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DonViejo

(60,536 posts)
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 10:53 AM Jan 2019

Ex-campaign surrogate says 'Me Too' has been weaponized against Sanders

Nomiki Konst, a former surrogate for Sen. Bernie Sanders's (I-Vt.) presidential campaign, on Friday said that the "Me Too" movement has been weaponized against the senator in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations against staffers from his 2016 presidential campaign.

"This is an issue on all campaigns. This is not a Bernie Sanders issue," Konst told Hill.TV's Krystal Ball and Buck Sexton on "Rising."

"I think, unfortunately, the 'Me Too' movement has been used as a political weapon in this case," she continued. "It has to be dealt with no matter what, but it is not something that feeds into this old Bernie bro narrative."

"The deputy campaign manager for Bernie Sanders was a woman. The chief of staff for Bernie Sanders had been a woman for years. I mean, there is always a need for women in leadership to address these issues, but I've seen this played out in the media. We have to remember that there are women that have been part of this movement, and they shouldn't be erased," she said citing female Sanders supporters such as herself, former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner (D) and actress Rosario Dawson.

"I don't think that their leadership should be erased, and that's something that his opponents have done by lumping 'Me Too' into the Bernie bro narrative that is somehow coming back in 2019," she said.

more + video
https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/424888-ex-surrogate-says-me-too-movement-has-been-weaponized-against-sanders

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MaryMagdaline

(6,853 posts)
1. so Somehow Me, Too is at fault and it's all politics?
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 10:58 AM
Jan 2019

Just tell us what you’re going to do in the future. That’s all we want to hear. And an apology.

 

WeekiWater

(3,259 posts)
2. Damn straight it has been weaponized.
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 10:58 AM
Jan 2019

Look out in every direction. No more tolerance. Male "aggression" toward women has been a weapon since forever. Deal with it.

Deal with the campaign you were involved in. Use what you are learning to make future campaigns more safe. Other campaigns will be taking notice. That is a good thing. Don't just minimize the blame.

 

ehrnst

(32,640 posts)
11. But a *woman* has now said that Bernie's being targeted unfairly by metoo, so it MUST be true!
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 02:01 PM
Jan 2019

That settles it, then!



 

ehrnst

(32,640 posts)
9. Several of his own male & female staffers are "they' in this circumstance. Not so with Franken. (nt)
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 01:37 PM
Jan 2019

Response to ehrnst (Reply #9)

seaglass

(8,171 posts)
4. Nomiki supported Masha Mendieta's claims against Arturo Carmona. Not sure why she would
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 11:27 AM
Jan 2019

think all this info re: payoffs, reported abuse etc. on Bernie's campaign wouldn't impact him.




It's coming back because Bernie supporters asked for a meeting about it. And because Carmona showed up at the Sanders Institute gathering last Nov/Dec it probably looked like nothing was learned/changed.

Merlot

(9,696 posts)
5. I liked Sanders policies and platform.
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 12:09 PM
Jan 2019

IF there are allgations against some of his staff, that doesn't change what I liked about his policies.

 

ehrnst

(32,640 posts)
13. YES,there are allegations, and Sanders has stated this week "he knew nothing" about them at the time
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 02:09 PM
Jan 2019

He was told about them in March 2017, and allegations against his Latino Outreach director went public in the LA Times, but Sanders did not reached out to the victims or apologized for it until this week when it went public in December that there were several staffers and complaints were not addressed when they happened.

http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/01/bernie-2016-staffers-sexual-harassment-claims-were-ignored.html

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-news-bernie-sanders-campaign-sexual-violence-20181230-story.html

https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2019-01-11/bernie-sanders-faces-questions-about-political-future


I liked John Edwards' policies too. His actions didn't change my opinion of his policies, but it did change my opinion about whether or not he had the judgement to be POTUS.

 

ehrnst

(32,640 posts)
6. I heard something similar during the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings.
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 01:18 PM
Jan 2019

And things turned out fine for him nonetheless.

 

ehrnst

(32,640 posts)
8. And go on the attack against whistleblowers.
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 01:31 PM
Jan 2019

Last edited Fri Jan 11, 2019, 02:02 PM - Edit history (1)

So "progressive."

ismnotwasm

(41,976 posts)
12. Jesus fucking Christ
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 02:02 PM
Jan 2019

Bernie Sanders campaign can do a little soul searching. It certainly wouldn’t hurt, Bernie himself has apologized.. twice. Nothing was weaponized, there were a few fucking creeps working within a male dominated power structure. #Metoo is about identifying and exposing these assholes.

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