STOP calling them "attacks".

These are attacks on Bernie and his supporters.

These are, of course, misdirected attacks. The real targets should be those in power and who have the capability to do something TODAY.

Attacks should be carried out, but not directed at Bernie, imo.

But you won't get those doing it to admit it

#BLM should formally issue an apology after meeting with Bernie to discuss the matter.

Then #BLM should go after Clinton 24/7. I can't ever forget the dogwhistles that Clinton made in 2008 regarding Obama.

It is a repeat of 2008 all over again, except Bernie is a far better candidate than Obama.

If he wanted an apology perhaps he would have stuck around.

Think about it. They plan a meeting to discuss their concerns with him. But before the meeting, they publicly scold him for not addressing their concerns.

That's a fucked up chronology if there ever was one.

Surely you're not serious.

I said that if they want to sit down and meet with someone, yelling at them beforehand is probably not going to help matters.

You're telling a person who is used to being frustrated and mad about being blown off, and who has learned the hard way, not just now but for a great many years, that polite meetings don't work, to just be quiet and everything will be ok. What they did Saturday is how they force someone, anyone in power to pay attention. And Sanders is not special. He's in power. Period.

So now, that's how telling them to have a polite meeting comes across. Their children are being murdered daily and weekly by white racists with s badge and a gun, and nothing is being done and they're supposed to do as their told and have polite meeting?

I know what you mean because I'm white and that's what we do. It's a horribly brutal and dangerous world out there and the lives of Blacjs matter and they're going to do what it takes, probably approaching Malcoln X's "by any means necessary". And a polite meeting ain't gonna do it.

White folks can have polite meetings and people listen. It's not that way with Blacks.

But the Black community is very tight. Unless you are Black, you can't really know their full experience. The best myself being white, and anyone else white can do is listen to them. And most importantly, learn. As a white person I can't tell them what's best for them any more than I can tell you if you do this or that everything will be ok because I don't know what it's like to be you. And although I've watched from the outside looking in, I can't say I know the Black experience. It's just something you just have to get from listening and understanding. And the only thing that will gain the trust of Blacks is to accept what they do and say just like you accept your friend or spouse for who they are. And while you may say you do, telling them how to act is not what they want to hear. They want action. So you let them express their outrage and anger exactly how they want to do it and you support them. They are not the enemy. We are all one.

Hope this makes sense.

AG Loretta Lynch has the power to do something. If the BLM group really cares about black lives, they would approach AG Loretta Lynch NOW. Many people will die before the next President takes office.

What the BLM protesters did to Bernie was rude, futile, and counterproductive, unless it was a political stunt to attack someone for their strength. I wouldn't blame him if he never speaks to them.

Being used constantly to when talking to usually GOP members of congress as well as Bush and no one questioned it.

The fact is that Sanders is in power, he is a U.S. Senator. A member of the body that makes our laws. He is the power. We are not.

their group. Effective leaders state grievances and demands in a rational fashion, if while they are doing so they are silenced or dismissed than they have every right to be disruptive.

Do what we have decided is the correct way to do it. You're telling them to operate according to the rules of polite society.

The thing is, they're Black. They know over many decades now that that approach doesn't work for them. Instead of politely asking to sit at a lunch counter according to the rules, they just did it. Big marches worked. Watts on fire worked. These things got people's attention and after many dead, they got what they wanted. But as the issues of BLM show, they're still not there. And they're supposed to sit down in a polite meeting?

police to adopt when police interact with blacks. The basic courtesy all people should display when they are dealing with others.

Your comment about the lunch counter is absurd because Bernie agreed to be there and listen. He's holding the door open and inviting them in. Furthermore in every speech he states categorically that should he become president he can only make the changes he wants to make by there being a mass movement to demand those changes. Bernie embraces movements. He wants people involved.

If things haven't changed fast enough than BLM should be directing their hostility at Obama not at the one person who is running who wants govt to be put in the hands of people not billionaires and corporations.

I know it blows my mind too.

His surrogate met with activists, as was always the plan. That did not change and you are spreading a lie.

Where was she?

And it's roughly a 2 hour plane ride from Phoenix to Arkansas. I'm sure Hillary could have attended had she desired. I don't blame her for avoiding a disorganized trainwreck, but the fundraiser is a lame excuse.

....so you can choose for her.

You clearly don't know the significance of Democrats' Jefferson Bailey Dinners.

By the way, Clinton flies on commercial airliners - you can't get from Phoenix to Little Rock commercially in 2 hours, more like 4 or 5 hours.

Takes under 3 hours.

And also wrong: "Jefferson Bailey" - it's "Jefferson JACKSON" dinner.

You obviously REALLY know your stuff.

....."Bailey" was added to honor a long-time progressive Democrat, John Bailey. Sometimes I call other states' dinners Jefferson Jackson, sometimes Jefferson Bailey.

By the way, from Phoenix to Little Rock on Saturdays there are only two Southwest flights - one leaves at 9:15 AM and the other at 1:35 PM, both before the NN session that Sanders and O'Malley attended.

All fares are rounded up to the nearest dollar. Select departing flights and fares from the following table. Each flight may have multiple fares to choose from.
Depart Arrive Flight # Routing Travel Time
9:15 AM 2:05 PM 1750 Nonstop 2h 50m
1:35 PM 9:20 PM 4489 Connecting Flight Change Planes LAS 5h 45m

Bernie should volunteer his time.

Have you no limit to your attacks?

People want to brag about his huge crowds, why not use his new found rockstar status to raise money for Dems so if he wins the Senate isn't 75-25 Repub? Can't get much done with those fuckers in control.

Hmmmm. Why, yes, those two names represent the old democrats --- the ones that supported slavery and the raping and pillaging of the native people. No wonder they didn't invite Bernie to their celebrations and big money raising!!

Got the Jefferson Jackson from George in his post below.
""In case you didn't realize it, Jefferson Jackson dinners are the single most important event for state Democratic Parties annually, and most State Committees line up their speakers many months in advance. It's an honor to be invited."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251463213#post31

That's a fundraiser, no? And I'm sure he's scheduling appearances to support Democratic candidates, he's a huge crowd draw.

....she was the keynote speaker and scheduled it a long time ago.

In case you didn't realize it, Jefferson Jackson dinners are the single most important event for state Democratic Parties annually, and most State Committees line up their speakers many months in advance. It's an honor to be invited.

Time to put those names in the grave. Like taking down the confederate flag. See this post George.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251463620

Oh yeah, that's the thing that Bernie is doing in Louisiana in a couple days.

http://louisianademocrats.org/2015/05/05/lajj2015/

Did Hillary support the candidacy of Jesse Jackson in 1988?

Any evidence of that?

The attacks are based on the calumnious lie that Bernie doesn't care about the issues of Black people.

The attacks are a sign that Hillary fans are frustrated.

Next year Netroots is going to be in St Louis..

"In a statement, Netroots Nation Executive Director Raven Brooks stood with the protesters. “Although we wish the candidates had more time to respond to the issues, what happened today is reflective of an urgent moment that America is facing today,” Brooks said. Next year’s conference will take place in St. Louis, close to Ferguson, and local leaders of the #BlackLivesMatter movement will be directly engaged, Brooks added. “We plan to work with activists there just as we did in Phoenix, to amplify issues like racial profiling and police brutality in a major way.”

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/122329/bernie-sanders-and-martin-omalley-failed-their-blacklivesmatter-test

that Bernie does not win the nomination.

And they pay the best talent money can buy just to sit around and figure out how to figure out the best way to attack people like Bernie.

Of course, the 1%, if they wanted, could have made the whole BLM problem go away by making sure everyone is treated equally.

But they use the issue as a dividing tool to keep us fighting amongst ourselves. As we see today, they have success.

Bernie, imo, is the best friend of Blacks to ever come along since Obama, and Bernie scares the 1% since he will trash their plans and bring them down to become more equal with the 99%.

BLM? The Sanders Campaign?

Not correct in either case.

disagree that Bernie can do much about it even if elected President. Racism is institutionalized into the power structure of Capitalism. It will take much more than elections to correct the problems that the struggling and oppressed face. That is what the Black Lives Matter movement is somewhat about. They are shouting into the ears of the politicians that the status quo is not acceptable. The years upon years of lip-service and feel good platitudes DO NOT represent our demands.

There is no solution on the horizon Robert Earl that merely voting is going to correct. Movements need to force the issue. Imagine working class movements across all divides marching in the streets day and night until demands are addressed and met. You get the picture of the actual power in that. Black Lives Matter is just a sample. These discussions of "Social Justice vs Economic Justice" are laughable to any actual leftist of any color or creed that supports real social change that benefits the whole of the oppressed and exploited over the profits of the ruling classes.

Except to say that the department of Justice can take a much more active role in prosecuting the law officers that abuse the civil rights of people who are DWB. Or Walking While Black.

Imo, Obama, for obvious reasons, had to be very careful about seeming to be too radical. A white guy like Bernie can do the right thing and, imo, he will. The public - us - will be encouraged to take it to the streets because we know the President has laced up his shoes and is joining us in the quest of equality for all.

in our current power structure Robert. They all answer to Capital first and foremost. As it stands... all of our societal arrangements (political, economic, social) answer to the call of Capital and the ruling elite over the people as a whole. Everything else stems from that and it has always been so since the beginnings of the capitalist modes of production. We need clarity in all things Robert to define the way forward. There seems to be some potential in Bernie Sanders campaign in getting people together for a common fight against power and privilege. Sanders knows he can't get anything done without a movement behind him. He has some warts and is not left enough for my liking but I think he brings something that can be built on as evidenced by the crowds he is drawing. People are listening. A little Albert in the spirit of our discussion Robert.


Why Socialism ? ... by Albert Einstein

http://monthlyreview.org/2009/05/01/why-socialism

(Snips)...

" Man is, at one and the same time, a solitary being and a social being. As a solitary being, he attempts to protect his own existence and that of those who are closest to him, to satisfy his personal desires, and to develop his innate abilities. As a social being, he seeks to gain the recognition and affection of his fellow human beings, to share in their pleasures, to comfort them in their sorrows, and to improve their conditions of life. Only the existence of these varied, frequently conflicting, strivings accounts for the special character of a man, and their specific combination determines the extent to which an individual can achieve an inner equilibrium and can contribute to the well-being of society. It is quite possible that the relative strength of these two drives is, in the main, fixed by inheritance. But the personality that finally emerges is largely formed by the environment in which a man happens to find himself during his development, by the structure of the society in which he grows up, by the tradition of that society, and by its appraisal of particular types of behavior. The abstract concept “society” means to the individual human being the sum total of his direct and indirect relations to his contemporaries and to all the people of earlier generations. The individual is able to think, feel, strive, and work by himself; but he depends so much upon society—in his physical, intellectual, and emotional existence—that it is impossible to think of him, or to understand him, outside the framework of society. It is “society” which provides man with food, clothing, a home, the tools of work, language, the forms of thought, and most of the content of thought; his life is made possible through the labor and the accomplishments of the many millions past and present who are all hidden behind the small word “society.”

" I have now reached the point where I may indicate briefly what to me constitutes the essence of the crisis of our time. It concerns the relationship of the individual to society. The individual has become more conscious than ever of his dependence upon society. But he does not experience this dependence as a positive asset, as an organic tie, as a protective force, but rather as a threat to his natural rights, or even to his economic existence. Moreover, his position in society is such that the egotistical drives of his make-up are constantly being accentuated, while his social drives, which are by nature weaker, progressively deteriorate. All human beings, whatever their position in society, are suffering from this process of deterioration. Unknowingly prisoners of their own egotism, they feel insecure, lonely, and deprived of the naive, simple, and unsophisticated enjoyment of life. Man can find meaning in life, short and perilous as it is, only through devoting himself to society. "

" The economic anarchy of capitalist society as it exists today is, in my opinion, the real source of the evil. We see before us a huge community of producers the members of which are unceasingly striving to deprive each other of the fruits of their collective labor—not by force, but on the whole in faithful compliance with legally established rules. In this respect, it is important to realize that the means of production—that is to say, the entire productive capacity that is needed for producing consumer goods as well as additional capital goods—may legally be, and for the most part are, the private property of individuals. "

" Private capital tends to become concentrated in few hands, partly because of competition among the capitalists, and partly because technological development and the increasing division of labor encourage the formation of larger units of production at the expense of smaller ones. The result of these developments is an oligarchy of private capital the enormous power of which cannot be effectively checked even by a democratically organized political society. This is true since the members of legislative bodies are selected by political parties, largely financed or otherwise influenced by private capitalists who, for all practical purposes, separate the electorate from the legislature. The consequence is that the representatives of the people do not in fact sufficiently protect the interests of the underprivileged sections of the population. Moreover, under existing conditions, private capitalists inevitably control, directly or indirectly, the main sources of information (press, radio, education). It is thus extremely difficult, and indeed in most cases quite impossible, for the individual citizen to come to objective conclusions and to make intelligent use of his political rights. "

Because he'll be on the ballot in November. So just shut up and wait and see what he'll do as prez. Got it.

And the fact that this is on the Greatest Page proves that there are still at least 15 or 16 Sanders supporters that STILL don't get it.

If that is your take then there really is not going to be any good discussion from you.

They may as well not knock on any of their doors to ask for them to support him. Where was he when we needed him? GOTV indeed.

Here, on DU, the vicious attacks on Bernie's integrity, and ignorance of his stance on equality for everyone is what concerns me.

But it is, as I say, these attacks are par for the course given the establishment's politics. Politics that Bernie will revamp.

"ignorance of his stance on equality"

And that's the crux of the matter right there… his supporters think everyone who doesn't automatically get behind Sanders is ignorant of his stance on equality. All you have to do is let everyone know he marched with MLK decades ago, am I right?

How can so many be this obtuse?

Bernie is attacked because he marched with MLK.

Weird.

From the way some people talk about him, he did that one march and has been living in a cave until 2015

Making Sanders out to be just as Black as MLK.

Wow. That's a new one. Way to go.

IDK, but were MLK still alive, I think he'd be quite in the Bernie camp.

Bernie and MLK spoke about the same things. In fact, Bernie learned from MLK, as would any wise person.

It's not an easy concept to grasp.

You are one of the biggest names on this site doing it. And then while you are doing it you claim you aren't it's a lot like the tactics that abusive people use. I didn't really hit you that hard really and it was your fault and you take everything the wrong way. I am not having it.

That Sanders is just as Black or Blacker than MLK, Jesse Jackson, Rep Lewis, et al.

He's the President. He has the power. I assume he's more sensitive to the issue than any President in history. Who knows who will be President in two years-it could be a Republican, god forbid.

tactics and message as his supporters on DU are proving to be there is zero chance he will be the nominee.

Zero.

would do zero for POC.

Bernie has been the best friend of PoC for over 50 years.

Jesse Jackson had ONLY two white political supporters in 1984 - Jim Hightower and Bernie Sanders.

Clinton will shoot herself in the foot, like she did in 2008.

I'm almost glad I'll be in training for the rest of the week.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]All things in moderation, including moderation.[/center][/font][hr]

at this point I don't give a f*** which of the candidates win the election. Whichever candidate is ahead in this election, BLM will be directly in their rearview mirror.

It appears that those of you here don't care about anybody but Bernie....feel the Bern. And those affiliated with BLM are so afraid for their loved ones every minute of every day. And they don't have a lot of time for the bread and butter issues that we usually concern ourselves with.

At this moment in time, Bernie is the one that appear to have more going for him, and rightly so. Be serious, would you go for the weaker candidate if there were problems that you wanted the next President to address?

I think it would be a good idea if Bernie AND the other candidates get someone from BLM and hire them. If people in the black community become despondent they will NOT show up for the election. No Democrat will win. It's been said that the Democrats will definitely need at least 65% of the Black voters that help put Obama in the Whitehouse in 2008 and 2012.

So you can keep attacking the people in the Black community if that makes you feel better because BLM will continue their struggle I'm sure.

I damn sure did not attack people in the Black community. That attack on me is just ridiculous.

Bernie is, imo, a great friend of the Black community. Unlike Clinton. Who parties with the people who tout the old dem party of slavery and removal of native Americans at:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251463620

It's like everyone who is NOT protecting Bernie should shut the f*** up. Again sorry. I've got some issues with Clinton and O'Malley. Bernie is not exactly perfect either, but he's ahead of the others. Bernie still needs to get people from BLM in his organization to help him.

Excellent idea. For everybody else, too.

I have to admit a have a motive beyond it just being the right and smart thing to do. As a Bernie supporter, I'm worried by what I've been hearing. And the fact that some don't seem to respond by listening.

People just need to be heard...acknowledged and not ignored.

That's one of my pet peeves.

We're all talking about #BLM now. Mission accomplished. Problem is, they are a young organization and they don't know who their friends (political allies) are yet. They don't have the discipline or political action shop of, say the 2010 Republicans.

If Hillary was there, she would have got some too.

That being said, I thiink a proper introduction is due.

Bernie Sanders Opposing Clinton Crime Prevention Bill 10/22/1991

just get your ass out and vote for Bernie and shut the f*** up!

Good luck with GOTV in 2016.