HILLARY GROUP. Sanders’ “ghetto” gaffe ....... may have Crippled his bid for 2016 nom

[misterhighwasted]

‘Ghetto’ gaffe highlights Bernie Sanders campaign’s struggle with race

SNIP
Sanders’ “ghetto” gaffe underlined a persistent problem that may have crippled his bid for the 2016 nomination. He has struggled to connect with black voters, and his choice of words has often undercut a populist economic message that might have resonated with people of color.

Even if Sanders had the best of intentions, it was not his best moment, as evidenced by one of his most prominent African-American surrogates — former NAACP chairman Ben Jealous — who told NBC News: “Sen. Sanders is from Burlington, he grew up in old Brooklyn, he knows white folks live in ghettos.”


(Umm, so why did he say such a racially compartmentalized thing)

SNIP
His comment drew swift condemnation on social media, since it appeared that the Vermont lawmaker was implying that only black people live in impoverished communities, reinforcing inaccurate and painful stereotypes that have dogged African-Americans for years.

SNIP
Sanders, who has been shellacked repeatedly by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton among black voters in every 2016 contest to date, has aggressively tried to court African-Americans. He has worked references to criminal justice reform and voting rights into his stump speeches and debate talking points. He has boasted endorsements from black icons like Dr. Cornel West, Danny Glover and Harry Belafonte.
He has even tried to soften his past positions on gun control, in a direct nod to concerns in communities of color about the shootings of unarmed black men.


http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/bernie-sanders-ghetto-gaffe-highlights-campaigns-struggle-race


(Not sure if msnbc's report has been posted here yet)

[Iliyah]

1. Oh, I get it now, only AAs live in the GHETTO

[charlyvi]

10. Who uses "ghetto" anymore?

Honestly!

[misterhighwasted]

12. That was my first thought also.

Stuck 50 years in the past .

[yardwork]

23. Sanders really is stuck 50 years in the past. He has pictures!

[kjones]

20. What term is used now?

I'm only 26, but it's the term I use for impoverished urban spaces,
guess I never thought about it being an antiquated word.

[misterhighwasted]

13. Ghetto = Black folk

That's chilling, & to think that this man is running as a Dem. The most inclusive Party in American history.

[bravenak]

2. I have been waiting months for him to say something like this.

[SunSeeker]

3. K & R

[George II]

4. Look at the demographics of his own state of Vermont:

9.7% of the population living in poverty.
95% white.

Simple math would dictate that there are some white people in Vermont living in poverty, most likely more whites in poverty than blacks.

[Stand and Fight]

7. You'd think he'd know better.

Especially since in the 1960s he brought his first wife home to a shack with a dirt floor, often had his utilities shut off in the 60s and 70s, and was sporadically employed in the same period.

[Starry Messenger]

5. I feel like the last thing he ever read about race in the US was the Moynihan report.

[yardwork]

24. I just laughed out loud. It's probably literally true.

[Starry Messenger]

25. Right?

I actually pulled it up to look at it before I posted that, and thought, it really could be true.

[yardwork]

28. His understanding of racism seems to be stuck in the 1960s

[giftedgirl77]

6. I don't think it will hurt his campaign.

We've been talking about how clueless he is when is comes to race relations from the jump. Not to mention his diehard fans are so absorbed in white privilege that they think all minorities are on welfare, are to ignorant to make grownup decisions for ourselves & live in the ghetto.

[Stand and Fight]

9. You miss the point.

It's not meant that it will turn die-hards away from his campaign. It's a fact that die-hards don't change their minds. However, for those who are on the fence, or are shaky in their support, they can and are turned off by his comments -- you've only to view Twitter. The point here is that he misstepped with a key demographic that he has stumbled upon time-and-time again. African-Americans. Now that's just with the shaky black point.

Take into account that his finger wagging was viewed unfavorably by many women and others online -- another demographic (excluding the young) -- that he has shaky support from, and I think you underestimate the affect this is, and will, have on the Sanders campaign.

[giftedgirl77]

15. Oh on that front, yes I agree with you.

[misterhighwasted]

16. "The point here is that he misstepped with a key demographic that he stumbled upon time-and-time"

AND he said this in Flint, Mi. Where the subject of the night was Lead Poisoned Water in AA communities.

All ears were on this debate for that reason. And he refers to Black poor communities as the Ghetto.
He couldn't have stung any deeper, with such a reference.

[yardwork]

29. Exactly. Deeply offensive and out of touch.

[UtahLib]

8. Stubbornly clueless

[peggysue2]

11. Not only an AA gaffe

He also stated that 'whites' do not know what it's like to be poor. Guess he hasn't wandered into Appalachia or many rural communities where the population is indeed white and indeed poor. According to recently released stats, this group is dying at a younger age than the rest of the population due to unemployment, poor to nonexistent health care, drugs and alcohol and depression. To say, these people have never known poverty is a gut punch, particularly when you're trying to earn their votes--disenfranchised blue collar workers.

He was wa-a-ay off last night, an equal opportunity offender.

[72DejaVu]

17. Right on the mark

He represents a state in which thousands of white people live in poverty. He might have noticed that if he had ever been interested in anything but his own self righteous bullshit.

[yardwork]

31. And what's bizarre us that he undermined the central theme of his campaign.

Up to now, Bernie has stubbornly refused to discuss racism. It's all about economics, according to him. That's exactly what was resonating with rural whites who've lost jobs to outsourcing.

[sheshe2]

14. K&R

[NurseJackie]

18. It's astounding.

[Tarheel_Dem]

19. I imagine when BS hightailed it out of Brooklyn ASAP, they were still calling it that. This speaks

to the distance he put between himself and communities of color so long ago. I'm sure he & most of his supporters don't even know what the big deal is, but that doesn't surprise me either.

[yardwork]

26. But but he was at a sit in! There are photos!

[Tarheel_Dem]

30. BS' fifty year old civil rights dossier, notwithstanding, fact of the matter is...he got the hell...

out of Dodge..er, I mean...Brooklyn, with lightening speed, and didn't look back until now. Gee, I wonder why that is?

[sufrommich]

21. I'll be honest,I don't think the attacks on his ghetto comment

are fair. I was a poorly worded statement,but I don't see any malice or racism behind it.He's obviously not a racist,this media pile on seems like kicking him when he's down to me.I thought his angry demeanor was much more damaging.Just my humble opinion.

[yardwork]

27. Two problems with the statement, as I see it:

1. It implies that African American = poor. Considering that something like 75% of African Americans are not poor, this is a silly thing to say. Worse, it sounds patronizing and old fashioned, hearkening to 1960s era white folks talking about "those poor black people." This is deeply offensive to millions of people - people who vote.

2. It undermines his whole campaign theme to date, which has been that race doesn't matter, it's economics. So suddenly Bernie pivots and starts talking about racism. It muddies his message.

[Setsuna1972]

22. He keeps screwing up by making racially vharged comments that insult instead of inspire

And just once or twice, but repeatedly ! Meanwhile,the Bernie Bros still insist that he's the best thing for Black voters since Jesus