Just as with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, it’s important to look at everything Sen. Bernie Sanders does through the lens of someone eying the White House in 2020. But while Warren was working on her likability problem by posting a video of herself drinking a beer in her kitchen, was The New York Times trying to undercut Sanders with its exposé on sexual harassment allegations during his 2016 campaign?
On Wednesday, The New York Times published a piece detailing sexism rampant among the Sanders campaign in 2016, with women being paid less and treated worse:
Accounts like Ms. Di Lauro’s — describing episodes of sexual harassment and demeaning treatment as well as pay disparity in Mr. Sanders’s 2016 campaign — have circulated in recent weeks in emails, online comments and private discussions among former supporters. Now, as the Vermont senator tries to build support for a second run at the White House, his perceived failure to address this issue has damaged his progressive bona fides, delegates and nearly a dozen former state and national staff members said in interviews over the last month.
And it has raised questions among them about whether he can adequately fight for the interests of women, who have increasingly defined the Democratic Party in the Trump era, if he runs again for the presidential nomination in 2020.
Sanders appeared on CNN Wednesday night and addressed the charges, but said he wasn’t aware of any problems.
Bernie Sanders says on CNN that he wasn't contemporaneously aware of allegations of sexual harassment during the 2016 campaign.
"I was a little busy," he said
— Tim Mak (@timkmak) January 3, 2019
Here's that exchange:
Anderson Cooper: Just to be clear, you seemed to indicate that you did not know at the time about the allegations. Is that correct?
Bernie Sanders: Uh, yes. I was a little bit busy running around the country, trying to make the case.
— Tim Mak (@timkmak) January 3, 2019
This is not to say that Bernie didn't express regret about what happened in 2016.
"I certainly apologize to any woman who felt that she was not treated appropriately, and of course, if I run, we will do better next time."
— Tim Mak (@timkmak) January 3, 2019
Hey look, another one of those “I’m sorry if you felt you were sexually harassed” apologies. Aren’t we supposed to believe women?
Here is the full exchange between Anderson Cooper and Bernie Sanders, including his apology to any woman who felt she was not treated appropriately and his "I was a little bit busy running around the country" commenthttps://t.co/AbvwOsTsTx
— Tim Mak (@timkmak) January 3, 2019
Say goodnight, Bernie.
— Don Brennan (@DonB1957) January 3, 2019
He hired people who chose to silence the women rather than do the right thing.
The character of an organization flows from the top.
— Fire Rokita (@FireRokita) January 3, 2019
This apology is not an apology. It's weasel words. "any woman who felt that" – total weasel words right there. No acknowledgement that what happened to them was real, framing it as a "perception" issue instead. This is an utter cop out and not a true expression of regret/apology.
— Kim Penn (@kim_penn) January 3, 2019
There is a HUGE difference between "I certainly apologize to any woman who felt that she was not treated appropriately" and "I certainly apoligize to any woman who was not treated appropriately". The difference is my vote.
— Baka Karasu 烏 (@BakaKarasu) January 3, 2019
Women are always “feeling” like we aren’t treated appropriately. If only we weren’t so sensitive and could calm down & see it from the male perspective. ?
— Christy B ?? (@CBeeghly) January 3, 2019
That's what got me. This is a "I'm sorry if I offended you" level of apology.
— Matthew Nichols (@xayma) January 3, 2019
“Who felt”
If Bernie were a Republican every liberal would be tearing him apart tonight. https://t.co/ysZCiH0rYy
— The Reagan Battalion (@ReaganBattalion) January 3, 2019
That was Wednesday. On Thursday, The Daily Caller’s Amber Athey approached Sanders on the subject, and he didn’t seem to want to talk about it anymore.
.@amber_athey just asked Bernie Sanders why he said he was too busy to pay attention to sexual harassment allegations on his campaign
“That’s not true” he says twice, and refuses to respond to @TheDCVince question of whether he paid attention to it
— Saagar Enjeti (@esaagar) January 3, 2019
.@SenSanders tells me outside of Tortilla Coast in DC that it is “not true” that he said he was too busy running for President to deal with sexual harassment allegations on his campaign
— Amber Athey (@amber_athey) January 3, 2019
True. He was too busy buying more houses.
— Vinny (@vinnyc101) January 4, 2019
Nice one.
Said yesterday on CNN (not sure if it was live) that he was unaware of the allegations!!
— Debbie Patterson (@DebbieP83432552) January 3, 2019
Is there any proof that he actually knew about this? Because the way the media is smearing him as if he’s the new Harvey or bill Cosby
— hmmmmmmmm (@newwaveblackguy) January 4, 2019
Maybe our betters in the media are giving Sanders a little nudge on that “is he running again” question.
DNC already working on preventing Bernie from running again, I see
— ?? BuildingTrumpmore⚒️ (@k_ovfefe) January 3, 2019
One thing’s for sure; if the 2020 race has already begun, he’s not off to a good start.
Related:
‘Nuke the sun’! Bernie Sanders says nation needs to pretend climate change is a ‘military attack against the’ planet (and people have thoughts) https://t.co/J0uyJa1Aw7
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) January 2, 2019
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