I thought Sanders was bad for black people. These women changed my mind.

[Omaha Steve]

The candidate's economic plan is more important than I realized.


By Terrell Jermaine Starr January 29 at 7:13 AM
Terrell Jermaine Starr is a New York City-based freelance journalist who writes about U.S. and Russian politics.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/01/29/i-thought-sanders-was-bad-for-black-people-these-women-changed-my-mind/

Six months ago, I was a Bernie Sanders skeptic. In July, I wrote about how Sanders had bungled his outreach to the black base. Though he spent a lot of time talking about economic inequality, his message seemed aimed at the thousands of white liberals who attended his rallies. A month later, I accused his white online supporters of condescending to black people who weren’t sold on his civil rights record.

I’ve heard these concerns echoed throughout the black community. Just a few days ago, Fordham University political scientist Christina Greer said that, “in the rush to make it all about class, you turn on your blinders to certain things that quite frankly aren’t about class … [Sanders is] missing a very large piece of the puzzle, and what makes some black voters nervous, there seems to be a huge gap in his understanding about race.”

But now, I’m beginning to rethink my position. That’s thanks, largely, to Sanders’s black women supporters. Over the last week, I’ve spoken with people like Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner, Trayvon Martin family lawyer Natalie Jackson and several black female Sanders staffers. No one shaped my thinking more than Erica Garner. She’s the daughter of Eric Garner, an unarmed African American who died after being put in a choke hold by an NYPD officer in 2014.

During our conversation, she argued that Sanders’s push for economic equality is just as important for black people as fighting abusive policing. Listening to Garner explain how she feels Sanders will help ease her financial hardships struck a chord. Women make, on average, just 79 cents for every dollar a man makes. Black women earn just 60 cents on the dollar; Latinas make 55 cents on the dollar. For Garner, it doesn’t matter how many cops are thrown behind bars for killing black people if she can’t afford to pay her rent or afford child care for her 6-year-old daughter Alyssa.

FULL story at link.

[NaturalHigh]

1. Why would you have ever thought that in the first place?

[winter is coming]

2. Because some deliberately framed that as an either/or.

Guess who benefits from compartmentalizing social justice and economic justice, while implying that it's not possible to care about and work for both.

[mhatrw]

19. Can I have the top 1% dividers for $100,000,000,000?

The oldest trick in the top 1%'s book is to try to set different factions of the 99% against each other.

[Luminous Animal]

3. It's the title of the article.

[CharlotteVale]

4. K&R

[farleftlib]

5. I'm glad he kept an open mind and saw the light

Income inequality is an issue that transcends race, gender or what-have-you.

[thereismore]

6. Wow, Bernie's message does have an appeal in the black community! nt

[valerief]

7. I can no longer post in the African American group because I was told money had nothing

to do with institutional racism. My take is that the perversion of money/property has everything to do with everything bad in the world (except, of course, for the occasional crazy person doing violent things; and, yes, I know most crazy people aren't violent but some are). Institutional racism can't exist if it's not being nurtured by TPTB.

[Z_California]

8. All of these people are just "Berniebros"

[SoapBox]

9. K & R

[nyabingi]

10. I think most Black people understand the

intersection between race and economics, and how the two work together and are used by the wealthy (of all races) to keep enriching themselves. Broader economic change is most certainly needed, and the changes Bernie is talking about making will be a large benefit to all people. Bernie was very smart to also realize that the issues of importance specifically to Black Americans need to be addressed as well, and his outreach and work since the Netroots protests have been effective in getting his message out.

Like I've always said, Hillary has been skating by mainly with name recognition in the Black community because she's offered nothing in terms of policy that should make the Black electorate excited about her as a potential president.

[ancianita]

11. Totally agree. Killer Mike and Cornel West say that when more black folks look at Bernie,

they'll compare his work to the damage the Clintons did to the black community and change their minds about trusting Hillary.

[TCJ70]

12. That's the thing about Sander's ultimate message...

...it isn't about one group of people. It's about Americans. All of us.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

18. Yes! And those things include tuition-free college, single-payer healthcare, & infrastructure jobs.

[Cheviteau]

13. Why?

Why would you think Sanders would be bad for black folks? He was on the front lines of the civil rights movement back in the sixties. Either you're young and haven't done your homework in vetting your candidates, or you may be old and can't appreciate those days. I'm 76 yrs. old. I remember them very well...having lived in New Orleans in that period. Sanders takes a back seat to NO ONE when it comes to civil liberties for all people. Jesus!, you had to have someone tell you? Bet you still don't know what's on his resume'. Do some research.

[MisterP]

14. his shift came from looking into his record, campaign, and positions

as long as Sanders was an unknown factor they could pretend to keep up the atmosphere that he was a clueless economistic wonk talking only to Portlandia types

at the same time Clinton's AA appeal started to shift as they heard of him and, more importantly, started hearing of her record, started hearing what she was telling *other* groups when she said she was their One and Only, started getting disgusted with the content-free race-baiting by the likes of David Brock designed to cover up the tremendous damage she actually did

[valerief]

16. Bwah! Portlandia types!!! Ha! Bernie is sooooo not Portlandia, too.

[Omaha Steve]

15. Kick

[uponit7771]

17. Sanders lack of track record of mobilizing revolution is bad for the DNC, promising unicorns and not

... delivering could set us back

[mhatrw]

20. Much better to promise hope and change and not deliver.

Or to promise that we cannot have the kind of efficient, affordable healthcare every other rich and semi-rich nation can somehow have and deliver.

[artislife]

21. I suggest you check out the other thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511097083

I am thoroughly pissed about the DU turf wars in the thread but I think it needs to be seen..so read the replies.