Netroots Nation Town Hall W/Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley on NOW (Live Feed)

[bigtree]

http://www.netrootsnation.org/follow-nn15-at-home/

O'Malley up Now!

[scarletwoman]

1. Looking forward to your commentary! nt

[madfloridian]

2. O'Malley doing excellent job.

He is standing up for himself against a host that started out on a hostile note with him.

[bigtree]

9. interesting answer to charges of mass arrests and charges similar to ones made by some folks here

...at DU.

O'Malley gave some more information than has been published about his view of his efforts in policing. I hope we get a transcript, because his answers would be an interesting point of discussion, and perhaps, debate.

[Vattel]

57. me too

[madfloridian]

3. Some group chanting something.

Can't understand it.

[bigtree]

4. looks like a black lives matter demonstration

singing, 'What Side Are You On?' Similar to the staged demo at a play in St. Louis in support of anti-police brutality protests.

[madfloridian]

6. Who is the woman now taking over?

[bigtree]

10. she was offered the mike by the host

...quite a boisterous crowd. Not sure if their efforts are productive to this event. Hope they're benefiting their own cause (whatever it is).

[madfloridian]

17. I don't feel free to make any further comments.

[artislife]

11. Roll call of the names of AA women who have died

Say her name

[madfloridian]

5. Now O'Malley not up anymore. He is standing politely to the side.

Someone else took over the forum.

[Le Taz Hot]

7. I know I'm going to get thwacked for this

but I'm not appreciating the hijacking of the SCHEDULED speakers and their time AND our time.

[bigtree]

12. I'll say it...

...this is bull. Protesting is fine, preventing the discussion from continuing altogether is unproductive and wrong.

[still_one]

54. The candidates need to given a chance to introduce themselves, and I am getting the impression that

Last edited Sat Jul 18, 2015, 07:56 PM - Edit history (1)

isn't happening from some of the accounts in this thread

[scarletwoman]

61. Were you there? I was. No one at Wellstone's memorial was disrupted like this.

All the invited speakers were allowed to speak.

[still_one]

89. No, I wasn't at either one, and I appreciate you setting me straight on the Paul Wellstone memorial

service.

In regard to the Town Hall though, if the speakers were interrupted without being given a chance to introduce themselves and their philosophy, that is not right. My question would be, what were the moderators doing?

In the meantime I am going to edit my incorrect post, and indicate that my statement was wrong trying to compare it to the Paul Wellstone memorial. Thanks

[think]

13. Agree. This is not going well. /nt

[artislife]

8. Good comments about how immigration is not just about Latinos nt

[gotj90]

14. This is hard to watch

Hillary may have been smart to stay away. I'm glad Bernie isn't awkwardly standing up there. Poor O'Malley.

[Le Taz Hot]

15. I've no opinion on O'Malley

but he's handling it like a pro. Being very respectful while standing there getting YELLED AT.

[gotj90]

18. Agree

[madfloridian]

21. They won't even let him respond. They keep yelling.

Amazing he's stayed this long.

O'Malley is looking good.

[bigtree]

19. this may be a good opportunity for him to directly address many of the concerns expressed

...by these protesters and others (if he's allowed to respond).

[bigtree]

24. that was a damn shame he wasn't allowed to speak

...now he's lost the opportunity.

[Snotcicles]

34. Netroots Nation has devolved to an unruly mob. nt

[artislife]

16. It is a state of emergency

I like this.

I think this is how politics should be....interactive.

[Le Taz Hot]

22. I don't consider several people screaming at the top of their lungs

at one person as "interaction." Interaction is a give-and-take and this is 100% one-sided. Just my opinion.

[artislife]

23. I respect your opinion.

Not here to argue.
I just am saying my opinion.

[Le Taz Hot]

25. That's what a discussion board is all about.

[artislife]

70. Yes

[madfloridian]

52. That was not interactive. That was one side only. The other side was shouted down.

[artislife]

20. My esteem for O'Malley is growing

I think he is really listening and not giving a prescripted speech

[artislife]

26. Did your sound go out?

[artislife]

28. Now it is back...fading in and out

[bigtree]

27. well, I hope Bernie has a chance to speak his mind

...still don't know why O'Malley wasn't allowed to.

[artislife]

31. But he handled the situation really well

His body language, his words were good. He showed himself well.

[bigtree]

35. he did say he was going to be releasing a criminal justice plan

...or something of the like.

I look forward to that, but, speaking to this incident, I hope this doesn't become a trend at these rallies. It's not as if these candidates went to a BLM protest and proceeded to change the subject.

Interesting how much more conversation Sanders has been afforded by the crowd. Probably because he has enough supporters in the audience to cheer over the protesters. O'Malley knew of that imbalance but agreed to appear anyway, to his credit.

What a mess.

[artislife]

69. I think if the speakers were reversed

O'Malley would have also had more time.

Lets remember what Netroots is about and how it started.

There is such a crisis in the Black community with police brutality, the George Zimmermans and outright in your face racism. People are dying at an incredible rate for sh*t that a white person wouldn't even get pulled over for.

[madfloridian]

29. Bernie braving the fray. Discussing his message first, then will get to theirs.

Still chanting over him. He says he will leave if not wanted.

[JaneyVee]

30. Sanders now getting interrupted.

[gotj90]

32. I'm worried that Bernie might explode here

Hang in there Bernie

[House of Roberts]

33. This smacks of Republican dirty tricks.

There must be agent provacateurs in this crowd.

They're shouting Bernie down (as they did O'Malley) even when he tries to address their issue.

Remember the summer 2009 town halls? This is teabagger tactics.

[PotatoChip]

36. I agree. I tuned in late, so I missed O'Malley and some of Bernie, but

this sounds/looks more like an ambush than a discussion.

[madfloridian]

38. Yes, ambush describes it well.

[madfloridian]

37. The host is belligerent. Our candidates are saints to hang in there.

[Autumn]

39. It's terrible that O'Malley and Bernie are being treated this way

[bigtree]

41. to think I was actually looking forward to this

...more so than the dinner last night.

What a travesty.

[Autumn]

45. This was a joke. I exited it and I didn't even stay for Bernie.

The host and the people in charge who allowed this to happen are disgraceful.

[movonne]

91. Could it be a setup by the 1% to get Bernie out...they are afraid of him...and maybe

some of the Hillary supporters?

[scarletwoman]

43. Who is the host? Any idea?

What was supposed to be the point of inviting O'Malley and Sanders only to let them be shouted down?

I wish I could see this - it sounds like it absolutely reeks!

[madfloridian]

50. See my post below.

[scarletwoman]

40. This sounds ridiculous! Where are the organizers? Why isn't there any crowd control?

Why were the candidates invited if there was going to be no attempt made to ensure they had a chance to speak? Who are these people doing the disrupting?

[madfloridian]

42. No one wants to be the one to stop it.

I don't blame them. They would be accused of not caring about black lives.

I want to know who chose the host that allowed this to happen.

[bigtree]

44. exactly, I blame the host and organizers

...it shouldn't have been allowed to continue until/unless they got the disruptors in the crowd under control.

I'm a fan of 'shutting shit down.' Not so much shutting down our Democratic candidates over issues they're not yet responsible for. They should have been given a chance to respond fully and maybe they would have provided something substantive to discuss, debate, or protest.

[scarletwoman]

53. A couple of questions come to mind:

1) Did the Black Lives Matter people have no other avenue at Netroots Nation in which to raise their issue? That is, were they not given any sort of official slot in this event?

I've never been to one of these Netroots Nation things, but my impression has always been that there are various workshops set up for various "progressive" organizations to engage in advocacy. If Black Lives Matter had been left out of the mix, then I guess I could feel some sympathy for their "ambush". Still, not allowing the candidates to respond seems highly unproductive.

2) Why was the host hostile to O'Malley and Sanders from the getgo? Did he think he was "stickin' it to the Man" by letting them be disrupted? The whole thing sounds like it was handled very poorly.

[madfloridian]

55. Here are 5 pages of issues to be covered.

http://www.netrootsnation.org/nn15/

Jose Antonio Vargas was the host.

Here is more about him.

https://www.google.com/search?q=jose+antonio+vargas&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

[scarletwoman]

59. Thank you. I'm having a very hard time with my connection right now,

so I'm still waiting for your first link to open.

I did see your link to the Vargas google earlier, I just hadn't managed to post back to you about it yet. So, here's my belated thank you.

I was trying to find a live blog somewhere for the whole Netroots Nation event, to see if anyone else had written about this town hall debacle, but I can't get anything to load.

[artislife]

71. My thought is that O'Malley and Bernie were the segments

that would reach a bigger audience and they took it to get there message out further.

[Autumn]

79. I think they did themselves no favors. Elon James White is a real piece of work

from what I saw happen today and his tweets.

[artislife]

82. It wasn't clean but

Here, we discussed what they were shouting. And from the roll call, maybe the sheer number of names will sink in to the consciousness (not just her but into America) further. Wasn't the 60s about shouting and protesting until finally enough people got tired of telling them to be quiet and actually started to think about what they were protesting about? In that sense, in the long run, they may have done themselves some favors.

Would I have liked it to have gone more smoothly? Yes. But Netroots is about a community. And that community is being killed left and right. They should be angry.

We all should be angry.


So I may have a minority opinion on today's events, but I am used to being a minority! I appreciate your opinion and respect it.


Here's to us getting Bernie in the White House!

[Autumn]

85. I understand their anger and frustration but the Democratic candidates took the

time and effort to go there and address their concerns. I'm pretty sure that after they had finished their segment both candidates would have been more than happy to stand with them while they did Say My Name. That would have been powerful. What they did was wrong. Yep Bernie in the White House

[artislife]

88. That would have been awesome. nt

[KoKo]

81. I quickly scanned the five pages and there were Forums addressing "Black Lives Matter Issues"

to differentiate from "POC" Immigration issues. Over at Kos there were questions about why "BLM" didn't request a Specific Forum to address their issues and some said that they had time to do so before the event schedule was issued. So why they would feel attacking both O'Malley and Sanders who have both addressed the issues is puzzling.

But, here are the Forums that seemed to be open to addressing BLM's Issues:

Building Black-Brown Coalitions

Panel; Sat, 07/18/2015 - 08:30am, 228 AB

A series of highly publicized tragic deaths involving law enforcement have sparked national outrage and vibrant activism, as well as critical racial justice organizing to address widespread racial discrimination and institutional inequalities. At the same time, Latino and immigrant communities cope with arbitrary divisions among those who will benefit from executive action and others who are further criminalized and remain at risk of deportation. Join us for an honest, dynamic discussion about advancing racial justice, civil rights, immigration reform and economic equality.

Examining Racial and Gender Bias: Case studies from the Restaurant, Retail, Domestic and Tech Industries

Panel; Sat, 07/18/2015 - 08:30am, 227 BC

Despite efforts to create equal employment opportunities for women and people of color, the distribution of jobs remains unequal and biased. Racial and gender bias can exclude workers from a job or segregate them into particular kinds of jobs. These unfair results are often a direct result of implicit racial and gender bias, not a natural consequence or a necessary by-product of capitalism. Whether groups are concentrated in low-wage jobs or excluded altogether, solutions lie in addressing racial and gender bias with new policies and practices. Join us for a panel discussion on racial and gender bias in restaurant, domestic and retail industries, as well as the associated harms and possible solutions. We’ll also address the racial and gender bias in the tech industry and the mistaken belief that the “pipeline” is solely to blame.


America Awakens: Activism and Action Restoring Trust Between Community and Police

Panel; Sat, 07/18/2015 - 08:30am, 225 AB

This panel will highlight the activism and political response that has happened in the wake of police killings in Ferguson, Baltimore, Cleveland and beyond. How can we solve our country’s problems and build political power while strengthening the ties between organizers and elected officials? This panel aims to facilitate a conversation around how to ensure that elected officials hear—and act on—the demands of activists.

Reclaiming Media in the New Dawn of Black Liberation

Panel; Sat, 07/18/2015 - 01:30pm, 226 AB

Telling our stories to a wide audience is critical to changing narratives about race and racism and advancing policy change. Where traditional media outlets can be fickle, negligent or outright hostile, social media has often stepped up to fill the void, from #HoodiesUp to #Pointergate. Join us for a panel on using traditional, alternative and social media successfully to change narratives on racial justice issues. We’ll discuss how we can create media that better represents and advances the needs of social movements and communities of color.

[madfloridian]

65. Here.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251456257

[House of Roberts]

46. During the O'Malley segment,

I heard the host say he was undocumented. He seemed to want to dwell on immigration issues. The Black Lives Matter people would start hollering or chanting when the topic wasn't what they wanted addressed.

[bigtree]

47. O'Malley after the disrupted event

Kaveh Rezaei ?@kayare7 6m6 minutes ago
At the #BNR (Blue Nation Review) lounge just after @MartinOMalley got back from the #nn15townhall stage.



Blue Nation Review ?@BlueNationRev 19m19 minutes ago
After his #nn15townhall @governoromalley sits down with @goldietaylor in #BNRLounge https://instagram.com/p/5SbYOmOQrt/

[bigtree]

49. Video of Goldie Taylor interview 'coming soon'

Goldie Taylor ?@goldietaylor 17m17 minutes ago
Sat down to chat with @MartinOMalley today for @BlueNationRev. Video coming soon.

[madfloridian]

48. Jose Antonio Vargas was the host. Here's a google search page about him.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Jose+Antonio+Vargas&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

He started out angry and belligerent. The whole affair was a mess.

Kudos to both candidates for being gracious.

[KoKo]

84. Vargas has a new Documentary Titled: "White People" airing this week on MTV

MTV causes stir with film on white people
By DAVID BAUDER July 17, 2015 11:40 AM

http://news.yahoo.com/mtv-causes-stir-film-white-people-154058261.html

NEW YORK (AP) — One of the challenges for makers of the MTV documentary "White People" was getting folks to talk about race when they didn't feel the issue concerned them — like those quoted as saying they consider white the "default race" or "normal."

So filmmaker Jose Antonio Vargas recorded white Americans in situations where they were forced to confront racial identity issues. He found to a white man who attends a traditionally black college, teachers on a South Dakota reservation where resentment toward whites is palpable, a young Brooklyn man bewildered by the Asian immigrants on his block, a white man who teaches a college course on white privilege.

The documentary's trailer alone created a stir. The full film debuts Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT, offered simultaneously online.

"The only thing I fear is not having these conversations," Vargas said. "What I fear is the silence, the indifference, the ignorance. We can no longer have a conversation about race and diversity without having white people in it."

Racial issues are timely, topping the news during the past several months with the "black lives matter" campaign in response to police shootings and the debate over the Confederate flag. MTV President Stephen Friedman said he's wanted to look at how whites perceive themselves for several years, but it wasn't until he met Vargas that he felt he'd found the right person to do it.

Vargas is best known for "Documented," a film where the Philippines-born journalist talks about his status as an undocumented U.S. resident. (His status hasn't changed since then).

Race was a difficult topic, not simply because it's uncomfortable to talk about. Shuns, slights and stereotypes aren't a regular part of life for most whites. More than four-fifths of MTV viewers polled said their families had taught them that everyone should be treated the same, regardless of differences.

[Kalidurga]

51. Thank you for posting this I watched the video linked from another thread.

Not many comments on that one so...any who. I was very impressed with both Martin and Bernie. They handled the situation with a lot of class. You could see both their styles and both have very good merits to them. I could totally politically cheat on Sanders with O'Malley. I feel torn another words. They both have very good strengths. In the end I am going to have to lean more toward the one that pushes policy more, which I is what I think Bernie does. But, I am totally in love with the way Martin chanted with the crowd.

[bigtree]

56. Martin O'Malley is now hanging out with the crowd

Brad Johnson ?@climatebrad 41m41 minutes ago
@MartinOMalley is now hanging out with the crowd #nn15townhall

[Snotcicles]

62. Good I hope Martin and Bernie get something out of it. A trip to Phoenix ain't cheap.nt

[azmom]

68. It's hotter than hell out here. If I didn't have to live here

I would never visit this hell hole.

I am happy Bernie is here though. Going to see him tonight.

[artislife]

72. Great! Don't forget to tell us all about it! nt

[haikugal]

87. Where did the protesters go? nt

[bigtree]

58. in a tweet afterward

Martin O'Malley @MartinOMalley

Everyone deserves a voice. #blacklivesmatter. I WILL promote a racial justice agenda as president. -O'M #NN15TownHall #NN15

[scarletwoman]

66. Very well done.

I must admit, I'm liking O'Malley more and more.

[Agschmid]

67. Yup.

He's been my second for a looooong time.

[msrizzo]

60. Damn this got ugly fast.

I sympathize with the protesters but wow. Don't think they helped their cause.

[JaneyVee]

63. That was a trainwreck for Bernie.

https://mobile.twitter.com/krystalball/status/622485377404678145

O'Malley at least stuck around.

[djean111]

64. No, it was not a train wreck for Bernie. Were you there? n/t

[artislife]

74. Shh...there's a meme to be planted. nt

[djean111]

75. Yes, that meme has been planted, same exact words, in other threads. Wishful thinking. nt

[whatchamacallit]

76. You're going to see HRC supporters continuously heaping praise on O'Malley

to divide and conquer. Watch for it.

[artislife]

77. The competitor of my competitor~~to rephrase an old saying...

[whatchamacallit]

78. Yep

[Skwmom]

80. Isn't O'Malley DLC?

If so, I think it's more likely that he's the DLC's backup candidate or Hillary's VP in waiting.

[whatchamacallit]

83. Hmm... don't know

Interesting take though.

[Autumn]

86. Yeah he's her VP in waiting

and I hope he has a long fucking wait.

[bigtree]

90. Martin O'Malley isn't 'DLC' He has a RECORD of ACTUAL PROGRESSIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

..and he's running for PRESIDENT, not vice president.

from April:

Jay Newton-Small @JNSmall

@GovernorOMalley says @JFKJrForum that "I don't think that anybody actually runs for Vice President"

[Skwmom]

92. This says he was in the DLC for years and years.

"But then you have to understand that my experience with the man was of him as an extremely active member of the DLC for years and years. "

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2015_03/omalley_the_very_progressive054612.php

[bigtree]

95. good luck with that

[Autumn]

93. bigtree I hope Bernie would make him his VP. I gotta say, O'Malley impressed me today

[Recursion]

94. No. DLC hasn't existed for 8 years or so (nt)

[KoKo]

73. That's not what your link says, though.

Krystal Ball
Krystal Ball –
Verified account ?@krystalball

Neither @SenSanders or @MartinOMalley handled that well. Bernie jumped right to stump on econ. Didn't engage on mass incarceration. #NN15