WaPo: Why black voters remain in Hillary Clinton’s corner

[ucrdem]

Clinton participates in a Breaking Down Barriers town hall campaign event at Morris College in Sumter, S.C., on Feb. 24
Jonathan Capehart - February 25 at 9:07 PM


There are three reasons Clinton’s firewall of black voters won’t #feelthebern in South Carolina and beyond.

First, Obama. His approval rating among African Americans is 89 percent in the latest Gallup tracking poll. This explains why Clinton has left no daylight between herself and the man who bested her in 2008 and for whom she worked as secretary of state. And it explains why she highlights the many times that Sanders argued for a primary challenge to Obama in 2012.

Second, Clinton doesn’t shy away from race. Sanders talks about race, too, of course. But he seems to do so at a remove, and his attempts to make a convincing link between his economic message and race continue to fall short.

(snip)

The third reason is perhaps the most important, because of how deeply it resonates with African Americans: Clinton openly talks about the necessary role that whites must play in healing and bridging the racial divide.

“Ending systemic racism requires contributions from all of us, especially those of us who haven’t experienced it ourselves,” she said in Harlem. “White Americans need to do a better job of listening when African Americans talk about the seen and unseen barriers that you face every day. We need to recognize our privilege and practice humility, rather than assume that our experiences are everyone’s experiences.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-black-voters-remain-in-hillary-clintons-corner/2016/02/25/7a86100a-da7d-11e5-81ae-7491b9b9e7df_story.html

[ucrdem]

1. Conclusion:

For months, Sanders and his supporters have said that black voters will grow to like him once they get to know him. But the Democratic caucuses in Nevada last Saturday were a sign that the true base of the Democratic Party isn’t being moved by his message. By getting the substance right, Clinton has set the bar too high with African American voters for Sanders to clear it.

We tried to tell him back in May . . .

[nc4bo]

2. 9 months vs. 25 years. nt

[ucrdem]

3. We're really talking about the last 7 years.

After Barack won the nom he and Hillary decided they were going to work together and they did. Bernie on the other hand decided he was going never going to give Barack a break and he didn't. No appointment satisfied him, no speech was sufficient, no policy was good enough or even good, nothing Obama did earned anything but indifference or in the last couple of years ferocious rebuke. So that's what we're starting with and it appears that's what we're ending with.

[MaggieD]

7. Tone deaf

A lot of Bernie supporters think AA just starting paying attention to politics recently. I have no clue why they think that, but they do. They think none of them saw Bernie diss Obama and Dems for years. They think they didn't notice Bernie calling for a primary on the first black president.

It's amazing to me that they seem to think only white people pay attention to politics, and that AA voters are somehow not politically sophisticated. Makes me shake my head.

[nc4bo]

8. I love and admire POTUS but he gets no passes from me for some of his

policies.

Obama himself said we should hold his feet to the fire. Many of us did for whatever (non) effect it had.

No leader should be untouchable as far as criticisms on policy is concerned. No one.

[ucrdem]

30. Let me guess, chained CPI?

The one that never happened?

[workinclasszero]

39. Can't imagine that kind of behavior ever coming back

to haunt a person eh?

[ucrdem]

40. What works in Vermont

didn't work in Vegas.

[workinclasszero]

41. I know thats right!

[jillan]

9. Did you see who wrote this?

[nc4bo]

11. An asshole, right? No, I sure didn't. Thanks! nt

[jillan]

12. Capehart!!

[nc4bo]

14. I totally missed that, thanks.

I just knew it smelled like hog lagoon but paid no attention to the farmer.

[jillan]

15. LOL! Great description.

[MaggieD]

4. He lost before he started with all his dissing of Dems and Obama

Plus, he's simply tone deaf about racial issues, as Brave's excellent article at Dkos today points out. IMO.

[ucrdem]

5. Hey thanks for the tip, I'm going to look for it ...

p.s. found it: http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/2/25/1491492/-The-Neverending-Tone-Deafness-of-Bernie-Sanders

[thesquanderer]

50. Still, it's good that he's trying! And it has helped to some extent...

When members of the AA community learn about him, he is seen favorably by about the same percentage as see Hillary favorably. (See http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511149130 )
Of course that doesn't necessarily yield a vote. Someone who likes both of them can still only vote for one.

[jillan]

6. Are you seriously posting a piece from Jonathan Capehart???? LOL

Newsflash NO ONE give a shit was he has to say! He is a joke.

[MaggieD]

10. What makes him a joke, exactly?

[jillan]

13. He is the Breitbart of the Washington Post. Makes crap up and writes about it.

Yes he is very handsome but he is a joke.

[ucrdem]

17. You might not like what he has to say but Breitbart he isn't.

No conceivable comparison in fact.

[jillan]

18. Hey if you want to read "journalists" that have written made up stories, that is your prerogative.

Enjoy

[ucrdem]

23. It wasn't a made up story and it hasn't been resolved.

But I suppose that is JMHO, YMMV.

[MaggieD]

21. Oh FFS - he's a liberal

Seriously there is no more room under the bus. It's full down there.

[MrWendel]

20. He doesn't...

kiss up to Bernie = he's a bad reporter suddenly. I wonder if people always felt that way...

[MaggieD]

24. And what would a black guy know about AA voters anyway?

[MrWendel]

25. LOL

[ucrdem]

27. Yeah imagine that.

Iggy for Jonathan!

[CorporatistNation]

57. Absence of Character.....

.

[bettyellen]

16. "Clinton openly talks about the necessary role that whites must play" Yeah, some avoid

anything that could be referred to as "identity" politics. For all her faults, Hillary has not.

[ucrdem]

19. She talks about gun control too

You might say she boldly goes where no man has gone before.

[NurseJackie]

46. Excellent!

[FangedNoumenom]

59. She talks about gun control

while collecting money from the largest gun retailer in the country. Interesting.

[lunamagica]

60. Good one!

[thesquanderer]

54. she had another idea re: the "role that whites must play in healing and bridging the racial divide"

in an encounter where she seemed to put more of the onus for that on the AA community. See:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/08/18/clinton-tells-black-lives-matter-activists-to-focus-on-ways-to-change-policy-not-change-hearts/

[Bread and Circus]

22. Capeheart is a sycophantic joke.

[MaggieD]

26. Also known as a black journalist that doesn't buy into...

... the "Bernie is the second coming of MLK" meme that his supporters like to float.

[Bread and Circus]

29. No he is just a crap jounalist if his recent photo lie is any example.

[840high]

45. Crap journalist - liar.

[Barack_America]

28. But hey, at least he's openly admitting he's 100% for Hillary.

...I did miss the disclaimer of which SuperPAC paid for the advertisement of his endorsement, however. I thought that was required.

[MaggieD]

31. Yes, he's an OPINION writer

That's what opinion writers do -- write about their opinions.

[Barack_America]

33. He just likes to play a "serious and impartial journalist on TV".

Which may be more of an indictment of cable news, but does not give him bonus marks in journalistic integrity.

[MaggieD]

35. On TV they call them pundits

Van Jones is not impartial. Thom Hartman is not impartial. Bill Press is not impartial. I could go on and on. Why do you have different standards for this guy? Because he supports Hillary?

[ucrdem]

36. He felt the #bern last week

but it cleared up in a few days.

[Barack_America]

37. Because I've never found him to have anything interesting to say.

An opinion writer should research and weigh both sides of an issue and then offer his/her opinion. I've never had the sense Capeheart does that. He could learn from Eugene Robinson, who has earned my respect and then some.

[ucrdem]

34. WaPo: "Jonathan Capehart is a member of the Post editorial board

and writes about politics and social issues for the PostPartisan blog." And just for the record, this is a regular WaPo opinion piece, not a bolg post, and there is no such disclaimer.

[workinclasszero]

38. Clinton’s firewall of black voters won’t #feelthebern

They will BERN the bern down!

[ucrdem]

42. I'm feeling the #cHill

I think SuperTuesday is going to close the deal so here's hoping Dem voters make it happen!

[workinclasszero]

44. A smashing victory in SC

Followed by a trail of even more victories in huge states like Texas will open the eyes of many people across the country as to who is a viable candidate and who isn't.

[NurseJackie]

47. A truly viable candidate for the GE would be doing better ...

... in the primaries. Case closed!

[Impedimentus]

43. Sometimes newspapers need to fill empty space, when that happens at the WaPo ...

they ask Capehart to make something up.

[Gothmog]

48. Great Article

[kingCowan]

49. Jonathan Capehart? he's still writing?

Jonathan Capehart? he's still writing? I thought the WaPo fired him for the whole photogate nonsense.

[thesquanderer]

51. She has "left no daylight between herself and" Obama?

Yes, she's currently wrapping herself in his legacy, but you don't have to look very hard to find points of departure, either. Like support for a Syrian no-fly zone. Or that (in)famous quote...

"Great nations need organizing principles, and 'Don't do stupid stuff' is not an organizing principle."

[BillZBubb]

52. Capehart is a liar and he is compromised by the fact his partner is a Hillary operative.

[BostonBob]

53. Hillary and her banker friends

Hillary and her financial backers are the payday lenders of American politics. They act like they are trying to help struggling workers but only want to screw them over. It is sad that people continue to trust these con artists.

[William769]

55. Biggest reason is they are pretty samart people.

[DefenseLawyer]

56. Any doubt Capehart will be Press Secretary if she wins?

Seems like the natural choice since he's already on the job.

[TSIAS]

62. David Brock?

Although I think Brock might get an even bigger position.

[oasis]

58. I'm a Hillary Clinton Supporter and I approve this message.

[Bluenorthwest]

61. An opinion piece by Jonathan 'Say It Today, Research It Tomorrow' Capehart?

The man who lied about Danny Lyon, Bernie, those photos and all of that?