"Don't Boo. Vote!"

We've got a problem here, people...

Crowd at @BernieSanders rally in San Diego erupts in boos when @CNN big screen shows @HillaryClinton leading in Arizona. #WesternTuesday

...and it doesn't look like it's going away, because Sanders' campaign manager told us last night that he thinks the tone of the rallies is "fantastic".

Reporter asks Weaver about Bernie's tone at rallies and responsibility for his supporters booing Hillary... pic.twitter.com/PDkOBAJpdn

I guess not much has changed since the Sanders Iowa caucus night rally that erupted in loud boos and shameful "she's a liar!" chants while Hillary Clinton was delivering her victory speech.

Typical stuff to be expected in a Democratic primary? Both sides do it? Umm, no. In fact, I don't think I've seen anything like it within our party in recent times.

As you may know, I attended several Clinton rallies in Iowa recently. Whenever Hillary or Bill mentioned "Senator Sanders" or "my opponent", it was always respectful and I don't remember any booing. And as I was in the thick of the crowds, I'm pretty sure I would have heard it. Similarly, at a rally I attended on the eve of the Texas primary back in 2008, I'm not sure that Hillary even mentioned Barack Obama by name...it was all about the issues and why she was the best person to be the next president. She was the underdog back then in another contentious primary and she definitely could have thrown some anti-Obama raw meat to the crowd and gotten some boos. But she didn't.

So this is not a normal thing for a Democratic primary. It's bad, it's destructive, and it needs to stop. I guess one might expect this at Trump rallies, but we're better than that. Or at least I hope we are.

More than anything, this negativity makes me miss this guy...who during his 2008 and 2012 campaign rallies always had the same positive rejoinder whenever the crowd booed his Republican opponents:

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I realize that the Sanders campaign needs a miracle in order to win the nomination at this point, but letting an openly hostile atmosphere fester like this is not the way to do it. However, it is a great way to split and embitter the party...and of course help Donald Trump become the next president.

Bernie is better than this, and he needs to prove it.

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Originally posted at HillaryHQ.com