Sanders supporters class action lawsuit against the DNC

Submitted by Nastarana on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 12:33pm

https://medium.com/@caityjohnstone/dnc-shatters-the-illusion-of-american...

Finally, perhaps a tipping point has been reached. If this trial goes forward--do watch the video interview with one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs--will the DNC finally be exposed to the larger public who are not political junkies for their corruption and breathtaking arrogance? Will the lamestream media have to take notice?

I am glad to hear that the allegations of Mr. Niki(Sp.?) House from North Carolina are being taken seriously. Those surfaced last Feb. in a video presentation, alleging of infiltration of the Sanders campaign by Clinton staff, as I thought, but apparently by DNC operatives who maneuvered so that, as I recall, among other things, elected officials offering to endorse Sanders received no response from his campaign. Mr. House's testimony, if he is allowed to give it, is likely to be highly damaging. I hope he can stay alive till that time, and after of course, and that the plaintiffs in the case will have taken his deposition.

The plaintiffs hope that the DNC will be ordered to return some $2millionUS to Sanders' supporters who gave to the Senator in the belief that he had a fair chance to win the nomination. Imagine the expense involved in seeking out each and every small donor. I, myself, do not see how the Democratic Party can survive that outcome.

I hope the trial will go forward and that it will receive the attention it deserves. The venue is in Florida. I don't know why Florida in particular. At least the plaintiffs have had the sense not to attempt a large city like NYC. I have always thought that the lawsuit against Monsanto from some years back would have had a much better outcome for its' plaintiffs had it not been first heard in NYC.

Tags:

DNC 2016 election corruption

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Comments

Submitted by ggersh on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 12:48pm

Misogynistic, deplorable me

gives this girl a big thumbs up!!!

—

I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish

"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"

Heard from Margaret Kimberley

Submitted by Nastarana on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 2:15pm

NO MORE WAR

@ggersh indeed. Those three words need to be out in front of any new party or movement. The alt-right opposes more wars and foreign interventions. We are going to need alliances, you know.

—

Mary Bennett

Submitted by ggersh on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 3:39pm

Unfortunately tptb thrive on war

@Nastarana amerika has been so bombarded with the pro military
kill everyone BS, it's scary shit.

—

I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish

"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"

Heard from Margaret Kimberley

Submitted by snoopydawg on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 5:35pm

You are so right about this

@ggersh
There was an article on a soldier who was killed in Mosul and almost every comment was thanking him for defending our country and our freedoms.
The military worship in my state is just as high as for the police.
These types of people see things in black and white. Our military can do nothing wrong, even when it kills civilians because civilians are always killed during wars and the police can do nothing wrong and all people need to do is not break the laws and do whatever they tell you to do.
None of them bother to wonder why people who have been harmed by our foreign policies would want to harm us.
They agree with Trump that we should bomb ISIS and their families, but get upset when they do that to us or other countries.

Submitted by ggersh on Mon, 05/01/2017 - 8:06am

So right snoppydawg

@snoopydawg we are always justified for our actions, not so much
anyone else, hence the rise of the oligarchs continues to win.

—

I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish

"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"

Heard from Margaret Kimberley

Submitted by native on Mon, 05/01/2017 - 1:55pm

No doubt there's a lot of pro-war sentiment

@snoopydawg

in the USA, but it's also true that msm tends to paint a distorted picture of public opinion. People who oppose military adventurism are I think, far more numerous than you'd ever guess by watching corporate teevee networks, or reading the WaPo.

—

native

Submitted by irishking on Mon, 05/01/2017 - 2:29pm

We have elected the "peace candidate" time and again.

@snoopydawg

has done no good.

Submitted by Nastarana on Tue, 05/02/2017 - 7:40am

Keep in mind

@snoopydawg a lot of those commenters are paid shills. I found out about that debating GMOs on garden fora.

—

Mary Bennett

Submitted by earthling1 on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 1:29pm

Irks me to no end

that Sanders is touring with those same Superdelegates that lined up against him even before the primary.
Or maybe it's just deplorable sore loser me.
Whatever, until proven otherwise, they still don't need my vote to win.
Ha ha ha ha ha.

—

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

Submitted by gjohnsit on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 2:03pm

You must not have noticed

@earthling1

Sanders is touring with those same Superdelegates that lined up against him even before the primary

Sanders played them.
He used their platform to denounce their corrupt and losing ways.
That's why the DNC is so pissed at him now.

Submitted by Amanda Matthews on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 3:14pm

Sanders isn't playing anyone. He signed up to sheep dog to

@gjohnsit @gjohnsit
keep the Dims from freezing him out of his job. He just throws his supporters an occasional bone while he's out pandering for the DNC.

Forget Sanders. He's not the man you think he is. He's a gutless coward who folded like a cheap suit even after being shown how HE and WE were cheated. If he was as honourable as you think he is, he would have defended himself, his supporters who donated millions, and fought for our political system against a corrupt bunch of cheats. He didn't. The second his lips became attached to Clinton's DNC ass, he became useless to any and all of us.

EDIT: fixed the term 'political system'

—

I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks

Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa

Submitted by flowerfarmer on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 5:13pm

The Sane Progressive

@Amanda Matthews lays it right out in a gorgeous rant that is not her usual style...she is beside herself pissed!

Sheepdogging the still hopeful among us back toward the veal pen by the very guy who gave us such hope.

Submitted by Christine.MI on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 10:30pm

@flowerfarmer WOW!

@flowerfarmer WOW!
She told it like it is in that one and she's right. Thanks for sharing that one!

Submitted by lizzyh7 on Mon, 05/01/2017 - 8:17pm

Yes indeed.

@Christine.MI He dismissed us by not addressing the fraud, dismissed and quite frankly, disrespected. And the main ones disrespected in many ways are the future of his "party." She's great.

—

Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur

Submitted by irishking on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 7:32pm

you are so right about Sanders.

@Amanda Matthews

last time country was in this much trouble we got Lincoln.

Submitted by The Voice In th... on Mon, 05/01/2017 - 8:01am

Blanche Lincoln?

@irishking

—

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

Submitted by Cant Stop the M... on Mon, 05/01/2017 - 12:05am

@Amanda Matthews Both true. Changed

@Amanda Matthews Both true. Changed over in June after the famous Obama phone call and DC visit. That was the end of that.

—

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Submitted by Nastarana on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 2:17pm

My sentiments exactly.

@earthling1 Sanders can do as he likes. This movement, I do not call it 'progressive' as I don't believe in the myth of progress, has already gone way beyond Sanders. He was the catalyst and deserves respect and honor for that, but he need not detain us.

—

Mary Bennett

Submitted by native on Mon, 05/01/2017 - 3:16pm

I don't think Bernie ever intended

@Nastarana

to weaken the Democratic Party, but only to inject it with a dose of New Deal vitamins. The reaction of the Clinton machine to his somewhat immodest proposals is what weakened the Party. An extreme abreaction to Sanders' medicine caused the Party's neoliberal guts to churn, and produce the aggressive antibodies that gave Hillary her nomination. Unfortunately for the Party, her victory also killed the robust wave of support that Sanders had generated. That wondrous wave has crashed against the breakwater of neoliberal intransigence, and all that remains of it now, is choppy water. I think Bernie's efforts to rebuild the momentum he created, will prove to be be largely futile.

—

native

Submitted by irishking on Tue, 05/02/2017 - 3:09pm

"That wondrous wave has crashed..."

@native

that's worth a (++), for sure.

metaphor holds up all the way to "choppy water".

nice one!

Submitted by dkmich on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 1:57pm

Only 2 million?

Hell, people who could least afford to donate gave him their lunch money - literally. The attorney's for the people sound optimistic that the judge will allow the suit to go forward. If anyone is interested, they posted the documents online. I posted them to c99 fb page.

—

"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

Submitted by Nastarana on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 2:18pm

Thank you.

@dkmich What is your opinion so far? Do you think this will be allowed to go forward?

—

Mary Bennett

Submitted by gjohnsit on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 2:00pm

The money shot

They’re trying to maintain the “A vote for a third party is a vote for the Republican!” narrative from one side of their mouths while saying “It’s our party, we can rig the primaries however we want!” from the other.

Submitted by Nastarana on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 2:24pm

What most caught my attention

@gjohnsit was the information that this legal team seems to be looking into not only vote fraud but also infiltration into Sanders' campaign. Just one possible example, who decided Sanders should fly to Florida the night of the Michigan primary? And shouldn't someone have woken him up to watch returns and couldn't a better statement have been being drafted for him while the returns were coming in? At the time I was seeing complaints of the fecklessness of the Sanders staff, but it now seems a lot more than simple incompetence was happening.

—

Mary Bennett

Submitted by Creosote. on Mon, 05/01/2017 - 6:09am

It was planned plasticized incompetence

@Nastarana
the sort of plastic surgery the establishment does best.

Submitted by earthling1 on Mon, 05/01/2017 - 11:01am

I like that, plasticized incompetence.

@Creosote.
fits the narrative perfectly.

—

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

Submitted by earthling1 on Mon, 05/01/2017 - 11:07am

It's another form of sheepdogging

@Creosote. @Creosote.
Sometimes known as "running interference ".

—

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

Submitted by Cassiodorus on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 2:49pm

It was money here:

A recently-released transcript of Florida court documents has revealed that the Democratic National Committee’s first line of defense in their motion to dismiss a lawsuit against them by defrauded Bernie Sanders supporters is to state that they are under no contractual obligation to provide the American people with real party primaries.

Let's protest every party primary in America.

—

The ruling classes need an extra party to make the rest of us feel as if we participate in democracy. That's what the Democrats are for. They make the US more durable than the Soviet Union was.

Submitted by Amanda Matthews on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 3:19pm

That's the 'best' part of their defence. "Don't get mad because

@Cassiodorus
we cheat and lie. It's your own damn fault for not expecting us to cheat and lie. This is what you get for thinking we had a decent, honest, ethical bone in our collective body".

—

I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks

Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa

Submitted by Nastarana on Tue, 05/02/2017 - 7:46am

I seeem to recall that attorneys for

@Amanda Matthews former boxing champ Mike Tyson used somewhat the same line--if you date our guy you can expect to get mauled, so don't complain afterwards.

DNC is going with the too bad if you were a virgin you should have known better line.

—

Mary Bennett

Submitted by Timmethy2.0 on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 4:54pm

I think the lawyers are arguing that the DNC committed fraud

@Cassiodorus @Cassiodorus @Cassiodorus

People gave money to Bernie with the belief that it was a fair system. The DNC encouraged that belief even after evidence proved that the system was rigged for Hillary.

—

Beware the bullshit factories.

Submitted by Cassiodorus on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 5:50pm

I await a massive sea of signs:

@Timmethy2.0 "We want our $27 back."

—

The ruling classes need an extra party to make the rest of us feel as if we participate in democracy. That's what the Democrats are for. They make the US more durable than the Soviet Union was.

Submitted by snoopydawg on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 6:24pm

During one hearing, the DNC told the judge

@Timmethy2.0
that the lawsuit should be dismissed because Bernie's supporters knew that they were rigging the primary for Hillary but they continued to send him money anyway.
I think it was in a MsGrin essay that she wrote about this before the election.

Submitted by lizzyh7 on Mon, 05/01/2017 - 2:09pm

Well, we Bernie Bro's are purists

@snoopydawg after all, unrealistic, pie in the sky, bleeding heart liberals who damned well should know better. And while at first I was shocked by that language not so much anymore. I don't want my money back, they can have it and I will know that was MY mistake in sending it. I'll not do it again though, thanks Bernie for showing me the truth there, I'll never forget it.

—

Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur

Submitted by snoopydawg on Mon, 05/01/2017 - 8:17pm

I found the article that backs up my comment

@lizzyh7

The attorneys representing the DNC have previously argued that Sanders supporters knew the primaries were rigged, therefore annulling any potential accountability the DNC may have. In the latest hearing, they doubled down on this argument: “The Court would have to find that people who fervently supported Bernie Sanders and who purportedly didn’t know that this favoritism was going on would have not given to Mr. Sanders, to Senator Sanders, if they had known that there was this purported favoritism.”

http://observer.com/2017/05/dnc-lawsuit-presidential-primaries-bernie-sa...

If you don't want your money back can I have it?

Submitted by The Voice In th... on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 4:19pm

How can I join in the suit?

I gave money to Sanders, too! How can I join the class?

Hell, I'll give money to the lawyers!

—

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

Submitted by Centaurea on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 7:23pm

You're already part of the class

@The Voice In the Wilderness If you donated money to the Sanders campaign, you're automatically a member of the class. The named plaintiffs are serving as representatives for all people who gave money to Bernie's campaign.

—

"Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep."
~Rumi

"If you want revolution, be it."
~Caitlin Johnstone

Submitted by The Voice In th... on Mon, 05/01/2017 - 8:49am

Seems like the amount should be more than $2 million

@Centaurea @Centaurea Didn't he get $27 million in contributions?

—

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

Submitted by Centaurea on Mon, 05/01/2017 - 8:03pm

Not asking for $2 million

@The Voice In the Wilderness They're not asking for $2 million. I don't know where that figure came from in the OP.

Here's what the Plaintiffs are asking for, as per their Complaint filed with the Court:

231. For compensatory, general, restitutionary, restorative, statutory, treble, and special
damages for Plaintiffs against Defendants;
232. Exemplary/punitive damages as against Defendants in an amount sufficient to
deter and to make an example of Defendants;
233. Attorneys’ fees and costs;
234. Prejudgment and post-judgment interest; and
235. The cost of this suit and such other relief as the court finds just and proper.

There's no dollar amount specified, for many reasons.

All of the pleadings filed in this case can be downloaded at the plaintiffs' attorney's website: http://jampac.us/dnclawsuit/

—

"Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep."
~Rumi

"If you want revolution, be it."
~Caitlin Johnstone

Submitted by The Voice In th... on Tue, 05/02/2017 - 12:00pm

Thanks!

@Centaurea

—

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

Submitted by CB on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 6:02pm

What's in a name?

Just because it's called The Democratic Party doesn't mean it has to operate in a democratic manner according to DNC lawyers.

Bernie Bros, your $27 dollars went to buy foie gras, cognac and after dinner cigars while the Deciders discussed who should be nominated. So suck it up and fuck off till next time.

If You Want to Know What the Democratic Party Is, Just Ask Their Lawyer
The Democrat Party Has No Obligation to be Democratic

MR. SPIVA: [W}here you have a party that’s saying, We’re gonna, you know, choose our standard bearer, and we’re gonna follow these general rules of the road, which we are voluntarily deciding, we could have — and we could have voluntarily decided that, Look, we’re gonna go into back rooms like they used to and smoke cigars and pick the candidate that way. That’s not the way it was done. But they could have. And that would have also been their right, and it would drag the Court well into party politics, internal party politics to answer those questions.

Submitted by on the cusp on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 7:46pm

@CB well, get to dragging.

@CB well, get to dragging. Let the Court take a look see.
In fact, let American voters take a look see.
I wonder if the judge took that as a dare.

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by Centaurea on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 8:08pm

Florida

The lawsuit was brought against both the DNC and Deborah Wasserman Schultz. The basis of venue is that DWS is a resident of Florida. I'm assuming that the plaintiffs' lawyers chose Florida rather than the District of Columbia (where the DNC is headquartered) for strategic reasons. They must think that they have a better chance in FL than in Washington, D.C.

—

"Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep."
~Rumi

"If you want revolution, be it."
~Caitlin Johnstone

Submitted by on the cusp on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 8:46pm

@Centaurea Likely a Republican Judge

@Centaurea Likely a Republican Judge.
For a case with this much publicity, the DNC hired a very ineloquent lawyer.
It was so off the cuff, seat of the pants argument for such a high profile case.

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by Centaurea on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 9:15pm

A Reagan appointee

@on the cusp The case was assigned to Senior Judge William J. Zloch, who was appointed to the federal bench by president Reagan in 1984. So I guess he's not part of the neoliberal establishment, as would more likely be the case with a D.C. judge.

It's hard to know what the DNC's thinking is, aside from their usual arrogant hubris. According to the Perkins Coie (DNC's law firm) website, this attorney, named Bruce Spiva, specializes in voting rights. Ironic, isn't it? His bio lists all sorts of accomplishments in standing up for the rights of voters, yet now he's arguing against the very same thing.

Maybe they don't see this lawsuit as a big deal, so he just didn't prepare much for the hearing.

—

"Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep."
~Rumi

"If you want revolution, be it."
~Caitlin Johnstone

Submitted by on the cusp on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 9:21pm

@Centaurea It reads like he was

@Centaurea It reads like he was caught off guard. Maybe his usual line of work doesn't translate well to the dark side.
He was rattled.

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by Centaurea on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 10:07pm

Not much advance notice

@on the cusp It looks like they didn't get much advance notice about the hearing on their Motion to Dismiss. The Court Order setting the hearing for April 25 was issued on April 10, right before the Easter holiday during Spring Break season. There are a half dozen lawyers listed as representing the DNC in this case, and maybe he was the only one available to go to the hearing. He probably did all of his prep work on the plane ride down to Florida.

—

"Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep."
~Rumi

"If you want revolution, be it."
~Caitlin Johnstone

Submitted by earthling1 on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 8:54pm

I gave Sanders more than $700

I will never even consider voting for a Democrat until they refund my money.
No, I'm not asking for a bribe, I'm demanding a refund.
Oh wait. They don't want my vote.

—

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

Submitted by on the cusp on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 9:07pm

@earthling1 I am wishing I had my $2

@earthling1 I am wishing I had my $2,700 in my pocket, but sometimes, I do learn from my mistakes.
I might put up yard signs, might sign petitions, but no politician will ever get a cent from me. Ever.
For that change in behavior, I thank (or blame) Bernie Sanders.

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by Linda Wood on Mon, 05/01/2017 - 7:28pm

I am a day late to this discussion,

and I have just begun to read the pdf of the arguments.

But I have to respond to the part about whether or not all members of the Democratic Party have been injured.

The assertion of the DNC attorney seems to be that some of the members of the Party actually wanted Hillary Clinton to win the nomination, so how were they injured by the DNC cheating and discrediting Bernie Sanders?

http://jampac.us/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/042517cw2.pdf

... MR. SPIVA: Yes, your Honor. And I think the last question was, how have all members of the Democratic Party suffered a concrete injury?

And there really isn't an allegation in the complaint that explains that. You know, in terms of the donor class, you know, clearly many of the people who they purport to represent agree with the DNC and support -- and continue to support it. With respect to the individuals who they are putative class representatives, they haven't actually alleged specific injury. They've just said that they donated money.

… And so, again, even if your Honor disregards that as being outside the pleadings, and your Honor can go outside the pleadings on a 12(b)(1) motion, but even if you disregard it, I think it just illustrates the implausibility that every single member of the Democratic Party has suffered a concrete injury.

After taking as many deep breaths as I could to stop myself from throttling somebody, I just wanted to say the following about this part of his criminally negligent defense of the DNC.

WE HAVE BEEN HEARING FOR THE LAST 6 MONTHS THAT VLADIMIR PUTIN VIOLATED THE SACRED VIRTUE OF THE AMERICAN ELECTORAL PROCESS AND COST CLINTON THE ELECTION BECAUSE HE REVEALED TO THE VOTERS THAT THE DNC CHEATED.

How in the name of all that is logical can the DNC now claim that no Democratic voters, specifically those who were in favor of Clinton, were injured by the DNC's behavior, when all the while they have been asserting in public that Putin, by revealing their behavior, cost her the election?

Submitted by Centaurea on Mon, 05/01/2017 - 8:09pm

That irritated me, too

@Linda Wood Yeah, that irritated me, too. The DNC's lawyer apparently is psychic, and knows what's in the minds of every Democratic voter and of every Bernie supporter who ended up voting for Hillary in the general.

—

"Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep."
~Rumi

"If you want revolution, be it."
~Caitlin Johnstone