buzzfeed--2020-01-14--Elizabeth Warren Said Bernie Sanders Told Her He Didn’t Believe A Woman Could Win In 2020

DES MOINES — Elizabeth Warren has offered an explosive account of a meeting with Bernie Sanders in which he said he didn ’ t believe a woman could win in 2020 .
On Monday evening , after a day of her campaign declining to comment on the story , the candidate issued a statement confirming her recollection of the meeting .
`` Among the topics that came up was what would happen if Democrats nominated a female candidate , '' Warren said in the Monday evening statement .
`` I thought a woman could win ; he disagreed .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meeting any further because Bernie and I have far more in common than our differences on punditry . ''
Sanders has denied the story , first reported by CNN , as a total fabrication by “ staff who weren ’ t in the room [ and ] are lying about what happened , ” he said in a lengthy statement issued Monday .
Three people who heard Warren talk in early 2019 about the meeting said on Monday that their memory of her telling matched CNN ’ s reporting .
The fact that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the story renders Sanders ’ first response — blaming it on “ lying ” staffers — inoperative , and ensures that the two senators will be forced to discuss the details of the disputed December 2018 meeting at Tuesday night ’ s debate here in Iowa .
In the meeting between Warren and Sanders , both of whom frequently refer to the other as a “ friend , ” the Massachusetts senator informed her colleague that she planned to run for president .
In his statement denying the CNN account of the meeting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ludicrous to believe ” that he responded by saying a woman couldn ’ t win the election .
“ What I did say that night was that Donald Trump is a sexist , a racist , and a liar who would weaponize whatever he could , ” Sanders said Monday .
“ Do I believe a woman can win in 2020 ?
Of course !
After all Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump by 3 million votes in 2016 .
“ It ’ s sad that , three weeks before the Iowa caucus and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staff who weren ’ t in the room are lying about what happened.
” The bitterness between the two candidates comes as their long-running campaign truce is showing signs of falling apart .
Over the weekend , Politico reported that Sanders ’ campaign had given volunteers an organizing script that instructed them to cast Warren as a candidate whose supporters were `` highly educated , more affluent people who are going to show up and vote Democratic no matter what '' and would bring “ no new bases into the Democratic Party.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Iowa City , Sanders denied any prior knowledge of the volunteer script , calling it the product of someone who “ [ said ] things that they should n't [ have ] .
” “ We have over 500 people on our campaign .
People do certain things .
I 'm sure that on Elizabeth 's campaign people do certain things as well , ” Sanders said .
“ But you have heard me for months .
I have never said a negative word about Elizabeth Warren , who is a friend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issues .
That 's what a campaign is about .
But no one is going to be attacking Elizabeth.
” Warren , asked by reporters Sunday about the talking points , said she was “ disappointed ” Sanders was “ sending his volunteers out to trash [ her ] .
” Warren and Sanders will soon have a chance to face each other and address the fracture directly : They will both be onstage in Des Moines on Tuesday night for the last primary debate before the state ’ s caucuses .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's statement on Monday evening .

DES MOINES — Elizabeth Warren has offered an explosive account of a meeting with Bernie Sanders in which he said he didn’t believe a woman could win in 2020.
On Monday evening, after a day of her campaign declining to comment on the story, the candidate issued a statement confirming her recollection of the meeting.
"Among the topics that came up was what would happen if Democrats nominated a female candidate," Warren said in the Monday evening statement. "I thought a woman could win; he disagreed. I have no interest in discussing this private meeting any further because Bernie and I have far more in common than our differences on punditry."
Sanders has denied the story, first reported by CNN, as a total fabrication by “staff who weren’t in the room [and] are lying about what happened,” he said in a lengthy statement issued Monday. Three people who heard Warren talk in early 2019 about the meeting said on Monday that their memory of her telling matched CNN’s reporting.
The fact that the candidate was herself the source of the story renders Sanders’ first response — blaming it on “lying” staffers — inoperative, and ensures that the two senators will be forced to discuss the details of the disputed December 2018 meeting at Tuesday night’s debate here in Iowa.
In the meeting between Warren and Sanders, both of whom frequently refer to the other as a “friend,” the Massachusetts senator informed her colleague that she planned to run for president. In his statement denying the CNN account of the meeting, Sanders said it would be “ludicrous to believe” that he responded by saying a woman couldn’t win the election.
“What I did say that night was that Donald Trump is a sexist, a racist, and a liar who would weaponize whatever he could,” Sanders said Monday. “Do I believe a woman can win in 2020? Of course! After all Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump by 3 million votes in 2016.
“It’s sad that, three weeks before the Iowa caucus and a year after that private conversation, staff who weren’t in the room are lying about what happened.”
The bitterness between the two candidates comes as their long-running campaign truce is showing signs of falling apart. Over the weekend, Politico reported that Sanders’ campaign had given volunteers an organizing script that instructed them to cast Warren as a candidate whose supporters were "highly educated, more affluent people who are going to show up and vote Democratic no matter what" and would bring “no new bases into the Democratic Party.”
The next day, at an event in Iowa City, Sanders denied any prior knowledge of the volunteer script, calling it the product of someone who “[said] things that they shouldn't [have].”
“We have over 500 people on our campaign. People do certain things. I'm sure that on Elizabeth's campaign people do certain things as well,” Sanders said. “But you have heard me for months. I have never said a negative word about Elizabeth Warren, who is a friend of mine. We have differences on issues. That's what a campaign is about. But no one is going to be attacking Elizabeth.”
Warren, asked by reporters Sunday about the talking points, said she was “disappointed” Sanders was “sending his volunteers out to trash [her].”
Warren and Sanders will soon have a chance to face each other and address the fracture directly: They will both be onstage in Des Moines on Tuesday night for the last primary debate before the state’s caucuses.
This story has been updated to include Warren's statement on Monday evening.


buzzfeed--2020-01-14--Cory Booker Is Ending A Presidential Campaign That Never Really Took Off

The announcement marks a disappointing end for Booker , the New Jersey senator , who rose to national prominence in the early 2010s as the crusading mayor of Newark and as an early supporter of President Barack Obama .
Despite his status as a longtime up-and-comer in Democratic politics , a strong organization , and a complete lack of scandal or even obvious errors , Booker 's campaign just never quite took off .
He struggled to qualify for debates and did not qualify for December 's .
In late September , the campaign made a desperate play it called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that if Booker did not raise $ 1.7 million in the 10 days before the fundraising quarter ended , he would end his campaign .
Booker subsequently raised the money and stayed in the race — but not , in the end , for long .
All year , Booker has centered his campaign around lifting up the American people and uniting voters in common purpose — a community-based message grounded in the faith-based civil rights tradition .
Though he backed Bernie Sanders ' Medicare for All plan as a senator in 2017 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ primarily argued in favor of big new gun control measures , continuing to change the criminal justice system , and legalizing marijuana .
But his campaign primarily focused on Big Ideals .
He 's critiqued candidates like Joe Biden on his handling of racial issues in past decades but without rancor — a delicate balance that left many Democrats liking Booker , but for whatever reason , few committing to his candidacy .
Still , this is n't the end of Booker , even in this particular cycle — many consider him a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nominee .

Despite his status as a longtime up-and-comer in Democratic politics, a strong organization, and a complete lack of scandal or even obvious errors, Booker's campaign just never quite took off. He struggled to qualify for debates and did not qualify for December's.
In late September, the campaign made a desperate play it called "radical transparency": Officials announced that if Booker did not raise $1.7 million in the 10 days before the fundraising quarter ended, he would end his campaign. Booker subsequently raised the money and stayed in the race — but not, in the end, for long.
All year, Booker has centered his campaign around lifting up the American people and uniting voters in common purpose — a community-based message grounded in the faith-based civil rights tradition. Though he backed Bernie Sanders' Medicare for All plan as a senator in 2017, as a presidential candidate, Booker primarily argued in favor of big new gun control measures, continuing to change the criminal justice system, and legalizing marijuana. But his campaign primarily focused on Big Ideals. He's critiqued candidates like Joe Biden on his handling of racial issues in past decades but without rancor — a delicate balance that left many Democrats liking Booker, but for whatever reason, few committing to his candidacy.
Still, this isn't the end of Booker, even in this particular cycle — many consider him a potential vice presidential pick for the eventual nominee.


buzzfeed--2020-01-13--Why It’s Harder To Lead America To War Now

The president is warning , with no public evidence , of imminent threats .
An unfamiliar figure from the Middle East is suddenly public enemy number one .
Officials race to the Sunday shows to issue dire warnings , while White House allies accuse Democrats of supporting the enemy .
Like so much in this political era , Trump ’ s abrupt weeklong campaign against Iran is a kind of sped-up , community theater version of a deadly serious past — in this case , the Iraq War .
Trump , it turns out , wasn ’ t actually making @ @ @ @ @ @ @ barely trying to make a case at all — and like so much in this political era , nobody who wasn ’ t already persuaded was being persuaded anyway .
Even as his party echoed his talking points , the kind of Democrats who have backed military strikes in the past — Joe Biden , first of all — suppressed their old instincts and refused to endorse the killing of Qassem Soleimani .
Trump was n't trying to lead the country to war , and he would n't try to forge consensus if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arrhythmic eruption of war drums has also revealed something that began under Obama and has sharpened into focus in the era of Trump : It ’ s hard , maybe impossible , to make the case for military action , or really any kind of foreign policy move , these days .
A stew of factors around America ’ s wars of choice , including the legacy of Iraq ; deepening partisanship ; and the enduring positive qualities of social media have conspired to undermine the kind of case for war that President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months and years after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001 .
What ’ s left , now , is the risk of a war by accident , started by a stray threat from Trump on Twitter , or a misfired missile .
“ Whenever I talk about the dystopic nature of the media environment , the one silver lining in the very dark cloud…is that it would have been harder for Bush to march us to war with today 's media environment , ” Obama ’ s former communications director Dan Pfeiffer told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take the thought experiment to the point of nausea , and so I won ’ t go too far .
But imagine 2002 , if you can remember it , with a robust partisan media imposing anti-war discipline on Democrats ; arms control experts challenging thin claims about aluminum tubes ; and a weakened mainstream media that couldn ’ t serve as much of a megaphone , even if it wanted to .
Today , the lesson of Iraq hangs over everything , and Twitter has brought both anti-war and non-American voices to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the prewar intelligence before Iraq — I think that would have been exposed more clearly now , ” said Jill Abramson , who was New York Times Washington Bureau Chief during the Iraq War .
“ The problem back then was that the only news media org that was really reporting on how weak the intelligence was [ Knight Ridder , now McClatchy ] , but they had no outlet in Washington or New York , ” she said .
“ Now that reporting would have been picked up on Twitter and spread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wish it had been back then.
” But back then , the closest thing to that kind of quick anti-war counternarrative came from the nascent liberal blogs that operated on the margins of the official conversation .
“ DailyKos exists because there were no strong unapologetic liberal voices opposing the war — there was a market need for that , ” recalled the site ’ s founder , Markos Moulitsas , who cited the way in which social media closes the gap between the US and its adversaries .
“ The pictures of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to get an unfiltered look at what the supposed enemy is doing and thinking — it dramatically shifts the ability to control any kind of message and engage in propaganda like we saw during the Gulf War.
” “ It ’ s nice living in a world where that ’ s no longer the case , ” he said .
It ’ s a lesson that became clear to Pfeiffer and his colleagues in the Obama White House as they found that the usual tools of persuasion had simply lost their power to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lever is a presidential address to the nation , and we did a number of those on foreign policy , and that reaches the biggest possible audience you can in a traditional fashion , ” recalled Ben Rhodes , Obama ’ s deputy national security adviser .
“ But frankly , it rarely had much impact , particularly in the second term.
” The broken machinery of building a consensus for war became clearest when Obama chose not to use it : In 2013 , when the Syrian government used chemical weapons against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had — almost in passing — referred to as a red line .
He had , like Trump , campaigned on a promise to end wars , not launch new ones , and he wanted to avoid enforcing that red line .
“ We were getting clobbered in Washington for not going into Syria , and that was prevalent on cable television and among the experts , that didn ’ t matter at all to public opinion , ” Rhodes said .
” Public opinion wanted nothing to do with a war in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some utopian essay about Twitter from 2009 .
The new obstacles are to building consensus — not to launching missiles , or going to war , without it .
And none of it means that Trump can ’ t drag a divided nation into war , or that even this messy drumbeat won ’ t stir the visceral nationalism that has always made war a powerful tool of domestic politics for a president who “ doesn ’ t care about international consensus and doesn ’ t care about domestic consensus , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media at Bard College .
“ Trump is creating a cultlike movement and I do n't think that 's going to spread beyond certain boundaries in the population — that does n't mean he ca n't do an awful lot , ” she said .
Over on Facebook , the favored platform for tribal appeals , Trump was the dominant publisher on Iran .
“ The days of the fireside chat are long gone .
Instead , the president is sending fire straight to our News Feeds , ” Ryan Broderick notes .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ retains some of its old reflexes in military conflict : the routine of official statements that set the agenda and behind-the-scenes ticktocks , the pro-war commentators undented by their support for the 2003 Iraq War .
But Trump ’ s failure — failure even to try — to build credibility with the traditional national security reporters , or even with his own national security bureaucracy , has meant a skeptical tone from the start .
Trump ’ s failure to persuade anyone of the urgency of attacking Iran — of the urgency of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reminder of why the autocrats , from Beijing to Ankara , have moved to censor or even shut down the open internet .
The neurotic chaos of Twitter has been a source of political division , but it ’ s still an effective place for the point-by-point demolition of a bullshit argument .
Had that existed in 2003 , said Pfeiffer , the former Obama communications director , “ more dissenting voices would have had more powerful platforms to communicate with the public and policymakers . ''
“ This has as much to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the traditional media powers — especially television and the rise of new outlets — as it does with Twitter , ” he said .
The rise of America ’ s alternative media — the blogs that became the social media conversation — is inseparable from the loss of faith that followed the invasion of Iraq .
And the failures in Iraq have shaped more than just a new media landscape .
“ The fact that we had the nation with us and we lost the nation – that also makes it harder for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bush ’ s press secretary .
“ That ’ s raised the bar on all presidents .
”

The president is warning, with no public evidence, of imminent threats. An unfamiliar figure from the Middle East is suddenly public enemy number one. Officials race to the Sunday shows to issue dire warnings, while White House allies accuse Democrats of supporting the enemy.
Like so much in this political era, Trump’s abrupt weeklong campaign against Iran is a kind of sped-up, community theater version of a deadly serious past — in this case, the Iraq War. Trump, it turns out, wasn’t actually making the case for war. He was barely trying to make a case at all — and like so much in this political era, nobody who wasn’t already persuaded was being persuaded anyway. Even as his party echoed his talking points, the kind of Democrats who have backed military strikes in the past — Joe Biden, first of all — suppressed their old instincts and refused to endorse the killing of Qassem Soleimani.
Trump wasn't trying to lead the country to war, and he wouldn't try to forge consensus if he did. But the frantic and arrhythmic eruption of war drums has also revealed something that began under Obama and has sharpened into focus in the era of Trump: It’s hard, maybe impossible, to make the case for military action, or really any kind of foreign policy move, these days. A stew of factors around America’s wars of choice, including the legacy of Iraq; deepening partisanship; and the enduring positive qualities of social media have conspired to undermine the kind of case for war that President George W. Bush deliberately built in the months and years after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001. What’s left, now, is the risk of a war by accident, started by a stray threat from Trump on Twitter, or a misfired missile.
“Whenever I talk about the dystopic nature of the media environment, the one silver lining in the very dark cloud…is that it would have been harder for Bush to march us to war with today's media environment,” Obama’s former communications director Dan Pfeiffer told me.
It’s easy to take the thought experiment to the point of nausea, and so I won’t go too far. But imagine 2002, if you can remember it, with a robust partisan media imposing anti-war discipline on Democrats; arms control experts challenging thin claims about aluminum tubes; and a weakened mainstream media that couldn’t serve as much of a megaphone, even if it wanted to. Today, the lesson of Iraq hangs over everything, and Twitter has brought both anti-war and non-American voices to the fore.
“The flimsiness of the prewar intelligence before Iraq — I think that would have been exposed more clearly now,” said Jill Abramson, who was New York Times Washington Bureau Chief during the Iraq War.
“The problem back then was that the only news media org that was really reporting on how weak the intelligence was [Knight Ridder, now McClatchy], but they had no outlet in Washington or New York,” she said. “Now that reporting would have been picked up on Twitter and spread all over the place, which I wish it had been back then.”
But back then, the closest thing to that kind of quick anti-war counternarrative came from the nascent liberal blogs that operated on the margins of the official conversation.
“DailyKos exists because there were no strong unapologetic liberal voices opposing the war — there was a market need for that,” recalled the site’s founder, Markos Moulitsas, who cited the way in which social media closes the gap between the US and its adversaries.
“The pictures of Iranians grieving provides the ability of everybody to get an unfiltered look at what the supposed enemy is doing and thinking — it dramatically shifts the ability to control any kind of message and engage in propaganda like we saw during the Gulf War.”
“It’s nice living in a world where that’s no longer the case,” he said.
It’s a lesson that became clear to Pfeiffer and his colleagues in the Obama White House as they found that the usual tools of persuasion had simply lost their power to move public opinion.
“The biggest lever is a presidential address to the nation, and we did a number of those on foreign policy, and that reaches the biggest possible audience you can in a traditional fashion,” recalled Ben Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser. “But frankly, it rarely had much impact, particularly in the second term.”
The broken machinery of building a consensus for war became clearest when Obama chose not to use it: In 2013, when the Syrian government used chemical weapons against its own people, something that Obama had — almost in passing — referred to as a red line. He had, like Trump, campaigned on a promise to end wars, not launch new ones, and he wanted to avoid enforcing that red line.
“We were getting clobbered in Washington for not going into Syria, and that was prevalent on cable television and among the experts, that didn’t matter at all to public opinion,” Rhodes said. ”Public opinion wanted nothing to do with a war in Syria.”
I know this sounds like some utopian essay about Twitter from 2009. The new obstacles are to building consensus — not to launching missiles, or going to war, without it. And none of it means that Trump can’t drag a divided nation into war, or that even this messy drumbeat won’t stir the visceral nationalism that has always made war a powerful tool of domestic politics for a president who “doesn’t care about international consensus and doesn’t care about domestic consensus,” said Emma Briant, a scholar of social media at Bard College.
“Trump is creating a cultlike movement and I don't think that's going to spread beyond certain boundaries in the population — that doesn't mean he can't do an awful lot,” she said. Over on Facebook, the favored platform for tribal appeals, Trump was the dominant publisher on Iran.
“The days of the fireside chat are long gone. Instead, the president is sending fire straight to our News Feeds,” Ryan Broderick notes.
Of course, a weakened mainstream media retains some of its old reflexes in military conflict: the routine of official statements that set the agenda and behind-the-scenes ticktocks, the pro-war commentators undented by their support for the 2003 Iraq War. But Trump’s failure — failure even to try — to build credibility with the traditional national security reporters, or even with his own national security bureaucracy, has meant a skeptical tone from the start.
Trump’s failure to persuade anyone of the urgency of attacking Iran — of the urgency of much of anything — is also a reminder of why the autocrats, from Beijing to Ankara, have moved to censor or even shut down the open internet. The neurotic chaos of Twitter has been a source of political division, but it’s still an effective place for the point-by-point demolition of a bullshit argument.
Had that existed in 2003, said Pfeiffer, the former Obama communications director, “more dissenting voices would have had more powerful platforms to communicate with the public and policymakers."
“This has as much to do with the vastly reduced influence of the traditional media powers — especially television and the rise of new outlets — as it does with Twitter,” he said.
The rise of America’s alternative media — the blogs that became the social media conversation — is inseparable from the loss of faith that followed the invasion of Iraq. And the failures in Iraq have shaped more than just a new media landscape.
“The fact that we had the nation with us and we lost the nation – that also makes it harder for Trump,” said Ari Fleischer, Bush’s press secretary. “That’s raised the bar on all presidents.”


buzzfeed--2020-01-13--Julián Castro Is Elizabeth Warren’s New Hype Man, After Months Of Hearing His Would-Be Supporters We

Julián Castro Is Elizabeth Warren’s New Hype Man, After Months Of Hearing His Would-Be Supporters Were Voting For Her Instead

A week after ending his presidential campaign , Julián Castro stood in front of a crowd at Elizabeth Warren ’ s Las Vegas campaign headquarters in front of signs that said “ We ❤ Julián , ” delivering an energetic endorsement of the senator .
“ I can ’ t tell you how many conversations I had along the way where I ’ d be talking to a voter , and I thought I had them going , I thought I ’ d get their support .
They ’ re nodding … and then we ’ d get to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ d say , ‘ Well , can I get your support ?
’ , and they ’ d say ‘ Well , you know , I love you but I ’ m going to vote for Sen. Warren ’ , ” he joked Friday night .
So now , instead of carrying on his own fading campaign , Castro is happily taking his role as a prominent voice for Elizabeth Warren ’ s .
“ It ’ s easy to be here for Sen. Warren because our vision for America matches up very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in an interview before Friday ’ s event .
Castro , like he said during his official endorsement rally with Warren in New York on Tuesday , said he thinks Warren “ can unify the Democratic party ” because she ’ s less divisive in some polls than former vice president Joe Biden or Sen. Bernie Sanders .
“ What we see consistently in the data is that 25 % of the Democratic primary voters would be unhappy if Sen. Sanders is the nominee , and 25 % of Democratic voters would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nominee , ” Castro said .
“ Less people have a problem , more people embrace , Sen. Warren being the Democratic nominee.
” But Castro avoided criticizing Biden and Pete Buttigieg , the former South Bend , Indiana , mayor , both of whom both Warren and Castro have clashed with on the debate stage , staying staunchly on-message .
“ Sen .
Warren can fix our broken immigration system , ” he said multiple times during the interview and again during the event .
Asked about Biden telling an immigration activist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the activist “ should vote for Trump , ” Castro said , “ I applaud Sen. Warren for embracing the idea that we can fix our broken immigration system and to do that she ’ s done that in a respectful straightforward way.
” “ I wish all of the candidates were there as well , but unfortunately that ’ s not the case , ” he added .
Castro had been more willing to spar with other candidates when he was a candidate himself , especially on immigration issues .
During @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out by pushing for his plan to decriminalize crossing the US border and for assertively challenging candidates on the stage who did not share his position .
Before dropping out of the race , Castro was vocal about the DNC ’ s criteria for the debates , which he said put candidates of color at a disadvantage .
On Friday he said he thinks the DNC needs to “ take a look at the lessons learned from this 2020 campaign cycle going forward.
” “ There certainly is value to having more diversity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ At the same time , in the last debate , Sen. Warren made a powerful case for getting big money out of politics , even pointing out issues with ways that some of the other candidates have raised money in this campaign.
” A few younger undecided voters at the event said they thought Castro throwing his support behind Warren is important — but they ’ re also impressed with Sanders and his highest-profile Latina surrogate , Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez .
“ I think they ’ re both equally as good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a student at Nevada State , who added that she ’ s also considering Andrew Yang .
Ponce and her friend Anthony Cano , 21 , said they came to the Warren campaign event specifically because they wanted to see a Latino leader speak .
“ There ’ s not a lot of diversity in the people running for president , so that ’ s something that really meant a lot to me , ” said Cano .
“ Sometimes we do n't have any representation , and I think representation means @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what really brought me to come here .
”

A week after ending his presidential campaign, Julián Castro stood in front of a crowd at Elizabeth Warren’s Las Vegas campaign headquarters in front of signs that said “We ❤ Julián,” delivering an energetic endorsement of the senator.
“I can’t tell you how many conversations I had along the way where I’d be talking to a voter, and I thought I had them going, I thought I’d get their support. They’re nodding … and then we’d get to the end of the conversation and I’d say, ‘Well, can I get your support?’, and they’d say ‘Well, you know, I love you but I’m going to vote for Sen. Warren’,” he joked Friday night.
So now, instead of carrying on his own fading campaign, Castro is happily taking his role as a prominent voice for Elizabeth Warren’s.
“It’s easy to be here for Sen. Warren because our vision for America matches up very well,” he told BuzzFeed News in an interview before Friday’s event.
Castro, like he said during his official endorsement rally with Warren in New York on Tuesday, said he thinks Warren “can unify the Democratic party” because she’s less divisive in some polls than former vice president Joe Biden or Sen. Bernie Sanders.
“What we see consistently in the data is that 25% of the Democratic primary voters would be unhappy if Sen. Sanders is the nominee, and 25% of Democratic voters would be unhappy if Vice President Biden is the nominee,” Castro said. “Less people have a problem, more people embrace, Sen. Warren being the Democratic nominee.”
But Castro avoided criticizing Biden and Pete Buttigieg, the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor, both of whom both Warren and Castro have clashed with on the debate stage, staying staunchly on-message.
“Sen. Warren can fix our broken immigration system,” he said multiple times during the interview and again during the event.
Asked about Biden telling an immigration activist who confronted him in South Carolina recently that the activist “should vote for Trump,” Castro said, “I applaud Sen. Warren for embracing the idea that we can fix our broken immigration system and to do that she’s done that in a respectful straightforward way.”
“I wish all of the candidates were there as well, but unfortunately that’s not the case,” he added.
Castro had been more willing to spar with other candidates when he was a candidate himself, especially on immigration issues. During the first Democratic debate, Castro stood out by pushing for his plan to decriminalize crossing the US border and for assertively challenging candidates on the stage who did not share his position.
Before dropping out of the race, Castro was vocal about the DNC’s criteria for the debates, which he said put candidates of color at a disadvantage.
On Friday he said he thinks the DNC needs to “take a look at the lessons learned from this 2020 campaign cycle going forward.”
“There certainly is value to having more diversity on the stage,” he said. “At the same time, in the last debate, Sen. Warren made a powerful case for getting big money out of politics, even pointing out issues with ways that some of the other candidates have raised money in this campaign.”
A few younger undecided voters at the event said they thought Castro throwing his support behind Warren is important — but they’re also impressed with Sanders and his highest-profile Latina surrogate, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
“I think they’re both equally as good,” said Stephanie Ponce, 22, a student at Nevada State, who added that she’s also considering Andrew Yang.
Ponce and her friend Anthony Cano, 21, said they came to the Warren campaign event specifically because they wanted to see a Latino leader speak.
“There’s not a lot of diversity in the people running for president, so that’s something that really meant a lot to me,” said Cano. “Sometimes we don't have any representation, and I think representation means a lot. So that’s what really brought me to come here.”


buzzfeed--2020-01-13--Disinformation For Hire: How A New Breed Of PR Firms Is Selling Lies Online

One firm promised to “ use every tool and take every advantage available in order to change reality according to our client 's wishes.
” This story was reported in partnership with the Reporter , an investigative news site in Taiwan .
Peng Kuan Chin pulled out his phone , eager to show the future of online manipulation .
Unseen servers began crawling the web for Chinese articles and posts .
The system quickly reorganized the words and sentences into new text .
His screen displayed a rapidly increasing tally of the articles generated by his product , which he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ System . ''
With the articles in hand , a set of websites that Peng controlled published them , and his thousands of fake social media accounts spread them across the internet , instantly sending manipulated content into news feeds , messaging app inboxes , and search results .
`` I developed this for manipulating public opinion , ” Peng told the Reporter , an investigative news site in Taipei , which partnered with BuzzFeed News for this article .
He added that automation and artificial intelligence “ can quickly generate traffic and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 32-year-old wore Adidas Yeezy sneakers and a gold Rolex as he sat in a two-story office in the industrial part of Taichung that was filled with feng shui items such as a money frog and lucky bamboo .
A riot gun , which uses compressed air to fire nonlethal projectiles , rested on his desk .
Peng said he bought it for “ recreational purposes.
” In the interview , he detailed his path from sending spam emails as a 14-year-old to , being recruited to help with the 2018 reelection campaign of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Malaysia .
Peng ’ s clients are companies , brands , political parties , and candidates in Asia .
“ Customers have money , and I do n't care what they buy , '' he said .
They ’ re purchasing an end-to-end online manipulation system , which can influence people on a massive scale — resulting in votes cast , products sold , and perceptions changed .
Peng ’ s product is modeled on automation software he saw in China , which he believes no one else outside the mainland has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unique , his company , Bravo-Idea , is not .
There is now a worldwide industry of PR and marketing firms ready to deploy fake accounts , false narratives , and pseudo news websites for the right price .
If disinformation in 2016 was characterized by Macedonian spammers pushing pro-Trump fake news and Russian trolls running rampant on platforms , 2020 is shaping up to be the year communications pros for hire provide sophisticated online propaganda operations to anyone willing to pay .
Around the globe , politicians , parties , governments , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the industry as “ black PR ” firms to spread lies and manipulate online discourse .
A BuzzFeed News review — which looked at account takedowns by platforms that deactivated and investigations by security and research firms — found that since 2011 , at least 27 online information operations have been partially or wholly attributed to PR or marketing firms .
Of those , 19 occurred in 2019 alone .
Most recently , in late December , Twitter announced it removed more than 5,000 accounts that it said were part of “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saudi Arabia carried out by marketing firm Smaat .
The same day , Facebook announced a takedown of hundreds of accounts , pages , and groups that it found were engaged in “ foreign and government interference ” on behalf of the government of Georgia .
It attributed the operation to Panda , an advertising agency in Georgia , and to the country ’ s ruling party .
Nathaniel Gleicher , Facebook ’ s head of cybersecurity policy , told BuzzFeed News “ the professionalization of deception ” is a growing threat .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ influence operations has been around for some time , but over the past several years , we have seen [ ... ] companies grow up that basically build their business model around deception , ” he said .
Although Peng may be one of the most sophisticated black PR practitioners , he is far from the only one .
The Saudi and Georgian revelations followed a drumbeat of similar takedowns of and investigations into marketing and PR firms in countries such as Israel , Egypt , the United Arab Emirates , Ukraine , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cindy Otis , a former CIA officer and the author of True or False : A CIA Analyst 's Guide to Spotting Fake News , told BuzzFeed News that information operations by nation-states like Russia and Iran have provided “ a playbook for individuals and groups that are financially motivated to delve into this space.
” The emergence of black PR firms means investigators at platforms , security firms , and within the intelligence community are “ spending increasing amounts of time looking at the disinformation-for-hire services that are out there , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an Israeli black PR firm , created networks of hundreds of Facebook pages , accounts , and groups around the world , boasting on its website that it would “ use every tool and take every advantage available in order to change reality according to our client ’ s wishes.
” For an election in Mali , it managed a fake fact-checking page that claimed to be run by local students .
In Tunisia , it ran a page titled “ Stop à la Désinformation et aux Mensonges ” ( “ Stop Disinformation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it ran pages advocating for and against the same politician , former vice president Atiku Abubakar .
Researchers postulated that the pro-Abubakar page “ was likely designed to identify his supporters in order to target them with anti-Abubakar content later.
” In Ukraine , the PR firm Pragmatico employed dozens of young , digitally savvy people to pump out positive comments on fake Facebook accounts about clients .
In Poland , Cat @ Net managed networks of fake Twitter accounts operated by staffers with disabilities working from home , whom the agency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rates while they received government subsidies .
Reporting by Investigate Europe also found Cat @ Net performed work for one of Poland ’ s most prominent PR agencies , Art-Media .
( The company denied working with Cat @ Net . )
In Puerto Rico , journalists revealed that former governor Ricardo Rosselló was an administrator of a Telegram group chat where a consultant from marketing firm KOI appeared to plan and direct social media campaigns to push pro-government messages and attack rivals .
In August , Rosselló resigned , in part over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s career is a road map of how online manipulation services evolved from solo operations to agencies that openly advertise their services and employ large staffs .
At 14 years old , he wrote an email spam program to stuff mailboxes of people in Taiwan .
“ Using 30 computers I had in a room , I became a very big player in sending spam , ” Peng said .
“ I think 1 of every 2 people in Taiwan has received junk mails that I was responsible for.
” In high @ @ @ @ @ @ @ popular internet message boards with offers , labeling the product as an `` Automatic Bulletin Posting Kit.
” One ad asked visitors to porn sites , `` Do you know that excessive masturbation can cause impotence and premature ejaculation ? ''
Peng said the fearmongering ad helped drive sales for male enhancement pills he was promoting .
Peng created thousands of fake accounts on popular Chinese message boards to promote his and his clients ’ products .
He soon began making and selling websites and counseling via Skype on how to make money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that I even lost my voice !
I was a high school student then , and my mother was wondering what I was doing speaking on the phone all day , ” he said .
In 2011 , singers from schools across Taiwan competed in a popular TV competition .
Peng ’ s alma mater won ; its performer received more than 41 million online votes , almost twice the Taiwanese population .
A school official confirmed to the Reporter that the school had requested help from Peng in the competition but declined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Peng has been developing his “ Content Farm Automatic Collection System.
” His clients use his system to overwhelm their chosen corners of the internet with torrents of AI-generated text that influence search results .
Peng perfected the system by buying the services of every social media and SEO manipulation offering he could find on Taobao , a huge Chinese e-commerce site owned by Alibaba .
“ I was scammed a few times in the beginning because I didn ’ t really understand the software , ” he said .
“ Many of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instructed his six developers to build a system inspired by the best of what he saw .
“ This marketing logic is in response to China ’ s huge population of 1.4 billion people , [ where content ] only gets eyeballs when there is volume , ” he said .
“ In comparison , there are only 23 million people in Taiwan .
Applying this logic , I will create the largest volume in the shortest amount of time , and the information I spread will reach everyone ’ s eyes.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ PR firms elsewhere rely on manual labor , using brute force with what he does with code .
For investigative reporter Vasil Bidun , that meant an eight-hour shift in the trendy Podil neighborhood of Kyiv .
He would log on to different fake Facebook accounts to comment in favor of candidates , criticize their opponents , or steer conversations in specific directions .
Ukraine ’ s presidential election was underway , and he said his employer , Pragmatico , seemed to have secured contracts with several people running for office .
( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have denied involvement . )
“ The aim is to get an emotional reaction from a person , ” Bidun said in an interview .
“ If they read a comment , even [ if they understand ] that it was written by a bot , it could have affected them emotionally and it becomes more difficult for them to control themselves.
” But Bidun wasn ’ t just punching the clock at the agency .
After three months working undercover at the agency , he published an in-depth investigation .
He and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a single apartment , rotating in three shifts .
It was mostly students trying to earn extra money , just over $ 300 per month , he said .
No one talked about the ethics of the work — they just did what they were told , promoting the candidacies of both conservative and progressive politicians , including popular musician Svyatoslav Vakarchuk .
“ It was the summer break and it was a method to earn a bit of money , ” he said .
“ Most don ’ t think much about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they just write.
” Two days before Bidun ’ s investigation was published in September 2019 , Facebook announced the removal of the firm 's assets on the platform , which amounted to 168 accounts , 149 pages , and 79 groups .
The social media giant also revealed that Pragmatico had spent $ 1.6 million on ads , a significant sum for the Ukrainian market .
But black PR continues to flourish on social media in other parts of Eastern Europe .
This year , while reporting for Investigate Europe , Katarzyna @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cat @ Net , a Polish company that describes itself as an “ ePR agency comprising specialists who build a positive image of companies , private individuals and public institutions — mostly in social media.
” “ Cat @ Net said it was a PR company , but in reality it was [ a ] troll farm .
They did fake accounts , ” she told BuzzFeed News .
( The company denied it was a troll farm in a statement posted to its website . )
Pruszkiewicz said she and her colleagues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deliver work for the firms ’ clients .
This meant promoting Polish state media , pumping up the left-wing politicians who hired them , or attacking the government ’ s decision to place an order for American F-35 fighter jets .
Cat @ Net ’ s staffers worked remotely , congregating in Slack to receive their assignments .
Sometimes a professional copywriter would provide them content , but many times it was up to employees to come up with messages for the fake accounts .
Team members would celebrate each other ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ important like a politician answered a comment from the fake accounts , ” Pruszkiewicz said .
Cat @ Net focused on hiring people with disabilities because they could be paid less and qualified for government subsidies , according to Pruszkiewicz .
“ They are in a wheelchair and have bills to pay .
They are often without professional skills , and Cat @ Net gave them work and got from the state a lot of money for [ employing ] these people , ” she said .
After her reporting was published in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Polish government opened an investigation into the company for the disability benefits it received .
However , Twitter accounts run by Cat @ Net are still online , Pruszkiewicz said .
“ The fake accounts still exist today and are writing on Twitter like nothing happened , and every day I can see what they are writing on Twitter and Facebook .
It ’ s really frustrating , because I spent six months [ investigating ] and the company still exists , ” she said .
Nowhere is the rise of black PR @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than in the Philippines .
Many legitimate-seeming agencies here offer black PR services that include fake social media accounts , websites , and coordinated harassment campaigns .
This year , Facebook announced takedowns of properties attributed to Twinmark Media Enterprises , a digital marketing company in the Philippines , and Nic Gabunada , the social media director for Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte ’ s 2016 campaign .
In both cases , Facebook said the operations were engaged in “ coordinated inauthentic activity.
” Gabunada previously insisted in an interview with BuzzFeed News that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign had been “ organic ” and “ volunteer-driven.
” As previously reported by BuzzFeed News , some politicians who had decried Duterte ’ s use of fake Facebook accounts and trolling in 2016 had used social media manipulation services in their own campaigns .
Black PR services have become so lucrative in the Philippines that many PR firms feel pressured to offer them .
One agency director told BuzzFeed News it ’ s “ tempting ” to offer black PR services because of the potential profit .
It ’ s difficult to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , she added .
“ We 've had several campaigns where we were up against other firms that were willing to employ any kind of tactic to combat whatever we were putting out there if we were promoting a candidate and they were promoting an opposing candidate , for instance , ” said the agency director , who asked not to be named in order to speak freely about the industry .
Jonathan Corpus Ong , an associate professor of global digital media at the University of Massachusetts Amherst , has been studying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Philippines for years .
“ The Philippines offers a cautionary tale for other countries for what happens when disinformation production within the PR industry has become so financially lucrative that they have moved from shady black market transactions to the professional respectability of the corporate boardroom , ” he told BuzzFeed News .
Ong said PR firms use industry jargon while communicating with clients to help “ neutralize the stigma of the real disinformation work that they do.
” “ For instance , they would use the terms ‘ supplemental pages ’ and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what is otherwise known as ‘ fake news sites ’ or ‘ paid trolls ’ when they pitch their services to prospective clients .
This lends an aura of respectability to the transaction and — crucially — gives politicians a level of plausible deniability , ” he said .
The rise of black PR firms is on the radar of the global PR industry , which has long battled problems of its own making .
In 2017 , the industry took a stand against social media manipulation when the Public Relations and Communications @ @ @ @ @ @ @ London-based PR firm , after investigating its work in South Africa , where the firm stoked racial tensions in service of a billionaire client .
Bell Pottinger previously received a $ 500 million contract from the Pentagon to execute a top secret propaganda program in Iraq , according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism .
Global agencies often look to industry rules .
Jill Tannenbaum , the chief communications and marketing officer for PR giant Weber Shandwick , told BuzzFeed News that the company must “ engage audiences with campaigns that are rooted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ compete [ s ] in markets where dishonest tactics take place.
” “ We have a process in place to assess any client engagements that might not adhere to our values or include tactics that are not truthful or transparent , so we can counsel our teams and our clients accordingly , ” she said in a statement .
“ Our local leaders – in the Philippines and around the world – are empowered to turn away work that is of concern or that does not adhere to our values.
” In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the International Communications Consultancy Organisation , an umbrella organization representing PR trade groups around the world , established 10 principles known as the Helsinki Declaration .
They require communication professionals to “ be aware of the power of social media , and use it responsibly ” and to “ never engage in the creation of or knowingly circulate fake news.
” Francis Ingham , director general of the PRCA and chief executive of the ICCO , told BuzzFeed News that black PR firms give ethical practitioners a bad name .
“ Our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tainted with the stain of these people who operate outside of [ the industry 's ] ethical parameters , ” he said .
In spite of the increasing number of information operations being attributed to PR or marketing firms , Ingham said , these firms are the exception .
“ I recognize there will always be a tiny percentage of people who call themselves PR or marketing practitioners who operate in the gray or black area , ” he said .
While the legitimate PR industry works to differentiate itself from these practitioners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to prune black PR from their ecosystems .
“ If the company is working on multiple platforms and has a wide range of business interests , we might not be able to completely destroy them , ” said Facebook ’ s Gleicher .
He said Facebook ’ s approach is to remove assets involved in a specific operation and ban the entire organization .
In some cases , Facebook also bans key employees from the platform .
“ The reason we do that is making it very clear that it ’ s not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on our platform , ” Gleicher said .
“ You build a business around this , we will remove you.
” Peng , however , is undeterred .
He said it ’ s easy to evade Facebook ’ s controls , and that demand for his services remains strong .
“ I think cracking Facebook is quite easy .
My software is developed to constantly fight against Facebook , ” he said .
“ This is done because there are markets , customers , and needs , and people have money to pay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because there is a demand.
” ●

This story was reported in partnership with the Reporter, an investigative news site in Taiwan.
Peng Kuan Chin pulled out his phone, eager to show the future of online manipulation.
Unseen servers began crawling the web for Chinese articles and posts. The system quickly reorganized the words and sentences into new text. His screen displayed a rapidly increasing tally of the articles generated by his product, which he dubs the “Content Farm Automatic Collection System."
With the articles in hand, a set of websites that Peng controlled published them, and his thousands of fake social media accounts spread them across the internet, instantly sending manipulated content into news feeds, messaging app inboxes, and search results.
"I developed this for manipulating public opinion,” Peng told the Reporter, an investigative news site in Taipei, which partnered with BuzzFeed News for this article. He added that automation and artificial intelligence “can quickly generate traffic and publicity much faster than people.”
The 32-year-old wore Adidas Yeezy sneakers and a gold Rolex as he sat in a two-story office in the industrial part of Taichung that was filled with feng shui items such as a money frog and lucky bamboo. A riot gun, which uses compressed air to fire nonlethal projectiles, rested on his desk. Peng said he bought it for “recreational purposes.”
In the interview, he detailed his path from sending spam emails as a 14-year-old to, being recruited to help with the 2018 reelection campaign of Najib Razak, the former prime minister of Malaysia.
Peng’s clients are companies, brands, political parties, and candidates in Asia. “Customers have money, and I don't care what they buy," he said. They’re purchasing an end-to-end online manipulation system, which can influence people on a massive scale — resulting in votes cast, products sold, and perceptions changed.
Peng’s product is modeled on automation software he saw in China, which he believes no one else outside the mainland has. But while his technology may be unique, his company, Bravo-Idea, is not. There is now a worldwide industry of PR and marketing firms ready to deploy fake accounts, false narratives, and pseudo news websites for the right price.
If disinformation in 2016 was characterized by Macedonian spammers pushing pro-Trump fake news and Russian trolls running rampant on platforms, 2020 is shaping up to be the year communications pros for hire provide sophisticated online propaganda operations to anyone willing to pay. Around the globe, politicians, parties, governments, and other clients hire what is known in the industry as “black PR” firms to spread lies and manipulate online discourse.
A BuzzFeed News review — which looked at account takedowns by platforms that deactivated and investigations by security and research firms — found that since 2011, at least 27 online information operations have been partially or wholly attributed to PR or marketing firms. Of those, 19 occurred in 2019 alone.


buzzfeed--2020-01-15--A Major Immigrant Rights Group Is Protesting Biden At The Democratic Debate In Iowa

Osorio , a member of the immigrant rights group United We Dream Action , was one of about a dozen protesters gathered at Drake University in Des Moines outside the venue where six presidential candidates , including Biden , will take the stage this evening .
( A mariachi band was also on hand . )
“ He does not have any idea of the pain they caused kids , families , parents who were separated from their kids .
The pain is irreparable pain , ” said Elsa Osorio , 45 , whose husband was arrested by ICE agents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Mexico under the Obama administration in 2011 .
DES MOINES — One of the nation ’ s largest immigrant rights groups is protesting former vice president Joe Biden over his approach to immigration ahead of the first Democratic debate of 2020 .
Protesting right across from where audience members are lining up to get into the debate auditorium .
`` Say it loud , say it clear , immigrants are welcome here . ''
The group is calling for Biden “ to commit to stopping deportations , dismantling ICE and CBP , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communications manager for United We Dream Action and a DACA recipient himself .
“ These are not real commitments that he ’ s been willing to make up until this point , but that ’ s what we need to be able to ensure that immigrants are protected.
” “ I 'm a child of a Latinx immigrant and an African American , ” said Gabriel Madison , 17 , another member of United We Dream Action and a DC resident who will vote for the first time this year .
“ Our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidential candidate proceeds , so I ’ m just hoping that my community stays safe and that our voices are heard , ” he said .
Immigrant advocates have been critical of Biden ’ s defense of the Obama administration 's immigration record , which included 3 million deportations in its early years .
At a Latinx-focused town hall in Las Vegas on Saturday , Biden showed signs for the first time of slightly distancing himself from that record : “ You privately know where I was on that , but I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because I was vice president , ” Biden told Hector Sanchez Barba , executive director of Mi Familia Vota .
United We Dream Action and other groups have called for Biden to outright acknowledge and apologize for the millions of deportations that occurred when he was vice president .
At the same event in Las Vegas over the weekend , Biden said he could not commit to getting comprehensive immigration reform passed in the first 100 days of his presidency ; protesters say they want the next president to use executive action to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and take other measures to protect immigrants immediately while waiting for Congress to act .
“ That is a direct repeat of the Obama administration .
We saw a failure to act on immigration , even though they controlled both chambers and had Obama in office .
So we see this as an intervention point to get solid commitments from Biden , ” said Muñoz .
“ It is more than just saying you wish you could have done more .
We need a commitment that you will do more if you end @ @ @ @ @ @

The group is calling for Biden “to commit to stopping deportations, dismantling ICE and CBP,” said José Alonso Muñoz, national communications manager for United We Dream Action and a beneficiary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. “These are not real commitments that he’s been willing to make up until this point, but that’s what we need to be able to ensure that immigrants are protected.”
“I'm a child of a Latinx immigrant and an African American,” said Gabriel Madison, 17, another member of United We Dream Action and a DC resident who will vote for the first time this year.
“Our lives are on the line with whatever presidential candidate proceeds, so I’m just hoping that my community stays safe and that our voices are heard,” he said.
Immigrant advocates have been critical of Biden’s defense of the Obama administration's immigration record, which included 3 million deportations in its early years.
At a Latinx-focused town hall in Las Vegas on Saturday, Biden showed signs for the first time of slightly distancing himself from that record: “You privately know where I was on that, but I’m not going to get into that because I was vice president,” Biden told Hector Sanchez Barba, executive director of Mi Familia Vota.
United We Dream Action and other groups have called for Biden to outright acknowledge and apologize for the millions of deportations that occurred when he was vice president.
At the same event in Las Vegas over the weekend, Biden said he could not commit to getting comprehensive immigration reform passed in the first 100 days of his presidency; protesters say they want the next president to use executive action to put in place a moratorium on deportations and take other measures to protect immigrants immediately while waiting for Congress to act.
“That is a direct repeat of the Obama administration. We saw a failure to act on immigration, even though they controlled both chambers and had Obama in office. So we see this as an intervention point to get solid commitments from Biden,” said Muñoz. “It is more than just saying you wish you could have done more. We need a commitment that you will do more if you end up being the nominee.”


buzzfeed--2020-01-15--Activists Are Worried About Biden Taking Immigration Policy Backward. But He Might Still Win Over La

Activists Are Worried About Biden Taking Immigration Policy Backward. But He Might Still Win Over Latinos In Nevada.

LAS VEGAS — Joe Biden , in a swing through Nevada on Saturday , continued to face tough questions and criticism about his defense of the Obama administration ’ s mass deportations — but that might not stop him from winning Latino votes in the state .
In Las Vegas on Saturday , Biden was pressed again on whether he would disavow the mass deportations that occurred in the Obama administration , which , at times , were happening at a higher rate than under Trump .
“ You privately know where I was on that but I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I was vice president , ” Biden told Hector Sanchez Barba , executive director of Mi Familia Vota .
That was a slight , but significant , departure from his outright defense of the policy on the debate stage and on the campaign trail in previous months .
But he again sidestepped or outright refused to make firm commitments on other points on Saturday — whether he would commit to getting comprehensive immigration reform passed in the first 100 days of his administration , and whether he would commit to appointing four Latinx @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the room with Biden on Saturday , however , didn ’ t see his reluctance to apologize for the deportations or commit to more specifics as a disqualifying factor — something that so far has been reflected in Nevada polls , which in recent months have shown Biden consistently ahead of or neck-in-neck with Sen. Bernie Sanders .
“ I think he has the perfect maturity to be able to run the country , ” said Gloria Castro , who hasn ’ t decided whom to vote for but says she is seriously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidate just has to win.
” Asked about criticisms of Biden ’ s approach to immigration , Castro said , “ He just needs to pay more attention to our community and not hurt us more than we ’ re already hurt.
” She added that broadly all campaigns need to invest more in Spanish-language campaigns if they want to win over Latinos in Nevada — she said she has only seen ads in Spanish from billionaire Tom Steyer .
“ I respect his decision-making , ” said Thania Moctezuma , 18 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote for Biden .
“ I feel like his approach to those answers [ on immigration ] — they were good .
They were thought through .
He knew what he was talking about when he was saying all this stuff .
Could there be improvement ?
Yes , there could always be improvement just as any human being , but so far how he ’ s been approaching things is moderate and appropriate.
” Biden ’ s immigration plan acknowledges “ the pain felt by every family across the U.S. that has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country , including under the Obama-Biden administration.
” Some immigration advocates were unmoved .
They say Biden stops short of several reforms other candidates have proposed , including decriminalizing border crossings , an immediate moratorium on deportations , and fundamentally redesigning the way immigration enforcement agencies work .
“ All he has to simply say is ‘ We tried .
We couldn ’ t make it happen .
I am ready to turn a new page , ’ ” Adrian Reyna , strategy director of United We Dream , told BuzzFeed News .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ sign that there is zero commitment from them mentally to the idea that immigrants should be protected.
” “ The thing that I have told time and time again to the Biden campaign is … that look , this is just the primary ; your boss is literally the frontrunner ; and if this is the way he is reacting to questions about Obama , how is he going to respond to Trump ?
” Reyna added .
Erika Castro , a DACA recipient and immigration activist with the Progressive Leadership Alliance of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been impressed with how Biden talks about immigration — and as she waits for a life-changing Supreme Court ruling on her immigration status , she said she needs more from a presidential candidate .
“ I worry that there ’ s a lack of urgency in how this issue is impacting communities like mine , ” she said .
“ When somebody brings that up , and the response is hostile , to me that shows that you don ’ t see my humanity and you don ’ t see how painful it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , of Biden ’ s handling of the Obama legacy .
Castro was part of an immigration roundtable discussion organized by the campaign on Sunday .
Castro said her father was arrested and detained by ICE for close to a month in 2017 because of a minor traffic violation .
Two Biden endorsers , Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis and Rep. Filemon Vela of Texas , sat with half a dozen Nevada-based immigrant advocates and lawyers , who took the opportunity to press the surrogates and campaign staff about the deportations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Biden ’ s plan does not include dismantling many of the current processes and agency practices that they say the Trump administration has been able to weaponize against immigrants .
“ How can I trust a candidate that , for instance , yesterday at the town hall , he mentioned that he can ’ t commit to doing comprehensive immigration reform in the first hundred days ?
” Erika Castro asked the Biden team , adding that she hasn ’ t heard Biden consider using executive power as president to stop deportations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while working on reforms .
“ How can we ensure that he is actually taking us into account and that we ’ re not just going to be political pawns again ?
” she asked .
Biden “ was just being realistic with his answer … there ’ s not a way to get comprehensive immigration reform in the first 100 days ” while Republicans control the Senate , Vela responded , adding that even if Democrats controlled both chambers , “ we never know right , because we have some differences in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s plan is “ strongest on visa reform , ” said Michael Kagan , director of the Immigration Law Clinic at the University of Nevada , Las Vegas , who was also at the Sunday meeting .
Kagan said he does think Biden has “ taken steps to try to own and apologize for the chain of deportations that occurred especially during the first term of the Obama administration , ” referring to the language in Biden ’ s policy plan .
“ On many areas of immigration enforcement , the Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; I ’ m Joe Biden.
’ The protections that would be offered to many immigrants would be in the form of the president ’ s discretion , ” said Kagan , adding that Biden does n't propose as much as other candidates to reform ICE and CBP .
Kagan said after the meeting on Sunday that while he doesn ’ t doubt Biden ’ s sincerity in saying his administration would not use ICE and CBP to attack immigrants the way Trump has , not taking more steps to curb their power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lessons of the Obama administration , which is if you leave a dangerous machine intact and available , it ’ s eventually going to be used in a dangerous way.
” At the discussion on Sunday , the Biden campaign seemed to agree with the idea that on issues like local law enforcement working with ICE , the current system is open to being used by presidents to very different ends .
“ It does matter who ’ s in charge , it matters who ’ s president , and I think we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we probably didn ’ t think was possible , ” said Laura Jimenez , Biden ’ s national Latino engagement director , during the roundtable talk .
“ These priorities are coming from the top in the same way that the rhetoric is.
” But those at the table were left frustrated that the Biden campaign won ’ t commit to what they see as the next step — more substantially changing the way the system is set up so that it can ’ t be easily weaponized in the same way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The plan has good points , but there ’ s still some items that were left out that are some of the ones that are hurting us the most , ” said Cecia Alvarado , Nevada state director for Mi Familia Vota , after Sunday ’ s meeting , which she said she appreciated being invited to as a sign the campaign is trying to reach out to community leaders .
One significant group of Nevada ’ s Latino voters in particular may find themselves having to choose between two urgent priorities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immigration reform — a choice that potentially gives Biden an advantage .
The largest and arguably most influential union in Nevada , the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 ’ s leadership has made it clear that they are not behind Medicare for All because it would involve giving up union-negotiated health care plans .
That leaves Biden and Buttigieg as the two frontrunners the union is likely to consider if they make an endorsement during the primary ( in 2016 , the union did not endorse during the primary but backed Hillary Clinton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ union ’ s 60,000 members are 54 % Latinx and 15 % Asian , representing workers who keep Las Vegas ’ s billion-dollar casino and hotel industry running .
In 2016 , the union says , 60 % of its membership was registered to vote — including members ’ families , the union says as of 2019 they have approximately 82,400 people registered to vote .
“ The health care issue for the members is number one , ” said Geoconda Argüello-Kline , Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union .
At two CWU town @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Klobuchar and former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg , about a dozen members told BuzzFeed News their top two priorities are health care and immigration — and almost all mentioned Biden and Buttigieg as the candidates they ’ re considering , despite the criticisms of Biden ’ s approach to immigration from advocates .
“ I liked what Biden said in general , ” said Luz Valdivia , a union member , adding that she is watching what union leaders say .
“ It ’ s important who the union leaders support because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ union leaders are weighing up candidates ’ health care and immigration approaches , and whether there is a tension between the two priorities , the union ’ s communications director Bethany Khan responded , “ We will keep speaking with candidates and members about importance of having a president who will champion issues that working families care about — health care , immigration , the economy , and making it easier for workers to organize into unions.
” Solis , in her closing pitch at the roundtable immigration meeting on Sunday , reiterated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden to protect them “ I believe so strongly in what Biden represents , and I know at least four or five of the others personally , because I served with them , ” she said .
“ I can attest to someone who when he gives his word , he gives his word.
” During Sunday ’ s discussion , Vela said he had some of the same misgivings as advocates about Biden having been part of the Obama administration when mass deportations were taking place .
But , he said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support him nonetheless because there ’ s so many issues , you just can ’ t agree on everything.
” Vela said , regarding mass deportations , “ Very clearly the Obama administration was wrong on this issue.
” After the event , Vela was asked if Biden himself should directly acknowledge the deportations as a misstep and apologize .
“ I really don ’ t think so , ” he told BuzzFeed News .
“ Well , I mean , you have to put the Obama presidency in context , and it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ single respect but so much good was done on so many fronts , and I think there ’ s also the question of loyalty .
He was the vice president of President Obama for eight years , and sometimes you just have to have a practical perspective on some of this.
” “ I think we have to look forward to the future , and I ’ m hopeful that if we ’ re ever in a position where he ’ s in charge that we ’ re going to be able to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vela continued .

LAS VEGAS — Joe Biden, in a swing through Nevada on Saturday, continued to face tough questions and criticism about his defense of the Obama administration’s mass deportations — but that might not stop him from winning Latino votes in the state.
In Las Vegas on Saturday, Biden was pressed again on whether he would disavow the mass deportations that occurred in the Obama administration, which, at times, were happening at a higher rate than under Trump.
“You privately know where I was on that but I’m not going to get into that because I was vice president,” Biden told Hector Sanchez Barba, executive director of Mi Familia Vota.
That was a slight, but significant, departure from his outright defense of the policy on the debate stage and on the campaign trail in previous months. But he again sidestepped or outright refused to make firm commitments on other points on Saturday — whether he would commit to getting comprehensive immigration reform passed in the first 100 days of his administration, and whether he would commit to appointing four Latinx cabinet members.
Several Latino voters in the room with Biden on Saturday, however, didn’t see his reluctance to apologize for the deportations or commit to more specifics as a disqualifying factor — something that so far has been reflected in Nevada polls, which in recent months have shown Biden consistently ahead of or neck-in-neck with Sen. Bernie Sanders.
“I think he has the perfect maturity to be able to run the country,” said Gloria Castro, who hasn’t decided whom to vote for but says she is seriously considering Biden. “I think the candidate just has to win.”
Asked about criticisms of Biden’s approach to immigration, Castro said, “He just needs to pay more attention to our community and not hurt us more than we’re already hurt.”
She added that broadly all campaigns need to invest more in Spanish-language campaigns if they want to win over Latinos in Nevada — she said she has only seen ads in Spanish from billionaire Tom Steyer.
“I respect his decision-making,” said Thania Moctezuma, 18, who said she’s decided to vote for Biden. “I feel like his approach to those answers [on immigration] — they were good. They were thought through. He knew what he was talking about when he was saying all this stuff. Could there be improvement? Yes, there could always be improvement just as any human being, but so far how he’s been approaching things is moderate and appropriate.”
Biden’s immigration plan acknowledges “the pain felt by every family across the U.S. that has had a loved one removed from the country, including under the Obama-Biden administration.” Some immigration advocates were unmoved. They say Biden stops short of several reforms other candidates have proposed, including decriminalizing border crossings, an immediate moratorium on deportations, and fundamentally redesigning the way immigration enforcement agencies work.
“All he has to simply say is ‘We tried. We couldn’t make it happen. I am ready to turn a new page,’” Adrian Reyna, strategy director of United We Dream Action, told BuzzFeed News. “For us, it is a sign that there is zero commitment from them mentally to the idea that immigrants should be protected.”
“The thing that I have told time and time again to the Biden campaign is … that look, this is just the primary; your boss is literally the frontrunner; and if this is the way he is reacting to questions about Obama, how is he going to respond to Trump?” Reyna added.
Erika Castro, a DACA recipient and immigration activist with the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, said she hasn’t been impressed with how Biden talks about immigration — and as she waits for a life-changing Supreme Court ruling on her immigration status, she said she needs more from a presidential candidate.
“I worry that there’s a lack of urgency in how this issue is impacting communities like mine,” she said.
“When somebody brings that up, and the response is hostile, to me that shows that you don’t see my humanity and you don’t see how painful it is to be undocumented,” she said, of Biden’s handling of the Obama legacy.
Castro was part of an immigration roundtable discussion organized by the campaign on Sunday. Castro said her father was arrested and detained by ICE for close to a month in 2017 because of a minor traffic violation.
Two Biden endorsers, Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis and Rep. Filemon Vela of Texas, sat with half a dozen Nevada-based immigrant advocates and lawyers, who took the opportunity to press the surrogates and campaign staff about the deportations, and more broadly about their concerns that Biden’s plan does not include dismantling many of the current processes and agency practices that they say the Trump administration has been able to weaponize against immigrants.
“How can I trust a candidate that, for instance, yesterday at the town hall, he mentioned that he can’t commit to doing comprehensive immigration reform in the first hundred days?” Erika Castro asked the Biden team, adding that she hasn’t heard Biden consider using executive power as president to stop deportations and address urgent problems with the system while working on reforms.
“How can we ensure that he is actually taking us into account and that we’re not just going to be political pawns again?” she asked.
Biden “was just being realistic with his answer … there’s not a way to get comprehensive immigration reform in the first 100 days” while Republicans control the Senate, Vela responded, adding that even if Democrats controlled both chambers, “we never know right, because we have some differences in our caucus.”
The former vice president’s plan is “strongest on visa reform,” said Michael Kagan, director of the Immigration Law Clinic at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who was also at the Sunday meeting.
Kagan said he does think Biden has “taken steps to try to own and apologize for the chain of deportations that occurred especially during the first term of the Obama administration,” referring to the language in Biden’s policy plan.
“On many areas of immigration enforcement, the Biden plan essentially says, ‘Trust me; I’m Joe Biden.’ The protections that would be offered to many immigrants would be in the form of the president’s discretion,” said Kagan, adding that Biden doesn't propose as much as other candidates to reform ICE and CBP.
Kagan said after the meeting on Sunday that while he doesn’t doubt Biden’s sincerity in saying his administration would not use ICE and CBP to attack immigrants the way Trump has, not taking more steps to curb their power “fails to learn one of the lessons of the Obama administration, which is if you leave a dangerous machine intact and available, it’s eventually going to be used in a dangerous way.”
At the discussion on Sunday, the Biden campaign seemed to agree with the idea that on issues like local law enforcement working with ICE, the current system is open to being used by presidents to very different ends.
“It does matter who’s in charge, it matters who’s president, and I think we all have seen that in a way that we probably didn’t think was possible,” said Laura Jimenez, Biden’s national Latino engagement director, during the roundtable talk. “These priorities are coming from the top in the same way that the rhetoric is.”
But those at the table were left frustrated that the Biden campaign won’t commit to what they see as the next step — more substantially changing the way the system is set up so that it can’t be easily weaponized in the same way against immigrants by a future president.
“The plan has good points, but there’s still some items that were left out that are some of the ones that are hurting us the most,” said Cecia Alvarado, Nevada state director for Mi Familia Vota, after Sunday’s meeting, which she said she appreciated being invited to as a sign the campaign is trying to reach out to community leaders.
One significant group of Nevada’s Latino voters in particular may find themselves having to choose between two urgent priorities for them: health care and progressive immigration reform — a choice that potentially gives Biden an advantage.
The largest and arguably most influential union in Nevada, the Culinary Workers Union Local 226’s leadership has made it clear that they are not behind Medicare for All because it would involve giving up union-negotiated health care plans. That leaves Biden and Buttigieg as the two frontrunners the union is likely to consider if they make an endorsement during the primary (in 2016, the union did not endorse during the primary but backed Hillary Clinton in the general election).
The union’s 60,000 members are 54% Latinx and 15% Asian, representing workers who keep Las Vegas’s billion-dollar casino and hotel industry running. In 2016, the union says, 60% of its membership was registered to vote — including members’ families, the union says as of 2019 they have approximately 82,400 people registered to vote.
“The health care issue for the members is number one,” said Geoconda Argüello-Kline, Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union.
At two CWU town halls on Saturday morning with Sen. Amy Klobuchar and former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg, about a dozen members told BuzzFeed News their top two priorities are health care and immigration — and almost all mentioned Biden and Buttigieg as the candidates they’re considering, despite the criticisms of Biden’s approach to immigration from advocates.
“I liked what Biden said in general,” said Luz Valdivia, a union member, adding that she is watching what union leaders say. “It’s important who the union leaders support because the union supports us.”
Asked how union leaders are weighing up candidates’ health care and immigration approaches, and whether there is a tension between the two priorities, the union’s communications director Bethany Khan responded, “We will keep speaking with candidates and members about importance of having a president who will champion issues that working families care about — health care, immigration, the economy, and making it easier for workers to organize into unions.”
Solis, in her closing pitch at the roundtable immigration meeting on Sunday, reiterated that she thinks immigrant communities should trust Biden to protect them “I believe so strongly in what Biden represents, and I know at least four or five of the others personally, because I served with them,” she said. “I can attest to someone who when he gives his word, he gives his word.”
During Sunday’s discussion, Vela said he had some of the same misgivings as advocates about Biden having been part of the Obama administration when mass deportations were taking place. But, he said, “I had made the decision to support him nonetheless because there’s so many issues, you just can’t agree on everything.”
Vela said, regarding mass deportations, “Very clearly the Obama administration was wrong on this issue.”
After the event, Vela was asked if Biden himself should directly acknowledge the deportations as a misstep and apologize.
“I really don’t think so,” he told BuzzFeed News. “Well, I mean, you have to put the Obama presidency in context, and it may not have been perfect in every single respect but so much good was done on so many fronts, and I think there’s also the question of loyalty. He was the vice president of President Obama for eight years, and sometimes you just have to have a practical perspective on some of this.”
“I think we have to look forward to the future, and I’m hopeful that if we’re ever in a position where he’s in charge that we’re going to be able to fix a lot of this,” Vela continued.


buzzfeed--2020-01-14--Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: It’s "Important To Say That Of Course Women Can Win"

WASHINGTON — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , one of Sen. Bernie Sanders ’ top presidential campaign surrogates , said Tuesday that it ’ s “ important ” to say that women can win elections , after Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Sanders had told her in a private meeting that he did not believe a woman could win the White House in 2020 .
“ I think with that whole situation , I kind of defer to both of their campaigns , ” Ocasio-Cortez said when asked by reporters about Warren ’ s statement .
“ But , you know , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say that of course women can win.
” Electing women is “ part of a progressive ideology , ” she added .
“ I know that the senator believes that as well.
” The clash between Sanders and Warren broke open Monday when CNN reported that Sanders had said he didn ’ t believe a woman could win .
The Sanders campaign argued the comments were made up by “ staff who weren ’ t in the room [ and ] are lying about what happened , ” and the Warren campaign initially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported that Warren herself had told this to people close to her following the meeting in late 2018 .
By Monday evening , the Warren campaign released a statement from the candidate confirming CNN ’ s original story .
“ I thought a woman could win ; he disagreed , '' she said .
Last November , Rep. Ayanna Pressley split with `` the Squad '' — as she , Ocasio-Cortez , and Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib have come to call themselves — to endorse Warren .
In a brief interview @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pressley didn ’ t mention Sanders by name .
“ We ’ re coming up on the Women ’ s March , right ?
In 2017 we held these signs that said ‘ Today we march , tomorrow we run , ’ ” she said .
“ People didn ’ t believe us , and now we ’ re serving in a Congress with an unprecedented number of women .
The thing is , like , women are underestimated all the time .
So that ’ s it .
You know ?
Obviously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the woman , and I ’ m a proud cochair of the Warren campaign.
” Though Sanders and Warren were friendly with each other during the early months of the primary , a fight began to simmer as the Iowa caucuses neared .
Politico reported over the weekend that the Sanders campaign had prepared talking points arguing Warren is a candidate for elites and would not expand the Democratic Party ’ s base .
Sanders denied that he had anything to do with the script .
“ I was disappointed to hear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to trash me .
I hope Bernie reconsiders and turns his campaign in a different direction , ” Warren told reporters of the talking points , before adding , “ We all saw the impact of the factionalism in 2016 , and we can ’ t have a repeat of that .
Democrats need to unite our party , and that means pulling in all parts of the Democratic coalition.
” On Tuesday night , both senators will participate in the last debate before the first votes are finally cast in the primaries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be asked about the conversation , though the Warren campaign has been trying to tamp down the flames , BuzzFeed News reported Tuesday .
“ I would be careful with the ‘ sexism ’ angle when it comes to the Bernie/Warren exchange individually — that ’ s not what this is about and I think it ’ ll be really bad news for us if that becomes what this is about ( i.e .
press asking her if she thinks Bernie is sexist ) , ” one staffer told supporters .
“ Is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Absolutely .
But no one here is actually claiming Bernie himself is sexist ( regardless of your own personal beliefs on that topic ) .
”

WASHINGTON — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ top presidential campaign surrogates, said Tuesday that it’s “important” to say that women can win elections, after Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Sanders had told her in a private meeting that he did not believe a woman could win the White House in 2020.
“I think with that whole situation, I kind of defer to both of their campaigns,” Ocasio-Cortez said when asked by reporters about Warren’s statement. “But, you know, I think it’s also important to say that of course women can win.”
Electing women is “part of a progressive ideology,” she added. “I know that the senator believes that as well.”
The clash between Sanders and Warren broke open Monday when CNN reported that Sanders had said he didn’t believe a woman could win. The Sanders campaign argued the comments were made up by “staff who weren’t in the room [and] are lying about what happened,” and the Warren campaign initially declined to comment. BuzzFeed News later reported that Warren herself had told this to people close to her following the meeting in late 2018.
By Monday evening, the Warren campaign released a statement from the candidate confirming CNN’s original story.
“I thought a woman could win; he disagreed," she said.
Last November, Rep. Ayanna Pressley split with "the Squad" — as she, Ocasio-Cortez, and Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib have come to call themselves — to endorse Warren. In a brief interview with BuzzFeed News on Tuesday morning, Pressley didn’t mention Sanders by name.
“We’re coming up on the Women’s March, right? In 2017 we held these signs that said ‘Today we march, tomorrow we run,’” she said. “People didn’t believe us, and now we’re serving in a Congress with an unprecedented number of women. The thing is, like, women are underestimated all the time. So that’s it. You know? Obviously, I believe this is the year of the woman, and I’m a proud cochair of the Warren campaign.”
Though Sanders and Warren were friendly with each other during the early months of the primary, a fight began to simmer as the Iowa caucuses neared. Politico reported over the weekend that the Sanders campaign had prepared talking points arguing Warren is a candidate for elites and would not expand the Democratic Party’s base.
Sanders denied that he had anything to do with the script.
“I was disappointed to hear that Bernie is sending his volunteers out to trash me. I hope Bernie reconsiders and turns his campaign in a different direction,” Warren told reporters of the talking points, before adding, “We all saw the impact of the factionalism in 2016, and we can’t have a repeat of that. Democrats need to unite our party, and that means pulling in all parts of the Democratic coalition.”
On Tuesday night, both senators will participate in the last debate before the first votes are finally cast in the primaries, where they’re sure to be asked about the conversation, though the Warren campaign has been trying to tamp down the flames, BuzzFeed News reported Tuesday.
“I would be careful with the ‘sexism’ angle when it comes to the Bernie/Warren exchange individually — that’s not what this is about and I think it’ll be really bad news for us if that becomes what this is about (i.e. press asking her if she thinks Bernie is sexist),” one staffer told supporters. “Is that what this is about broadly? Absolutely. But no one here is actually claiming Bernie himself is sexist (regardless of your own personal beliefs on that topic).”