Interrupted repeatedly at a town hall meeting last weekend, an irate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) yelled at disruptive audience members: “Shut up!”
The meeting, at Cabot’s Willey Building Auditorium on Saturday, grew so heated that Sanders’ outreach director, Phil Fiermonte, called the cops, according to Vermont State Police spokeswoman Stephanie Dasaro. Four troopers arrived partway through the event, but took no action.
“They basically were just there as a presence,” Dasaro said. “Other than that, we didn’t get involved. There was no disorderly conduct. No one was arrested.”
A seven-minute video of the meeting was posted to YouTube Sunday by Marie Countryman, a Montpelier activist:
A shorter version of the same video was posted Monday by America Rising, a conservative political action committee that specializes in capturing liberal politicians’ off-script moments.
Neither Countryman nor America Rising could be reached for comment.
Both versions show Sanders growing frustrated after several audience members interrupt him answering a question about American support for Israel and Israel’s incursion into the Gaza Strip.
“I don’t want to be interrupted,” he says. “A question was asked. It’s a fair question. And I’m trying to—”
After several more interruptions, most vocally from a large bearded man in the third row, Sanders loses his cool.
“Excuse me,” he snaps. “Shut up! You don’t have the microphone. You’ve asked— You know, I don’t want police officers here.”
“Are you going to arrest people?” the bearded man shouts.
“No, I’m not going to arrest people,” Sanders fires back. “But are you going to— Are you going to allow us to have a discussion?”
The bearded man then jumps up and shouts at Sanders to, “Come down here and be democratic.”
A woman yells, “Occupied populations have the right to resist!”
“You’re entitled to your views,” Sanders says. “You’ve asked a question and I’m answering it. This is called democracy.”
The exchange appears to have taken place after Sanders’ staff called the police, as a state trooper is pictured standing calmly by the audience members as they interrupt the senator.
The longer version of the video includes more heated back-and-forth between Sanders and some in the crowd. At one point, a woman yells, “Fuck Israel!”
“I’m sorry I don’t have the magic answer,” Sanders says near the end of the longer video. “This is a very depressing and difficult issue. This has gone on for 60 bloody years. Year after year. If you’re asking me, ‘Do I have the magical solution?’ I don’t. And you know what, I doubt very much that you do.”
In a written statement, Sanders’ spokesman said that the Cabot event was one of “four excellent town meetings” the senator held in the past week.
“Altogether about 650 people attended the meetings,” the spokesman, Michael Briggs, said. “They asked great questions and there were good discussions about the major issues facing our country. In Cabot, unfortunately, five people tried to disrupt the meeting. Sadly, the state police had to be called in so the meeting could go forward.”
News of Saturday’s disruption was first reported Tuesday by the Barre-Montpelier Times Argus. Video of the exchange was featured Wednesday on BuzzFeed.
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Moral of the story don’t Ask Bernie about Israel bombing innocents in Gaza the UN Schools that were destroyed by missiles or he will tell you to shut up and send the police to intimidate you in a public forum.
SHUT UP Bernie.
I have family who just came home from working in the refugee camps with Save the children in Jordan, horror stories from the front lines not a line of fiction from some loudmouthed schmuck on a podium with a microphone.
I guess being anti war and against killing and maiming children makes one a conservative now. Are these New Bernie rules or is that just the hacks running the news papers and Sanders propaganda machine?
Complicated issue. Many different opinions. But is there really any controversy or scandal here? I think not. At it’s core, all that’s happening here is Bernie is in a room of constituents and they have an excellent if heated discussion. It’d be nice if the police weren’t in the room, but it doesn’t seem like the cops influenced or inhibited the discussion in any way. Every US Senator should be this accessible.
Wow I’m glad Greg P. chimed in on this story so it’s not just Walt’s view on this thread. Walt, did you watch the video? Bernie is simply trying to answer the question and address a very complex issue. He can barely start to answer before he gets constantly shouted down. This is not a queston that can be answered in a 30 second soundbyte, and yet the screamers in the crowd don’t even give him the opportunity. Respect goes both ways. Bernie took the time to have the town hall, and these activists can’t give him the respect to engage in civil conversation, even if they disagree with his viewpoint.
In spite of what you say, Bernie did not “tell you to shut up and send the police to intimidate you” in response to a question about Israel bombing Gaza. Perhaps you should step outside of your head for a second and re-watch the video. Your version of events and reality do not match up. Not at all. Bernie was fully within his rights to ask people to shut up while he tries to answer the question that was asked of him. That is democracy. Constantly screaming and yelling without taking the time to listen is not democracy. You wouldn’t tolerate that of your leaders, so why should they tolerate it from their constituents?
I watched the video and I saw the cops moving towards the dissenter and I watched as Bernie from on high microphone in hand in a room that does not need the benefit of a microphone Yells SHUT UP at a seventy year old man who he marginalized. I see Bernie ready to put the jackboots on his throat. His tone says I dont want to But I will have that cop haul your sorry butt out of the room.
I have seen Bernie do this on a number of occasions Bernie shouts down his opponents and bullies them thats his style. If you dont follow his version of the truth you can SHUT UP .
I have been observing him and his BS for 30 years now we have his wife in a crony capitalist imbroglio where she took public funds in a liar loan scam bankrupting Burlington College. Bernie is just a peach.
Ask him about Eric Holder handing out fines to money laundering fro the drug lords… SHUT UP.
It goes on and on HEY YOU DONT have the microphone it is an attitude pervasive in Bernies schtick if he feels out of control he tell s you to shut up we are done here. Thats why his campaign is nothing more than a veneer just enough so he can get re elected and blame the billionaires and millionaire shave a discussion about the economy but when it gets real SHUT UP.
Greg, at Sanders next meet and greet stage show Ask Bernie about Hunter Bidens involvement in Ukrainian gas company Burisma. How long before he tell you to SHUT UP..you dont have the microphone?
Good for Bernie. Its great to express dissenting views, but if you ask the man a question you have to allow him to answer. It is fine to then come back with a follow-up, but cutting him off before he even has a chance to answer is just poor form. People like this ruin these kind of events. The same views and dissent can be expressed in a much more civil fashion. Unfortunately, many view the right to disrupt any proceedings of their choosing as a legitimate tactic in airing their views. For me (and I would assume for many others), this just undermines my ability to take them and their views seriously.
I don’t blame him. If I was asked a question and you kept interrupting me I would tell you to shut up too. Well done Bernie!!
where is the democracy in ‘shut up’????
bernie gets to have his say but he doesn’t want to hear anyone else’s – then he goes on and on about democracy…..
The resolution that the Senat UNANIMOUSLY passed reads as follows:
S.Res.498 – A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate regarding United States support for the State of Israel as it defends itself against unprovoked rocket attacks from the Hamas terrorist organization.
— Reaffirms the support of the Senate for Israel’s right to defend its citizens and ensure Israel’s survival.
— Condemns the unprovoked rocket fire at Israel and calls on Hamas to cease all rocket and other attacks against Israel.
–Calls on Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas to dissolve the unity governing arrangement with Hamas and condemn the attacks on Israel.
There is great publicity power in any UNANIMOUSLY passed action by Congress. Bernie did not object to this resolution — with its power — being passed and publicized, and used by the Israeli government to help justify its continuing slaughter, which continues as I write.
The resolution echoes precisely the Israeli line: self-defense, “unprovoked”, no coming together of Palestinian factions allowed.
Bernie is not honestly getting his opinion out there. What he is doing is what sleight-of-hand artists call “misdirection” — look over there, while the business at hand is going on over here. He is changing the subject from Israel’s slaughter to theoretical issues of “self-defense”, and what ISIS is doing in Iraq/Syria. Using his answer time like this is not honest debate, it is demagoguery.
While ‘Shut Up’ was a poor choice of words by Bernie, it was a room full of poorly chosen and fairly angry words, and it seems that Bernie was doing his best to have his time respected and provide answers to the questions. Note how he didn’t come down to the floor to be ‘democratic’ (which sounded more like an invitation to fisticuffs than real democracy). I disagree with another comment here that the ISIS topic was a distraction – it appeared to be a comparison of the issues relative to that segment of the globe and how that has to be on his mind in the decisions he makes that are outside of Vermont.
Those audience members were completely disrespectful.
“Those audience members were completely disrespectful.”
True. Just like left-wing protesters in Vermont who shout down conservative speakers — or don’t even let them speak in the first place, What about the crowd at the St. Johnsbury Academy graduation ceremony a few years ago who interrupted John Negroponte (whose son was graduating) and refused to let him speak? Where was the outcry from Bernie and the Left when that happened? What about the UVM administration who caved in to protesters a couple of years ago and “univited” Ben Stein to be the graduation speaker after he had already accepted the invitation?
Two sets of rules here: If you’re left wing, it’s okay to shout down speakers. But if you do the same thing to Bernie, you’re rude, disrespectful, and disruptive.
More two-faced, side-of-the-mouth lip service to “democracy” from Bernie. He’s a socialist who believes in government control of people’s lives. And his right to do zero while kowtowing to the Israel lobby, which, like all other Senators, he needs to build his campaign coffers.
What is rude and disruptive? Interrupting a speech that is cloaked in evasiveness or killing and maiming
babies, mothers and civilians in Gaza and a speaker who has believed all the hype in support of Israel.
Harriet
Bernie is an uncouth, loudmouth who is rude and obnoxious. I can only imagine what he says to his wife when she doesn’t want to hear what he has to say since she doesn’t work.
I guarantee had it been a GOP candidate they’d have been arrested or thrown out, Hell, they are boycotting NBC for asking them questions in a debate THEY (the GOP) didn’t like. And let’s be honest, can YOU believe Hilary would be any better let alone this close to piss-ant peasants that didn’t pay $1000’s to share “her” space?
Truly, I see NOTHING wrong with how Bernie handled it. He TRIED to answer a question and BEFORE he could even get anything out people started yelling at him. I dare ONE of you complaining about Bernie to do what he has been doing and stand there being constantly interrupted BEFORE you can even answer the question
This was LAST year people….. someone is working very HARD to tarnish Bernie.