Sanders Office Defends Reference To Giffords Shooting In Fundraising Newsletter

WASHINGTON -- A spokesman for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is defending the Senator's decision to reference the shootings in Arizona as part of a newsletter and fundraising appeal he sent to constituents on Tuesday.

The Vermont Independent took some heat on Tuesday for including his reflections on the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in the context of raising money to fight Republicans and other "right-wing reactionaries."

In an email to the Huffington Post, Michael Briggs, a spokesman for the Senator, cautioned that the citation of the Tucson shootings was just one part of a five-page document. He also noted that the newsletter Sanders sends out traditionally deals with current events and, hence, it would have been "absurd" not to touch on the Giffords' affair.

This was an e-mail letter that the senator's campaign sends out, and will continue to send out, to supporters in Vermont and around the country on a regular basis. This quite long newsletter gives the senator's views on the major issues facing our country. Most of the space in this newsletter dealt with the senator's views on the economic implications of what will be happening in the new Congress. Given the enormity of the tragedy in Arizona, however, it would have been absurd not to comment on what happened there.

The main point that the senator made about Arizona is that given the fact that Rep. Giffords' office was attacked last year after her vote for health care reform, that a protester had previously brought a gun to an event she held, that Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva had to close his district office when someone shot a bullet through his window, that former Rep. Harry Mitchell had to suspend a town meeting in his district because of threatening phone calls and that Judge John Roll had received numerous threatening calls and death threats, one should not have been completely surprised by the tragedy of last Saturday. There is clearly a pervasive climate of fear and violence in Arizona and the senator very much hopes that the state's leading public officials will do what they can to create more civility so that people there can express their political views without fear.

As he always does, the senator devoted one sentence in a four-page newsletter to thanking his supporters and another sentence indicating that their support in the future would be appreciated.

The last part of Briggs' email is true. Only one sentence in the entire document solicits financial support from recipients. But the timing and context of the solicitation is, nevertheless, provocative -- not indefensible, but certainly fodder for conservatives who are already convinced that Democrats are trying to reap political advantage from the catastrophe.

Comments

[Left Fighter]

04:32 PM on 01/13/2011

Socialist SOB Bernie Sanders Tries to Capitalize off Giffords Shooting In Fundraising Newsletter
#smh Disgusting.

[yournext865]

10:35 PM on 01/12/2011

Maybe we are taking the letter out of context and perhaps this is a huge misunderstanding.

[namewithheld]

04:38 PM on 01/12/2011

Bernie 2012.

[WalterJesseSmith]

03:44 PM on 01/12/2011

Why give Sanders a hard time for merely making a typo mistake when his letter had this expression:"...Republicans and other "right-wing reactionaries."

He didn't need that "and other" and he should have left the "s" off "Republicans" because they have made themselves indistinguishable from one another.

What is new is how clearly the Republicans have been publicly singing the praises of their right wing reactionary leaders.

[jde]

02:45 PM on 01/12/2011

Sanders is raising money to STOP events like Tuscon.

The Tea Party is raising money, presumably, to encourage more of them.

Naturally, Republicans (the "true" victims of last weekend's event) believe Sanders is out of line.

[Figerre]

02:39 PM on 01/12/2011

Why is it ok on the right, but not on the left?

[MrsKMac]

02:33 PM on 01/12/2011

That guy looks like he just got dumped off by a Hurricane into a field of corn.

[MikeHermit]

02:42 PM on 01/12/2011

That is just how Bernie Sanders looks.

[NYCBri]

03:21 PM on 01/12/2011

He always looks like that. Its his thing.

[MESGAIN26]

01:53 PM on 01/12/2011

in disgust ,but where is the headline that the tea baggers are asking for donations also

[newtom]

01:39 PM on 01/12/2011

Oh brother. And the right isn't trying to make political hay out of this? Gimme a break.

[edejan]

12:58 PM on 01/12/2011

Bernie Sanders is one of the few politicians that I admire and gladly donate to his campaign fund even tho' I live in the Midwest. All the righties on this comment thread hate Bernie because he is so steadfast in his commitment, can't be swayed be B ess, and doesn't hesitate to call out any righties when they goof up.

[prettyinpink]

12:38 PM on 01/12/2011

Bernie, the admitted Socialist, thinks its ok to exploit this tragedy because he is a liberal, therefore, so much smarter than the rest of you.

This will make his opponents in the next election happy. Lots of good material here.

Bye bye.

[DeadPhish]

03:24 PM on 01/12/2011

Ok Molly, go file your nails now.

[The Commish]

12:10 PM on 01/12/2011

A slimy liberal using a tragedy to make money. Nothing to see here because, as a liberal, he is beyond reproach. Never let a crisis go to waste.

[sandracoston]

02:45 PM on 01/12/2011

And the hate continues.. this is exactly what is wrong with this country... I feel sorry for all those who can't for one moment stop the hate filled rhetoric and actually reflect on what has occurred in this country... It seems that there will be no lessons learned and no coming together, Have we reached a point in this country that we find comfort in conflict..Does anyone believe that this makes us no different than the enemies we seek to defeat..Shame on all us for allowing ourselves to get so caught up in our views that even on a day where a mother is grieving the loss of her child or a husband praying for the recovery of his wife.... we choose hate debate over reverence and understanding and we wonder why this happened in Arizona..we need not look any further than ourselves to find the answers

[The Commish]

02:55 PM on 01/12/2011

You are absolutely right, I do feel hate towards anybody who is using this horrible incident for personal gain, and that goes for Palin too. I have a complete understanding of the lesson that this should be teaching us and I will continue to verbalize it. This shows that we need to pay more attention to mental conditions of the people of this country for one thing. This incident was not caused because of any political rhetoric, it was because of a mentally unstable animal. I am 100% in support of people owning guns, but access to those guns needs to be looked at more closely. This person should never have been allowed, legally, near a gun. I and people like me are not what is wrong with this country, you misunderstand my position. We are never going to come together if people are going to stand on a soap box preaching about how the communication in this country is so bad on one hand and in the same breath use it for personal gain. It's sick and that is what's wrong with this country.

[homer winslow]

03:24 PM on 01/12/2011

Your hatred and vitriol are recognized as the norm for the right wing. continue letting us see you for exactly who you are.

[edisnuts]

11:57 AM on 01/12/2011

If Bernie had a loaded Glock and a gurney on his site the libs would give him a pass

[dmzrn]

11:51 AM on 01/12/2011

The left's eagerness to give Bernie a pass should help them understand why those on the right find ways to give their folks a pass. We are all more alike than different when it comes to protecting our own.

[homer winslow]

03:25 PM on 01/12/2011

Guess what, we are all in this mess together and the sooner people get that through their thick skulls, the sooner we can move forward.

[cal5000]

11:19 AM on 01/12/2011

Hey the Right continues to push violence and intolerance against others--even discounting this guy, theres quite a few other incidents by Right Wingers, Neo Nazis and Teabaggers.

Pass the hat around if you can afford it--stakes are high.

Not that big a deal, since he wasnt the one pushing the gun rhetoric--the right was.