Meet Bernie Sanders: Where the Black Voter Fits Into His Ambitious Plan.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

Last edited Tue Oct 6, 2015, 06:42 PM - Edit history (1)

EBONY.COM: And where does the African American voter fit into that plan?
Bernie has good explanation

I like Bernie because he proposes ways to solve dire problems:

"We are currently spending about $80 billion to keep people in jail. This is why I have worked with Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) on a $5 billion jobs program geared to young people especially in those areas where unemployment has excelled...."

Read more at:

http://www.ebony.com/news-views/meet-bernie-sanders-where-the-black-voter-fits-into-his-ambitious-plan#axzz3nopmkln5

[Snotcicles]

1. Good read. Thanks for posting. nt

[Rosa Luxemburg]

2. Yes people should read it

[appalachiablue]

3. K & R. There are very good points made in the article, esp. about some

challenges Bernie faces like visibility, but also how He Is Not A Quitter. For real!

Go Bernie!

[Rosa Luxemburg]

4. He's real

nobody owns sections of the population (like some candidates think they do). Voters will realize soon that Bernie is the real deal and does not use people for his own ends - like some do. He does actually care about people.

[MineralMan]

5. There's only one black voter?

Could have fooled me. Silly, but black voters and other people of color decide their votes individually, just like the rest of us. The polls show that, too. Candidates err if they think there's a special way to get those votes.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

8. yes they do

but they don't want to be owned

[slipslidingaway]

6. knr thx n/t

[uponit7771]

7. Sanders changes wording but not the mindset. If 100% of blacks had a WELL PAYING job blacks would

... still be over represented in jails because we have a judiciary that doesn't represent America in any degree.

Its 95% white male and... like all humans do... have their own bias's...

If Americas judiciary was 95% black and blacks had power in the categories whites did then whites wouldn't fair any better in representation in jails.

Come on Bernie, attack the source... a judiciary that rules harder against blacks AND BROWNS than against whites

[thesquanderer]

9. Did you read the article?

He also says

We need to take a hard look at the war on drugs and the number of non-violent offenders who end up getting their lives destroyed by going to prison. We need to look at mandatory minimum sentencing and give judges more flexibility when there are issues of drug abuse or addiction.

and about a BLM topic,

It speaks again for the need for criminal justice reform in a very significant way.

[uponit7771]

11. "need to look" means nothing, its filler words for " I don't have an answer to". Commit legislation

... that looks at the sentences of blacks and browns from the beginning to end for instance.

A second look for the over represented and the under helped in court

just off the top of my head

[thesquanderer]

14. Well, it was a short piece...

...but at least he did talk about looking at these issues other than strictly from an economic perspective, which is what I was trying to say in response to your post. He actually does provide more detail on his web site:

https://berniesanders.com/issues/racial-justice/

[jfern]

16. Feel the Bern has some good information too

Racial justice:
http://feelthebern.org/bernie-sanders-on-racial-justice/

Black rights:
http://feelthebern.org/bernie-sanders-on-black-rights/

Criminal justice:
http://feelthebern.org/bernie-sanders-on-criminal-justice/

[Rosa Luxemburg]

18. Thanks

[AgingAmerican]

21. "Need to look at" means it needs to be addressed

...but you already knew that.

[Vattel]

10. I think Bernie wants to be effective.

I doubt bias in the judiciary has even 1/1000th of the impact on mass incarceration of blacks that lack of economic opportunity has.

[uponit7771]

13. This is wrong on its face... it IS a color thing... I can understand how some can't relate but

... people in America have been tought that different is deficient .... its a human condition.

There are rich blacks with all oppurtunity and affluence who are treated no different than poor blacks.

The judges and police don't care how much money you have in the bank.

I'm sure they're trying to do their best, but self reflection is kinda hard on systems that are already overloaded

[AgingAmerican]

22. So economic opportunities for AA teens are bad?

Cuz they aren't a cure all for all social ills? They have never been offered as a cure-all for anything. Only Hillary supporters have been saying that. Not Sanders. What is Hillary doing about the prison problem, besides collecting money from them? Anything?

[jfern]

12. That's not what Sanders is saying

EBONY.COM: Is it clear as to why Black Lives Matter is more significant than All Lives Matter?

SEN. SANDERS: Yes, particularly when I think about the case of Sandra Bland from a few months ago. Clearly if Sandra Bland, who was a middle class Black woman, had been a middle class White woman, it is unlikely that the police would have treated her in the same way. It’s unimaginable [what happened to her] but it’s a reality that has absolutely got change.

[uponit7771]

15. agreed, this is the first time I'm hearing him say its a color thing. The color thing has to be...

... addressed FIRST then the economics.

What are a bunch of rich black folk going to do but spend money suing and litigating a fucked up system

Sandra Bland was middle class ... that made no difference

[jfern]

17. It's not new for Sanders to say that racism should be addressed

Here's what he said the day before the first BLM protest.

And like everybody in this room, I want to see an America where when young black men walk down the street, they will not be harassed by police officers.

And he was the first Presidential candidate to say her name.

But he has listened, and improved his message and platform since then

[uponit7771]

26. It is new for sanders to say it should be addressed PRIMARLY and not as part of an economic plan

... that gives people an equal economic footing.

Sanders to this day still believes an equal economic footing would take care of a good portion of the issues of racism colored folk face.

[AOR]

19. Capitalist reactionaries of all stripes are unable to grasp...

the role that capitalist social relations, the capitalist power structure (which is in fact all about the money and economics), and class plays in racism, police brutality, and the criminal justice system. It's really very sad and there will be ZERO solutions until the role that capitalism, ruling class economics, and class plays in institutionalized racism is addressed.

It's even sadder that some here feel the need to defend themselves against reactionary bullshit thinking like you and a few others here have provided in your posts. People are actually stammering to agree that racism and police brutality can be addressed in any meaningful way without regards to capitalist social relations, economic justice, and class analysis. At this point it's beyond laughable.

The hidden agendas to defend capitalism, the status quo of having a ruling class, and personal political and economic comfort zone, while claiming to be outraged by and fighting against institutionalized racism and police brutality are very clear to any actual leftist paying attention.

[Vattel]

25. Racial ineuqlaities in economic and educational opportunity

kill way more blacks than racist cops do. Both are serious problems. There is absolutely no reason, though, for economics to be addressed second. They can be addressed simultaneously.

[Aerows]

24. I'm absolutely puzzled

why any self-described Democrat would be counter to Bernie Sanders.

It makes no sense to me.

[jfern]

20. kick

[Aerows]

23. Excellent article.

Thank you for posting this.

Some folks want to frame Bernie Sanders as though he is firing a gun and wearing white sheets.

It disgusts me that fellow Democrats sink that low.

As you say, we have a bunch of issues in our country that are far more important than hurting Wayne LaPierre's feelings or Sarah Palin's feelings.

We need a person to step up to the damn plate, and Bernie is right there, ready to smack the ball out of the park.