I find this scary.

[Cleita]

Thom Hartmann just said that Bernie flies on coach and walks to work by himself to Congress. Maybe this behavior is okay for a senator, but now that he's running nationally against some very powerful an unscrupulous people on the right, not to mention your everyday crazy type, he needs some better security. At the very least I hope he wears a bullet proof vest under his suit.

[haikugal]

1. Those of us who lived it can't help ourselves...and history does repeat.

You aren't alone Cleita!

[SheilaT]

4. The only time someone running for the nomination was shot

was George Wallace in 1972, over 40 years ago. So it's not as though it's a very common occurrence.

[Cleita]

6. Neither were airplanes flying into tall buildings but it happened

because those who should have been concerned weren't.

[haikugal]

7. Well Bobby Kennedy...

Like I said, can't help it.

[SheilaT]

10. That was in 1968.

The last time was in 1972.

Again, it's been over 40 years, and so I find the inclination here on DU for people to express fears that something terrible will happen to their favorite candidate to be downright creepy.

[haikugal]

13. You do that...

And feel the need to tell us all about it too.

That's not creepy at all....

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. Congresswoman Giffords

Last edited Thu Jul 23, 2015, 08:30 PM - Edit history (1)

That was the last attack on a U.S. Politician.

I think that people running for the Presidency, on both sides mind you, should get some heightened security after they declare. At least after they get traction. That is the world we live in, sadly.

[SheilaT]

20. So should there be Secret Service protection for

all politicians? Again, this was a rare case. Giffords wasn't running for President, so unless we surround all elected officials with a tight ring of security, terrible things like this will happens. Especially as guns are so easy to get in this country.

I'm being reminded of how, in the aftermath of the Aurora, CO movie theater shootings, movie theaters were inspecting the insides of purses of movie goers. As if that shooter had smuggled a couple of guns in through the front gates in his purse.

[nadinbrzezinski]

23. At least prominent ones

It is not the world I like, but it is the reality we live in. And as the hyper partisanship deepens that will only get worst. Partly due to the access to guns.

After she was shot people in leadership on both sides got heightened protection that actually remains. It makes covering them as media all kinds of fun. But we all are used to it by now.

But that is the reality. Even some who are not in leadership but have received threats do. You can tell when they arrive to their office in an armored vehicle with police escort. (Locally a United States Senator to be specific.)

State Senator Richard Pan received bona fide death threats after introducing a certain vaccination bill. His security was increased. So was the security with a few others for a few months.

I do not know if his security detail is off now that the law has been signed. Yes, they were anonymous but serious enough to warrant it. And he is not alone. There are threats to law makers regularly at all levels. Some do get an increased security response. Most of the time nobody knows this is happening.

After getting anonymous death threats, Pan was often escorted by Capitol security officers to and from hearings and floor votes on the bill.

http://www.mercurynews.com/health/ci_28433206/californias-new-vaccine-law-freshman-senator-wins-plaudits

That article has a photo of the young Freshman Senator who is also a pediatrician.

My Mayor has a permanent detail as well. We taxpayers pay a pretty penny for the comm suite (and the satellite service) but the pricey part was the armored unmarked police vehicle. So this is far more common than you think

[SheilaT]

25. Would Giffords have counted as a prominent one?

[nadinbrzezinski]

28. I don't know, since I never followed her career

nor do I know if there were death threats. I know now that they treat security with Pols and it has a definite before and after feel to it.

You just really need to know what you are looking for. Armored vehicles have thicker doors... but you will only notice when they open the damn thing. Though they tend to sit a little lower than usual, but it is almost a distinction of degree. The tires tend to be a give away, since run flats usually do not have brand on the side, and the rims look more beefy.

Next year at comicon I need to take photos... actually let me find it. I did take the photos of the up armored contingent

?w=1000&h=

If this does not work, you can find it in the gallery here

http://reportingsandiego.com/2015/07/11/saturday-gallery-from-san-diego-comicon/

It is the black vehicle... and now we know it was taken some VIPs in, likely Congressman Lewis. Of course, with the crowds it is very understandable.

[SheilaT]

30. Bingo! She wasn't a particularly prominent politician.

She would not have merited protection. So unless we wrap every single citizen inside bubble wrap, we have to understand that there are risks. People run for office. On extremely rare occasions some idiot shoots them. Of course, if guns weren't so readily available that might happen, but the gun apologists reign supreme.

[nadinbrzezinski]

31. Point is you never know and these days

candidates for the Presidency, especially those who catch, should receive some form of protection. Or do you really think Kevin Faulconer, mayor of my city, is in any why prominent? The state Senator I pointed to is not that prominent either.

Right now hate to point this out, but Bernie Sanders is becoming quite prominent. So are a few others.

Some candidates already have a security detail, see each sitting governor running for the Presidency, and that is handled by state police. The secret service should make this available to the rest. It is the world we live in. By the way, HRC has it...some decisions partisans went nuts here over, like the venue for the launch, and some of the "silly security" that would have kept me away...no water, no food...were not her idea. That was the United States Secret Service detail making those decisions. The venue was not either. Though it was a list of venues offered to her.

Why? Water has to do with liquid explosives. The other what I can hide in food, again explosives. Why not backpacks either. Or for that matter large DSLRs. It was a balance truly, because a small camera or cell phone can pack a punch. And why they used a park where a water evacuation route was not just available, but obvious if you know what you are looking for. God forbid something did happen, because mere citizens would have a hard time getting out.

What is hilarious to me is I get it why Faulconer gets his beast. He is the mayor of the 8th largest city in the U.S. And cartels, not ISIS, have targeted both the mayors of TJ and San Diego. Yes, his counterpart, Jorge Astiziaran Orci, also rides in a pretty up armored beast. And I found the outrage in this town hilarious over the cable package. Gasp, it has ESPN, and every news service.

By the way, nobody is talking about wrapping every citizen in bubble wrap. That is silly. But people running for the presidency should get security. That is what I call a straw man.

I just showed you a photo of the beasts they use at Comicon to transport A list personalities, not just US congressmen. This happens often now. In places like Mexico City even news media and the wealthy wear body armor and ride in armored vehicles with armed guards. We have already pockets of the U.S. where this is happening too...see Los Angeles.

Some of the gear we carry to demonstrations would give you tummy aches I am sure. It is what it is. This is the world we live in.

[SheilaT]

32. Yes, water as a liquid explosive.

Or various lotions and the stupid restrictions about what passengers can no longer bring on board flights.

Maybe we should just strip search everyone before a flight, before a candidate meet and greet, before Comicon. Really? Comicon? Have their been shootings or bombings there that haven't made the news?

[nadinbrzezinski]

33. DHS is always there

so are the Feds and locals. This year there was an increased presence.

By the way, many people go through some security before a meet and greet. All this is happening. I know you prefer to live in what is not the real world and be brave or something. But yes, the reason for water restrictions, the only one of the silliness with TSA that have a lot of security holes, that makes some sense.

By the way, I feel safer flying out of Mexico City, not because of the obvious circus, but rather the less obvious circus, like walking dogs through luggage looking for bombs. You know, what goes into the belly. They asked the same folks after 911. Our reaction was that is too expensive. They quietly implemented a lot of it.

They also rebuilt the check in areas to make them into self contained blast zones. That again, is too costly.

I am always gob smacked by the inability of people to get it. I don't like it, but this is the reality we live in. It does not mean, by the way, we do not need to do a thing about guns...it does not preclude that.

By the way, once again, at least every major candidate who is a sitting governor has a detail. So does HRC due to her close relationship to a former president. You got a problem with that? Apparently in your world we should take that security away...in fact lets get rid of all security. Any is getting people in bubble wrap or something.

Oh and one last thing...all that, no not TSA, has a lot to do with something else. Something about pitchforks and how the wealthy are afraid of the masses.

[SusanaMontana41]

34. Interesting question. She was an elected official.

Wasn't that the same year a Bagger spit on John Lewis?

Irresponsible speech whipped the Baggers into a frenzy. Trump is doing the same thing.

This is going to end badly.

Sorry. Went off topic.

[virtualobserver]

8. Bobby Kennedy

He was attacking the powerful too.

[Pastiche423]

17. Paul Wellstone was murdered in 2002

just prior to the midterm.

[SheilaT]

21. No. He wasn't murdered.

His airplane crashed, as happens surprisingly often with general aviation aircraft. There are all sorts of complicated theories about how the plane was somehow shot down, but they are pure fantasy.

[Pastiche423]

22. He was MURDERED!

[SheilaT]

26. Just goes to show you do not understand

how genuinely more dangerous it is to fly in a small aircraft than in a large one.

[Pastiche423]

27. That's bull

And Paul, Sheila, Marcia and five other people were murdered on October 25, 2002.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

2. When he becomes the nominee he'll get a Secret Service detail. nt

[SheilaT]

3. I'm reminded of the old saying about

not borrowing trouble.

Why in the world would you think like this? Why not be impressed that he does fly coach, does walk to work, rather than being inside a bubble as almost every other candidate is? The Donald has his own plane, maybe even a fleet of them, so he hasn't seen the inside of a commercial jet in decades. I wonder if Hillary Clinton flies commercially? And so on.

People made fun of Jimmy Carter for carrying his own luggage, and in the end he was, in my opinion, the best President in the second half of the 20t century.

We don't want our candidates to be isolated from the voters. The time will come when Bernie will get Secret Service protection, if he's still running. I forget when it kicks in, but if I recall correctly, it's well before the national convention. Meanwhile, I want him out there where we can all easily connect with him.

[Cleita]

5. Carrying your own luggage is not the same as being vulnerable

to attack. Public figures are not the same as the rest of us no matter how humble they are. I would rather be wrong about this and confident that he's safe than find out the tragic way that I was right.

[SheilaT]

9. No, you're right. But I fail to see

where candidates have been shot at willy-nilly.

And please do not bring up the Wellstone plane crash. That was not a conspiracy, nothing sinister, just an ordinary crash of a small airplane, of which there are a remarkable number every year.

[haikugal]

12. Why think that way, really?!

Nothing wrong with wanting him to be safe...if he wins his life will change and not all for the good. I want him healthy and safe is all, nothing wrong with that.

I feel the same way about Obama and all the issues with the secret service. I want him safe.

Yes I'm proud of Bernie and who he is, very. I liked Carter and still do for the same reason. Down to earth people.

[mikehiggins]

11. This is 2015. Anything is possible. Lone wolf whacko attacks are more than possible.

Attention must be paid.

Sanders' itineraries are not really public knowledge but he would be easy to find if he's flying coach and alone much of the time.

At least he's not flying in small planes.

[merrily]

14. getting kind of warm for a bulletproof vest.

[Cleita]

16. It would be for a short time when he's out walking in public.

Otherwise he's probably in air conditioned buildings.

[LiberalElite]

19. LEO wear them all the time -

there is lightweight bulletproof material. I just Googled it. Although I have the same concerns about Bernie's safety this is getting way too morbid for me so... eom

[nadinbrzezinski]

24. Some these days have a cooling jacket

and the cool T-Shirts make them not as bad as they used to. Also if this is one embedded in a suit, they are less hot. Just keep that jacket on and buttoned

[Scootaloo]

18. I'm not afraid

And I'll let Obi-Wan Kenobi tell you why

if you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.

That's not to say he wouldn't benefit from more security - but sanders is the sort of guy the Assholes In Charge wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole. They'd rather swiftboat him - and he's already weathered one big attempt on that just fine.

[GoneFishin]

29. The jackals are a last resort. But if he gets close enough to the White House I don't doubt

one bit that they will try that. The plane thing seems to be their favorite though. And they have an advantage because evidently aviation mishaps overwhelmingly benefit right wing neocons and neoliberals. So there's that.

They'll try everything else first though.