A really scary scene unfolded Friday at Donald Trump's scheduled rally in Chicago.
The planned rally at the University of Illinois-Chicago attracted a toxic blend of people who should not be mixing in large numbers: Trump's redneck gun nuts; Bernie's revved-up young "revolutionaries," who came at the urging of Moveon.org to sabotage the Trump rally (hundreds had infiltrated the stadium hosting the rally); the flame-throwing, single-issue Black Lives Matter bunch who thrive on confrontation; and an unhealthy dose of Chicago's criminal element, all mixed and stirred. The stage was set for disaster. Fortunately, Trump canceled the rally, and Chicago's police did a remarkable job of dispersing the crowd with only minor outbreaks of violence.
But this kind of scene cannot be allowed to play out any further. On the political front, Trump and Bernie both need to get their highly motivated but politically naive supporters to cool it. Both have been burning up rallies with their incendiary rhetoric, and they need to learn from Friday's near disaster in Chicago that's it's not a good thing to get your inexperienced supporters *TOO* riled up. What nearly happened in Chicago isn't the kind of "revolution" Bernie has been preaching about.
As for Trump, he needs to cool down the rhetoric, too, and he should now realize that because of his own loud, blustery, borderline racist rants, he cannot safely conduct a rally in a large, racially diverse metropolis like Chicago. Confine the rallies to the suburbs or smaller cities.
If, God forbid, Trump and Bernie both win their parties' nominations, this kind of scene could be playing out all over the country this fall as emotions get even higher as the election nears.
As noted in the headline, it's time for the adults to step in and try to get this madhouse back under control before it careens completely off the rails and takes untold numbers of lives with it. The nation got a really scary wake-up call Friday.
We absolutely cannot afford a repeat of Chicago 1968, and now we've been warned.
As far as my support of Clinton ... I think I've made it clear that I like both Dem. candidates and could easily vote for either. The only tme I have assertively discussed her was when her record on gay rights was challenged/distorted.
I like Bernie and a lot of what he stands for. If and when we ever do get single-payer healthcare in this country, which hopefully will *eventually* happen, I think he should get a good share of the credit for getting the conversation rolling. I think he was ahead of his time in this election. Nothing wrong with that, but the country needs some time and further exposure to catch up to his ideas.
If by some chance Hillary wins the election in November, I hope both her and him would be open to him having a role in a Clinton administration. Believe me, she would need all the help she could get!!! I suspect Republicans would be even harder on her than they have been on Obama, and that is really saying something.
Www.cnn.com/2016/03/12/politics/donald-trump-prot … index.html
CNN reported that there were Bernie supporters packing the Trump rally by the hundreds, holding up Bernie signs and chanting "Vote Bernie." So Bernie wants his kids to risk getting beaten up? Give me a break.
Who the hell thought this was a good idea? A potential riot over something silly like a Trump rally? Give me a break, Bernie. I know you're upset about the direction of this country. Lots of people are. But violence isn't the answer, whether it's from the left, the right, or by a bunch of criminals who just wanted to riot, and yes, there were some of those there, too.
When is the best time to remove a cancerous tumor? Trump has matastisized into a huge malignant tumor on our democracy. But his mere candidacy is NOTHING compared to what he would do if he ever got into that office. Trump's freedom to speak (essentially shouting "fire" in the proverbial theater) was curtailed and the protesters were willing to put their lives and livelihoods on the line to be arrested or phycially abused. Sometimes civil disobedience is the price one has to pay to preserve or improve a democracy.
BUT, Trump is not the only enormously bad candidate for our nation's highest office. Cruz would be even worse.
1. Bernie's Revolutionaries? I have to say that this use of the name is just as inflammatory as your accusations. I personally know someone who was there and that is not what they were there doing nor were they urged on by Moveon.org.
2. Black Lives Matters movement is a single issue flame throwing bunch? I again beg to disagree. If you actually take the time to read what they are trying to do it is not a single issue bunch thriving on confrontation.
3. Bernie's supporters to "cool it"? What evidence do you have that this was a confrontation started by his supporters? We no longer have the right to peacefully protest without being accosted by rabid Trump supporters who we have seen in the last few weeks at most of his rallies?
I think as a big time Clinton supporter and a supposedly unbiased reporter you would be better prepared with facts and evidence and not your opinions based on watching TV videos of the event. I know of two people who were there and I can assure you this was begun in St Louis by Trump and was orchestrated by Trump. This is the same sort of reporting on the civil rights movement and the anti war movement. There is nothing wrong with peaceful protests at any and all political events in this country. You don't see "Bernie's followers" starting fights in any of his rallies and you sure as heck don't see his attendees sucker punching a unarmed protester. The Republicans started this rhetoric seven years ago when they refused to believe in the legitimate election of Obama and allowed Trump to run his mouth about his birth certificate. Then they sat on their hands for months while he insulted everyone he could and ginned up his followers to violence at his rallies. Now you want to blame young protesters for reacting they way they are by showing up and peacefully protesting Trump? As for what Sanders is calling for this is exactly what he is calling for in my opinion. He is asking that Americans get up of their asses and get into the streets peacefully and demand that we change the way things are. The alternative is to sit on our asses, watch the TV and vote for Clinton. I have nothing against Clinton other than it is just more of the same and gets us further in the grip of Wall Street.