African American
Related: About this forumCoates: "Bernie Sanders and the Liberal Imagination"
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/01/bernie-sanders-liberal-imagination/425022/When a candidate points to high unemployment among black youth, as well as high incarceration rates, and then dubs himself a radical, it seems prudent to ask what radical anti-racist policies that candidate actually embraces. Hillary Clinton has no interest in being labeled radical, left-wing, or even liberal. Thus announcing that Clinton doesnt support reparations is akin to announcing that Ted Cruz doesnt support a womans right to choose. The position is certainly wrong. But it is hardly a surprise, and doesn't run counter to the candidates chosen name.
What candidates name themselves is generally believed to be important. Many Sanders supporters, for instance, correctly point out that Clinton handprints are all over Americas sprawling carceral state. I agree with them and have said so at length. Voters, and black voters particularly, should never forget that Bill Clinton passed arguably the most immoral anti-crime bill in American history, and that Hillary Clinton aided its passage through her invocation of the super-predator myth. A defense of Clinton rooted in the claim that Jeb Bush held the same position would not be exculpatory. (Law and order conservative embraces law and order would surprise no one.) That is because the anger over the Clintons actions isnt simply based on their having been wrong, but on their craven embrace of law and order Republicanism in the Democratic Partys name.
One does not find anything as damaging as the carceral state in the Sanders platform, but the dissonance between name and action is the same. Sanderss basic approach is to ameliorate the effects of racism through broad, mostly class-based policiesdoubling the minimum wage, offering single-payer health-care, delivering free higher education. This is the same A rising tide lifts all boats thinking that has dominated Democratic anti-racist policy for a generation. Sanders proposes to intensify this approach. But Sanderss actual approach is really no different than President Obamas. I have repeatedly stated my problem with the rising tide philosophy when embraced by Obama and liberals in general. (See here, here, here, and here.) Again, briefly, treating a racist injury solely with class-based remedies is like treating a gun-shot wound solely with bandages. The bandages help, but they will not suffice.
ypsfonos
(144 posts)snpsmom
(681 posts)brush
(53,787 posts)IMO Coates is right on. I'm voting for Sanders but I think his response on reparations was, unfortunately, safe and calculated to not alienate voters.
JustAnotherGen
(31,828 posts)I think it's a negatives against the party as a whole.
steve2470
(37,457 posts)steve2470
(37,457 posts)Schema Thing
(10,283 posts)He's doubling down on wrongness.
Empowerer
(3,900 posts)So why not expect and demand it from them. If that's a problem for you, you probably aren't really a liberal.
JustAnotherGen
(31,828 posts)I don't care about the Republicans. The Greens. Liberal Libertarians. Etc. Etc.
I've been a registered Democratic Party member since 1991.
I've shown up for, voted for, canvassed for, driven people to the polls for and given money to the Democratic Party as well as individual out of state failed candidates (Grimes comes to mind - epic fail.)
I've been more than fair with "liberals" in the Democratic Party.
This black woman right here demands fairness.
I'm with Coates. Even though I'm voting O'Malley - I'm with Coates on this. A lot of us are.
Anyone who thinks the majority of us are not out for our collective "selves" this election is at best naive.
brer cat
(24,576 posts)He speaks truth: "A left radicalism that fails to debate its own standards, that counsels misdirection, that preaches avoidance, is really just a radicalism of convenience."
steve2470
(37,457 posts)Number23
(24,544 posts)And am blown away that someone actually typed this on DU.
JI7
(89,252 posts)steve2470
(37,457 posts)Moderates, yes I think there's hope for them.
Incredibly....something post. I'm being kind here.
gollygee
(22,336 posts)Do you think he should ignore a lack of fairness from Democrats because Republicans are not fair?
Starry Messenger
(32,342 posts)Kalidurga
(14,177 posts)This is a very good take down of Hillary. It's not something I would post in support of her. On the other hand he makes a good case against Bernie not coming out strong enough on dealing with institutional racism. We can only pass laws that could help. We can't make people stop being racist, though I think laws that deal with the issue will push racists even further to the fringes of society.
So, we do away with war against drugs that somehow gives cops the idea they must stop more AA people or POC than white people. We can do away with disparate sentencing. We can make sure that Urban Schools are in good repair and all students get excellent teachers and we can stop taking money from urban centers and funneling it into the suburbs. Speaking of schools we can stop using test scores to take money away from schools that aren't performing as well. We can set up an independent investigative unit for all police shootings. And we can work a whole lot harder on creating human connections.
Empowerer
(3,900 posts)They simply help to make separate a little more equal.
For example, making urban schools better is a good thing, but one of the reasons that urban schools are in the shape they're in is because they are segregated by race, relegated to ghettos created by government and business policy. And, as Charles Hamilton Houston proved 75 years ago, separate can never be equal - because the very separateness is intended to impose a badge of inferiority on African Americans.
This all goes well beyond just investing more money in segregated communities.
Kalidurga
(14,177 posts)But we need some starting points. Racism isn't going to go away in a day. I hope that the people who remain racist are relegated to fringe communities and they stop making things difficult for the rest of us.
I am all for busing white students to urban schools btw. My girls look white they went to urban schools for most their early education. I think it was good for them. I think that busing won't be entirely necessary if all schools really are equal. I know that will take decades so in the meantime bus kids in and let their parents raise hell to make the schools better then that goal will be accomplished a lot sooner. I don't know how to pick the kids perhaps a lottery or make it semi voluntary and no I don't care if some white people get pissed off.
mountain grammy
(26,623 posts)I think Coates' "The Case for Reparations" is one of the best things I've ever read. Here's a link for anyone who might want to read it.
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/
The war on drugs was and is 100% racist. The justice system, school systems, and the banking industry are racist. I think Bernie Sanders will best address these issues.
SusanCalvin
(6,592 posts)It seems to me, based on the excerpt, that he's arguing for going even further. Works for me.
JustAnotherGen
(31,828 posts)This is a good analysis of what is going on in the minds of black folks - More and with a plan for implementation.
The Democratic Party's best is no longer good enough.
JI7
(89,252 posts)the Primary itself. this is especially true when it comes to race issues. when the point is much bigger than that.
Coates point is a good one and many of the idiots out there complaining about it haven't even read it .
wilt the stilt
(4,528 posts)you have to pay them the same wage as business and we have to end this 10 weeks off in the summer. If you want to get the top students to go into teaching you have to pay top wages. It will take 10 years to get out the bad teachers. This amount of time off is ridiculous.
SusanCalvin
(6,592 posts)The summer break is a holdover from the family-farm age. Me, I started going to school year-round as soon as I could, in college. (My semi-rural high school did not offer summer school.)
When you consider that the teaching profession makes all other professions possible - yeah, sure, the best and brightest should be recruited and paid accordingly.
I will say that the pedagogical part is either instinctive or acquired only through a lot of hard work, experience, and proper attitude, IMHO.
randys1
(16,286 posts)Why dont we all deserve that?
Number23
(24,544 posts)I am so freaking grateful to Coates for spelling it out. Apparently, there are large swaths of people who need it.
Ho. Lee. Hell. Coates is SERIOUSLY not playing right now.
betsuni
(25,537 posts)Number23
(24,544 posts)Coates is SERIOUSLY not playing.
steve2470
(37,457 posts)JI7
(89,252 posts)Trump is bragging about being wealthy and all the crap he owns. but his biggest supporters are from low income white people . and that's because of his attacks on minorities . that's the only reason he has support.
he even fucked up on the religion thing with the bible quotes showing he knows nothing about it . but his support seems to actually have increased with his attack on minorities.
the "how about Hillary" just shows how out of these people are. their biggest injustice is that Hillary has a lot of money. for minorities it's things like police abuse, equal treatment in housing and hiring .
(can you imagine all the hate mail Coates got from that latest piece) ?
randys1
(16,286 posts)and not lose a single vote?
He was proven correct, by the reaction.
Supporters of Trump dont know, yet, that he actually DESPISES them.
Cant wait for the day he tells them.
randys1
(16,286 posts)debate.
An example of how this works is the sudden "heroin problem".
Since it is cheaper to use heroin when one cant get the Oxycontin one is addicted to because of an injury, and since we have so many people now addicted, most of them white, we have a crisis.
We have politicians like Chris Christie talking about his friend who had his life just torn apart by heroin and painkillers.
Now what did we do when there was a "crisis" of crack cocaine users?
Anybody need a hint?
You see when white people need or want something, they get it.
Empowerer
(3,900 posts)criminal/moral matter, now that it is disproportionately hurting white kids.
randys1
(16,286 posts)it to help ALL drug addiction issues including alcohol and crack cocaine.
Empowerer
(3,900 posts)High unemployment rate among blacks = black people are lazy and don't want to work
High unemployment rate among whites = national jobs crisis
Objection to photo ID requirements to vote = whiny minorities trying to cheat in elections
Objection to photo ID requirements to board a plane = We the People fighting for God-given rights to fly wherever they want
BLM unarmed, peaceful protest against police brutality = riot by thugs
White militia armed takeover of federal building to protest enforcement of a law = Americans exercising their First Amendment rights
White men walking walking around with guns = Second Amendment freedom
Black child walking around minding his own business = threat = dead
randys1
(16,286 posts)Number23
(24,544 posts)country's sad and blatant history of race-based discrepancies in health and prison sentencing.
JustAnotherGen
(31,828 posts)In a local election.
I agree with every cop having the emergency treatment for overdose.
We have an epidemic in NJ - mostly in our wealthiest communities - including mine.
I'll give them that point.
However - some coddled little brat made an active choice to take the drug the first time instead of going to over priced SAT Prep classes, cheer practice, or diving classes for the next family vacation.
I'd prefer to reward the kids in my community who do the right things than coddle and excuse the kid who took heroin because they didn't get their 10th Coach handbag for Christmas. That's who the heroin users are here and I have very little tolerance for spoiled brats.
And I grew up in a similar community with parents who had the same financial resources - but who said they would meet me halfway on my ONE Liz Claiborne handbag when I was 16. It was called babysitting money
I still have that handbag almost 27 years later because it meant something. It's not a litmus test of "value" its a litmus test of values and what my parents taught me -
Wealth is not guaranteed - and a work ethic is earned.
The special snowflakes in this town need a wake up call - and that's a hill I'm willing to lose on.
femmedem
(8,203 posts)although the MSM press has attempted to spin it that way, and use Coates' writing to drive a deeper wedge between Sanders and the African American community.
Rather, I think Coates wasn't trying to help or hurt a specific candidate so much as he wanted to raise the visibility of an important issue. In other words, making reparations part of the conversation is more important to him than any election season--just as improving police practices and reforming our criminal justice system is at the center of the BLM movement.
I don't know to what degree Sanders thinks he can't win if he comes out in favor of reparations vs. to what degree he genuinely opposes them. I wish his campaign had gotten back to Coates, and at least acknowledged the lasting effects of the racist housing policies that Coates has written about. If he can't see a path to individual reparations, he could talk about targeted urban investment as a way of making reparations to whole neighborhoods that have suffered as a result of redlining and other discriminatory practices, at least as a first step. He could also propose putting together a panel to study how the AA community has been harmed, and what reparations might look like.
I'm glad that Coates has clarified that he doesn't think Clinton would be better on this issue, but rather, singled out Sanders as a way of showing that even the most liberal Democrats don't quite get it.
JI7
(89,252 posts)Krugman supported Hillary in 2008 also so it does show a difference in how the other side reacted. And I'm sure he got some complaints from Obama supporters back then also but nothing like the hate he is going now.