PETER DAOU TRIES TO EAT BERNIE SANDERS FOR LUNCH
COMPILATION AND COMMENTARY
BY LUCY WARNER
AUGUST 2, 2017


EARLIER TODAY, IN MY MEANDERINGS THROUGH THE NET, I CAME ACROSS THIS ARTICLE, WHICH SO ANNOYED ME THAT I FELT LIKE MOUNT VESUVIUS. AS USUAL, I STARTED LOOKING FOR EVIDENCE OF TRUTH OR FICTION, AND MATERIALS TO COMFORT THE RIGHTEOUS. SEE THE VERY ANGRY, BUT NOT VERY WELL WRITTEN SCREED BY PETER DAOU.

AS FOR WHAT IT IS ABOUT SANDERS THAT IS “DETRIMENTAL” TO THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY? IT ISN’T THAT BERNIE IS DETRIMENTAL, BUT THAT HE IS BOLDLY AND TRUTHFULLY SHOWING THE DIRECTION THAT WE AS A PARTY NEED TO MOVE TOWARD, AND HE IS INDEED CREATING A REAL PUSH. THE MAINSTREAM DEMOCRATS, AS EVIDENCED IN THIS DAOU ARTICLE, ARE BEING LIKE DONALD TRUMP. IF THE MESSAGE ISN’T OURS, THEN IT CAN’T BE ANY GOOD. UNLESS THE DEMOCRATS PONDER THESE MATTERS TOGETHER, WE WON’T BE A UNITED PARTY EVERY AGAIN. NO MATTER HOW HILLARY DEMS FEEL ABOUT THIS, THE BREACH BETWEEN THE MONEY DEMOCRATS AND THE IDEOLOGICAL DEMS IS GOING TO BE FINAL. I WON’T MIND THAT, BECAUSE THIS 2016 ELECTION SHOWED ME SOMETHING THAT I HADN’T NOTICED BEFORE. THAT BIG POWER BLOC THAT WAS SOMETIMES THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY HAS ITS’ CORRUPTING SIDE. IT CRUSHES THE INDIVIDUALS, INCLUDING THOSE WITH GREAT IDEAS LIKE BERNIE SANDERS. WE HAVE, LARGELY AS A RESULT OF THAT, BECOME DULL, BORING, IMPOTENT AND INFLEXIBLE. I BELIEVE A SPLIT IN THE TWO PARTIES BETWEEN MODERATES AND CONSERVATIVES WOULD FRESHEN UP POLITICAL THOUGHT IN THIS COUNTRY, AND BREAK DOWN STRUCTURES LIKE A DNC MADE UP OF “SUPERDELEGATES.” WE THE FAIR-MINDED OLD PARTY HAVE, IN FAIRLY RECENT TIMES, FOUND OURSELVES CYNICALLY FOLLOWING THE WEALTHY, BECAUSE THEY ARE SO VERY GENEROUS TO THEIR MORE PLIANT POLITICIANS; AND SHAMEFULLY, WE HAVE TURNED AWAY FROM OUR LOYAL AND NATURAL BASE WHICH IS WORKERS, THE POOR, THE ILL, THE HOMELESS AND THE DISENFRANCHISED. IT IS NO ACCIDENT THAT THOSE WERE THE CONSTITUENCY OF JESUS WHEN HE WALKED THE EARTH, EITHER. TO ME, THAT IS THE CLEAR PATH OF THE VIRTUOUS.

DAOU ON SANDERS: “DAOU TWEETED THAT SANDERS HAD "ABSOLUTELY NO BUSINESS DETERMINING THE COURSE OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY AFTER THE HARM HE DID TO US." THE NEW CORPORATE DEMOCRATS THOUGHT THAT THEY NOT ONLY WERE THE RULERS TO BE OBEYED, BUT THAT IT IS THEIR RIGHTFUL POSITION. IN HILLARY’S ON WORDS, “IT’S MY TURN NOW.” WELL THIS ELECTION WAS NOT A BEAUTY CONTEST, A MONARCHY, NOR “HILLARY’S TURN,” BUT A NEED FOR PROGRESSIVES TO MARCH TOGETHER TOWARD MORE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL EQUALITY, AND FREEDOM FOR ALL. THE NEW ALT-RIGHT IS HERE AT OUR CITY GATES, AND IT IS A WAR.

http://freebeacon.com/politics/former-clinton-adviser-sanders-detrimental-democratic-party/
Former Clinton Adviser: Sanders and His Followers Are ‘Detrimental to the Democratic Party’
BY: Kathryn Covert
August 1, 2017 2:36 pm

Photograph -- Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders / Getty

A former top Hillary Clinton adviser made it clear on Monday that he will not come around to welcoming Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) and his supporters into the Democratic Party.

In an 11-tweet rant, Peter Daou, a strategist and internet director for Clinton's presidential run in 2008, railed against Sanders and his followers, writing that they are "detrimental" to the Democratic party.

Daou began with a jab at Sanders' popularity before diving into the latest actions that provoked his ire. The Clinton supporter accused Sanders of being a "destructive force." He added that Sanders and his "diehard followers" are targeting rising stars in the Democratic Party, including Sens. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.) and Cory Booker (D., N.J.).

Daou also accused Sanders supporters of continuing to use "rightwing" talking points against Clinton.

Follow
Peter Daou ✔ @peterdaou
1/10. THREAD: The talking point that Bernie Sanders is the "most popular politician in America" is misleading and excludes Obama and Biden.
5:59 PM - Jul 31, 2017
306 306 Replies 2,211 2,211 Retweets 4,114 4,114 likes

Follow
Peter Daou ✔ @peterdaou
2. Bernie Sanders and his diehard followers are detrimental to the Democratic Party. Their latest target is rising star @KamalaHarris.
5:59 PM - Jul 31, 2017
147 147 Replies 612 612 Retweets 1,893 1,893 likes
Twitter Ads info and privacy
31 Jul

The self-described political analyst then dove deeper into the "destruction" caused by Sanders. He said that the Vermont senator spent "two years on a rampage" against Democrats.

31 Jul
Peter Daou ✔ @peterdaou
Replying to @peterdaou @KamalaHarris
3. Sanders supporters have also gone after @CoryBooker and continue to push rightwing talking points against Hillary Clinton and her voters.
5:59 PM - Jul 31, 2017
55 55 Replies 364 364 Retweets 1,230 1,230 likes

Peter Daou ✔ @peterdaou
4. Bernie Sanders has spent two years on a rampage against the Democratic Party, which he claims to lead but refuses to join. DESTRUCTIVE.
5:59 PM - Jul 31, 2017
50 50 Replies 606 606 Retweets 1,781 1,781 likes

Daou then returned to the issue of Sanders' popularity—apparently a sticking point for him. He references a so-called "highly misleading" Harvard-Harris poll, which claimed that Sanders is the most popular active politician in the United States.

31 Jul
Peter Daou ✔ @peterdaou
Replying to @peterdaou and 2 others

Follow
Peter Daou ✔ @peterdaou
5. One of the common fallbacks of Sanders supporters is a highly misleading poll that claims he's the most popular politician in America.
6:00 PM - Jul 31, 2017
26 26 Replies 237 237 Retweets 1,042 1,042 likes

Daou disagreed with the polls' results due to his observation that Sanders is not "compared to all politicians," but rather "just a handful."

Follow
Peter Daou ✔ @peterdaou
6. Here's a good deconstruction of the much-touted poll. He's not being compared to all politicians, just a handful. https://twitter.com/mitchellscomet/status/867655508848783360 …
6:00 PM - Jul 31, 2017
9 9 Replies 298 298 Retweets 902 902 likes

In an effort to explain why Sanders being the "most popular" politician is—in his view—absurd, Daou said that Sanders did not face nearly the scrutiny that Clinton did during the 2016 campaign. He then gave props to Clinton for her fortitude, commenting on how despite the "smears," her numbers after leaving the Department of State were better than Sanders' are now.

31 Jul
Peter Daou ✔ @peterdaou
Replying to @peterdaou and 2 others
6. Here's a good deconstruction of the much-touted poll. He's not being compared to all politicians, just a handful. https://twitter.com/mitchellscomet/status/867655508848783360 …

Follow
Peter Daou ✔ 7. Bernie Sanders NEVER faced a tenth the scrutiny that Hillary did. Ask anyone if they've heard about toxic waste dumped on #SierraBlanca.

Follow
Peter Daou ✔ @peterdaou
8. Despite decades of vicious rightwing smears, Hillary's numbers after she left State were 10-15 points better than Bernie's are now.
6:01 PM - Jul 31, 2017
25 25 Replies 335 335 Retweets 1,261 1,261 likes

Close to wrapping things up, Daou called for Democratic leaders to "let go" of the notion that Sanders could turn Trump voters to vote for the Democratic party. He said that Democrats have an "exciting field developing" and Sanders is "not one of them."

31 Jul
Peter Daou ✔ @peterdaou
Replying to @peterdaou and 2 others
8. Despite decades of vicious rightwing smears, Hillary's numbers after she left State were 10-15 points better than Bernie's are now.

Follow
Peter Daou ✔ @peterdaou
9. The sooner Democratic leaders let go of the fiction that Bernie will deliver Trump voters and save the party, the better for EVERYONE.
6:01 PM - Jul 31, 2017
64 64 Replies 635 635 Retweets 2,071 2,071 likes

31 Jul
Peter Daou ✔ @peterdaou
Replying to @peterdaou and 2 others
9. The sooner Democratic leaders let go of the fiction that Bernie will deliver Trump voters and save the party, the better for EVERYONE.

Follow
Peter Daou ✔ @peterdaou
10. Democrats have an exciting field developing, a new generation of leaders coming forward in the Trump era. Bernie is NOT one of them.
6:01 PM - Jul 31, 2017
121 121 Replies 653 653 Retweets 2,197 2,197 likes

In a final tweet, Daou clarified that he does not see his actions being in any way like Sanders'. He said that as soon as Sanders and his supporters "stop slamming Dems," he will "stop fighting back."

31 Jul
Peter Daou ✔ @peterdaou
Replying to @peterdaou and 2 others
10. Democrats have an exciting field developing, a new generation of leaders coming forward in the Trump era. Bernie is NOT one of them.

Follow
Peter Daou ✔ @peterdaou
PLUS: The minute Bernie and his diehards stop slamming Dems, I'll stop fighting back. Don't call ME divisive. I'm defending, not attacking.
6:06 PM - Jul 31, 2017
157 157 Replies 600 600 Retweets 2,427 2,427 likes

Prior to Monday's tweetstorm, Daou was an outspoken critic of Sanders.

On Nov. 30, weeks after Clinton lost the presidential election to Donald Trump, Daou tweeted that Sanders had "absolutely no business determining the course of the Democratic Party after the harm he did to us."

Follow
Peter Daou ✔ @peterdaou
I'll be crystal clear: Bernie Sanders has absolutely no business determining the course of the Democratic Party after the harm he did to us.
3:19 PM - Nov 30, 2016
470 470 Replies 751 751 Retweets 1,414 1,414 likes

On Jan. 6, he repeated those sentiments regarding the "damage" Sanders caused.

Follow
Peter Daou ✔ @peterdaou
1. Bernie did more damage to Hillary's reputation in a few months than Republicans did in 30 years. He is part of the reason Trump is PEOTUS https://twitter.com/nprpolitics/status/817312804839403521 …
11:52 AM - Jan 6, 2017
998 998 Replies 1,879 1,879 Retweets 3,199 3,199 likes



THIS MAN PETER DAOU SIMPLY HATES BERNIE, AND I DO WISH HE HADN'T REPEATED THE SAME THINGS OVER AND OVER. IT'S ANNOYING. THE PAINFUL FACT IS THAT THE DEMS LOST IN TWO WAYS IN 2016. FIRST, THEY PICKED THE WRONG CANDIDATE, FAILING TO REALIZE HOW THOROUGHLY SOME AMERICANS DESPISE HER. HER "BASKET OF DEPLORABLES" COMMENT DIDN'T HELP, EITHER. BERNIE WAS JUST BEING BERNIE, AND IT MADE HIM POPULAR. GET OVER IT !!

SECOND, AS DEMOCRATS RATHER THAN REPUBLICANS, REFORM THINE OWN HOUSE ALONG THE LINES OF GREATLY IMPROVING THE ECONOMIC STATUS OF THOSE WHO ARE TOO OLD, TOO SICK, TOO BLACK, ETC. EVEN TO KEEP PACE AT ALL IN OUR EXPENSIVE, UNDEREMPLOYED NATION. THAT’S A CONDITION THAT IS GOING TO BECOME EVEN MORE PREVALENT SOON, TOO -- WITH THE RAPID RATE OF AUTOMATION IN JOBS, CONTINUED OFFSHORING, VISAS SPECIFICALLY MADE FOR IMPORTING FOREIGNERS TO DO WORK HERE WHICH AMERICANS ARE CAPABLE OF DOING – THOUGH THEY DO WANT MORE PAY FOR IT; AND THE FAILURE TO CREATE MORE DECENT HOUSING FOR THE POOR AND THE HOMELESS. PEOPLE SLEEP ON THE GROUND IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. THIS IS THE OLD ROBBER BARON SYSTEM THAT IS BEING USHERED IN AGAIN. WHY WOULD THE POOR VOTE FOR IT? FOR THE DEMOCRATS TO CONDONE THIS SYSTEM TODAY IS TO GIVE THEIR BLESSING TO POVERTY WITH ALL IT’S PROBLEMS AS THE IDEAL AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE.

BERNIE’S CALLING FOR A GUARANTEED MINIMUM INCOME, ONE PAYER HEALTHCARE FOR ALL, FREE TUITION AT ALL STATE SCHOOLS, ETC. IS A GOOD THING. HE’S A LEADER IN A NATION THAT HAS LOST ITS’ WAY. AND THAT WON'T HURT THE TOP 1 TO 2 PERCENTERS, EVEN IF A GOOD MANY OF THEM NOW ARE IN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.... IT'S WHAT BERNIE SAYS THAT MAKES HIM POPULAR, NOT HIS NON-EXISTENT TRASHING OF HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON. HE MADE VERY FEW NEGATIVE STATEMENTS ABOUT HER, ACTUALLY. HE RAN A CLEAN CAMPAIGN, WHICH CAN’T BE SAID FOR HER.

BESIDES BEING ANNOYINGLY REPETITIVE AND FURIOUSLY VITRIOLIC AGAINST SANDERS, THIS ARTICLE HAS SOME QUESTIONS IN IT. WHY DOES THE WRITER CALL SANDERS’ COMMENTS “RIGHT WING” WHEN MOST CRITICS SAY HE IS LEFT WING?? IT’S TRUE THAT HE DID STRESS ECONOMIC STATUS OVER RACIAL POLITICS, OR FEMINISM. THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT HE IS RACIST OR ANTI-FEMINIST. I HAPPEN TO AGREE THAT IF THERE WERE A MUCH BETTER DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH IN THIS COUNTRY, A GREAT DEAL OF WHAT WE SEE AS RACISM WOULD DISAPPEAR.

IT ISN’T THAT SKIN COLOR AND ESPECIALLY OTHER CULTURAL ELEMENTS LIKE ACCENTS THAT STRIKE MIDDLE CLASS AMERICANS AS BEING IGNORANT MAKE NO DIFFERENCE – BUT THAT OUR POOR WHITES DO HAVE TO UNDERGO THAT SAME UNKIND SCRUTINY AS WELL. SOUTHERNERS AND RURAL PEOPLE OF ALL KINDS ARE SCORNED BY MANY IN THE US. THAT’S THE LIFE I GREW UP TO. THAT IS LARGELY WHY I HAD THE WEALTH/SOCIAL DIVISION TO THE DEGREE THAT I DO. IT ISN’T EARNED. IT’S PRIVILEGE. WORSE STILL, IT IS REINFORCED BY LAWS, POLICE OFFICERS, AND COURTS. THE PERNICIOUS GLUE THAT HOLDS THE WHOLE MATTER TOGETHER IS MONEY, MONEY, MONEY. FORGETTING THAT IS A MAJOR MISTAKE.

AS FOR SANDERS’ BEING “DESTRUCTIVE,” THE RIGHTIST CORPORATE INTERESTS HAVE PROGRESSIVELY DESTROYED THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY FROM WITHIN OVER THE LAST SEVENTY YEARS -- AFTER THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT AND THE RONALD REAGAN COUP -- AT THE LEVEL OF ITS’ VERY SOUL, PULLING THE PARTY POSITIONS FURTHER OUT OF THE DEMOCRATIC MODEL WHICH, SINCE FDR, WE HAD HELD. NOW SANDERS IS AGAIN ESPOUSING FAIRNESS AND ECONOMIC SECURITY FOR THE LOWER 70% OR SO. WHAT IS DESTRUCTIVE ABOUT THAT, UNLESS THIS CORPORATIST DEMOCRAT DAOU REFERS TO HIS OWN PERSONAL FORTUNE? THAT IS WHAT I THINK HAS GONE WRONG WITH HILLARY CLINTON SINCE SHE AND BILL LEFT OFFICE. SHE HAS GONE BACK TO HER REPUBLICAN ROOTS.

THIS DAOU ARTICLE ALSO MENTIONS A VOTE SANDERS THAT TOOK ON A WASTE DUMP. “7. BERNIE SANDERS NEVER FACED A TENTH THE SCRUTINY THAT HILLARY DID. ASK ANYONE IF THEY'VE HEARD ABOUT TOXIC WASTE DUMPED ON #SIERRABLANCA*.” SHAMEFULLY, I HADN’T HEARD ABOUT IT, BUT I GOOGLED IT. SEE POLITIFACT ON SIERRA BLANCA, BELOW.

SIERRA BLANCA* WASTE DUMP – THIS WHOLE POLITIFACT ARTICLE IS A THOROUGH AND FAIR LOOK AT THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST AND FOR SANDERS ON THIS NUCLEAR WASTE ISSUE. I REALLY ENJOYED IT, PLUS FINDING IT TO CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. WHAT I HAVE INCLUDED HERE IS ONLY A SMALL PART OF THE ARTICLE. I SUGGEST YOU READ THE WHOLE THING AT YOUR LEISURE.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2015/sep/22/fact-checking-viral-graphic-critical-bernie-sander/
Fact-checking a viral graphic critical of Bernie Sanders
By Louis Jacobson, Clayton Youngman on Tuesday, September 22nd, 2015 at 10:11 a.m.

“.... Voted to dump Vermont’s nuclear waste in a majority Latino community in Sierra Blanca, Texas

In 1998, the House of Representatives approved a compact struck between Texas, Vermont and Maine that would allow Vermont and Maine to dump low-level nuclear waste at a designated site in Sierra Blanca, Texas. Sanders, at the time representing Vermont in the House, cosponsored the bill and actively ushered it through Congress.

Located about 16 miles from the Mexican border, Sierra Blanca’s population is predominantly of Mexican ancestry. At the time, the community was about two-thirds Latino, and its residents had an average income of $8,000, according to the an article in the Bangor Daily News.

The low-level nuclear waste would include "items such as scrap metal and worker’s gloves… as well as medical gloves used in radiation treatments at hospitals," according to the Bangor Daily News. Clinton, then the First Lady, did not have a vote on the matter.”


A CORROBORATING VOICE ON THE WASTE DUMP FROM QUORA IS BELOW.

https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-Bernie-Sanders-ushered-a-bill-that-allowed-Vermont-to-dump-nuclear-waste-in-the-poor-Hispanic-community-of-Sierra-Blanca-Texas
Is it true, that Bernie Sanders ushered a bill that allowed Vermont to dump nuclear waste in the poor Hispanic community of Sierra Blanca, Texas?

4 Answers

Kristian Høg
Kristian Høg, Following the 2016 campaign obsessively.
Updated Mar 4, 2016

Technically correct.

But the problem is that this was "low level nuclear waste". That sounds dangerous right? Well it really isn't.

"items such as scrap metal and worker’s gloves… as well as medical gloves used in radiation treatments at hospitals"

Yeah this "nuclear waste" is really just gloves and metals that have been in low radiation envoirnments. [sic] They are not dumping plutonium or something of that sort.

Parts of it is literally something that has been approved by doctors to WEAR on your skin.

Photograph -- And this would obviously not be dumped in highly populated areas but rather in an actual pit/landfill for the purpose (SEE THE PHOTOGRAPH):

Now while this lying around isn't going to actually harm anyone (even if you stood by it for a good long while but especially when buried) the local community was opposed to the project (even if it was for irrational reasons) and maybe there should have been more diplomacy.

Lastly you can hear what Bernie Sanders had to say about it:

"Let me address it from the perspective of someone who is an opponent of nuclear power, who opposes the construction of power plants and, if he had his way, would shut down the existing nuclear power plants as quickly and as safely as we could.

One of the reasons that many of us oppose nuclear power plants is that when this technology was developed, there was not a lot of thought given as to how we dispose of the nuclear waste. Neither the industry nor the Government, in my view, did the right thing by allowing the construction of the plants and not figuring out how we get rid of the waste.

But the issue we are debating here today is not that issue. The reality, as others have already pointed out, is that the waste is here. We cannot wish it away. It exists in power plants in Maine and Vermont, it exists in hospitals, it is here.

No reputable scientist or environmentalist believes that the geology of Vermont or Maine would be a good place for this waste. In the humid climate of Vermont and Maine, it is more likely that groundwater will come in contact with that waste and carry off radioactive elements to the accessible environment.

There is widespread scientific evidence to suggest, on the other hand, that locations in Texas, some of which receive less than 12 inches of rainfall a year, a region where the groundwater table is more than 700 feet below the surface, is a far better location for this waste.

This is not a political assertion, it is a geological and environmental reality. Furthermore, even if this compact is not approved, it is likely that Texas, which has a great deal of low-level radioactive waste, and we should make the point that 80 percent of the waste is coming from Texas, 10 percent from Vermont, 10 percent from Maine, the reality is that Texas will go forward with or without this compact in building a facility to dispose of their low-level radioactive waste."

From a pragmatic or realist point of view Bernie Sanders really did nothing to hurt that latino community or the envoirnment.

The only real critique i could think of making is that he wasn't awfully diplomatic with that community! But then again it wasn't even Bernie's bill so i am not sure how much you can expect of the guy!

Edit: By the way the landfill was never actually created in that location. Instead the landfill was placed somewhere in western Texas!

23.6k Views · 236 Upvotes

Tran Quyet Thang
"items such as scrap metal and worker’s gloves… as well as medical gloves used in radiation treat...

Sierra Spaulding
Sierra Spaulding, Most viewed writer in Bernie Sanders 2016 Presidential Campaign
Answered Feb 27, 2016

This question was already asked in another form. Here is the answer.

Sanders was NOT the sponsor of the bill. Let's go through the background, and the bill itself. Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Consent Act (1998 - H.R. 629)

This was the chain of events. The Texas Legislature decided to create inter-state compacts for this kind of disposal between themselves, and Vermont and Maine. They already had an inter-state compact with NY, who has been dumping their non-radioactive waste in this sparsely populated area since the 1980s. It was the Texas Legislature who selected Hudspeth County, and the Texas Waste Authority who selected the Sierra Blanca site, for it already was also the site of the largest sewage sludge project in the U.S. With all this put in place by the state of Texas ---- (interesting note to not ignore- the Governor of Texas during all this was none other than George W. Bush) --Republican Texas Representative for the 6th Congressional District, Joe Barton, sponsors this bill. ---- (note, sponsor/author/ushered)

It is then "co-sponsored" by 23 others, one who happens to be Sanders. So to recap, this interstate compact was created by the State of Texas for monetary profit, and offered to other states. It was Texas' responsibility to properly vet the site offered. The waste in question is on the level of scrap metal and hospital worker's gloves- category non to low level grade radioactive waste. (NOT NUCLEAR WASTE) The site was chosen due to its remote location, and sparse population. Yet- it was a concern to community members, who were already upset with the amount of waste being dumped near their area (not in the community itself) so this newest bill became the straw that broke the camel's back...and an environmental protest started. They got nowhere with their own state of Texas, or the Texas Legislature, or the Texas Representative....by the time they made it more public outside the state, the bill was in its final steps all through the Senate. None of those involved backed off the bill. It made its way through both houses in the Congress, approved the entire way.

Now pay attention to these final details---

Even though the bill passed, Texas moved the site to Daniel's County (west Texas) instead. So Vermont is NOT dumping anything at the site in question, even though NY still is..... Hillary Clinton, as First Lady at the time, did not have a vote in this matter. Notice I said First Lady- That's right- when this bill was passed by Congress, it was signed into law by none other than President Bill Clinton.


WHO IS PETER DAOU?

http://www.thedailybeast.com/hillary-clintons-hit-men-target-bernie-sanders-at-blue-nation-review
DIRTY TRICKS
Hillary Clinton’s Hit Men Target Bernie Sanders at Blue Nation Review
The Blue Nation Review seems to have evolved from a blog dedicated to creating ‘a place where progressives can debate’ to an attack dog for Clinton.
Lloyd Grove
03.07.16 12:02 AM ET

Is a propaganda arm of Hillary Clinton’s presidential juggernaut masquerading as an independent news and opinion site?

That, anyhow, is the charge being leveled by the campaign of Clinton rival Bernie Sanders. They may have a point.

Back in the summer of 2014—when Blue Nation Review was a fledgling blog dedicated to creating “a place where progressives can debate where we want to be as a movement,” per the website’s mission statement—it treated Sanders as a liberal hero.

This was 18 months before BNR, as it’s known, started attacking the 74-year-old Sanders with a zeal normally associated with the Republican assault on Benghazi and the former secretary of state’s private email server.

These days the blog celebrates all things Clinton and relentlessly blames the socialist senator from Vermont for nearly every misguided, corrupt, hypocritical, or wretched thing in American democracy—though it does admit, from time to time, that he’s no Donald Trump.

Even before Sunday night’s CNN-sponsored Democratic debate had ended, BNR’s lead story was accusing Sanders of rudeness and sexism under the headline “Women React to Bernie Sanders Telling Hillary ‘I’m Talking.’”

BNR is “the pond scum of American politics,” said Democratic political consultant Tad Devine, a top strategist for Sanders’s campaign against the Democratic frontrunner. “I’m sure they’re going to do whatever it takes to throw mud at Bernie and discredit him and lie about him, and deceive people. And that’s their business. That’s what they do for a living.”

Devine added: “Our approach to most of this is to ignore it, and I suspect that’s all we’ll continue to do.”

It has been, to say the least, a stunning about-face for BNR—and for the blog’s small coterie of loyal readers, a baffling one as well.

The website had developed a reputation for reliably liberal opinion, of course, but also on occasion for aggressive reporting; BNR was the first to reveal questionable real estate transactions that, among other violations of the public trust, led to the resignation of Republican House member Aaron Schock of Illinois.

Now, suddenly, it is being seen by some as the journalism equivalent of a Clinton campaign surrogate.

As with an increasing number of political whodunits during this election cycle, the fingerprints of Hillary hit man David Brock are all over the crime scene.

Brock, who didn’t respond to a request for comment, is the famed Clinton antagonist-turned-acolyte, an ardent convert from right-wing attack journalism who founded the liberal-leaning media watchdog organization, Media Matters for America.

Today Brock, a talented organizer and prolific fundraiser, controls a network of pro-Hillary PACs and nonprofits, including Correct the Record (which polices media criticism of Brock’s favorite candidate and deploys rapid responses), as well as the richly funded pro-Clinton super PAC, American Bridge 21st Century.

. . . . .

Brock installed as CEO of True Blue Media a longtime Democratic operative named Peter Daou, a diehard Hillary loyalist who had worked in her Senate office and 2008 presidential campaign. Daou declined to comment for this story.

At the time of the sale, Brock gave the Huffington Post a high-minded statement concerning BNR’s mission.

“The need for alternative sources of information and independent reporting has never been greater,” he said, adding that the site would be “a focal point in liberal journalism” and produce investigative stories as well as video. “With the 2016 campaign now fully underway, the time is right for the rise of a new liberal standard-bearer and Blue Nation Review is poised to assume that role.”

Yet BNR, in its current incarnation, seems more a comfortable venue for negative Sanders stories that Brock wasn’t successful in placing with mainstream news outlets like The New York Times and The Washington Post.

An examination of BNR’s Sanders coverage documents the switcheroo since Brock and Daou took over. During Williams’s tenure as editor, for instance, the headline on BNR’s July 28, 2014, story about Sanders, then chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee, was: “Senator Bernie Sanders and GOP Rep Jeff Miller find pathway to address VA problems.”

Subsequent BNR stories, as Sanders ramped up his seemingly quixotic White House quest, carried headlines such as “5 Awesome Things Bernie Sanders is Doing With His Campaign,” “Bernie Sanders Wants to Bring the Fight to the GOP,” “Bernie Sanders rolls through Virginia riding high,” “Over 110,000 Bernie Backers Pledge to Attend Grassroots Event,” and—on Oct. 29 of last year—“While the GOP Were Embarrassing Themselves at the Debate, Bernie Sanders Was Doing This.”

This last story—a dying burst of positive Sanders coverage—reported: “With most of the political world’s eyes trained on the CNBC GOP Presidential Debate on Wednesday night, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders held a rally at George Mason University.

“As the Republicans dodged questions about their own divisive rhetoric, Sanders decried Islamophobia and the hate that often follows it.

“BNR BOTTOM LINE: We think Robert F. Kennedy… would be proud.”

After early November came a two-month-long hiatus in which Sanders was barely mentioned—and certainly never again compared to a martyred liberal icon.

Then, on Jan. 19, BNR blasted a group that Daou, a prolific writer, called “a segment of Bernie Sanders supporters.”

“Why do you have to hate Hillary to love Bernie?” Daou demanded. “Why do you have to echo Karl Rove and the GOP in their misogynistic rhetoric? Why do you have to do the dirty work of the far right and tear down one of the most accomplished women in the history of American politics?”

Daou followed up the next day with an article titled, “With Bernie Sanders As Their Nominee, Democrats Can Kiss The Presidency Goodbye.”

Two days later, BNR formally endorsed Clinton for president and subsequent articles carried headlines such as “Why does Bernie Sanders keep denigrating Hillary’s supporters,” “Why did Bernie Sanders sponsor a bill to dump nuclear waste on a low-income Latino community,” “NASTY HIT: top Sanders adviser questions Hillary’s capacity to appoint Scalia replacement,” “Bernie’s dark side: the reckless war on Hillary’s integrity,” and “Bernie Sanders gets gender equality painfully wrong.”

BNR founder Jimmy Williams, for one, barely recognizes the site he helped create. Although he supports Clinton’s campaign, “Bernie Sanders was a great House member and he’s a damn good senator,” Williams said.

“I wish David Brock and his staff the very best of luck in their endeavors,” he added. “I’m proud of what we built when I was there. I’m proud of the original reporting we did and the opinion journalism. And I’m proud that we never took a hit on other Democrats running for president.”