That's what happens when associated alliances and gatherings of like-minded people allow anyone in and call them "our leaders."

Civil rights, tolerance and unity, expansion of individual rights, and racial equality and justice are bedrock foundational.

We have become diluted and impure, cynical and disillusioned.

There is nothing as frustrating and divisive as arguing with ourselves. We now know it to be a losing proposition.

disagree with him should take into account his many sacrifices over the decades, and respond to him in a respectful way.

Link to tweet

Great that they were all out there protesting and getting arrested trying to right a wrong.

Justice for all.

Link to tweet

I attended a Florida state convention where he was a speaker some years ago, and he was treated with high regard and respect. I fell in love with him when I attended his hilarious and inspiring speech, as did the entire audience. It’s hard for me to imagine him being boo’d by Democrats. Were they drunk? Or perhaps chanting LEWIS, which might have sounded like booing?

He was a delegate at the DNC and on the floor. He has talked about it a lot, this was the link I found on a brief search. His daughter was also there and was called the C word for not asking Gothmog to change his delegate vote to Sanders. Sad that all happened at a joyous event for Democrats about to welcome Hillary as our Presidential Candidate.

https://upload.democraticunderground.com/100210532152#post2

Are why I don't want people who don't truly understand our party's record as America's progressive and change driving party, participating in any of our selection processes. If they don't like how we do things, they can start their own party. Don't hitch a ride with us and insist on telling us how to do everything once in the vehicle.

Thank you.

I was warned by my whip 20 to 30 minutes in advance of this stunt. This was a planned stunt by the sanders delegates to boo Congressman John Lewis. According to my whip, sanders was asked to stop this stunt and he declined.

Is it all right if I don't give those malcontents any further oxygen two years later? Or must we be forever consigned to re-tying ourselves to a handful of ignorant bitter enders who did something stupid once upon a time?

I won't mince words on this, I fully agree. But Lewis wasn't booed because of who he supported or voted for. Those who booed him (and they were total assholes to do so) were angered that Lewis had commented at a press conference in support of Hillary Clinton that he had never met Sanders at any Civil Rights struggles but he had met Bill and Hillary. The off the cuff words Lewis used at the time were somewhat subject to misinterpretation. CNN at the time wrote:

"Democratic Rep. John Lewis on Thursday questioned the extent of Bernie Sanders' participation in the civil rights movement after an event where the Congressional Black Caucus political action committee endorsed Hillary Clinton."

John Lewis shortly after graciously clarified his remarks, saying in part "The fact that I did not meet him in the movement does not mean I doubted that Sen. Sanders participated in the Civil Rights Movement, neither was I attempting to disparage his activism".

Those Sanders supporters who booed John Lewis were completely and utterly in the wrong for doing so. I repeat, they were completely in the wrong. It was a travesty for them to boo John Lewis and those who did showed ignorance and a callous disregard for the huge personal sacrifices Lewis made on behalf of all Americans. I can not and will not defend their actions, not then, not now, not ever, but the boos were not just because he supported Hillary.

"but the boos were not just because he supported Hillary..."

You can support that conclusion with objective (rather than anecdotal) evidence? Or is it merely editorial?

Here is a U.S. News and World Report Headline from the time:

"Endorsing Clinton, John Lewis Questions Sanders' Civil Rights Record

”I never met him … but I met Hillary Clinton," says the civil rights hero."


Here is a CNN headline regarding the aftermath:

"Sanders' lone supporter in Black Caucus pushes back at John Lewis' criticism"


Here is Ebony Magazine covering the clarification Lewis issued:

"John Lewis Softens His Stance on Bernie Sanders - EBONY"

I am not providing links (they exist) because I don't want to relive that episode. The Sanders supporters who got angry over it, and then who refused to move on, were total idiots and disgraceful. I was a Sanders supporter, I know that some other Sanders supporters fixated on John Lewis over those comments specifically, not just because he supported Hillary in general. But it was ugly. Very very ugly and totally wrong of whoever showed disrespect toward John Lewis at the Democratic Convention.

Can I prove that the above "event" was the reason Lewis was booed and not simply that he supported Hillary? Of course not, I would have to interview each and every one of them personally to do so to find out their personal motivations. Let's just say that there is relevant circumstantial evidence that implies motivation.

But the bottom line is those who booed John Lewis only heaped disgrace on themselves for doing so. I have no sympathy for their actions, I utterly condemn them.

Please explain these people and why they were booed as well? If the Sanders supprters were so concerned about civil rights why did the boo so many POC?

Thanks for the link to that article by the way.

Like I said I can not defend that behavior in any way. From your link is this piece of reporting that suggests that the rejectionist behavior of some anti-Clinton delegates was not rooted solely to race:

"It’s pretty clear that those who booed and chanted were doing so because they were upset about the platform, and they also booed white speakers like Barney Frank and Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer."

If forced to try to speculate on the behavior of people I do not know personally I would first guess "some of all of the above", meaning any theory one can come up with probably has some truth to it. So in some cases racism could have been a factor -though I do not think that is characteristic of the Sanders movement on the whole. I think hot headed temperaments and simplistic thinking about one's friends and enemies, and a loss of perspective about what we all must work together to achieve were at work. A lot of passion was unleashed during that election cycle, a number of raw recruits got thrust into the center of it, a lot of hard feelings were generated on all sides and some people lacked the essential self restraint to not be ruled by them - particularly among some of those who were new to deep involvement in electoral politics.