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oberliner

(58,724 posts)
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 12:13 PM Nov 2018

Bernie Sanders Clarifies Comments About Racism Hurting Black Candidates

Excerpt:

"Stacey Abrams and Andrew Gillum ran brilliant campaigns. Created enormous excitement at the grassroots level, and were running in states that are tough states for Democrats," Sanders told NPR. (Abrams has not conceded in the Georgia gubernatorial race, Gillum initially conceded his race for governor late Tuesday night but his campaign is now suggesting they may await a possible Florida recount.)

In an earlier interview with the Daily Beast, Sanders appeared to have placed part of the blame for Gillum and Abrams' apparent losses on the fact that neither state had ever elected an African-American governor. "You know there are a lot of white folks out there who are not necessarily racist who felt uncomfortable for the first time in their lives about whether or not they wanted to vote for an African-American."

Sanders' spokesman insists those remarks were taken out of context. Speaking to NPR, Sanders said any votes Gillum or Abrams lost over their race were entirely due to what he called "racist" campaigns run by their Republican opponents.

"There's no question that in Georgia and in Florida racism has reared its ugly head. And you have candidates who ran against Gillum and ran against Stacey Abrams who were racist and were doing everything they could to try to play whites against blacks," he said. "And that is an outrage, and we have got to continue doing everything that we can to fight all forms of racism."

https://www.npr.org/2018/11/08/665809570/bernie-sanders-clarifies-comments-about-racism-hurting-black-candidates
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Bernie Sanders Clarifies Comments About Racism Hurting Black Candidates (Original Post) oberliner Nov 2018 OP
Nonpology. NT Adrahil Nov 2018 #1
Dig a deeper hole trying to regain the % of supporters he just lost last time he spoke. Bfd Nov 2018 #2
Ah humina humina humina backpedal etc. Fullduplexxx Nov 2018 #3
The toast is done. brush Nov 2018 #4
Did Bernie clarify or was it his spokesperson? MineralMan Nov 2018 #5
Right. Wintryjade Nov 2018 #14
I was wondering the same thing Gothmog Nov 2018 #59
Very unclear use of pronouns. MineralMan Nov 2018 #60
Bernie on Trump: Trump's not really a racist or sexist emulatorloo Nov 2018 #6
White Privilege Caliman73 Nov 2018 #9
He literally chained himself to a black woman. Using her as a prop. violetpastille Nov 2018 #40
Miscommunication or misunderstanding. Caliman73 Nov 2018 #48
Yes, I think I was intending to respond to another post, but thank you so much for your thoughtful violetpastille Nov 2018 #49
No problem. Caliman73 Nov 2018 #50
Trump's history, lifetime history of keeping blacks from being tenants, would argue that. Wintryjade Nov 2018 #16
If this is "clarity" I'd hate to see what obfuscation looks like. Small-Axe Nov 2018 #7
He must be a racist. moondust Nov 2018 #8
B&W photo from 50 years ago tells us what about today? mcar Nov 2018 #11
A story of commitment perhaps. moondust Nov 2018 #12
Then where are the more current photos mcar Nov 2018 #13
One day at university a bunch of students did a protest. How many protests have all of us been to? Wintryjade Nov 2018 #17
Don't know. moondust Nov 2018 #18
Since you asked ... EffieBlack Nov 2018 #26
+1 Basement Beat Nov 2018 #31
I need say nothing else mcar Nov 2018 #42
Thank You, Effie.. for these dedicated protesters Cha Nov 2018 #52
... lapucelle Nov 2018 #56
But that's different... SidDithers Nov 2018 #69
An explanation worth repeating EffieBlack Nov 2018 #21
This part speaks volumes... NurseJackie Nov 2018 #24
... mcar Nov 2018 #43
Go here... NurseJackie Nov 2018 #25
Um, that's a link to this thread. moondust Nov 2018 #27
Yes, I know. You're very observant. NurseJackie Nov 2018 #30
He's got a lifetime of things to examine qazplm135 Nov 2018 #28
Nobody is saying that's a shield. moondust Nov 2018 #32
oh of course you are qazplm135 Nov 2018 #33
It's public evidence. moondust Nov 2018 #35
lol qazplm135 Nov 2018 #38
Wrong. moondust Nov 2018 #41
sure thing qazplm135 Nov 2018 #46
By all means, let's examine the public record. lapucelle Nov 2018 #57
In a statement to BuzzFeed News, moondust Nov 2018 #62
What does "I clearly misspoke" even mean? "I accidently expressed what I really think"? lapucelle Nov 2018 #65
Thank You, qazplm Cha Nov 2018 #54
Yes you are. NurseJackie Nov 2018 #36
No, you first. moondust Nov 2018 #39
I figured as much. NurseJackie Nov 2018 #44
Charleton Heston also marched dsc Nov 2018 #61
So did Mitch McConnell EffieBlack Nov 2018 #70
Where's the apology? NurseJackie Nov 2018 #10
He's sorry if he offended anyone. He didn't mean it that way. MineralMan Nov 2018 #15
I've heard self-serving and insincere "apologies" like that as well... NurseJackie Nov 2018 #71
The headline says "clarifies" not "apologizes" oberliner Nov 2018 #19
I know. Exactly. I'll ask again. WHERE'S THE FUCKING APOLOGY?? NurseJackie Nov 2018 #22
BS needs to take responsibility and apologize. N/T lapucelle Nov 2018 #58
In other words. Blue_true Nov 2018 #20
Yeah... but I can *still* smell it. NurseJackie Nov 2018 #34
I am afraid that Bernie is naturally cantankerous, Blue_true Nov 2018 #47
BZZT! Wrong answer again, but you're getting warmer. "Anyone who votes for the white person because flibbitygiblets Nov 2018 #23
Please proceed, Senator Hekate Nov 2018 #29
Oh good lord, please don't encourage him! NurseJackie Nov 2018 #37
It's ALWAYS "out of context" with Bernie NastyRiffraff Nov 2018 #45
He is putting lipstick on a pig. redstatebluegirl Nov 2018 #51
How does that clarify him saying certain Whites, 'not necessarily racist' are "uncomfortable" ismnotwasm Nov 2018 #53
broward counties results dont make sense questionseverything Nov 2018 #55
Bernie doesn't understand the democratic coalition Politicub Nov 2018 #63
Correction: EffieBlack Nov 2018 #64
Thank you! NurseJackie Nov 2018 #68
Bernie's initial comment was dumb but he did a lot to help elect Rizen Nov 2018 #66
Non-apology Demsrule86 Nov 2018 #67
 

Adrahil

(13,340 posts)
1. Nonpology. NT
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 12:16 PM
Nov 2018

Anyone who is "comfortable" about voting for a candidate because they are black is a racist.

Just say it, Bernie.

 

Bfd

(1,406 posts)
2. Dig a deeper hole trying to regain the % of supporters he just lost last time he spoke.
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 12:24 PM
Nov 2018

Just stop it.
Who is he even talking to anymore?
Seriously. Who?


MineralMan

(146,262 posts)
5. Did Bernie clarify or was it his spokesperson?
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 12:47 PM
Nov 2018

That's unclear. Who spoke to NPR. In one place, it looks like a spokesperson, and then it shifts to look like it was Sanders.

I'm unclear on who NPR spoke to, actually, and when.

In any case, Sanders needs to think BEFORE he speaks. Trying to back-pedal at a later time rarely works very well.

emulatorloo

(44,072 posts)
6. Bernie on Trump: Trump's not really a racist or sexist
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 12:59 PM
Nov 2018
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/taibbi-bernie-sanders-interview-753484/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

Sanders: As you know, Trump is a 100-percent political opportunist, who has no political views other than how he can win elections.

Taibbi: Well, that’s true.

Sander: Today, if he is a racist and a sexist, tomorrow he may be a great civil rights champion — if he thinks it gets him five more votes.

——————

Trump has a history of discrimination against minorities at his properties. There is also a tape of him bragging about sexually assaulting women. All of that is from long before he became a politician.

Dunno what’s up with Bernie and all these hot takes.




Caliman73

(11,726 posts)
9. White Privilege
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 01:31 PM
Nov 2018

Sanders is correct that Trump is a political opportunist and will say anything to get elected. His actions however, denote clear racial bigotry and racism. Sanders has a major blind spot on race and I think that it is because while he participated in the Civil Rights movement, he never actually had lived experience seeing racism like people of color do daily.

violetpastille

(1,483 posts)
40. He literally chained himself to a black woman. Using her as a prop.
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 03:02 PM
Nov 2018

Using her as a prop for his performative wokeness.


And any time I see a woman of color gain some attention on the political stage you know Bernie Sanders is going to sit himself right next to her at her lunch table.

My father also marched for civil rights a time or two. It was a good place to pick up girls.

Likewise Beatles movies.

My father cares for neither black people nor the Beatles.

Opportunists gonna opportune.

Caliman73

(11,726 posts)
48. Miscommunication or misunderstanding.
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 05:52 PM
Nov 2018

Perhaps I wasn't clear in my post. I actually do not think that Bernie Sanders is an opportunist. I do believe that he cares about people of color and women regarding inequality.

I was speaking about Trump as the opportunist.


Sanders just has a blind spot like some other White Allies do. It is a matter of lived experience. I use the analogy of the fish and the whale. Fish likely do not know that they are wet or in water because it is their world. It is natural to them as they breathe in water making oxygen out of the very environment. Whales on the other hand, can exist in the water and are extremely good at surviving there, but they know that they are in water because while it is their natural environment, they breathe oxygen from air, so they do not fully belong.

It may be a crude analogy but when the social norms, institutions of power, and history is geared toward your experience as "the experience", you tend not to have to see that other people (minorities, women, etc...) have different experiences. As I have said in other posts. Bernie does see that women and people of color have been discriminated against, but he thinks that the REAL problem is that there is income inequality and that race is just a wedge issue that the rich use to pit people against each other.

What he fails to realize is that discrimination has been around a long long time. It is a natural human process. An evolutionary process which helped keep human beings safe from predators, including other humans who might be looking to compete for resources. Along the way that discrimination was based on language, customs, religion, etc... but an obvious one was skin color. Then people started to assign value and worth to that skin color and create narratives around it. Sanders fails to see that this level of discrimination often supersedes other common bonds that people have. Poor people will often discriminate based on race rather than band together to fight economic injustice.

violetpastille

(1,483 posts)
49. Yes, I think I was intending to respond to another post, but thank you so much for your thoughtful
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 08:18 PM
Nov 2018

reply to me.

You give more grace to Bernie Sanders' motivations than I do, but respect how you have defended them.



Caliman73

(11,726 posts)
50. No problem.
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 08:26 PM
Nov 2018

I was a way bigger fan of his than I am now. I don't think that his motivations are malicious or cynical. I just think that he is so whetted to his world view that he can't admit that it is incomplete.

That more than anything turned me off to him.

 

Wintryjade

(814 posts)
16. Trump's history, lifetime history of keeping blacks from being tenants, would argue that.
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 02:03 PM
Nov 2018

We just got to believe what we see and hear and not let the gaslighting happen to create a false story.

 

Small-Axe

(359 posts)
7. If this is "clarity" I'd hate to see what obfuscation looks like.
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 01:09 PM
Nov 2018

Where is the apology?

He's only making things worse.

moondust

(19,963 posts)
8. He must be a racist.
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 01:14 PM
Nov 2018


1963, Chicago


At the University of Chicago, he was a leader of the Congress of Racial Equality, a major civil rights group. News accounts from the time had Sanders leading protests over racial inequality.

http://boingboing.net/2016/02/21/photo-of-bernie-sanders-being.html

But, but...he's not a Democrat!!!!!!!!! Everybody run!!!! Run!!!!!!!
Run tribe run! Run tribe run! Run tribe run! Run tribe run! Run tribe run!

moondust

(19,963 posts)
12. A story of commitment perhaps.
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 01:50 PM
Nov 2018

And long-term understanding.

I suppose some would like to believe that a leopard can change its spots, but it's also possible that someone is simply pretending to believe something they want to believe because the truth doesn't fit their narrative.

And, incidentally, if you had read the blurb under the photo you would know that there's more to the story than a B&W photo. But perhaps that doesn't fit your preferred narrative?

mcar

(42,279 posts)
13. Then where are the more current photos
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 02:00 PM
Nov 2018

that demonstrate the "story of commitment" The civil rights movement didn't end in the 60s.

 

Wintryjade

(814 posts)
17. One day at university a bunch of students did a protest. How many protests have all of us been to?
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 02:05 PM
Nov 2018

Wasn't threatening or even overly asserting. Just one afternoon, all those decades ago.

moondust

(19,963 posts)
18. Don't know.
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 02:08 PM
Nov 2018

Where are the current photos of civil rights marches? And where was Bernie and a host of Democrats when the current marches took place? Did civil rights marches end in the 60s? Are there photos of you marching and getting hauled off by police in the name of civil rights?

 

EffieBlack

(14,249 posts)
26. Since you asked ...
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 02:27 PM
Nov 2018

Congressmen arrested for protesting over immigration outside Trump Tower

September 19, 2017

Three congressmen were among a group of protesters arrested outside Trump Tower on Tuesday, where they were participating in a demonstration in support of immigrants and protections recently ended by the Trump administration.

Democratic Reps. Luis Gutierrez of Illinois, Raul Grijalva of Arizona and Adriano Espaillat of New York were arrested on civil disobedience charges along with the speaker of the New York City Council, Melissa Mark-Viverito, and six others, according to lawmakers' offices and Robin Levine, the spokeswoman with Mark-Viverito's office.



https://www.cnn.com/2017/09/19/politics/congressmen-arrested-trump-tower-daca/index.html


Congressman Gutierrez Arrested At White House Protest
July 26, 2011

U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Illinois) was arrested during an immigration protest at the White House on Tuesday.

Gutierrez spokesman Douglas Rivlin confirmed the congressman was arrested outside the White House Tuesday afternoon, along with about 11 other people who were sitting on the sidewalk in front of the White House as part of an immigration protest.
?w=640&h=360&crop=1

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/07/26/congressman-gutierrez-arrested-at-white-house-protest/


8 Congressmen Arrested During Immigration Rally In D.C.
October 8, 2013

At least eight Democratic members of the House were among about 200 people arrested Tuesday after they blocked a main street near the Capitol during a massive rally seeking to push Republicans to hold a vote on a stalled immigration reform bill.

Police would not identify those arrested. Representatives of the social policy organization Center for Community Change and The Associated Press witnessed the arrests of Reps. John Lewis, D-Ga.; Luis Gutiérrez, D-Ill.; Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz.; Keith Ellison, D-Minn.; Joseph Crowley and Charles Rangel, both D-N.Y.; Al Green, D-Texas; and Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill.,
http://washington.cbslocal.com/2013/10/08/rep-john-lewis-arrested-during-washington-rally/



5 Lawmakers Arrested In Darfur Protest

April 27, 2006

Five Congress members were arrested and led away from the Sudanese Embassy in plastic handcuffs Friday in protest of the Sudanese government's role in atrocities in the Darfur region.
"The slaughter of the people of Darfur must end," Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., a Holocaust survivor who founded the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, said from the embassy steps before his arrest.

Four other Democratic Congress members — James McGovern and John Olver of Massachusetts, Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas and Jim Moran of Virginia — were among 11 protesters arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and unlawful assembly, a misdemeanor subject to a fine.






https://www.cbsnews.com/news/5-lawmakers-arrested-in-darfur-protest/
 

EffieBlack

(14,249 posts)
21. An explanation worth repeating
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 02:14 PM
Nov 2018

I posted this earlier this year and think it’s appropriate to repost as backup to your important point:


https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210468176

Why "Bernie was arrested in '63" is an inappropriate answer to criticism of his civil rights record

Let me preface this by saying this is in no way an attack on - or even a criticism of - Bernie Sanders or a diminishment of his civil rights activism in the 1960s or an effort to "refight the primaries."

But all too frequently, any attempt to question or, God forbid, criticize, Sanders' record, attitudes or comments on civil rights today is met with a reminder that he was arrested while protesting for civil rights in 1963, often with an accompanying photograph and sarcastic comments such as "Here's a picture of Bernie hating black people," or similarly snide remarks.

So, let me explain why such responses to questions about Sanders' current record are not only completely beside the point, but show an ignorance about the civil rights movement, not to mention an arrogance and paternalism that is very galling to me and many other African Americans. Maybe, once folks understand this in a little more depth, they will be less likely to dismiss us in such a way.

First, I think it's great that Bernie Sanders and tens of thousands of other young white college students participated in civil rights protests across the country during the 1960s. They truly made a difference, whatever their contribution.

Some, like Bernie, participated in protests at or near their schools. Some traveled to other parts of the country to protest. Some went into the deep South to help organize and work on an ongoing basis. Some joined protests that put them in serious danger - such as the Freedom Riders who had no idea whether they would come back alive and, sadly, some did not. But whatever the degree and depth of their participation, every one made a difference.

Bernie Sanders' participation was admirable and laudable and appreciated. But he did not get involved or make the kinds of sacrifices that many other students made. Again - that's not a knock on him, just the reality. He participated in protests in which he knew that he would not face great harm or risk to his body, life or future. He joined a protest in which the students planned to be arrested, practiced for it (the movement trained protesters in non-violence and how to be arrested so as not to be injured or accused of resisting arrest). He also likely knew, going in, that, like most white students in these protests, he would not be physically abused, his rights would be protected, he would be released shortly thereafter and his penalty would be a small fine - in this case $25 - and the arrest would not have any negative impact on his education or future career.

The benefit of this type of protest did not come in the suffering or brutality that many black and white protesters endured elsewhere, but in showing the country the power and numbers behind the movement. And they were very important and very effective.

So, I have nothing but praise for what Bernie did in 1963. He was a small part of something very important. He did the right thing. He could have stayed in his comfy dorm room, but he went out, inconvenienced himself, and lent himself to the fight. He was on the right side of history.

But people should recognize that participating in a righteous fight in the past does not, in and of itself, completely define a person for all time. Charlton Heston marched with Dr. King. As a college student, Mitch McConnell participated in the March on Washington and worked for a senator who helped to break the filibuster of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. I'm certainly not comparing Bernie to these two men, but just noting that support for civil rights in 1964 does not, by itself, mean that someone's positions can't be and shouldn't be questioned. And it surely doesn't make those who participated in it civil rights experts or icons who must be revered by virtue of what they did 55 years ago.

But more important is this simple fact: The civil rights movement was not a gift to black people. It wasn't a movement in which white people GAVE something to or did something for us. It was a movement, led by black people, in which Americans of all races joined together, prayed together, fought together and died together not to save us but to save AMERICA.

So, in my view, the notion that participation in the movement confers on a white person some special grace because they did something for black people and, as a result, black people must be forever grateful and cannot ever raise any question about their positions is not just insulting, it shows an incredible lack of understanding of what the civil rights movement really was. And it reveals a shallow and paternalistic view of civil rights and social justice as a movement based on an erroneous assumption that YOU did something for US and we should be forever grateful - and if we aren't, we are somehow betraying YOU.

For me, the bottom line is that Bernie Sanders did the right thing in 1963. I give him a lot of credit for that. But that credit is not unlimited and it definitely isn't a bottomless store of goodwill that shields him from any responsibility for or scrutiny of his subsequent actions, positions, views, or comments today. I appreciate what he did, but I don't OWE him anything, including reverent acceptance of whatever he says or does, for it.

So, again, I say, Thank you, Senator Sanders for doing the right thing 55 years ago and joining with us to help bring America closer to the more perfect union that we ALL want it to be. Now, let's talk about how you can continue to walk on that path with us now.


There's another point I want to make today. Just as Dr. King predicted, the rise of black southerners to full citizenship also lifted their white neighbors. "It is history's wry paradox," he said, "that when Negroes win their struggle to be free, those who have held them down will themselves be free for the first time."

After Selma, free white and black southerners crossed the bridge to the new South, leaving hatred and isolation on the far side—building vibrant cities, thriving economies, and great universities, a new South still enriched by the oldtime religion and rhythms and rituals we all love, now open to all things modern and people of all races and faiths from all over the world, a new South in which whites have gained at least as much as blacks from the march to freedom. Without Selma, Atlanta would never have had the Super Bowl or the Olympics. And without Selma, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton would never have been elected President of the United States.
...
My fellow Americans, this day has a special meaning for me, for I, too, am a son of the South, the old, segregated South. And those of you who marched 35 years ago set me free, too, on Bloody Sunday, free to know you, to work with you, to love you, to raise my child to celebrate our differences and hallow our common humanity.

I thank you all for what you did here. Thank you, Andy and Jesse and Joe, for the lives you have lived since. Thank you, Coretta, for giving up your beloved husband and the blessings of a normal life. Thank you, Ethel Kennedy, for giving up your beloved husband and the blessings of a normal life.

And thank you, John Lewis, for the beatings you took and the heart you kept wide open. Thank you for walking with the wind, hand in hand with your brothers and sisters, to hold America's trembling house down. Thank you for your vision of the beloved community, an America at peace with itself.

I tell you all, as long as Americans are willing to hold hands, we can walk with any wind; we can cross any bridge. Deep in my heart, I do believe, we shall overcome."

President Bill Clinton, Remarks on the 35th Anniversary of the 1965 Voting Rights March in Selma, Alabama
March 5, 2000

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=58210

NurseJackie

(42,862 posts)
24. This part speaks volumes...
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 02:23 PM
Nov 2018
So, in my view, the notion that participation in the movement confers on a white person some special grace because they did something for black people and, as a result, black people must be forever grateful and cannot ever raise any question about their positions is not just insulting, it shows an incredible lack of understanding of what the civil rights movement really was. And it reveals a shallow and paternalistic view of civil rights and social justice as a movement based on an erroneous assumption that YOU did something for US and we should be forever grateful - and if we aren't, we are somehow betraying YOU.
This part speaks volumes... I don't know how you can make it any clearer. The only people who would claim to not understand or who would deny the truth in your words are being willfully ignorant and are likely beyond hope at this point.

mcar

(42,279 posts)
43. ...
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 03:18 PM
Nov 2018
But more important is this simple fact: The civil rights movement was not a gift to black people. It wasn't a movement in which white people GAVE something to or did something for us. It was a movement, led by black people, in which Americans of all races joined together, prayed together, fought together and died together not to save us but to save AMERICA.


NurseJackie

(42,862 posts)
30. Yes, I know. You're very observant.
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 02:39 PM
Nov 2018
Um, that's a link to this thread.

Yes, I know. You're very observant. But it's more than just a "link to this thread" isn't it? I think you're not as shrugingly confused as you want me to believe.

But, taking you at your word, I can only advise that you look closely and you'll also see that it's a special kind of link that goes directly to post 21 in this thread.

All I'm saying here is that post #21 is one that is deserving of your notice and attention, and since it wasn't a direct reply to you (ie: something that would illuminate the "My Posts" tab in your browser) it would be a shame if you accidentally overlooked it.

Have a nice day:

qazplm135

(7,447 posts)
28. He's got a lifetime of things to examine
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 02:31 PM
Nov 2018

good and bad, just like every other human alive.

So picking one moment as if it's a shield for all others is no better than picking one moment as a sword.

Wouldn't you agree?

moondust

(19,963 posts)
32. Nobody is saying that's a shield.
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 02:41 PM
Nov 2018

But it would appear to show a long-term commitment to and possibly a deeper understanding of civil rights issues that cannot be ignored no matter how desperate someone is to ignore it and paint him as something he very likely is not. Here's more on Bernie's civil rights activism:

Here’s What Bernie Sanders Actually Did in the Civil Rights Movement

Maybe everybody here should post their photos and newspaper write-ups of their recent civil rights activism.

qazplm135

(7,447 posts)
33. oh of course you are
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 02:45 PM
Nov 2018

there's no other reason to post that, the exact same image that's always posted.

It shows he did something very good a long, long time ago. It does not, by itself, show anything else, nor does it provide a get out of oops free card when he says things that in fact do not indicate "a deeper understanding of civil rights issues."

moondust

(19,963 posts)
35. It's public evidence.
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 02:54 PM
Nov 2018

If you follow the link I posted you can read more about his civil rights record.

Yes, it's clear that he's not that into the tribal blindness and intolerance that seems so common today. So don't vote for him.

qazplm135

(7,447 posts)
38. lol
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 03:00 PM
Nov 2018

yes, he's so pure and holy, not like everyone else.

Oh I wasn't...and he won't win the nomination in 2020 either...and he'll stop being a democrat the day after the election again then too.

moondust

(19,963 posts)
41. Wrong.
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 03:07 PM
Nov 2018

I'm sure he has plenty of blemishes in his past like everybody else. But I'm not willing to ignore his public record because I want to believe something else about him.

qazplm135

(7,447 posts)
46. sure thing
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 03:48 PM
Nov 2018

the rest of us just want to believe something else about him, but you've got the real view!

lapucelle

(18,191 posts)
57. By all means, let's examine the public record.
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 08:50 PM
Nov 2018
In a September [2015] meeting with Campaign Zero, a movement formed out of the Ferguson protests, activists asked Sanders why, in his opinion, there were a disproportionate amount of people of color in jail for nonviolent drug offenses.

Sanders, seated across the table, a yellow legal pad at hand, responded with a question of his own, according to two people present: “Aren’t most of the people who sell the drugs African American?

The candidate, whose aides froze in the moment, was quickly rebuffed: The answer, the activists told him, was no. Even confronted with figures and data to the contrary, Sanders appeared to have still struggled to grasp that he had made an error, the two people present said.


https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/rubycramer/bernie-sanders-revolution-needs-black-voters-to-win-but-can#.hboAVyRy9

moondust

(19,963 posts)
62. In a statement to BuzzFeed News,
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 09:09 PM
Nov 2018
Bernie Sanders said he "clearly misspoke" during the meeting:

During this extremely important meeting three years ago, where I learned a great deal, we had a very open discussion about the issues of systemic racism and the intersection of race and class. I am grateful to the participants in this meeting for engaging with me. The experiences and perspectives they related were incredibly impactful on me as a person and as a presidential candidate. While I clearly misspoke and had more to learn with regard to the causes of this problem, we all came to the meeting understanding what is absolutely true: the criminal justice system is broken and disproportionately arrests and jails African Americans. I am thankful to the participants for their work and willingness to have the kind of discussions that we need to have in order to move forward as a country. I intend to continue having conversations with activists and experts about how we, as a nation, create the society all of us deserve.

lapucelle

(18,191 posts)
65. What does "I clearly misspoke" even mean? "I accidently expressed what I really think"?
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 07:17 AM
Nov 2018

What has BS done in the past three years to address criminal justice abuses that impact POC in his home state which just contracted with a for profit-prison to house some Vermont's incarcerated in Mississippi, far from home, family, and local and community support systems?

Paying lip service to the fact that, "the criminal justice system is broken and disproportionately arrests and jails African Americans" just doesn't cut it when BS could have been working hard in his home state (where he might actually have some influence) to unseat a Republican governor who vetoed a raise in the minimum wage, vetoed the creation of a paid medical family leave program, and addressed overcrowding in Vermont's prisons by literally "selling" some of the incarcerated down the river.

Moreover, while Vermont has one of the overall lowest incarceration rates in the country, it still has one of the highest rates of African-American incarceration nation wide. According to Ashley Nellis author of The Color of Justice: Racial and Ethnic Disparity in State Prisons

Vermont … actually has the highest rate in the country of adult black male incarceration, and it has the third highest rate of incarceration for African-Americans overall.”

snip====================================

Nationally the ratio is about five-to-one black-white incarceration. And in Vermont it's more than 10-to-one,” Nellis says.

snip====================================

Only 1 percent of the population in Vermont is African-American but 11 percent of its prison population is black,” Nellis says.

snip====================================

The data in Vermont is striking because the black incarceration [in Vermont] is so much higher than the national average and of its neighboring states,” Nellis says. “So, it’s very curious.”

BS's time would have been better spent during the GE election season at home in VT working hard to elect the Democratic nominee for governor, Christine Hallquist, than in gallivanting around the country on a splashy publicity tour that had negligible impact.

https://www.sentencingproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/The-Color-of-Justice-Racial-and-Ethnic-Disparity-in-State-Prisons.pdf

http://digital.vpr.net/post/why-are-there-so-many-african-americans-incarcerated-vermont#stream/0

NurseJackie

(42,862 posts)
36. Yes you are.
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 02:55 PM
Nov 2018
Nobody is saying that's a shield.
Yes you are.

But it would appear to show a long-term commitment to and possibly a deeper understanding
No it doesn't.

Maybe everybody here should post their photos and newspaper write-ups of their recent civil rights activism.


You first.

moondust

(19,963 posts)
39. No, you first.
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 03:01 PM
Nov 2018

I'm not the one claiming to have the knowledge and authority to summarily dismiss someone else's civil rights record despite their public record. C'mon, let's see your credentials.

MineralMan

(146,262 posts)
15. He's sorry if he offended anyone. He didn't mean it that way.
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 02:02 PM
Nov 2018

Something like that, I guess. I'm sure I've heard apologies like that before...

NurseJackie

(42,862 posts)
71. I've heard self-serving and insincere "apologies" like that as well...
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 12:03 PM
Nov 2018
He's sorry if he offended anyone. He didn't mean it that way.
Something like that, I guess. I'm sure I've heard apologies like that before...
I've heard self-serving and insincere "apologies" like that as well. Sadly, that tactic is only pouring salt into the deep wounds caused by such hurtful rhetoric. All I'm trying to say here is that the people who are most offended by this deserve more than a half-hearted admission of being "inarticulate" (or some such other euphemism). In cases like this, only a heartfelt apology, direct and unqualified, no if's or but's.



NurseJackie

(42,862 posts)
22. I know. Exactly. I'll ask again. WHERE'S THE FUCKING APOLOGY??
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 02:15 PM
Nov 2018
The headline says "clarifies" not "apologizes"
I know. Exactly. I'll ask again. WHERE'S THE FUCKING APOLOGY??

NurseJackie

(42,862 posts)
34. Yeah... but I can *still* smell it.
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 02:52 PM
Nov 2018
wipes off shit and acts like nothing happened.
Yeah... but I can still smell it. It's not very easy to clean the the tread, or where the rise where the sole meets the heel, or the stitching that holds the uppers to the sole.

An outright apology is what's needed from him if he expects (or even wants) to make this better. Will he? Does he care? All I'm saying is that I can't predict the future with regard to what will or won't happen, so I guess it remains to be seen whether he decides to do the right thing or not.

Blue_true

(31,261 posts)
47. I am afraid that Bernie is naturally cantankerous,
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 04:23 PM
Nov 2018

That is why I so don't want him in our 2020 primary. I don't think that he will accept the result and work 100% for our nominee. I could be wrong, but I just have a queasy feeling.

flibbitygiblets

(7,220 posts)
23. BZZT! Wrong answer again, but you're getting warmer. "Anyone who votes for the white person because
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 02:18 PM
Nov 2018

they are "uncomfortable" voting for the black person, is a RACIST by definition".

Fixed it for you. You're welcome.

NastyRiffraff

(12,448 posts)
45. It's ALWAYS "out of context" with Bernie
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 03:28 PM
Nov 2018

No matter what screwy or offensive thing he says, it's defended by Bernie himself (or a spokesperson) as "out of context" or by his cultists as being TRUE DAMMIT! Bernie gets to say ANYTHING HE WANTS!

Bernie Sanders is an experienced politician. He knew damn well what he was saying, and how to say it.

I'm so tired of this grifter.

ismnotwasm

(41,968 posts)
53. How does that clarify him saying certain Whites, 'not necessarily racist' are "uncomfortable"
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 08:36 PM
Nov 2018

Voting for a Black person? When it practically defines racism? He thinks racism is “playing” Whites against Blacks? Like, what white people are not responsible for their own racism?

Jesus Fucking Christ this is bad.

questionseverything

(9,645 posts)
55. broward counties results dont make sense
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 08:45 PM
Nov 2018
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211404458

anyone have insight into how votes are added in the total w/o being listed in the categories?

looks like nelson and gillum are being hurt in the count

Politicub

(12,165 posts)
63. Bernie doesn't understand the democratic coalition
Fri Nov 9, 2018, 09:12 PM
Nov 2018

And, he would serve himself better by not digging a deeper hole.

NurseJackie

(42,862 posts)
68. Thank you!
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 09:40 AM
Nov 2018
Stephanie Jones
@StephanieJ_DC

Let me fix that headline for you:

"Spokesperson Attempts to Clarify Sanders' Claim that White People Who Won't Vote for Minority Candidates Because of their Race Aren't Racist."

No problem. Glad to help.

---------------------------------------
3 / 8:07 PM - Nov 9, 2018

Demsrule86

(68,504 posts)
67. Non-apology
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 09:29 AM
Nov 2018

People of color are a very important part of the Democratic coalition. Sen. Sanders would not garner their enthusiasm nor as many votes as needed in a primary.

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