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OpEdNews Op Eds    H1'ed 5/23/16

Silenced Before We Could Speak! Washington State Sanders Supporters Blocked At Caucus

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Sarah Stephens
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This is a warning to all upcoming states such as California, where Bernie will probably win by a huge margin: His opponent and the DNC may still find a way to deprive him out of his victories; this applies even to you in California and other remaining primary states before you vote. This is what they are doing, so be prepared!

Bernie Sanders won Washington by almost 3 to 1, but now all of the problems are obvious to me; as a duly elected county level delegate, I was not allowed to speak for my presidential candidate.

It is very clear to me the DNC is abnegating this Washington state victory by blocking some of his strongest and most consistent supporters, like me.

I arrived at the Washington Congressional District caucus and went to the table to get my number to give my speech as a national delegate, but was told that I wasn't on the list.

I am not upset that I didn't get selected to go to the National Convention; I am upset that I wasn't even given a chance to be elected.

I talked to several people in the local party, a member of the Spokane City Council, and several other administrators, none of whom could not give me an explanation. These people did say, however, that the state Democratic party had informed them that it was the Sanders campaign that had removed me and that the list had not been updated yet.

I then called the state party myself while I was there and was told it was official communications by the Bernie campaign that blocked me from running for National delegate. I asked to see the official communication, but was told that this was not permitted.

I have proof that I was still on that list as of the prior night, but they claim that they hadn't had time to update the list.

My background: I have worked for the federal government; I have a passport, two master's degrees, and no criminal record. I deserve at least an explanation, a better one than the patently phony one I was given. I do not for one minute believe that the Sanders campaign or anyone in it in any capacity at any level would have axed me a delegate.

The entire caucus today just felt scripted and faked, as if it had been planned and rehearsed. I can't explain any of this in an strong evidentiary context; perhaps I am looking too hard for authenticity in the Democratic party, of which I see very little.

In the context of modern day neoliberal politics, I see an intolerable level of corporate manipulations, cronyism, greedy power grabs, brown nosing, mindless obedience, and unpaid volunteering for candidates who should be paying for the services of volunteers. Millions of dollars are raised but where does the money really go? Bernie's opponent, for example, was revealed in recent articles to have kept 99% of the monies raised ostensibly to help other candidates get elected.

(Image by Matthew Orion Stephens)   Details   DMCA


I am an independent thinker and have always been opposed to the two party establishment and its corruptions of the best of the Democratic processes. I have been outspoken about this on social media.

This is why I believe that I was entirely prohibited from speaking, not that I was going to speak about anything other than the Presidential merits of Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

I had written a strong speech, echoing Bernie's main points and precepts, but was unilaterally silenced.

I can live with that, however, because although they may have silenced me at the caucus, they can't silence me from telling this story.

I was registered as an Independent before this election, and was brought back into the Democratic fold by the eloquence and the integrity of Bernie Sanders, but this recent incident convinces me that it was a mistake to join the Democratic party. These people and their billionaire buddies are as out of touch as the Republicans are, in my opinion now.

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Spokane Valley activist and Bernie supporter

Full Sail alumni, multi-media professional, political activist determined to help change the world.
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