernie supporters chant English-only to stop civil rights leader @DoloresHuerta from providing Spanish translation.
... asked to detail what happened, she described a scene different from the image of a legion of Sanders faithful engaged in a racist chant that some read into the Ferrara tweet. When videos of the Harrahs site posted online didnt show a scene of mass chants, some dismissed the Huerta story entirely.
What happened was this, Huerta began. We were there as observers, Bernie supporters and Hillary supporters in the back of the room. Somebody said, we need translation and the gentleman running the caucus said we can have translation and the first person on stage can be the translator. I started walking toward the stage. Bernie supporters chanted, no, no, no. A Bernie supporter said he wanted to translate. The gentleman running the caucus said were not going to do that. It got very loud, and I stepped off the stage.
An individual or individuals yelled English only Huerta said, part of general yelling and chanting by Sanders supporters at the Harrahs site aimed at her.
Theyre whole attitude is, I call it crash and burn, which is if we cant do it wed rather not have anyone do it, she said of the translation scene.
We examined Nevada State Democratic Party caucus guidelines with respect to general procedure, and were unable to locate any specific procedural policy about translators. If such a provision was codified, it wasn't available in caucus-related instructional material.
However, caucus policy documents published by the Nevada State Democratic Party in 2008 [PDF] and 2016 [PDF] appeared to favor the objections to Huerta's participation after the caucus was called to order, because of her clear identification as a campaign operative, advocate, volunteer, or surrogate. (Below, Huerta speaking outside the caucus on 20 February 2015, wearing a Clinton campaign t-shirt and hat):
huerta caucus
Guidelines from 2008 stated that campaign operatives were prohibited from communicating in any fashion with caucus participants once the caucus was called to order:
Only eligible, registered caucus participants may participate on caucus matters or elections ... Campaign Staff and campaign volunteers that are observers will not be allowed to communicate, signal, or instruct the eligible caucus participants once the caucus is called to order by the Temporary Chair ... Anyone may attend the caucus as an observer but may only observe and may not participate or attempt to influence the caucus in [any way] if they are not eligible to caucus.
Under the heading "Campaigning and Other Activities" in Nevada Democrats' 2016 At-Large Precinct Caucus Guidelines, that procedure was reiterated:
Persons appearing on behalf of candidates or issues not specifically mentioned in the agenda will not be offered an opportunity to speak during the caucus. However, they may speak individually with attendees, pass out literature or collect signatures prior to the caucus being called to order at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 20 ... No campaigning activity by presidential campaigns is permitted inside the registration area of the At-Large Precinct site ...
... Only eligible, registered caucus participants may participate on caucus matters or elections ... Campaign staff and campaign volunteers who are observers will not be allowed to communicate, signal, or instruct the eligible caucus participants once the caucus is called to order by the Temporary Chair.
We tried several times to contact Huerta on 20 February 2016, but have not yet received a reply.
On 22 February 2016 we contacted Raymond Buckley, Chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party and Temporary Precinct Chair (TPC) of the 20 February 2016 Harrah's Caucus. Presumably, Buckley was the individual referenced as TPC in media reports and made the call to proceed without translation under the circumstances:
buckley harrah's 1 buckley harrah's 2 buckley harrah's 4 buckley harrahs 4
A representative for Chairman Buckley responded to our initial query, but we have not yet made direct contact with the Harrah's TPC, nor have we confirmed he was one of the two neutral parties with whom BuzzFeed purportedly discussed Huerta's claims.
Last updated: 23 February 2016
Originally published: 20 February 2016
Featured Image: Flickr
Tags:
hillary clintonbernie sandersamerica ferreradolores huertanevada caucusbuzzfeed
http://www.snopes.com/sanders-english-only-huerta/
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His supporters being too low-information to know the rules ruined his chances. And that's on them.
IamMab
Apr 2016
#28
We're coming up on May and Sanders still can't articulate the "specifics of his proposals."
IamMab
Apr 2016
#30
She has to court progressives because she is not one. She pretends to be after Bernie came on
bkkyosemite
Apr 2016
#3
You have to have leverage to do that. Bernie's campaign frittered his away. t
msanthrope
Apr 2016
#15
He went off the rails when his surrogates starting attacking civil rights icons. nt
LexVegas
Apr 2016
#9
Did she, or did she not claim that Bernie supporters were chanting "English only"?
frylock
Apr 2016
#32
This is a silly and transparent trick where you pretend all meaning is lost if the words
R B Garr
Apr 2016
#33
Then where was the retraction? Where was the correction? Where was the clarification?
frylock
Apr 2016
#34
The meaning was clear. No retraction was needed. What she needed was an apology
R B Garr
Apr 2016
#35
The video showed what she translated. She was being harassed into not translating because
R B Garr
Apr 2016
#40
I have read the link before, but it just explains the video. Look how you cling to words to twist
R B Garr
Apr 2016
#58
Okay, then. I'll play your game. Where was the FUCKING SHOUTING of ENGLISH ONLY?
frylock
Apr 2016
#61
At what mark in the video did someone scream, shout, cry, yell, cry out, shout out..
frylock
Apr 2016
#62
Explain how you don't understand she was shouted down for starting to translate
R B Garr
Apr 2016
#69
Explain how you don't understand she was shouted down for starting to translate
R B Garr
Apr 2016
#66
Disagree. Further information concerning implementing his proposals would not have
Iliyah
Apr 2016
#10
They welcomed to many hater republican/libertarians/greens into the fold with open arms
workinclasszero
Apr 2016
#38