Mother Of Michael Brown To Endorse Hillary Clinton

[DemocratSinceBirth]

PER MSNBC

[NurseJackie]

1. Very meaningful. Very important.

[pipoman]

10. How so?

[BlueMTexpat]

2. K & R!

Just stopped by to give this a kick, DSB!

Thanks for posting!

[Uponthegears]

3. Do you have a link?

I just searched the MSNBC website for

"Michael Brown"
"Michael Brown's mother"
and
"Michael Brown's mother to endorse Clinton"

over the last two days

Not finding this story

[DemocratSinceBirth]

4. Kristen Welker said it within the hour./nt

[Uponthegears]

5. Tx!

[Uponthegears]

9. Did a google search on that

still nothing . . . no problem though, I'm sure it will turn up.

I was just looking for more info!

[DemocratSinceBirth]

11. ...

https://www.reddit.com/r/hillaryclinton/comments/4ai94e/monica_alba_lezley_mcspadden_mother_of_michael/

[Uponthegears]

18. Tx again!

[Madam Mossfern]

6. I'm not trying to be mean spirited

but why is that such a great endorsement? What specific political or policy expertise does this woman have? What are her accomplishments besides her celebrity because her son was killed? Sure we can have sympathy for her.

[brooklynite]

7. I'm sure you posted the same when "Killer Mike" endorsed Sanders, right?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

8. We could say the same thing about Mike Bigga's endorsement of Senator Sanders but we won't.

We gracefully allowed the senator and his supporters to celebrate it.

[Madam Mossfern]

12. I didn't see that post, as I'm not here 24/7

Are you attacking me personally instead of addressing what I posted?

As for an answer to your question, I don't take much faith in celebrity endorsements no matter whom they are for.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I must spend the next few hours looking for them to respond to in order to meet your standard for posting on this forum.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

13. Three points.

1) I didn't attack anybody personally
2) To be consistent we should have universal standards for weighing the value of all endorsements.
3) Because of the tragedy that has befallen her and her family she is a powerful moral witness.

[heaven05]

16. it feels

mean spirited and a back hand slap to someone who has a right to vote HER conscience.....

[Uponthegears]

17. I'm a Sanders supporter

BUT

I agree it is a big endorsement, although not for the same reasons as some other people might.

The fact is that Secretary Clinton's positions on the systemic racism in the criminal justice system could not be worse. Her history of support for Bill's crime bill, her support for the death penalty, her accepting money from the private prison industry (which is a MAJOR force behind "tough on crime" legislation), her "predators" comment, her refusal to call out the Justice Department's acquiescence to the murder of Michael Brown and Tamir Rice, etc. are ample evidence that her fight against systemic racism in the criminal justice system does not extend beyond those issues upon which she has the support of so-called "Reagan Democrats."

That being said, for a woman whose son has been taken from her by a form of racism against which Hillary refuses to stand, to still endorse Secretary Clinton illustrates the fact that for most of us systemic racism in the criminal justice system, even when it results in the murder of our children, is not the form of racism we are experiencing on a day to day basis. Regarding the racism most of us face every day, while I do not believe either Hillary or Bernie are anywhere near where they should be, the fact is that there is very little light between Clinton's positions and Sanders' positions.

The fact that the mother of a young man (whose murder by the government was not even acknowledged by a person with the standing of Eric Holder) still chooses to endorse Secretary Clinton says a great deal -- not so much about Hillary's "upside" but about the "downside" many among my friends and family see in the heightened risks inherent in revolution for people who lack the privileges that enable others (I hope I need add no adjectives here) to weather its failure.

In my advanced age, jaded as I am by a lifetime of fighting within the system that I now believe cannot be fixed, I have concluded that revolution is the only way to effect true change. I cannot and will not, however, criticize those who still have a lifetime to deal with the ramifications of a failed uprising.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

20. Not trying to be quarrelsome but a few points...

Her history of support for Bill's crime bill

She had a lot of company, including many members of the CBC and Bernie Sanders.

her support for the death penalty,

I disagree with her but that's been the position of five of the last six Democratic presidential candidates including Barack Obama.

her accepting money from the private prison industry

No longer.

her "predators" comment,

The statement was inelegant and hurtful and cast out too wide a net. That being said there are inherently evil people who the rest of us need protection from, and they come in all colors.

[Uponthegears]

23. I guess we could

argue about those points, but I'd win (just joking)

I know you get my main point, though. There is a level of comfort in judging endorsers who happen to be PoC (and it goes both ways) that is disturbing (nice word) and simplistic (still a nicer word than it could have been). I guess I'm just tired of it.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

24. I still think this system is worth saving. I want it to be fair and equitable though.

[questionseverything]

25. she is still taking for profit prison lobbying money

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511435306


On Hillary and private prisons


After taking money directly from the private prison industry, when it became a political liability Hillary announced that she would no longer take contributions from them and was giving what she had recently received to charity.

So did Hillary really stop taking money from this industry? Not according to this article from Politico, which says that only applies to DIRECT contributions, not to contributions that go to SuperPacs and through bundlers who support Hillary.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2016/02/clinton-campaign-gives-private-prison-lobbyist-cash-to-charity-218524

<Despite the refunds, Clinton campaign continues to benefit handsomely from the fundraising assistance of some closely connected to the private prison business. In another report filed Sunday night, the campaign disclosed that Richard Sullivan of Capitol Counsel—until recently, a Raleigh, N.C.-based federally registered lobbyist for the for-profit prison operator GEO Group—bundled $69,363 in donations for Clinton in the fourth quarter, bringing his total for the year to a whopping $274,891.

That makes Sullivan the second-most prolific lobbyist-bundler for the Clinton campaign, beaten out only by D.C. lobbyist Heather Podesta, who's tallied up $348,581 so far.

Sullivan's firm, Capitol Counsel, has been registered for years to represent GEO Group subsidiary BI Inc.—which focuses on electronic monitoring of inmates. While the firm continues to represent BI, Sullivan no longer intends to do so, according to a disclosure form filed with Congress on Nov. 9.

The figures and the policy rejecting donations from prison lobbyists includes only direct donations to Clinton's campaign, not supportive super PACs or state and federal Democratic committees. (bold is mine)>

[Haveadream]

14. Bless her

Incredible admiration for her continued bravery and activism in the face of tremendous pain and loss. She is a true hero.

#BlackLivesMatter

[oasis]

15. Hillary has a history of getting things done.

Brown's mom made a good choice.

[ThePhilosopher04]

19. What exactly is that history?

Please tell.

[livetohike]

21. K&R

[Ken Burch]

22. Odd that she'd wait until the day of the Missouri primary.

Sorry for her loss...the timing of the endorsement is weird.