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BlueCaliDem

(15,438 posts)
Tue Oct 27, 2015, 02:55 PM Oct 2015

This is why endorsements are important to our presidential candidates and in the primaries.

An e-mail that I've just now received from the Hillary Clinton campaign and endorsed by highly respected and civil rights icon, John Lewis, (you might have seen him during the Benghazi witch hunt - er- hearing last week ), is helping to launch the "African Americans for Hillary" campaign and is asking supporters to join.

Friend --

When I set off to march across the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, Alabama, 50 years ago, I did so with the knowledge that I might not come back alive.

But I also knew that what we were trying to accomplish was vital to holding on to the promise of our country: that every person, regardless of race, had a say in their government.

I could never have guessed that in the year 2015, I’d be fighting essentially the same fight all over again.

While Republican candidates keep insisting that there isn’t a problem, Hillary Clinton has committed to turning the tide in favor of expanding voting rights for all Americans. That’s why I’m proud to be a part of this week's launch of African Americans for Hillary -- and I hope you’ll join me.

I was proud to hear Hillary reaffirm her commitment to protecting voting rights in Alabama recently at the Alabama Democratic Conference Convention -- as well as to reforming our criminal justice system and advocating for funding for historically black colleges and universities.

I look forward to fighting for her the way she’s fighting for all of us. That starts right here, when you stand with her.

African Americans for Hillary is a group of supporters making that commitment right now -- because we know how important Hillary’s campaign is to our values and our communities. Will you join me?

Join African Americans for Hillary
Thank you,

John Lewis


Needless to say, I'm not African American so I can't join, but man! I wish I could.

Endorsements are very important because those who endorse will help to campaign for their candidate, and their reputation matters.
38 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
This is why endorsements are important to our presidential candidates and in the primaries. (Original Post) BlueCaliDem Oct 2015 OP
But all you have to do is post a lot of videos... brooklynite Oct 2015 #1
Lol... bravenak Oct 2015 #2
I predict this is going to backfire BIG TIME. BlueCaliDem Oct 2015 #3
You are correct about C. West. nt kelliekat44 Oct 2015 #21
Thanks, kelliekat. It's what I'm hearing (and seeing) amonst my African American friends. BlueCaliDem Oct 2015 #37
Don't forget you also have to use JustAnotherGen Oct 2015 #7
LOL! Lisa D Oct 2015 #26
Love Mr. Lewis ProgressiveVC Oct 2015 #4
I'm happy to read you love him. I'm saddened that you don't trust his judgment. eom BlueCaliDem Oct 2015 #6
his judgement is his own ProgressiveVC Oct 2015 #8
Why the hell would John Lewis need to "hedge the future"? sufrommich Oct 2015 #12
Gee, lets see ProgressiveVC Oct 2015 #13
You're talking about John Lewis,for fucks sake. sufrommich Oct 2015 #14
and ways & means doesn't come cheap ProgressiveVC Oct 2015 #15
Hillary didn't work for civil rights? JaneyVee Oct 2015 #11
idk. maybe when she was a goldwater girl ProgressiveVC Oct 2015 #16
May we please put this Goldwater girl nonsense to bed? DemocratSinceBirth Oct 2015 #22
Message auto-removed Name removed Oct 2015 #24
Her first vote cast was for a Democrat... DemocratSinceBirth Oct 2015 #25
Message auto-removed Name removed Oct 2015 #27
Try children's defense fund leftofcool Oct 2015 #28
Message auto-removed Name removed Oct 2015 #29
Her record speaks for itself... DemocratSinceBirth Oct 2015 #31
Message auto-removed Name removed Oct 2015 #33
Did you Trick or Treat for UNICEF, too? LuvLoogie Oct 2015 #35
Message auto-removed Name removed Oct 2015 #36
The Patriot act passed the senate 99-1 DemocratSinceBirth Oct 2015 #30
One of the earlier highlights of her carreer... LuvLoogie Oct 2015 #32
Message auto-removed Name removed Oct 2015 #34
I got the same e-mail Gothmog Oct 2015 #5
I am another who received this e-mail. BlueMTexpat Oct 2015 #9
That's how I feel about it, too, Blue. BlueCaliDem Oct 2015 #18
I have so much respect for this man. procon Oct 2015 #10
I had no idea John Lewis was a superdelegate for Obama in 2008! BlueCaliDem Oct 2015 #20
Wow.. this is awesome, BlueCali.. thank you! Cha Oct 2015 #17
You're welcome, Cha! BlueCaliDem Oct 2015 #19
Well, that's a good LWolf Oct 2015 #23
John Lewis carries A LOT of weight in the African American community. BlueCaliDem Oct 2015 #38

BlueCaliDem

(15,438 posts)
3. I predict this is going to backfire BIG TIME.
Tue Oct 27, 2015, 03:06 PM
Oct 2015

And Cornell West?? Seriously?? He's not exactly loved in the Black community. If anything, he's pretty much loathed because of his overzealous loathing of President Obama.

Choosing Cornell West as the Sanders campaign Black voter outreach shows a lack of understanding of our Black community and their wants and needs, and it was an amateur move that will hurt not help Sanders.

BlueCaliDem

(15,438 posts)
37. Thanks, kelliekat. It's what I'm hearing (and seeing) amonst my African American friends.
Thu Oct 29, 2015, 10:02 AM
Oct 2015

They all despise Cornell West and his friend, Tavis Smiley.

sufrommich

(22,871 posts)
12. Why the hell would John Lewis need to "hedge the future"?
Tue Oct 27, 2015, 04:21 PM
Oct 2015

Some of you need to really think about what you're saying.

 

ProgressiveVC

(79 posts)
13. Gee, lets see
Tue Oct 27, 2015, 04:36 PM
Oct 2015

Committee assignments, White House photo ops, DNC (DWS) relationships

Hedge the future: as in, CYA

 

ProgressiveVC

(79 posts)
16. idk. maybe when she was a goldwater girl
Tue Oct 27, 2015, 05:00 PM
Oct 2015

but she certainly wasn't fighting for civil rights when she was on the board of walmart, first lady, sen of ny...

Instead, she was a free-trade loving, drug war pushing, patriot act renewalist.

DemocratSinceBirth

(99,704 posts)
22. May we please put this Goldwater girl nonsense to bed?
Wed Oct 28, 2015, 07:17 AM
Oct 2015
Ms. Rodham, one of the school’s standout debaters, was a proud Barry Goldwater supporter (she wore a hat with an “AuH2O” logo) and an active member of the Young Republicans. But the teacher, Jerry Baker, was intent on challenging her to argue the other side.

Always a dutiful student, she agreed, settling into the library to pore for hours over Johnson’s positions on civil rights, foreign policy and health care. She prepared with such ardor and delivered such a compelling case that she even convinced herself. By the time Ms. Rodham graduated from college, she was a Democrat.


http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/11/us/politics/in-debate-hillary-clinton-will-display-skills-honed-over-a-lifetime.html?_r=1




Thank you in advance.

Response to DemocratSinceBirth (Reply #22)

DemocratSinceBirth

(99,704 posts)
25. Her first vote cast was for a Democrat...
Wed Oct 28, 2015, 09:28 AM
Oct 2015

I am sure you are familiar with DemocratSinceBirth so if you think you can bully him around he respectfully submits you are barking up the wrong tree.

Response to DemocratSinceBirth (Reply #25)

Response to leftofcool (Reply #28)

DemocratSinceBirth

(99,704 posts)
31. Her record speaks for itself...
Wed Oct 28, 2015, 09:56 AM
Oct 2015

Neither her nor her supporters will be bullied by you and your associates...I actually find the bullying tactics sad, contemptible, and actually laughable, being perpetrated on the "internets" and all.

Response to DemocratSinceBirth (Reply #31)

LuvLoogie

(6,852 posts)
35. Did you Trick or Treat for UNICEF, too?
Wed Oct 28, 2015, 10:12 AM
Oct 2015

Extra "care" points for you.

John Lewis isn't a "fan" of Hillary. They are colleagues in a larger endeavor. I doubt you have any concept of the amount of work Hillary has done throughout her life.

Response to LuvLoogie (Reply #35)

DemocratSinceBirth

(99,704 posts)
30. The Patriot act passed the senate 99-1
Wed Oct 28, 2015, 09:53 AM
Oct 2015
These are the 98 U.S. senators for voted in favor of the US Patriot Act of 2001 (Senator Landrieu (D-LA) did not vote) Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin was the only senator who voted against the Patriot Act on October 24, of 2001.



Go hector every other Democrat but one who voted for it.



Hey, my first vote was too. But I didn't vote for the patriot act.
View profile
or have the opportunity or bully pulpit the senator/first lady/secretary of state has to fight for civil rights. whats her record again?



Today, regardless of lessons learned over the years, it is important that every young person understand that Hillary Clinton is one of the most important global voices on LGBT human rights in our time.

In the past few days there has been a lot of talk about Hillary Clinton and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). DOMA was a 1996 piece of legislation designed to deny marriage equality to gay couples. President Bill Clinton opted to support DOMA early to take it out of play in advance of the 1996 election. At the time, I headed the largest LGBT advocacy organization, the Human Rights Campaign, and was quite literally in the maelstrom of this painful battle.

How DOMA was handled by the Clinton Administration was wrong. It was constitutionally indefensible. It was also a time when so many Americans were still caught in a fog of misunderstanding about LGBT Americans and the issues that affect our lives. That made for foggy judgment.

In recent days, some have been trying to reconcile presidential candidate Hillary Clinton with the first lady Clinton, circa 1996, on this issue. Here is my take. Putting aside the fact that the decision on DOMA in 1996 was not Hillary's to make, the Hillary of 1996 is not the Presidential Candidate of today. She knows that DOMA was discriminatory and wrong. Her perspective and knowledge on LGBT issues has deepened extensively since those days.

Her views have now been shaped by 20 years of being a serious student of repressive anti-gay global policies around the world; an observer of the devastating effect of anti-gay policies, including DOMA, on friends and family here at home; and, a leader who has had plenty of time to reflect on ways to be very effective in tough political moments. Secretary Clinton has emerged as among the most important global voices on LGBT rights.

This is a Secretary of State that made a historic UN speech, stating simply: "Gay rights are Human rights." And, she implemented the most LGBT supportive human resources policies in the history of the government as both a Senator and Secretary of state. For all of her leadership, I am grateful.

I trust the more experienced and wiser Hillary Clinton of today to lead on this and many other critical issues, both domestically and around the world. We still live in a country where there are no basic LGBT civil rights protections in areas like employment, housing and public accommodation. With the monumental Supreme Court victory on marriage equality behind us, it is time to finish the job. And to complete that work, I will be counting on President Hillary Clinton.

-Elizabeth Burch


When I set off to march across the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, Alabama, 50 years ago, I did so with the knowledge that I might not come back alive.

But I also knew that what we were trying to accomplish was vital to holding on to the promise of our country: that every person, regardless of race, had a say in their government.

I could never have guessed that in the year 2015, I’d be fighting essentially the same fight all over again.

While Republican candidates keep insisting that there isn’t a problem, Hillary Clinton has committed to turning the tide in favor of expanding voting rights for all Americans. That’s why I’m proud to be a part of this week's launch of African Americans for Hillary -- and I hope you’ll join me.

I was proud to hear Hillary reaffirm her commitment to protecting voting rights in Alabama recently at the Alabama Democratic Conference Convention -- as well as to reforming our criminal justice system and advocating for funding for historically black colleges and universities.

I look forward to fighting for her the way she’s fighting for all of us. That starts right here, when you stand with her.

- John Lewis



If it is okay with you I will defer to the wisdom of the former Executive Director of the Human Rights Campaign and a civil right pioneer over a random internet poster.


Thank you in advance.

LuvLoogie

(6,852 posts)
32. One of the earlier highlights of her carreer...
Wed Oct 28, 2015, 10:00 AM
Oct 2015
http://www.childrensdefense.org/newsroom/cdf-in-the-news/press-releases/2013/honoring-hillary-clinton.html

Washington, DC -The Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) celebrated forty years of changing the odds for children and honored Former Secretary of State and CDF alumna Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday, September 30, 2013. Secretary Clinton was recognized for her dedication and contributions to child advocacy.

“CDF is pleased to recognize Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has been a tireless voice for children. She’s brilliant. She cares deeply about children. She perseveres. She’s an incredibly hard worker, and she stays with it. She’s done extraordinarily well in everything she’s ever done. and I’m just so proud of her,” said Marian Wright Edelman, President of the Children’s Defense Fund.

In a video tribute Clinton, said “It’s the mission that CDF has stood for that I’m proud that I was a small part of promoting…We worked hard in the White House. We certainly appreciated the efforts of organizations like CDF kind of, you know, charging ahead.”

Hillary Rodham Clinton was with CDF from the beginning. Rodham joined CDF as a young staff attorney right out of law school and knocked on doors to research and help prepare CDF’s first landmark report, Children Out of School in America – a major catalyst for the enactment of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, now the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. She became a CDF board member and ultimately board chair until she became First Lady.
- See more at: http://www.childrensdefense.org/newsroom/cdf-in-the-news/press-releases/2013/honoring-hillary-clinton.html#sthash.Xoj6Mql6.dpuf--

Response to LuvLoogie (Reply #32)

BlueMTexpat

(15,348 posts)
9. I am another who received this e-mail.
Tue Oct 27, 2015, 03:34 PM
Oct 2015

While I would be most proud to join John Lewis, saying that I am AA would be false advertising.

But I LOVE John Lewis.

BlueCaliDem

(15,438 posts)
18. That's how I feel about it, too, Blue.
Tue Oct 27, 2015, 10:02 PM
Oct 2015

But dang, I wish I could change my ethnicity just to join the group!

procon

(15,805 posts)
10. I have so much respect for this man.
Tue Oct 27, 2015, 04:12 PM
Oct 2015

His endorsement will carry a lot of weight with voters. He was an Obama superdelegate at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, I guess he is now a Clinton superdelegate.

BlueCaliDem

(15,438 posts)
19. You're welcome, Cha!
Tue Oct 27, 2015, 10:03 PM
Oct 2015


This IS wonderful news! And it shows why endorsements matter. That was the point I was trying to make.

LWolf

(46,179 posts)
23. Well, that's a good
Wed Oct 28, 2015, 08:30 AM
Oct 2015

demonstration of the fact that no group, including African Americans, is a monolith.

I'm sure that the African Americans for Bernie Sanders group, and the Bernie Brigade, will welcome them into the process.

BlueCaliDem

(15,438 posts)
38. John Lewis carries A LOT of weight in the African American community.
Thu Oct 29, 2015, 10:10 AM
Oct 2015

That's why his endorsement is so important for any Democratic presidential candidate. That's why endorsements matter, contrary to what some Sanders supporters are saying.

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