What did Bernie mean when he said....."But that's not important"

[Cali_Democrat]

Last edited Wed Sep 30, 2015, 01:06 PM - Edit history (1)

What's not important?

Well, here's what you got. What you got is an African-American president, and the African-American community is very, very proud that this country has overcome racism and voted for him for president. And that's kind of natural. You've got a situation where the Republican Party has been strongly anti-immigration, and you've got a Hispanic community which is looking to the Democrats for help. But that's not important. You should not be basing your politics based on your color. What you should be basing your politics on is, how is your family doing? ... In the last election, in state after state, you had an abysmally low vote for the Democrats among white, working-class people. And I think the reason for that is that the Democrats have not made it clear that they are prepared to stand with the working-class people of this country, take on the big money interests. I think the key issue that we have to focus on, and I know people are uncomfortable about talking about it, is the role of the billionaire class in American society.

http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2014/11/19/365024592/sen-bernie-sanders-on-how-democrats-lost-white-voters

[peacebird]

1. Answered in the same paragraph you pukled the quote from, keep reading.....

[Cali_Democrat]

11. So what was he referring to when he said...."but that's not important"

What's not important?

Simple question.

[wendylaroux]

27. simple answer

vote in your best interest.

[FSogol]

2. Wow, Look at what he said here:

Well, here's what you got. What you got is an African-American president, and the African-American community is very, very proud that this country has overcome racism and voted for him for president. And that's kind of natural. You've got a situation where the Republican Party has been strongly anti-immigration, and you've got a Hispanic community which is looking to the Democrats for help. But that's not important. You should not be basing your politics based on your color. What you should be basing your politics on is, how is your family doing? ... In the last election, in state after state, you had an abysmally low vote for the Democrats among white, working-class people. And I think the reason for that is that the Democrats have not made it clear that they are prepared to stand with the working-class people of this country, take on the big money interests. I think the key issue that we have to focus on, and I know people are uncomfortable about talking about it, is the role of the billionaire class in American society.

SHOCKING!

[Schema Thing]

7. lol

[Bobbie Jo]

25. That was creepy. nt

[FSogol]

26. LOL. n/t

[Raine1967]

33. *snort*

[AgingAmerican]

3. Another pointless OP

In the style of mindless Republican smear

[LondonReign2]

16. The OP is a special sort of "genius" at that sort of thing

[peacebird]

41. exactly.

[Avalux]

4. Grasping at straws?

If you read the paragraph, it's easy to understand what he's saying. At least it is to me. Not sure why it isn't clear to you.

[Cali_Democrat]

13. So what's not important?

If it's so easy to understand, explain it.

[Avalux]

39. Sorry but I'm not going to bite your passive aggressive lure. n/t

[FormerRepublicanNow]

44. It seems to me voting only on the basis of identity politics

is not important or smart. After all the Republicans have Ben Carson, Marco Rubio, Carly Fiorina, and Ted Cruz. Vote on the basis of your own best interest.

[artislife]

5. And now, for the rest of the story

....????


Le sigh.

[The Polack MSgt]

6. What Forest?

What are you talking about, all I see are trees

[mak3cats]

8. This is the last post of yours that I will read - they've gotten to be a waste of my time... (eom)

[AtomicKitten]

32. Good decision; don't feed the troll. <nt>

[grasswire]

9. your nit picking.

That's what is not important. Just a waste of time. Doesn't hurt Bernie. Doesn't advance your candidate. Just makes you look impotent and bitter.

[DanTex]

10. Better watch it. Quoting Bernie verbatim is frowned on by certain juries...

[MindfulOne]

12. He meant, "it's not important if Cali_Democrat votes for me".

What he means, it is painfully obvious, is that what immediately precedes that line, "a Hispanic community which is looking to the Democrats for help", is not important.

He is saying that regardless of where Hispanics or Asians or others are looking for help, we simply have to help, we have to look at what they need and how we can help them.

It is a decidedly apolitical POV, one that says "this Democratic party versus Republican party bullshit has to end".

After all, it was the leaders and not the parties so much that gave us the great programs.

Look at today's Democratic party, with DWS fucking things up. It's a bag of shit in terms of making a difference, it ain't democratic.

Sanders seeks to restore it to it's former glory, but he's not going to perpetuate the old falsehood that's let so many down: Just vote for the Democrat, and it will be alright.

He's educating the voting populace.

That's probably painful for some.

[Armstead]

14. Haven't you chewed all the meat off this bone yet?

I know that you think this bone is tasty, but it's getting rancid.

Okay, perhaps instead of "that's not important" Sanders should have said "but that is less important than unity, and coming together to advance our common interests."

But he made that clear in the rest of his statement.

He's basically talking about the Big Tent that the Democratic Party claims to be, and not getting caught up in the Politics of Division the GOP specializes in.

Got a problem with THAT?

[99th_Monkey]

17. Very well said. Thank you.

Now I don't need to waste any energy on this pathetic OP.

[Cali_Democrat]

22. You should probably just go ahead and put me on ignore

It would be best for both of us.

After the way some people here have been treated, it's made me even more determined.

I'm not going anywhere.

[Armstead]

23. I don't do that....But I'll happily ignore your repetition of this particular meaningless meme

[wendylaroux]

28. whatever you do

do not put her on ignore!

[DanTex]

24. Oh, the irony of a Sanders supporter claiming the Dems should be a big tent party.

[Armstead]

34. Oh the irony

[99Forever]

15. What it means ....

....??????????????????????????

The desperation runs VERY DEEP in this one.

I almost feel sorry for anyone this invested into something that isn't ever going to happen.

Almost.

[NCTraveler]

19. "the Republican Party has been strongly anti-immigration"

It's becoming humorous to listen to Sanders talk about immigration. He and his supporters are trying desperately to re-write history. He just can't cover up the facts and some things are going to have sunlight on them soon. It is not a lie or assumption to say Sanders is strongly opposed to a path to citizenship. In 06 and 07 he teamed up with the most vile of republicans to defeat comprehensive immigration reform. He proved he would work with anyone in order to stop their pathway to citizenship. On the other side of the isle from Sanders and his republican co-horts you had Obama, Clinton, Biden and Ted Kennedy who wanted it to pass. Watching it go down in defeat is one of Sanders greatest legislative accomplishments. Lets be clear, stopping a path to citizenship for over ten million people is considered to be one of his greatest legislative accomplishments. What did Sanders claim the reason to continue the oppression of over ten million people in this country? Economics. There is literally zero debating that and people don't try because they know the words came right out of Sanders mouth. He put economics above that of a humanitarian crisis in our own country. Now that congress is even more conservative, Sanders is acting like he wants a pathway to citizenship. It is beyond dishonest.

He literally fought to continue the oppression of millions of people in this country because of visas. Stop bullshitting yourself people.

[Cali_Democrat]

20. +1000

[underthematrix]

29. Thank you

[redstateblues]

37. K & R

[leftofcool]

42. + a gadzillion

[uponit7771]

45. +1

[RussBLib]

47. that's not quite true

as usual, it's complicated

spend a couple of minutes on this one

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/bernie-sanders-and-immigration-its-complicated-119190

[frazzled]

21. I think he's clear in saying it: it's only about "the role of the billionaire class"

Forget about anti-immigrant sentiment or racism, long rooted in American society for 200 years. The key to all ills in the nation is the billionaire class. I guess it's a kind of trickle-down theory for us leftists. Get rid of the billionaire class and all this other stuff (which is "not important&quot will right itself.

It's an odd combination of 1930s style American Marxism and a kind of Revolutionary French Jacobinism. I'm on record disagreeing with this rigidly economic approach, even if I agree with Sanders on the need to address income inequality and to further reform Wall Street and corporate regulation in this country. I find the singular focus on wealth misses huge swaths of issues critical to real Americans: not only African Americans and Hispanics but women and families.

You can put all the "big money interests" you want in prison, but it won't help racial bias, or violence against women, or gun violence, or a host of other problems. It won't create a classless society or a paradisiacal new America. It's just too narrow.

(The paragraph cited is also insulting to minorities and paternalistic.)

[Armstead]

36. Ever hear of walking and chewing gum at the same time?

[leftofcool]

43. Very insulting to minorities

[wendylaroux]

30. Cali,you are like:

"ok fellow posters on this other site,I'm going in,cover me" and here you all all.

[polly7]

48. !!!

[Armstead]

35. yep. exactly

[840high]

38. unrec. - still at it, eh?

[cherokeeprogressive]

40. These posts remind me of a joke I heard long ago...

(paraphrasing)

What happens when C_D shoots arrows into the sky?

What

He misses.

[bettyellen]

46. It's foot in the mouth moment. Because he is unpracticed....

People think he is incredibly consistant because he's so honest. Not saying huge isn't- but it's obviously the could talk about economics in his sleep and kick ass. He's so experienced in that area, no gaffes will occur.
That isn't half as bad as when people brought up Ferguson and he pivoted to college- which is where Mike Brown was headed. Ouch.