General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNo other candidate in this race has been as strong of an advocate for racial justice as Bernie has
There has been a lot of misinformation on this site lately suggesting that Bernie Sanders has been ignoring issues of race. I intend to prove in this post beyond any reasonable doubt that not only has Bernie Sanders talked about racial issues, but he has been a true champion for civil rights. Every example I am providing below of Bernie Sanders speaking out on racial issues is from the past year, I could go back to the 60's when Bernie was involved with the SNCC and marching with Martin Luther King but I don't need to go back that far. In recent months Bernie has spoken out far more than any other candidate on these issues, and here is the proof:
In the wake of continuing unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, Sen. Bernie Sanders said on Wednesday that he will introduce legislation to address the national crisis of black youth unemployment. In a letter to Senate colleagues, Sanders called for a thorough federal investigation of the Aug. 9 death of an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, who was shot by a police officer in the St. Louis suburb. We also must recognize, however, that there is an economic crisis facing our nations youth, particularly young African-Americans, Sanders said. In the St. Louis metro area, almost half of young African-American men are unemployed, Sanders said. Nationwide, the youth unemployment rate today is more than 20 percent and African-American youth unemployment is nearly 35 percent.
If we are going to address the issue of crime in low-income areas and in African-American communities, it might be a good idea that instead of putting military style equipment into police departments in those areas, we start investing in jobs for the young people there who desperately need them.
The legislation would provide $5.5 billion in immediate funding to states and localities to employ 1 million young Americans between the ages of 16 and 24.
Under the bill, the U.S. Department of Labor would provide $4 billion to states and local governments to provide summer and year-round employment opportunities for economically disadvantaged youth. The measure also would award $1.5 billion in competitive grants to provide work-based training to low- and moderate-income youth and disadvantaged young adults.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/08/21/1323382/-Bernie-Sanders-Responds-To-Ferguson
For those interested in reading Bernie's letter calling for a jobs program to benefit African American youth just follow the link below.
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/download/dear-colleague-youth-jobs?inline=file
Just earlier this month Sanders spoke out on Baltimore as well...
And in April he spoke extensively about Civil Rights...
And in March he participated on the March on Selma...
Can anyone honestly look at these links and continue to claim that Bernie Sanders has been ignoring people of color?
onecaliberal
(32,887 posts)malokvale77
(4,879 posts)He has never advocated otherwise.
orpupilofnature57
(15,472 posts)making a comment how minorities would be hurt by the oligarchy Hillary Clinton is an agent for , got me blocked from AA , and that's a FACT .
m-lekktor
(3,675 posts)if they banned you for being critical of Hillary.
JustAnotherGen
(31,869 posts)We are all over the place. That is not accurate.
Now if you were to come into the group and post that - you would get blocked.
If you came in and posted - What are your thoughts on each of the Candidates stances on the TPP, or a Paycheck Fairness Act, or Gun Control - from an AA Perspective -
That would be acceptable.
orpupilofnature57
(15,472 posts)but she is, her views on the TPP have switched thrice, her sense of entitlement, the e-mails a petty part of it, the casuistries she uses whenever held accountable for anything, leads me to believe she is one of the many people carrying the water for the 1%, hurting the rest of us( Minorities most, which got my head chewed off) , that and defending Cornel West .
JustAnotherGen
(31,869 posts)But rest assured - she will not appoint a person to the SCOTUS that would rule in favor of not allowing black women (in particular due to disparities in our criminal justice system) to vote.
I live in Hunterdon County NJ - just 10/15 minutes from the Bucks County PA border. I was getting rural Eastern PA, elderly, shut ins, people without cars to the polls in 2008. In 2012 - due to a discriminatory voter ID law, PA was a nail biter - specifically in Philly. If that Governor had been successful - the Pennsyltuckys would have determined those EC votes.
This isn't three dimensional chess or political gamesmanship, this is real. The Republicans have taken over local and state governments. They have a strangle hold in the House until 2020. The Rs have a lot of seats in play in 2016 in the Senate. I'm not sure we can be successful - but we can try.
If we aren't successful - as of 8 am today - the only thing standing between us these awful people - just awful and rotten to the core is going to be a woman named Clinton, or a man named Sanders, or a man named O'Malley. Not a single one will allow gerrymandering that disenfranchises us all (liberals/progressives) any more than we have already been.
When I left Western NY in 2006 for the warmth of more prosperous suns - there were about 700 K reasonable, sane people in the greater Rochester area. There were a half million people in all of Wyoming. I want to make sure the reasonable people don't have their districts dissolved into Genessee and Wayne counties. And rest assured those assholes in the House would love nothing more than to take the power of the voters in Rochester away.
The SCOTUS appointments that will happen in the next Administration are the long game for a lot of people. Our baby boomers are going to be a huge population. We can't give up seats to Gerry Mandering that will be filled with cruel people who have zero respect for how they changed the world for women, minorities, the GLBT community, etc etc.
The biggest users of my community kitchens ovens this winter were elderly men in my community who never quite learned how to *cook* - but could use our gas ovens for a few hours to keep their utility bills down - and learn in the process. This is the 6th wealthiest county in America - and our poor aren't poor enough for Republicans. Our elderly aren't cold enough, and our children aren't hungry enough.
So in my subject line I said I'm ready for O'Malley. But I'm also ready for Hillary or Sanders - or even Webb.
They won't throw us away and appoint another ass wipe like Scalia or Alito who are just there to serve the Kochs.
orpupilofnature57
(15,472 posts)the well thought analysis of the situation as it is, my brother lives just outside Philly .
JustAnotherGen
(31,869 posts)In Late Summer and early fall of 2014 orpupil came into the group, dropped bombs - then went about deleting them so we wouldn't have a record.
Orpupil then ignored the group/until there was a perfect opportunity to come in and drop disrespectful one liners to two of the group hosts. Neither of us are Clinton supporters/boosters.
Three times we politely asked orpupil to leave.
Then orpupil put (per a post there made by orpupil) two of the Group Hosts on ignore.
And since orpupil had us on ignore AFTER we politely asked him/her to leave - he/she couldn't see our explanation.
We aren't as heavy handed as many groups on DU - and are pretty tolerant - unless someone is disrespectful to the group or a regular participant. That's what happened.
For the record - there is no grand, great love for Hillary back there. You might want to take a look see at some of LiberalStalwart's posts.
Right now - we are all over the board.
You offered not one fact that she was an agent for this Oligarchy of which you speak - just one liners. Not one explanation.
And now you continue.
But that's AOK - because everyone else can see for themselves what really happened there.
We don't have a 'work space' - group hosts at DU. And our group host team believes in transparency and politely asking people to leave. So it's all there to see. It's all there.
orpupilofnature57
(15,472 posts)Number23
(24,544 posts)on all of this. Went above and beyond.
Now, will this change this poster's propensity for running all over DU, screaming about his block in the AA forum because he's a poor, picked on "Sanders supporter" and not because of his really obvious trolling of the AA forum -- which as you note, had been going on for MONTHS -- and the issues he apparently has with educated people of all colors and hues? I seriously doubt it.
Number23
(24,544 posts)"participation" in the AA forum.
BrotherIvan
(9,126 posts)seabeyond
(110,159 posts)tomorrow.
Jester Messiah
(4,711 posts)However, that is not the mode in which they operate.
L0oniX
(31,493 posts)1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)smokey nj
(43,853 posts)aspirant
(3,533 posts)and pictures are worth a million words
Thanks for taking the time
Autumn
(45,120 posts)Thanks for this.
smokey nj
(43,853 posts)raouldukelives
(5,178 posts)hootinholler
(26,449 posts)Where did everybody go?
LordGlenconner
(1,348 posts)DanTex
(20,709 posts)Bjorn Against
(12,041 posts)Even here on DU it seems many people are unaware of how strong of an advocate for civil rights Sanders has been.
Once voters start to learn of his long history of civil rights advocacy I suspect his polling numbers among black voters will improve substantially.
DanTex
(20,709 posts)that the fact that Bernie hasn't addressed race directly in his campaign, and doesn't seem to be making it a priority, is no big deal. No, you can't tell what race people are on the internet, but you can read what the AA group has to say, and it's pretty different from what gets said in GD. I mean, even in this thread we have someone complaining about getting banned from AA for defending Bernie there in ways that apparently some people didn't appreciate.
Yes, he has been a long-time civil rights advocate, but an extremely valid question is: will he, if elected, make issues of importance to the black community a priority? Hopefully he will have a better answer than what his DU supporters have been saying for the last few days, which is "economic inequality is inseparable from racial issues, and besides, he led sit-ins in the 60s" (this is a long and somewhat condescending way of saying "no" .
This isn't Bernie's fault, but there's definitely a potential difficulty for him here, also given how popular and trusted Clinton is in the black community. You can't have missed the meme that social issues are just some kind of distraction that the oligarchs use to divide the working class. If that idea becomes associated with his campaign, IMO it will basically end any chance he had of getting the nomination.
Bjorn Against
(12,041 posts)In fact he has been addressing these issues more vocally than any other candidate in the race.
The claim that he has not been addressing these issues in the campaign is clearly false as evidenced by the links in the OP, all of which are less than a year old.
DanTex
(20,709 posts)voters. Even in the first two videos where he is specifically asked about ongoing race-related events, he basically pivots to economic issues and job creation -- in the second video, he even starts out by saying that the police brutality seen in Baltimore and elsewhere is a "primarily a state and local issue". Watch those videos, and then watch this speech by Clinton, and then tell me who sounds more serious about confronting the racial problems with the criminal justice system.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/29/hillary-clinton-baltimore_n_7170668.html
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)Clinton laid out her vision for fundamentally reforming the criminal justice system, centering around an "end to the era of mass incarceration." Those changes include addressing probation and drug diversion programs, increasing support for mental health and drug treatment and pursuing alternative punishments for low-level offenders.
Bernie is lagging, how?
Voted YES on funding for alternative sentencing instead of more prisons. (Jun 2000)
Voted NO on more prosecution and sentencing for juvenile crime. (Jun 1999)
Reduce recidivism by giving offenders a Second Chance. (Mar 2007)
http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/bernie_sanders.htm
DanTex
(20,709 posts)Some people might not care, which is fine. Others do, hence the difference of opinion.
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)It is important for him to inform the public of his record, on that he stands out
very well and for many years. Clinton has already run for POTUS, and was SoS,
she has more name recognition, presently.
Voter apathy is a problem in US elections, understanding that phenomenon
will be another valuable resource for Sanders.
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)Was his announcement speech supposed to be two hours long just to make sure he touched on every issue? One speech and people are going apeshit. Give the man some time. His lengthy track record speaks for itself.
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)into the realm of the non-voting voters..there are millions of them and they cover a wide spectrum in American life.
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)These are issues he has carried the torch for all his political life.
Bjorn Against
(12,041 posts)Bernie calls for body cameras on police, community policing, and investigations into wrong doing by officers.
And yes, he calls for economic changes as well because economic justice is social justice. The reason that we have such problems with racism in this country is because in the early part of this country's history slave owners pushed the lie that blacks were less than human so they could ecomomically exploit them. After slavery ended blacks were pushed into segregated communities with few job opportunities that paid a decent wage so many blacks were forced into unemployment or working minimum wage jobs thàt do not pay the bills and the economic exploitation continued.
This leads to poverty, poverty leads to desperation, desperation leads to crime, crime leads to more aggressive police tactics, and more aggressive police tactics lead to innocent people being killed.
Economic injustice is the root cause of racism and bringing jobs and economic opportunity to the inner city is essential to achieving racial equality.
Economic justice and social justice are not two seperate issues, you can not have social justice without economic justice or vice versa.
DanTex
(20,709 posts)But you didn't answer my question. After watching them all, who comes across as more dedicated to reforming the criminal justice system and specifically the racial biases that exist in it?
Yes, after saying that this was a state and local issue, Bernie did call for investigations, and body cameras, and community policing. In contrast, Clinton said that there was something "profoundly wrong" with the criminal justice system and that it is "undeniable" that black people are treated unfairly by it.
I agree that economic and social justice are intertwined, but there is a limit to this. When black people are being murdered by police across the country, and incarcerated for minor drug crimes that white people get slaps on the wrists for, the problem is more than just income inequality.
Bjorn Against
(12,041 posts)Sorry it took me a while to respond, I had read the article you posted but I was on my phone with a crappy 3G connection and was not able to watch the video until now.
Now that I have seen the video I must say I am impressed. I don't think Hillary went beyond anything that Bernie has said, but she did express herself very well and I am sure Bernie would be in complete agreement with her.
As far as the local and state issue goes please realize that statement was not the focus of Bernie's speech, he was merely stating the law. I am sure Hillary would tell you the same thing, the President has very limited ability to actually do anything in regards to prosecuting the police because the law puts most of the power in dealing with the police in the hands of state and local governments. What the President can do is speak out and use the bully pulpit to call for change as both Bernie and Hillary have shown they will do.
giftedgirl77
(4,713 posts)the same thing nor are they intertwined. This is what white folks don't seem to comprehend & which is a HUGE issue for minority voters of all economic status. As a Hispanic woman with mixed race son's I can assure you that irregardless of where we are class wise we will always run into issues regarding social justice. Bernie Sanders is failing to comprehend & address this by always looping it back to an economic issue, it's not.
merrily
(45,251 posts)No clue why you think he only gets economic issues and not social justice.
giftedgirl77
(4,713 posts)record right? My response is in direct response to the person above me. Sanders seems to think that by providing minority youth economic opportunities this is somehow going to fix the social justice issues facing us today. That is wrong & will not help stop the killing, profiling & other social injustices we face regardless of our economic status.
I'm not saying everything he says is wrong, I'm saying flat out economic & social justice are not intertwined & shouldn't be conflated as such.
merrily
(45,251 posts)Regardless of what you were responding to, his voting and his lifelong activism show zero confusion about social justice. And, yes, I realize the rating is for his voting. How do you think I found out what it was? What does that have to do with CORE and SNCC?
As far as linkage between the two, maybe you want to take that up with John Lewis and the people who organized the March on Washington for Freedom and Jobs.
We march today for jobs and freedom, but we have nothing to be proud of, for hundreds and thousands of our brothers are not here for they have no money for their transportation, for they are receiving starvation wages...or no wages at all. In good conscience, we cannot support the administration's civil rights bill.
John Lewis, 1963
http://www.democraticunderground.com/12809672
giftedgirl77
(4,713 posts)response to another. I've said my piece & see you clearly have nothing more to offer so I'll be done with you now.
merrily
(45,251 posts)Bjorn Against
(12,041 posts)Would you not agree that minority communities have been denied economic justice for centuries?
Would you not also agree that you can not achieve social justice if minority communities continue to be subjected to economic injustice?
Please note that I never said racism will go away if there is economic justice, what I will say however is that the racists will hold far less power if they are no longer able to economically oppress minority groups.
giftedgirl77
(4,713 posts)can be higher up on the economic class structure & still constantly face social justice issues constantly. This is why there is constantly a disconnect between white people & POC when it comes to issues of social justice. No matter what neighborhood I leave in the morning or the type of car my son's are driving whether it's a truck or a benz they're still black & if they're driving a benz they aren't given the benefit of the doubt of just having money they a profiled as being drug dealers.
So, no once again I will tell you that the two issues are very much separate issues because social justice issues effect POC regardless of economic status. This is the problem. I'm all for pumping more money into our urban neighborhoods but one will not solve the other, period.
Bjorn Against
(12,041 posts)I was a sociology major, I have studied these issues thoroughly and I realize that wealthy minorities face racism as well.
A black man driving a BMW is more likely to be pulled over because the officer assumes they must be a drug dealer if they can afford a car like that. You can see in a situation such as this however that there is an assumption that the black person is poor and they don't have the resources to fight back. It is these sorts of cases that are most likely to lead to discrimination lawsuits because wealthy minorities do often have the resources to fight back.
If there were economic justice then more minorities would have the means to fight back and it may just make the racists think twice before they discriminate.
Again, I am not claiming economic justice will make racism disappear but it will certainly bring us a whole lot closer to racial equality than we are now.
orpupilofnature57
(15,472 posts)Cornel West agrees with you, though SCOTUS Justice Roberts and obviously President Obama thinks " American Exceptional-ism " will get it done, I believe I can say that being I voted for him twice .
giftedgirl77
(4,713 posts)Being an ass repeatedly got you blocked from the group, stop going around spouting nonsense & C West is full of shit
orpupilofnature57
(15,472 posts)Bernie Sanders OUT to being uncaring as far as civil rights is a LIE , and that shook the elite of that group .And Cornel West is a brilliant passionate man that doesn't LIE.
giftedgirl77
(4,713 posts)whine about getting blocked from the AA forum. You went into a protected group spouted out of your mouth repeatedly, were asked respectfully to knock it off & when you didn't you were blocked. Accept it & get over it.
Your opinion of CW is duly noted & rejected by this minority member but please continue explaining to me how I'm supposed to think.
orpupilofnature57
(15,472 posts)post on GD otherwise not many of us would even go in the Hillary or African American Groups and that's why you use the exposure of posting on GD, that's why I voted to hide , and I spouted off about being blocked in my explanation, just thought you should know .
Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)But why the insistence that they are totally UNrelated?
It's not like only straight white men are affected by layoffs, wage cuts, benefits cuts, pension theft, downsizing and outsourcing.
Isn't redlining a perfect example of economic and social oppression intertwining?
And it's not as if people who speak out against those things aren't equally involved in struggles against bigotry and social oppression.
Yes, economic oppression also affects white men...but is there something wrong in creating a coalition that includes them as not only supporters of anti-oppression politics, but also people who have, in their own way, experienced oppression?
The need is to create a huge coalition for big change...if including economic oppression as an issue makes that coalition larger, what's the harm?
merrily
(45,251 posts)Also, the "racially tinged" 2008 primary campaign is going to cause Hillary some problems.
BTW, no post I've read dismissively says that not addressing issues is no big deal.
LondonReign2
(5,213 posts)False. Next strawman?
JustAnotherGen
(31,869 posts)But I can't relate to him at all.
A tale of two men in the same age range -
Biden - I can relate to. Acerbic smart as - smart as a whip.
Sanders - Deeply intelligent and just as acerbic a wit as Biden - but he's hard to relate to.
muriel_volestrangler
(101,355 posts)I was looking for a poll that said what his national support among non-whites is, but couldn't find one. Thanks in advance.
aspirant
(3,533 posts)uponit7771
(90,359 posts)... the democratic constituency.
Kerry was no slouch when it came to racial justice either but lost more POC votes than Gore because Kerry homogenized racial issues into economic ones and never came in touch with POC
That's a no go this go around, murder cops have to be addressed separately and not as a issue of if you get more money they'll stop murdering your kids
karynnj
(59,504 posts)Setti Warren, now mayor of Newton, was a top staffer and Kerry is the Godfather of his oldest child. Ayanna Pressley, now a Boston city counciler, was his scheduler.
What is ignored in comparing the percents, is that in 2004 Bush was a sitting president and the country, including blacks was traumatized and people of all color rallied behind Bush.
2008 both had a black nominee and was an overall Democratic landslide. It is highly likely that any Democrat would have won in 2008 and any would have lost in 2004.
KittyWampus
(55,894 posts)Deal with it.
And I'm not talking about rhetoric.
I'm talking about living, breathing people.
uponit7771
(90,359 posts)... that town?!
Kerry lost 2% of the POC vote relative to Gore because he homogenized racial issues into economic ones and didn't speak to POC issues specifically ... Gore wasn't 10 times better
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)current, not old news legislation. Hopefully anyone interested will look at the entire record
and not just the civil rights record, there is cross over. I would have thought that would be
obvious to most people but considering some of the threads, I guess not.
http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/bernie_sanders.htm
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)be thoroughly embarrassed by Bernie's life long commitment to racial equality and was of the opinion they were best ignored.
Great OP, I remember the questions about WHO had gone to Selma for the anniversary not so long ago.
And I remembered that few of our Reps to my knowledge were there.
But Bernie was. Thanks for that great pic.
uponit7771
(90,359 posts)... and one of those reason is he overly homogenized racial issues into economic ones and didn't speak to racial issues specifically... just like Bernie did in this rally.
We'll see, it's early...
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)for those who are IGNORED deliberately, in this society. Worse, DENIED the right to economic stability.
If you think economics is not important to African Americans, only to White people, then there is nothing I can say to help you understand what Bernie, and many other Civil Rights activists are trying to say.
How ridiculous to say we should not try to provide equal economic opportunity for African Americans.
Now that to me seems a bit racist. I could be wrong of course.
uponit7771
(90,359 posts)... it's not just poor males of color that the cops are most likely to shoot looking at the facts on hand.
That's brushing over racial issues as economic ones, no... people dislike, or in these cases the cops are more threatened, because of skin color and money isn't going to fix that
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)Brutality this week when he stated that this has been an ongoing problem in this country, but was not given the attention it should have been given. NOW, he stated, it IS getting that attention finally. Then he spoke about how it ought to be addressed. And he did so in front of three Police Officers.
He also spoke about racism in this country.
So maybe stop making stuff up and start listening to the candidates. Bernie has been involved in this issue all of his life and has given much thought to how best to address it. Unlike those who give lip service to the problem, he has stood up when it wasn't exactly popular to do so.
I get the feeling sometimes that all this 'concern' is nothing more than an ugly way to try to smear someone who is now looking like more of a threat than originally predicted, to the status quo.
And I'm sure there will be plenty more of it.
This particular attempt to smear him is not going to fly. Better to try to find something else I suppose, and I'm sure we'll be seeing plenty of it.
Too bad people don't take a lesson from Bernie who, as he has stated, has 'never run a negative ad in my political career' and let's talk about real issues, not engage once again in these personal attacks that have no basis in fact.
uponit7771
(90,359 posts)I'm talking about his speech here recently
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)use this false claim to try to smear a candidate with long, long record of doing the opposite of what you are attempting to claim. So far be it for me to try to stop you.
I doubt no matter what he does, or says, you will refrain from 'but he didn't mention it in that one speech'.
Be my guest!
I hope that when I criticize any candidate I will do so based on FACTS. But that's just me.
uponit7771
(90,359 posts)... mention specific issues of POC like BLM and the racism behind the immigration issue for instance..
in his coming out campaign speech...
Miss step imho, these are not "economic" issues
Obama had WORST misteps in 2007 so what... That doesn't mean Obama was racist against black or white people... and no one harped on it
Bernie is a "not in my life time" candidate, I'm a fan not a cheerleader ... he fucks up I point it out
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)Yet when you are told, over and over again that he has been one of the most consistent members of Congress going way, way back to his days as a college student, when he was actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement, and throughout his career as a politician stood up for minorities, not just African Americans, Gays, Latinos etc, you ignore those facts and bounce right back to 'but he didn't mention it in a speech'.
Sorry, but I can only judge people here by what they write.
I have confidence that Bernie will be working with minority leaders, LISTENING to them, as that is what he does best, and has listened to them, and will do more for those who are oppressed in this country than any other candidate in this race.
He voted AGAINST Doma, when only a few had the guts to stand up for Gay Rights, championed Gay Marriage, two decades ago, before almost anyone currently serving in our government had even begun to 'evolve' on the issue.
And btw, here's another one for you. He didn't mention GAY RIGHTS in his speech either.
uponit7771
(90,359 posts).. that was homogenizing intense racial issues into economic ones... it's tone deaf IMHO... which is ust an opinion
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)a talking point is put out there, it has to be 'catapulted'.
But at least make it a TRUE talking point. Otherwise it won't go anywhere and only helps his SUPPORTERS to publish his long history on Civil Rights and Gay Rights and Women's Rights.
So I appreciate the effort, and will continue to use such silly comments to further educate people about Bernie's actual record on the issues.
Btw, as we know, Bernie was actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement in college. Hillary is of his generation also, what is her record from that era?
Asking because I truly do not know.
kenfrequed
(7,865 posts)Oh wait, he responded within days of the shooting event on August 18th.
http://www.politicususa.com/2014/08/18/bernie-sanders-brilliant-idea-giving-police-tanks-create-jobs.html
Hillary Clinton decided to wait a little longer to say anything.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/08/28/hillary-clinton-breaks-silence-on-ferguson/
But I suppose the next argument will be like:
"No man, you don't get it. It's all about the optics."
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)That you must insist on faux outrage memes like this one? Seriously, this is bottom feeding of the strangest kind.
uponit7771
(90,359 posts)... folk lets get over this one
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)faux
adjective
made in imitation; artificial.
"a string of faux pearls"
not genuine; fake or false.
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)is running now, or should/could run that would best represent a means to resolve the racial
inequality in the US?
Personally, what I see from the police is not only blatant racism but a militaristic mindset that
is nuts. I just watched a report last night of a black woman who was obviously pregnant and
thrown to the ground, it was over her right to refuse giving the cop her name and the white
woman involved was treated like a human being. Thankfully the victim here seems to have a
very good attorney and is suing the cop.
arcane1
(38,613 posts)uponit7771
(90,359 posts)... NSA spying is bad...
really bad
uponit7771
(90,359 posts)... enough to speak to them with a progressive tact.
WOW!!! Didn't know about the pregnant black woman !!!
Just saw the video... this is disgusting...
See, economics doesn't cover this... this at some point is overt racism seeing the white person wasn't treated like this at all.
giftedgirl77
(4,713 posts)a very clear difference between social & economic justice? I know it's getting quite tiresome to me but I'll be damned if I give up this fight until people understand what we go through on the daily.
Just wanted to let you know, you're not alone.
Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)But why does it offend people when it's pointed out that there are connections.
That's what Dr. King was saying too, after all.
Why is there this insistence on the part of some on saying there's no linkage at all?
Nobody has actually made the strawman claim that eliminating economic injustice would instantly end all forms of oppression.
Even hardline Marxist-Leninist types don't believe that.
Bernie raised the economic issues first because no other candidate gives a damn about them-it's bullshit to assume from that that he isn't just as strongly committed as(or more strongly committed than) any other Dem candidate to fighting social injustice as well.
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)scrutiny against his opening campaign speech/rally but quite another to suggest his record
is flawed, it illustrates he does not rely solely on economic equality legislation to lift people up
from racial inequality. His record is clear on this matter so I try to understand
that criticism but it is confusing at times with some of the threads on the subject.
Voted YES on funding for alternative sentencing instead of more prisons. (Jun 2000)
Voted NO on more prosecution and sentencing for juvenile crime. (Jun 1999)
Reduce recidivism by giving offenders a Second Chance. (Mar 2007)
http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/bernie_sanders.htm
Personally, I have concerns about the guns rights issues he has, so I try and
keep an open mind when others have their own concerns too. He is strong on being pro-active
education/crime as well. His biggest asset is his fight to overturn CU and then move
to fight for public funded elections, if you don't have a thriving democracy it will be tough
to fight for anyone's rights.
The poor pregnant lady, she looked so traumatized to me, it was an egregious act and I hope
they sue the crap out of them...disgusting doesn't even cover it.
Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)once some form of egalitarian economics was established.
You're attacking a reductivist argument that nobody is really making.
It isn't "either/or".
arcane1
(38,613 posts)His campaign sucked in multiple ways.
uponit7771
(90,359 posts)merrily
(45,251 posts)I thought he'd wipe the floor with Dimson. However, he'd start one sentence then interrupt himself and start another and interrupt that and on and on. To this day, I'm not entirely sure how many sentences he finished per debate.
Then there was his pro=war vote, following by his vote against funding the troops he'd voted to send into harm's way, then voting to fund, giving rise to passing out flip flops as souvenirs as the Republican National Convention, plus Cheney's comment, "He was before the Iraq war before he was against it."
And the Swiftboaters, aided and abetted by media They paid to run that ad ONCE. The rest of the time, media did it for free.
LondonReign2
(5,213 posts)But those making the insinuations really have no interest in the truth.
F4lconF16
(3,747 posts)Sanders has easily been the strongest advocate for racial equality. His history backs up his words, and his policies will do the most to address it. But it's not good enough.
When hundreds of black men are being murdered by police every year, you have to address that on its own terms. You have to talk about race and police. You can't redivert the conversation to jobs. You have to talk about our justice system. You have to talk about prisons, education, and the heaping pile of bullshit that is the War on Drugs.
He needs to make it explicitly clear that hears and understands the concerns of minority communities, and he needs to do so in his opening speeches. Having done so in the past is not good enough for many who remember that populist movements in the past have not been so inclusive. He represents a movement, not just himself, and that movement needs to fully integrate racial issues into the conversation.
Maedhros
(10,007 posts)However, Bernie is as good or better than any other candidate on the issues of race. They all need to get better.
merrily
(45,251 posts)frylock
(34,825 posts)cui bono
(19,926 posts)beam me up scottie
(57,349 posts)Bernie Sanders doesn't believe in social justice my ass.
m-lekktor
(3,675 posts)Katashi_itto
(10,175 posts)fadedrose
(10,044 posts)The more you see and hear him, the more you like him.
We have to keep sending little amounts to keep him in view. Some
candidates are hurt when they spend too much time in front of the public, but not Bernie. He's like a tree that rain and sunshine in the form of applause make him stronger and more appealing.
Somebody said once, that republicans fall in line, but democrats fall in love. That's true still.
And his wife, I have only seen her on TV once, smiling broadly, and she's a babydoll. I love her name, Jane...
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)Does he ever discuss the RW attack on women's reproductive rights or ignore it? Does he go beyond his side comment on Ferguson saying an investigation was needed, (but more importantly - jobs) because that's all I got in the first 15 minutes of the video.
Seems like he pointed to women, LGBT and POC in terms of past struggles that have been won (huh?) and that the only battle left to fight is on class.
Maybe there is more to his campaign and he's not a one trick pony. But from this - and from his website, where the omissions are glaring- I'm not seeing it.
Bjorn Against
(12,041 posts)I am going to need you to provide a link to your claim that he thinks class is the only battle left to fight because I have sure never heard him say such a thing.
As far as economic justice goes, yes he does bring that up often because it is crucial to achieving social justice. Minority groups have been the victims of economic injustice for centuries and there is no way we can achieve social justice without addressing economic injustice.
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)Women's reproductive rights being rolled back. He's not talking about the systemic racism that is an issue today as much as he is referring to it as a struggle that has already been won. He seemed to take the same tack with women struggles, suggesting they are over and that the economy is all that matters. It's a seems a bit out of touch to me.
I think he's a great candidate, and will likely figure out soon he needs to widen his outreach and go beyond economic (and environmental) issues in order to win. I'd like that to happen because his ideas need wider exposure. It'll be a much better primary season if he learns from this and is able to garner wider support.
I'd vote for him in a heartbeat, if given the opportunity. But I'm in one of those many states that vote so late, our nominee will already have been chosen. If Bernie gives me something more concrete than this - "it's the economy, stupid" campaign, I'd likely give him a few weekends of phone banking. But so far, he has not.
There has been a huge backlash against women since we've entered the job market- having some increased opportunity has not resulted improving my civil rights- we women have had the opposite experience. So, yeah... There's a bit of a disconnect. Others have suggested I did deep doing research etc, but I'm not just talking about convincing me but about Sanders having a viable candidacy. Even the people I know in RL who love him realize he's not appealing to those outside a white middle class mostly male demographic right now- to those singularly focused on the oligarchy.
He desperately needs to widen his appeal. I truly hope he does.
Bjorn Against
(12,041 posts)I have never once heard Bernie claim that the struggles of women or racial minorities is over, if you want to claim that is his position you will need to provide a link to where he said that.
The links I provided show him talking directly about the struggles minority communities face, he certainly was not saying those struggles have ended.
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)Except that they are wrong? Way to court those voters. Good luck with the campaign.
Bjorn Against
(12,041 posts)I never once said women and people of color are wrong.
Women and people of color are not a monolith, some of them agree with me and some of them don't.
The same holds true for your position.
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)Continue to ignore it and his campaign will meet an early death. Which would suck.
Bjorn Against
(12,041 posts)In fact the very OP that you are responding to is focused on Bernie's positions on civil rights issues effecting people of color.
I am more than willing to talk a whole lot more about these issues as well, and Bernie will also continue to talk about them as he has been for decades.
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)If he cares to. Not sure if that's the case, but it will be interesting to see. His supporters are not doing him any favors by portraying women and POC as unwitting rubes. theres a lot of arrogance, and zero empathy in such ideas. Huge mistake.
Bjorn Against
(12,041 posts)Neither has Bernie.
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)It's honestly starting to look like they want to alienate us. It's pretty fucked up.
I hope Bernie can turn things around, and the arrogance I see here right now disappears if and when he reaches out more widely. Right now it's off putting.
Bjorn Against
(12,041 posts)You clearly want to put words in my mouth and lie about my position, I am done with you.
TheKentuckian
(25,029 posts)bettyellen
(47,209 posts)is just bizarre. I'm not sure what the fuck is causing all this anger and disrespect-but I'm over it.
How about you sell your paranoid conspiracy theories somewhere else?
Youre embarrassing your candidate.
TheKentuckian
(25,029 posts)wondering what really would.
Caspian Morgan
(85 posts)He has always bee a man of the people and fought for human rights for everybody. This attempt by people to slander him is right up there with the Dean scream. That is what it reminds me of. Which means he is a great candidate that truly can win and he has a lot of people worried.