WAPO: Why Sanders strategy with African American voters is stumbling...

[brooklynite]

Washington Post:


But there are signs that he hasn’t reached out to black voters in the traditional manner of Democratic politicians. Sanders has demonstrated that he can draw large crowds almost anywhere — including thousands to a rally in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Monday. But he has not embraced another staple of the trail: retail politicking.

Clinton peppers her schedule with visits to restaurants, workplaces and houses of worship, providing opportunities to talk to voters in small groups or one-on-one (with TV cameras capturing the moment, of course).

Sanders has seemed like a fish out of water during his relatively few attempts to mingle with ­everyday people. On a Sunday morning, he’s much more likely to appear on a network talk show than in a pew of an African American church. That aloofness may have hurt him, particularly among African Americans in the South. Rather than coming into their communities, Sanders was only seen as a northerner talking at them in large settings.

Supporter Killer Mike seemed to understand that. He told reporters that he wanted to take the senator on a barbershop tour throughout the South. Sanders visited a barbershop in Atlanta owned by Killer Mike — who widely distributed a video of their discussion there — but a tour never happened.

[dchill]

1. Why? 'Cause WaPo says so!

[NurseJackie]

4. It appears that the voters are saying so too.

[Cali_Democrat]

6. Don't you think it is stumbling?

Did you see the results from Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia?

Did you see the polls of African Americans in states like Michigan, Ohio and Florida?

He's getting absolutely killed when it comes to the African American vote.

[dchill]

8. And the reason for that is obscene.

[Cali_Democrat]

10. What is the reason in your opinion? nt

[Lizzie Poppet]

12. I actually understand it. I think it's wrong-headed, but I understand it.

Hillary is wildly inconsistent on most issues, and she's had her own glitches in her interactions with black voters, but her support for civil rights, etc., has been one of the few exceptions to her weathervane behavior. Black voters have seen this over the years. I can't condemn rewarding loyalty with loyalty.

I just can't help but think that Bernie's awkwardness with black audiences shouldn't erase his decades of equally staunch support for civil rights. Bernie's been loyal, too. And yes, I think that for most, voting against Bernie and his very different position on economic injustice is voting against one's self-interest. But it's not just black voters I think that about...it's any non-1%'er, regardless of race. How could a socialist like me think otherwise?

But my priorities aren't others' priorities, so I can't dismiss their reasoning, just disagree with it.

[Surya Gayatri]

21. Stagecraft and optics matter. Sure, it's calculated and pre-planned, but that's

what moves people. Meet me half way--meet me where I live.

[Lizzie Poppet]

23. Excellent point.

I don't "get" that kind of thing at an instinctive level (very low empathy...), but a close friend who's a high-end marketer has drummed it into my head.

[Surya Gayatri]

24. Yup, Marketing 101!

[kcr]

33. Yep, and they have to do it while looking like they're not doing it.

No matter what, a candidate cannot ignore this.

[Surya Gayatri]

35. Gotta be "natural and spontaneous" while running to a split-second schedule.

I don't know how they stand up to the strain.

[leftynyc]

15. If you have evidence to

the contrary, nothing stopping you from serving it up.

[NurseJackie]

2. Big time.

[GreatGazoo]

3. .

[leftynyc]

16. Polling only the

ones that sit on their asses and only vote when convenient isn't an argument.

[Lizzie Poppet]

25. We get it: young voters don't matter.

Let us know how that works for Hillary in November...when that age group that helped put Obama in the Oval Office stays home in droves and we get President Trump. Bernie takes a lot of heat for not connecting to black voters. Well, Hillary's just as big (or worse) a flop with young voters. It took both groups for us to be able to say "President Obama."

[giftedgirl77]

5. People tend to avoid situations that make them uncomfortable.

For BS that would be actual human contact. I don't think he's very personable & relatable. I think he lives in a very small bubble.

[dchill]

9. And I can see that you do.

[Armstead]

19. You obviously don't know shit about Sanders

he spends much of his time in Vermont going to events, town meetings and meeting with individual constituents. He is KNOWN for that, which is one reason the gets overwhelmingly reelected.

A national campaign is different, but don't propagate misinformation about who he is.

[Svafa]

34. The difference is that the Clintons have been running a national campaign--and pandering--

their entire lives. She had a huge head start on him, even though she repeatedly supported legislation that stabbed in the back the very communities she "reaches out" (read: panders) to. But they've been "reaching out" for decades, so it sticks.

[giftedgirl77]

38. Lol, Vermont is not the rest of the US.

Bet he won't take his ass to Hialeah or anywhere else where large concentrations of minorities live. He avoids brown ppl like the plauge. There's a reason he wins states like Vermont, NH, & Oklahoma.

[Armstead]

39. That is a load of happy horseshit

He has gone into many different kinds of places.

Your idiocy has made it to my ignore list. LOL

[giftedgirl77]

40. Oh no, please don't.

[KingFlorez]

7. That's exactly the reason

Retail politics wins races, because voters like when a candidate actually stops in to see them. You can't expect voters to come to you, you have to go to them. Laziness does not win races.

[Armstead]

20. To repeat....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=1444380

[Lizzie Poppet]

11. Some of the worst bullshit yet by corporate media:

Sanders has seemed like a fish out of water during his relatively few attempts to mingle with ­everyday people.

Apparently only black people qualify as "everyday people." What a steaming load of sub-moronic racist shit. Attempting to portray Bernie as a candidate less connected to the people than Hillary (of all people) is probably the worst case of projection I've ever seen in my life...total Bizarro World, goatee universe absurdity.

We get it: black voters are probably going to hand the primary to Hillary. But pretending that this somehow means Bernie isn't a candidate of the people - all the people - is almost as stupid as it is dishonest and divisive.

[haikugal]

28. Thank you..it's more swift boating by Hillary. She lies!

[Lizzie Poppet]

42. Like a rug!

Character matters...

[dsc]

41. yes woe is white people

for we are never treated as ordinary.

[lumberjack_jeff]

13. Alternative explanation. Hillary can only get audiences when she crashes church services.

Or $1000-a-plate fundraisers.

[BumRushDaShow]

14. "more likely to appear on a network talk show"

But DU claims there is a complete "media blackout" despite his multiple appearances.

America is full of a diverse set of cultural/regional/ethnic practices and it behooves the national politician to learn them and utilize them - even if they feel that it may be considered "pandering". Many will forgive someone "trying" but may be loathe to forgive someone outright dismissing these non-verbal ways cultures interact and communicate. Ignore this and you will be tuned out as it would be considered insulting. If anything, making the effort is the perfect primer to being President as the President must deal internationally with many cultural differences and expectations.

[brooklynite]

22. Washington Post has another article...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2016/03/08/daily-202-hillary-clinton-is-winning-with-a-hyper-local-strategy/56de2040981b92a22d7612d7/

Pointing out that Clinton focuses on local issues of concerns to voters. My experience is that Sanders continually focuses on the same message, which is addresses national issues.

[BumRushDaShow]

26. I did get a WP alert on that article

but haven't had chance to read it. There will probably always be a debate on which method works best with a particular electorate but regardless of method, the candidates need to be able to cover the full depth and breadth of subject matter. I expect most voters who are paying attention are asking "what's in your agenda for me?" and you have to be able to answer that (at least a modicum amount) to their satisfaction.

[Armstead]

27. Like she gives a rat's ass about local issues

Hey can she come to my town and promise to fix the potholes on my street?

[Surya Gayatri]

36. All the world's a stage...

Stagecraft and optics matter. Marketing 101.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511443923#post21

[oasis]

17. "fish out of water".

[DCBob]

18. Bernie should have done the tour.

Get down and dirty with the locals. Go to churches, homeless shelters, local cafes, shops, etc. That would have done him some good.

[Gwhittey]

31. Yea

He should of went to the Town of Flint with out the media and had a private meeting with town leaders and community people on what can be done.

[ibegurpard]

29. here's why

Clinton poisoned the well.
And she (and the rest of us) will pay the price for it in November.

[katsy]

30. People are quirky. They are who they are

And if voters can't see beyond his awkwardness sometimes (I haven't seen this but everyone says so 😂 then it's their loss.

I was hoping our candidates would be judged on their substance, character, basic honesty (of human limits not unachievable ideals), policies, empathy for the least of us..... Just to point out a few of those characteristics.

Instead I read post after post after post... All the same "he doesn't get ME, he doesn't know how to reach US, he doesn't visit our churches, he is weird, awkward...." Blah blah blah fucking blah.

I'm sorry for him. He deserves all the scrutiny for policies and the rest of the noise here is bullshit.

For the record... I never disparage Secretary Clinton either. I thought the Democrats were above the nasty petty bs the gop flings. I think very little of people trying to force a wedge between centrist and progressives. We play to gop narratives.

I've taught my kids to be patient and kind with people to listen MORE than they speak and to understand that perception isn't always reality.

Don't fucking vote for Sanders and you don't need to justify yourselves to anyone. I don't give 2 shits. I still won't fling shit... And u fucking well know that "lack of connection" has no fucking measurement in reality. It is a subjective judgment, u have the right to it so move the fuck on.

Bernie CAN'T fix a racist country. Hillary CAN'T fix a racist country. Leaders can only fix unjust laws, open economic and educational opportunities, work on behalf of all Americans regarding family and health policies. That's their limitations. They can't change minds they can only even the playing field.

Both our candidates will do fine and speak well to whomever is willing to listen.

[Gwhittey]

32. Yea I agree

Bush was down home and likable that people said they would like to drink a beer with.
I wonder how that turned out.

[katsy]

37. After a million dead Iraqis and the ME

still burning I hope they choke on that very costly beer.

[Triana]

43. Washington Post Ran 16 Negative Stories on Bernie Sanders in 16 Hours

In what has to be some kind of record, the Washington Post ran 16 negative stories on Bernie Sanders in 16 hours, between roughly 10:20 PM EST Sunday, March 6, to 3:54 PM EST Monday, March 7—a window that includes the crucial Democratic debate in Flint, Michigan, and the next morning’s spin:


March 6, 10:20 PM: Bernie Sanders Pledges the US Won’t Be No. 1 in Incarceration. He’ll Need to Release Lots of Criminals
March 7, 12:39 AM: Clinton Is Running for President. Sanders Is Doing Something Else
March 7, 4:04 AM: This Is Huge: Drumpf, Sanders Both Using Same Catchphrase
March 7, 4:49 AM: Mental Health Patients to Bernie Sanders: Don’t Compare Us to the GOP Candidates
March 7, 6:00 AM: ‘Excuse Me, I’m Talking’: Bernie Sanders Shuts Down Hillary Clinton, Repeatedly
March 7, 9:24 AM: Bernie Sanders’s Two Big Lies About the Global Economy
March 7, 8:25 AM: Five Reasons Bernie Sanders Lost Last Night’s Democratic Debate
March 7, 8:44 AM: An Awkward Reality for Bernie Sanders: A Strategy Focused on Whiter States
March 7, 8:44 AM: Bernie Sanders Says White People Don’t Know What It’s Like to Live in a ‘Ghetto.’ About That…
March 7, 11:49 AM: The NRA Just Praised Bernie Sanders — and Did Him No Favors in Doing So
March 7, 12:55 PM: Even Bernie Sanders Can Beat Donald Drumpf
March 7, 1:08 PM: What Bernie Sanders Still Doesn’t Get About Arguing With Hillary Clinton
March 7, 1:44 PM: Why Obama Says Bank Reform Is a Success but Bernie Sanders Says It’s a Failure
March 7, 2:16 PM: Here’s Something Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders Have in Common: And the Piece of the Argument That Bernie Doesn’t Get Quite Right.
March 7, 3:31 PM: ‘Excuse Me!’: Bernie Sanders Doesn’t Know How to Talk About Black People
March 7, 3:54 PM: And the Most Partisan Senator of 2015 Is … Bernie Sanders!

All of these posts paint his candidacy in a negative light, mainly by advancing the narrative that he’s a clueless white man incapable of winning over people of color or speaking to women. Even the one article about Sanders beating Drumpf implies this is somehow a surprise—despite the fact that Sanders consistently out-polls Hillary Clinton against the New York businessman.

There were two posts in this time frame that one could consider neutral: “These Academics Say Bernie Sanders’ College Plan Will Be a Boon for African-American Students, Will It?” and “Democratic Debate: Clinton, Sanders Spar Over Fracking, Gun Control, Trade and Jobs.” None could be read as positive.

THE REST:

http://www.fair.org/static/bernie-static.html

(excuse the DRUMPF wording. I have the 'Make Donald Drumpf Again!' plugin loaded. It changes some instances of 'Trump' to 'Drumpf'.)

[oasis]

44. Going the extra mile comes with the territory.

Hillary knows it, and does it.