And *this* is why Bernie has Cornel West out on the campaign trail

[BernieforPres2016]

42. Bernie's vote on the 1994 crime bill

Down the page on Bernie's website at the link below is an explanation on Bernie's vote for the 1994. There were provisions of the bill that he argued against (you have apparently seen the YouTube video), but the bill also included the Violence Against Women Act and funding for it that he was strongly in favor of. So he had to weigh the pros and cons of what was in a major bill that had been put together to get enough votes to pass. That's the way I read it. I'm sure others know more.

http://feelthebern.org/bernie-sanders-on-criminal-justice/

It is easy to label these long ago votes in a misleading way. I see that Bernie has been consistent over the years in terms of what he is for and against, and I know he has not been bought by special interests or abandoned his principles, so I am giving him the benefit of the doubt in terms of weighing the pros and cons of all or nothing bills like this.