HRC's margin among AA voters was built on a slander campaign against a good man.

[Ken Burch]

Everyone has the right to vote for whoever they want.

The will of the voters must be recognized.

But the way everyone casts their votes should be based on the truth-the real record of a candidate's words and deeds.

And that was not what happened tonight.

There was never anything in the truth of Bernie Sanders' life or his record in politics that could possibly have justified the great lie that was spread about him: the LIE that Bernie cares less about institutional racism than about economic justice.

Bernie has fought against institutional racism throughout his life. Everyone on the Left is a committed campaigner against racism.

The only real failing he had was that, as a non-Establishment politician, he wasn't as good at schmoozing with the AA leadership.

There were no legislative betrayals...there were no sellouts on any piece of legislation he ever voted on or supported in the House or the Senate.

There were no occasions ever when Bernie pandered to white supremacism(as the Clintons did throughout the Nineties and, really, until she entered the Senate-at which time finally speaking out against racism no longer really mattered after all the previous betrayals).

And yes, Bernie shouts...but so what? HRC shouts too. So did MLK and Malcolm and every major figure in the freedom pantheon. He shouts at the oppressors...he is never shouting at POC. He is never attacking POC. He is just speaking with passion and emphasis.

The fight against racism must go on. We ALL support that fight, no matter which candidate we support. It should never have been used cynically by the least-progressive candidate against the most-progressive candidate. And there is no way that the anti-racist fight can possibly benefit from a good man, a decent man with nothing to apologize for, being made a figure of hatred and derision, feelings he did nothing to earn from anyone.

This result cannot possibly lead to any victories in the battle against institutional bigotry.

[Cali_Democrat]

1. Actually....Bernie effectively lost the African American vote in 2011...

When he thought it would be a brilliant idea if Obama, the first African American president, faced primary opposition.

Now it's coming back to bite him.

Big time.

[itsrobert]

4. +1

nt

[Ken Burch]

9. It was never racist to say Obama should face a primary challenge.

It was just about wanting to push Obama back towards being progressive. No harm would have been done.

And it's more than enough that Bernie campaigned for Obama's re-election in the fall.

[Hortensis]

55. So Obama needed his ideology adjusted by Bernie,

and no "harm" to his own would have been done?

And, um, this time without Bernie's wise guidance, black Americans were helplessly manipulated and lied to by Hillary's campaign?

How insultingly contemptuous and dismissive can you be -- and apparently not know it? "No harm would have been done?" What???!!! Obama's almost certainly significantly more intelligent than Bernie because his mind can range far beyond the narrow vision available to Bernie. He's probably also literally twice as intelligent as the typical Bernie follower, and he's certainly enormously better educated. And not only does Obama not need a Bernie person to follow around as an acolyte, neither does anyone else.

The same old mistakes over and over again, the same old insults many here just can't resist casting over, and over, and over, and over again.

I believe that all the people here like you would feel pretty much the same if they were speaking about a white group who lacked the wisdom to appreciate Bernie's ideology, and that they would feel the same conviction that it's up to Those Who See, like them, to adjust the thinking of those who don't and to instruct them on how to avoid being manipulated by the evil Hillarys of the world. For their own good and to keep them from destroying the nation through their stupidity.

And yet they keep going after DU's black members. This bizarre sincerity, if that's what it is, does not excuse incredibly bad behavior. If people who posted these insults were smacked on the head every time they did it, they would at least have learned by now know not to hit the send button, even if they never understood why.

[Ken Burch]

56. Not by Bernie, by the primary voters through open debate.

(Not sure why you equate greater intelligence with being willing to move further to the right and continuing what all of us already knew was a pointless U.S. military role in the Middle East).

And disagreeing with some of DU's AA posters(a fair amount of AA DU'ers support Bernie, btw)isn't an insult to any of them. It's a sign of respect. A real insult would be to not debate.

[Hortensis]

59. Smack! Back away from the subject.

You should know from many rejections these peculiar evidences of "respect" generate that they are not desired.

[Ken Burch]

66. It would not have been respect to say

&quot some)black posters on DU have expressed this view...therefore, this view cannot be debated or questioned".

That isn't a valid expectation when everyone here is a committed antiracist.

[Number23]

60. "And yet they keep going after DU's black members."

Its not just black DUers. It's black people PERIOD.

And whenever anyone notes this, guess who gets the hide?

[Hortensis]

62. I do know that, 23. I was just keeping it simple.

Perhaps incorrigible offenders should be banned.

[Ken Burch]

68. It is not "going after black people" to point out that Bernie is a committed antiracist.

Everybody here is against racism. If we weren't, we wouldn't be in this party(or, in some cases, to the left of this party).

[Number23]

71. Half this thread is people asking you why you aren't going after white voters

You -- and a few others of DU's "finest" -- have filled this forum week after week with wails of why black folks aren't doing what you want us to do.

Hint: Women are supporting Clinton over Sanders in larger margins. So are Hispanics. Why are your questions always only directed at black folks and always acting as though we are being "lead" to do something against our will or best interests?

Has it ever just ever freaking occurred to you that many black people simply do not feel that the man is up for the job?

[Ken Burch]

76. We aren't "going after" black voters, either.

We are trying to persuade people(and btw, some Bernie supporters here and elsewhere ARE POC)of all races to support our candidate.

Hispanics are actually fairly evenly split, and Bernie wins among younger women(he carried women 55%-44% in New Hampshire).

It's the accusations that Bernie doesn't care about fighting racism that we are rejecting here. Those have never been justified.

BTW, Bernie himself never intended to run for president...it was just that if he didn't, there weren't going to be any progressives in the race. If there had been a women or a POC standing on what the Sanders campaign supports, Bernie and the rest of us would have all backed THAT candidate. It's not as though he'd been thinking of running for decades and just intentionally refused to create a stronger relationship with the AA community.

The choice was that Bernie was going to run, or there wouldn't have been anyone progressive in the race.

What were we supposed to do...say "we're going to sit this out"?

[Number23]

80. So I guess the answer to my simple question "did it ever occur to you that many minorities

just maybe don't fucking think the man is up for the job?" is apparently no. It's much easier to keep screaming that people are calling Sanders racist.

Let me know how this tack works for you. Considering that Sanders has not won the minority vote in ONE single primary/caucus so far, I already know the answer but apparently you need more convincing.

[Ken Burch]

87. OK, some AA people don't think Bernie is up to the job.

Everybody has the right to feel what they feel.

It's not as though there have been a lot of AA people here saying they're against Bernie because they don't think he's capable of doing the job as president, though.

[pdsimdars]

93. You are doing a great job

fighting off all this nonsense.
Some people don't get it about how to talk about ISSUES. It's always "attack the messenger".
We are attacking this BS talking point -- an issue,
Regardless of someone's race, I think they can be wrong about an issue. And I will say so.
You are much more patient and graceful than I can be. . . good job.

[Freaked Out]

109. Ken Burch is absolutely one of my all-time favorite DU'ers

I even remember the White Rose Society.

[FairWinds]

73. I know LOTS of African Americans who thought that Obama

should have faced a primary . .

But when Tavis or Cornel said so, they got
trashed by the likes of you.

They pointed out, quite correctly, that Obama's policies
have done very little for lower income folks, including African Americans.

And don't even get me started on that cesspool of corruption that is the
Dept. of Education. (In the news today) That is on Obama.

[Hortensis]

81. You know "lots of AAs who thought Obama should

have faced a primary." Hmm - how about that. I'd be surprised if I could find one. And I'm not talking about some publicity hound, but normal people with normal motivations.

[FairWinds]

117. African Americans who have the audacity to criticize the Obama admin . .

are labeled "publicity hounds" and their ideas automatically dismissed.

You are attempting to stifle honest debate.

BTW, have you ever met Cornel West?

And these folks . . ? http://www.theroot.com/articles/politics/2011/09/black_critics_of_obama_its_not_just_tavis.html

And let me tell you about the cesspool of corruption that is the Dept. of Education.
Arne Duncan was Obama's man, and they both own the scandal.

Does that make me a "publicity hound"?

[pdsimdars]

90. Lots of "attitude" slim on fact

I don't think anyone is targeting DU black members, I think people are just trying to inform people who are mis-informed.
You ARE being manipulated by a talking point. Here is how.
Do you know anything about the TPP? It is HORRIBLE for American workers. It is a give-away to corporations. It gives a corporate board the right to tell the US what laws they can and cannot have. I don't know how much you know but if you look it up the more you know the WORSE it is.
And this is what Obama is pushing very hard to get done. It doesn't mean everything he has done has been bad, but SOME things he does are bad. And this is one of them.
If you believe that everything Obama has done is perfect then you are in la-la land.
So, if someone thinks an issue Obama is backing is bad, they should just shut up or they are criticizing the perfect person? NO! And this is essentially what Bernie did, he thought Obama was too far right on an issue.
So, rather than learn something, you'd rather trash him than vote for the better candidate.
It's about ISSUES, and not personalities. And Obama has been wrong on MANY issues. Get used to it. Learn to discuss an issue without getting on the soap box.

[dchill]

79. You are right, but the Hillfolk desperately need ammo.

Otherwise, it's spitballs.

[72DejaVu]

102. He didn't say Bernie was a racist

He said Bernie's call for a challenger to Obama estranged the black vote.

[merrily]

51. Yes. Democracy must be stifled at every opportunity. Chris Matthews, is that you?

[pdsimdars]

94. Golden!

[delrem]

64. A person cannot challenge a black politician without being a racist?

Is that what you're saying?

You say this shit, about how Bernie Sanders is a racist, without giving a fig for the context? For the question asked, for the repartee over the next week?

You are a real son of a bitch for calling Sanders a racist!

Yes, people can call "black" politicians out on errors.

For fucks sake, what kind of world do you want us to live in where Rovian/Brockian race baiting ratfucking monsters can tear down a fellow Dem like that, and smile into the mirror in the morning.

[Ghost Dog]

82. Results of your Jury Service

Results of your Jury Service
On Wed Mar 2, 2016, 07:31 AM an alert was sent on the following post:

A person cannot challenge a black politician without being a racist?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=1391309

REASON FOR ALERT

This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate.

ALERTER'S COMMENTS

A ridiculous, unhinged and over the top post in response to something that no one ever said.

You served on a randomly-selected Jury of DU members which reviewed this post. The review was completed at Wed Mar 2, 2016, 07:37 AM, and the Jury voted 2-5 to LEAVE IT.

Juror #1 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #2 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: Name calling.
Juror #3 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #4 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #5 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #6 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #7 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: No explanation given

Thank you very much for participating in our Jury system, and we hope you will be able to participate again in the future.

[pdsimdars]

95. Not my words

but I think the point is clear.

[denvine]

70. With that reasoning,

Hillary should have lost the African American vote also!

[Hekate]

84. +1

[pdsimdars]

88. Funny when people think they know it all

when they are only passing on a half truth from a talking point.
You show your ignorance. Go learn something and stop reacting with attitude to half truths.

[yardwork]

105. This is a fact.

[JaneyVee]

2. Nah, it was built on decades of celebrating with, grieving with, and testifying in black churches...

All across America. But mainly in the south.

[ismnotwasm]

10. They lost Trayvon, Eric, Sandra, Jordan, Dontre. Now these mothers are with Hillary.

http://mashable.com/2016/02/22/hillary-clinton-mothers-violence/#KExsyd7pvmqu

[Dem2]

13. Easier said

...than believed by those reading this who don't already hate her.

[JaneyVee]

19. Chill out a bit. You're over the top.

[Ken Burch]

23. Claiming that Bernie didn't care about institutional racism is what is over the top.

It was never fair to accuse him of not caring about that.

The taunt threads on that were endless here.

That tactic should never, ever have been used.

[JaneyVee]

27. Right, but this is an internet forum, not the real world.

You think posts here caused major landslides? No one in the real world accused Bernie of anything.

[merrily]

49. Bullshit.

[Ken Burch]

18. It would have been one thing if she had JUST run on that.

But there was never any excuse for HRC and her supporters accusing Bernie of not caring about institutional racism. He was NEVER weak on that.

She didn't need to slander him on that.

[Codeine]

3. Bull. Fucking. Shit.

It was based on a lifetime of working with that community. Political and social sweat equity.

This kind of shit DOES NOT HELP YOU.

[tammywammy]

12. +1

[Ken Burch]

14. If she had just run on her record, that would be one thing.

It was indefensible to ever attack Bernie's commitment to fighting institutional racism. He was never, ever weak on that.

[grasswire]

6. I believe that the Times photo and the John Lewis quote...

...damaged Bernie quite a bit, as David Brock intended them to do.

There are some other indicators that might be important, but apparently we are not allowed to talk about them on DU.

[ismnotwasm]

7. That's a whole lot of Nope

[Recursion]

8. Why is she winning the white vote? (nt)

[Ken Burch]

15. Largely because a lot of whites believe the "only HRC can win" myth.

Nothing else really explains it.

[NanceGreggs]

44. What explains it quite clearly ...

... is that the majority of Dem voters want HRC as their nominee.

It's a very simple concept. I don't understand why Bernie supporters can't wrap their heads around the bleedin' obvious.

MORE Dems vote for Hillary because MORE Dems want her to represent them and the Party in the GE.

Sheeshh! Is that REALLY too difficult for you to comprehend?

[Recursion]

52. Going for "Clinton is insufficiently liberal" was the wrong play for Sanders

That's how his campaign started ("We agree on the issues but I'm independent enough to actually deliver" is at least a pitch that can win), but as it heated up he went the wrong way.

[Number23]

65. Have you seen Kos' comments on this? That man brought the fucking PAIN

http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/2/29/1492734/-Democrats-South-Carolina-and-wrapping-up-our-primary-season

That whole damn thing is a hell of a read but this bit nailed it for me:

The big takeaway? If you want a revolution, find a candidate/leader that looks like the Democratic Party, or has done the hard work of building credibility in communities of color.

Also, it’s hard to spark a revolution when you are arguing that your own party’s president has fucked shit all up. Especially when that president has an 81 percent approval rating among your party.

He NAILED it. And this was before the agony of Super Tuesday.

[obamanut2012]

110. Starry Messenger sent that to me yesterday

It's a great read.

The part about Obama is very important for people to read and understand, as is the first point you bolded.

[Number23]

116. Yep. Which is exactly why Sanders' much vaulted and desperately needed "revolution" isn't happening

The Democrats that are unhappy with Obama are in the extreme minority. They may own this web site and flood everybody's social media as if they own the joint, but it's a clear case of making a whole lot of noise to try to compensate for the lack of numbers.

By and large, Democrats -- particularly minority ones -- are happy with Obama. So Sanders' oft stated claims of "course corrections" and his history of dissing this president are not going over well at all.

[obamanut2012]

123. 81% approval rating -- very high

Attacking Obama is bad, bad strategy.

[MellowDem]

30. Probably because...

most whites don't describe themselves as liberals and don't see Sanders matching their ideology, and for whites that do describe themselves as liberal and like Sanders over Clinton ideologically, many vote Clinton for purposes of electability.

[Recursion]

31. White Democrats are more likely to call themselves "liberal" than black Democrats

Mostly because the GOP has pushed the entire political spectrum of African Americans into our party, and because we lost all the southern White democrats. But the fact remains.

[MellowDem]

34. Which is why he is doing better with whites...

than with blacks, but still losing whites overall.

[Recursion]

35. Agreed; honestly I've never thought this required rocket science

You don't need a conspiracy theory to figure out why the more liberal candidate is failing to win the more moderate bloc.

[MellowDem]

37. Many on DU...

Honestly think the electorate is as liberal as DU is. It's not, it's decidedly conservative, even in how people describe themselves:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/188129/conservatives-hang-ideology-lead-thread.aspx

Most Democrats to this day describe themselves as moderate or conservative, though it is shifting.

[That Guy 888]

78. It wouldn't have anything to do with New Democrats joining up with gops to attack Liberals

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz joins hands with GOP in assault on Elizabeth Warren’s consumer protection agency

http://www.salon.com/2016/03/01/dnc_chair_debbie_wasserman_schultz_joins_hands_with_gop_in_assault_on_elizabeth_warrens_consumer_protection_agency/

Not if the DNC can stop it, however. For Wasserman Schultz has thrown her weight behind the Republican effort to sabotage the bureau’s proposed regulations of the out-of-control predatory lending.

The DNC executive is co-sponsoring a new bill that would effectively “gut the CFPB’s forthcoming payday loan regulations,” the Huffington Post reports.

Wasserman Schultz — a close ally of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who co-chaired her 2008 presidential campaign — is also trying to get fellow Democrats to support the anti-regulation legislation, a memo obtained by the Huffington Post shows.

The bill, which is contradictingly titled the “Consumer Protection and Choice Act,” would push back the bureau’s payday lending regulations by two years. It would also let state laws on payday lending trump the federal regulations, falling back on so-called “states’ rights.”

DWS says that Florida's laws on Payday Lenders are "model legislation. The director of the Campaign to Stop the Debt Trap at Americans for Financial Reform says they're "a sham... backed by the industry."

[grasswire]

11. AND, Ken Burch...

....Bernie never took money from any entity that would actively seek to do harm to AAs.

Private prison industry? Nope.

That's just one.

[JaneyVee]

24. He voted for the crime bill and to protect the gun industry.

Guess which community is being overwhelmingly effected by mass incarceration and death from the illegal funneling of guns from rural states with lax gun laws (such as Vermont for example) into urban communities.

[grasswire]

26. how many times will you repeat disinformation....and hope....

....that someone buys it??

[JaneyVee]

28. What did I get wrong?

Did he vote for the crime bill?

Did he vote with the gun industry?

Hillary did not.

[BreakfastClub]

16. Oh please. Hillary has the right to campaign against her adversary, and if that's what you call

a slander campaign, you haven't been paying attention to what's happening in the GOP.

Yes, Bernie is probably a nice man. He seems that way to me. However, the Clintons have had a positive 20+ years relationship with the AA community. You aren't going to overcome that kind of familiarity in a few months.

[Ken Burch]

20. Campaign against, yes. Not perpetuate lies.

It was always a lie to say Bernie was weak on opposing institutional racism.

[bettyellen]

54. he had nothing about racism on his web site or his stump speeches the first few weeks of his

campaign. NADA. and nothing about women, either. I was kind of stunned by that, but lots of people here didn;t find it remarkable at all.

[Ken Burch]

57. And then all of that was there. So why was he treated as if nothing had changed?

n/t.

[bettyellen]

69. Because there was a certain awkwardness to all of it for him.

I know a lot of people want to pretend the tone deaf thing was a talking point... but that was exactly the sense I got. And it was kind of weird to be accused of making it up. That was icing on the awkward cake.

[loyalsister]

33. Sure, she has the right to exploit racial divisions and bend the truth

It doesn't mean she shouldn't be called out for running a despicable campaign.

[RobertEarl]

17. Indeed

The smears of racism against Bernie in an attempt to divide the people, were about as low as could be. Thanks for bringing it up, Ken.

[MellowDem]

21. It wasn't...

Clinton led big with black voters since before he was a candidate.

And if political ideology and electability are anything to go by, then it's not surprising black voters stuck with Clinton.

Black voters describe themselves as relatively conservative...

http://www.gallup.com/poll/125579/asian-americans-lean-left-politically.aspx

If only 24 percent of all blacks identify as liberal, and then we talk about the south, which is more conservative than most places, than its not surprising a self-described democratic socialist would do terrible.

Plus Clinton has the entire Democratic Party establishment behind her, which is a big help.

Sanders will it have an easy time winning self-described liberal voters of any race as well. Even many self-described liberals who love his policies are not convinced of his electability and are scared about the right wing winning, Clinton seems like the safe choice to many.

Most voters know nothing about all the political squabbling that DUers tune into every day, and they don't really care about it either.

[PeaceNikki]

22. .

[asuhornets]

25. Bernie did not bring

his own political revolution into fruition. It is his fault and your fault for believing it so wholeheartedly. A political revolution is a coalition of all races-like what Obama did. One doesn't pick to be the leader of a revolution- the revolution picks you based on what you have contributed to it.

[Ken Burch]

29. Bernie's campaign isn't over yet.

It's right-wing to use phrase like "the revolution didn't happen". There's no progressive alternative to the kind of changes Bernie and the Sanders movement are working for. Half-measures are worthless now and will all simply be reversed.

[GoneFishin]

32. Yep. Bernie's a good guy and did absolutely nothing to deserve any negativity toward him other than

jeopardize the coronation of the inevitable one.

There was absolutely no real life basis for anyone to insinuate that he was anything other than a considerate, thoughtful guy trying fix a broken system so that everyone could get a fair chance for a better life.

The faux outrage was clearly on orders sent down from the queen bee to smear the shit out of him every sleazy way they could think of. Early on when that shit started here everybody was walking on egg shells hoping for a kumbaya moment to meet each other half-way, but Hillary's fakerageholes would get shrill and nasty and try to provoke people into saying something controversial.

It was all a campaign stunt. It's bullshit. But it is exactly what I would expect from Hillary's dirty tricks squad.

[gwheezie]

36. Is it possible that Bernie just isn't doing a good job

Securing aa voters? I don't know if you realize this but black voters have access to the same information white voters do and Hillary is beating Bernie among all demographics except white men. So why are you picking on black voters?

[Chitown Kev]

38. Hmph

[NanceGreggs]

39. I have this belief ...

... (and call me crazy!) that AA voters are more than capable of discerning between the truth and the lies, of being able to assess the histories of both candidates and the worth of their efforts on their behalf, and of determining what their own best interests are – and then voting accordingly.

Your mileage apparently varies.

”Their votes should be based on the truth - the real record of a candidate's words and deeds. And that was not what happened tonight.”

Actually, that IS what happened tonight. AA voters – along with other Dem voters of every colour, every stripe, every background – based their votes on the "words and deeds" of both candidates. And they chose HRC as their candidate-of-choice based on their own criteria, and not on your personal assessment of what the “truth” is or isn’t.

I’m not seeing you complain that the white voters, the Latino voters, the women voters, the Asian voters, the Middle Eastern voters – ALL of the other voters who went for Hillary tonight did so out of some inability to know the truth when they see it.

Why is that, Ken?

[kcjohn1]

41. White voters are not voting 70+ one way

You are right he lost white southern voters but almost everywhere else its tied or he is winning.

When one group is consistenly voting 80-20 its legitimate question to ask why

[ismnotwasm]

43. But it's not legitimate to imply a entire race of people are low information voters

Really, it's not.

[kcjohn1]

45. I wouldn't say low info voters are exclusively

To one group.

Its just a fact most voters are low info voters. If this wasn't the case we wouldn't have the corrupt system we do. We still have 50% of the public voting for GOP.

[JI7]

48. and black voters are the least likely to vote for Republicans

[kcjohn1]

50. GOP

Aren't the only bad guys.

[NanceGreggs]

47. Sure you can ask why.

Here are the possible answers:

A: Because AAs are more likely (for some strange reason) to believe “lies” about Bernie (as the OP suggests) at a much higher rate than any other group.

B: Because AAs have assessed the records of both candidates and overwhelmingly agree that when it comes to their best interests, HRC is more deserving of their support.

Pick one.

If you go with Choice A, I'd be interested in hearing your theories about why AAs are more gullible than any other group, and more likely to be swayed by "lies" about Bernie than other voters.

[ismnotwasm]

42. That's what I want to know.

[Ken Burch]

53. It's because of the way AA voters have been used in this campaign.

I fully respect AA voters.

What I don't respect is demagogy.

It was always demagogy to claim that the Sanders campaign wasn't interested in winning AA voters.

And to claim that the Sanders campaign somehow didn't want AA people to be at Sanders rallies

And to claim that Bernie cared less about fighting racism than about fighting economic injustice(btw, this has been the first time in American history that anyone seriously claimed that the cause of ending economic injustice and the cause of ending institutional bigotry were in conflict-before this, it was always accepted that economic justice advocates were committed antiracists, and vice versa).

If HRC had just run on her own record on AA issues, it would be one thing.

But there was never, ever, any excuse for the relentless claim that Bernie and his supporters were NOT just as committed to fighting institutional racism as we are to ending economic injustice. It's essentially Republican to even try and divide those two causes against each other.

Both candidates should have been challenged to make antiracism a priority...neither deserved to be singled out for attack on the issue-especially attacks based on lies, as every attack on Bernie's antiracist commitment was.

And as the despicable way John Lewis(a man who had no good reason to be involved in attack politics, since attack politics can never lead to progressive results) was sent out to try and discredit Bernie on that issue. John Lewis is a hero, but he had an obligation to be better than that.

[NanceGreggs]

58. Oh, the sweet O’Henry-esque irony of it all!

You describe John Lewis – a civil rights icon revered by blacks (and whites), a man whose courage is undeniable, a man who has risked his life not only for his own people but for the principles all Democrats hold as sacrosanct, a man who aspired to nothing more than “doing the right thing” and wound up being a hero who inspired a nation with his humility and his grace – as someone who was “sent out” (as though having no mind of his own) to discredit Bernie.

And then you sit there and wonder why those dumbass AAs don’t come a runnin’ when the BSers call?

[zappaman]

61. +100

The tone deafness is off the charts.

[Ken Burch]

63. John Lewis never did attack politics on anyone in any Democratic race before this.

It's not his natural style, from everything I've seen of the man over the decades.

Why would he decide to attack Bernie as he did, when he has never attacked anybody else in Democratic or progressive politics in that way before?

I admire John Lewis...but there is no way this tracks with his record as a freedom fighter and as a man.

It's not as if Bernie did anything to deserve what the congressman did. Bernie had never attacked John Lewis or ever done anything to work against the things he has spent his life fighting for. It's not as if Bernie's candidacy was ever going to be a threat to the antiracist cause, for God's sakes.

That's why the Lewis attack on Bernie was so unnecessarily hurtful. He simply had no possible justification to do what he did.

[flamingdem]

74. I have to say that it did looked off to me as well, same with the photos

Same with the framing of the statement about wanting to primary Obama.

I'm an Obama defender but I remember why Bernie did that and the filibuster he did was courageous.

[NanceGreggs]

75. Oh, do tell, Ken.

Tell us what the BIG ATTACK was. John Lewis saying that back in the day, he'd never met Bernie?

I'm sure there were tens of thousands of people who participated in the civil rights movement - and I'm sure there are tens of thousands of them about which John Lewis could say "I never met them".

John Lewis never delivered any "attack" - of his own volition, or at the behest of the people who you think control him.

If you Bernie supporters put a tenth of the energy you expend on being butt-hurt into actually promoting the positives about your candidate, you might not be here tonight coming up with excuses as to why Bernie isn't winning this thing.

When you even suggest that John Lewis is a led-by-the-nose attack dog - for the Clintons or anybody else - you've crossed the line. AAs know it, white voters know it - everybody knows it - except, apparently, you and your fellow BSers.

[Depaysement]

99. How do you know why any voter voted the way he or she did?

And in four states the majority didn't choose Clinton.

Ken isn't complaining about other voting blocs because he is discussing the effect of Clinton disinformation in the black community. That didn't happen elsewhere.

If you are implying he is racist for not discussing the votes of nonblack voters, you should know better than that. He's posted here a long time. You owe him an apology.

[kcjohn1]

40. It's puzzling

I can understand winning by large margin but 60-70% is significant.

I don't really subscribe to your theory. I agree the slander was made but I doubt it has connected. My theory is that

1) Clintons are well known in AA community
2) AA leaders all support Clinton
3) Churches and community is important in AA, thus endorsements go long way
4) AA's vote based on who they seem as closest (not necessarily policies) to them. Sanders is old white guy from New England. We have being told Bill Clinton was the first black president. Between two white candidates Clinton has the most black cred.
5) AA voters tend to be older, skew woman, conservative, and tend to be most reliable dem voters. Horrible combination for Bernie.

All those variables contribute to these horrible margins. Sad thing is I don't even think he had a chance with them. Only chance might have being to go negative and bring up 08 race baiting by her.

[GoneFishin]

46. Going negative, I don't think he has it in him. I think the name recognition is a big factor.

[amborin]

67. Plus, she used the same strategy as David Lane does for right wing republican pols:

recruiting pastors, who will sway their flocks to vote for them; evidence suggests this is
what she did in South Carolina

[lovemydog]

72. Why do you think your 'truth' is or even should be

'the truth' for millions of democrats you've never met?

[Milliesmom]

77. He shouts??? is that all they got? He shouts?

I have listened to all of his speeches, loved them all, love his passion and commitment.

Clinton screams, she reminds me of a henpecking wife, all she is missing are the curlers in her hair, a smoke in her mouth and curse words rolling off her lips!!

[lovemydog]

83. Are you one of those Bernibros

that some say don't exist?

Trying to paint Sanders supporters in a negative light?

Perhaps trying to sow division here?

[Milliesmom]

85. what are you talking about?

[Hekate]

92. My my, what misogynistic language and imagery from a sister Democrat.

A man is a passionate orator whose voice soars to great heights.
A woman screams like a henpecking wife with curlers in her hair, a smoke in her lips, and curse words rolling off her lips.

You do know this is absolutely textbook double-standard? A man shows leadership qualities and persuades others to his ideas, but a woman is bossy and is a castrating bitch.

And so it goes throughout our lives, "Milliesmom".

JURY: The second sentence of my post contains a direct quote from the post to which I am replying, as I illustrate what a double standard is.

[Chicago1980]

86. I see this post is built on opinion and bitterness.

[Onlooker]

89. Oh, your arrogance!

Don't assume that black people don't know what they are doing when they vote, and that you are the wise one. People take into account a lot of different factor when making a decision on who to vote for. One fact about the black community, unlike the white community, is that women tend to command more respect. In many ways, the white community is more sexist than the black community, so maybe you should do some soul searching rather than imply that black people are being manipulated by lies. The fact is that Bernie seems to engage in Civil Rights every 50 or so years, while Hillary, by virtue of her positions representing a diverse population, has been involved in the struggle fairly consistently. Doesn't mean she was always right or always won, but she wasn't living in a safe haven like Vermont.

[Milliesmom]

91. Please excuse me, but, it's not every 50 or so years ,but 50 +years working at it.

You may want to check his records and read upon him, he really is a wonderful soul.

[Onlooker]

98. He's been largely irrelevant

I'm quite familiar with Civil Rights, and very familiar with gay rights. Bernie was always a vote that could be counted on, but he was never a leader on any of those issues. It's only now that his votes and few speeches are being dug up to try to reframe him as a champion of civil rights. You won't find Bernie's named mentioned in contemporaneous articles or books about the various social movements. His politics are great, but his contributions in that regard are minimal.

[Ken Burch]

100. This isn't about me, and I'm fully aware of my own fallibility

I agree that women deserve more respect than they get.

But people who prefer Bernie to HRC don't base that preference on opposition to electing a woman as president. If HRC had shown Bernie's commitment to progressive issues the whole time, we'd have supported her. The issues for most of us have been her militarism( POC always die in disproportionate numbers in our wars), her ties to the wealthy, and her work(as a co-founder of the DLC)in pushing the Democratic Party to stop listening to women,POC, labor, and the poor-a project she completely succeeded in.

BT, as Senator, she represented New York...a state in which there are no risks at all in a politician being progressive, antiwar, and antibigotry. She had just as much of a safe haven as Bernie did to speak truth to power during those years.

And Bernie has been working for civil rights the whole time...the Sixties work simply represents where he started. If he hadn't been relentlessly(and unfairly) accused of not caring about racism, Bernie's years in CORE would not have been brought up by his supporters at all.

[Starry Messenger]

96. Mmm.

[Major Hogwash]

97. "The fight against racism must go on."

Yup.

[PATRICK]

101. The Clintons worked for and earned

the organized black vote? It seems that is clear whatever any critic might say justly or unjustly. Ever the way with unions too who have been bad mouthed or critiqued. Primaries are crazy and not enough real reporting is done on GOTV in the black community which I hope is real and effective no matter if you agree on their choices. Unions certainly have a tough time but they remember those who woo and deliver over the years. The weirdness of the angry white male voter going for Sanders can be disturbing too and not something to rely on. The fact that there is just as much race injected into 2016 as in 2008 is mystifying unless one lays this down to fear on the Clinton campaign's part. After 2008 that may be understandable too, but very regrettable, probably unnecessary and certainly damaging in the wider context.

[sufrommich]

103. If only those AAs were as capable of

logical thought as white people.

[Ken Burch]

104. There was no attack on AA's. Only on demagogy and lies.

HRC should have run a purely positive campaign in the Super Tuesday states.

[Adrahil]

106. Sorry Ken, you are implying that black voters are unable

To discerne the truth for themselves, or to determine what is in their own best interests. It's paternal, and minimizing.

[Codeine]

111. Ken can fix it.

The Ken Burch Insufferable Lecture Series covers this and many more topics.

[Skinner]

107. I suspect you don't realize how this point of view might look to an African American.

The implication of your post is that African Americans have been duped.

I think you should consider the possibility that African American voters who support Hillary Clinton (and for that matter everyone else who supports her) might actually have totally legitimate reasons for doing so. You should consider the possibility that they are perfectly capable of fully evaluating the candidates, cutting through the bullshit, and figuring out which one to support.

If you started with the assumption that African Americans themselves are the people most capable of deciding which candidate is best for African Americans, how might your OP have been different?

[JTFrog]

114. +1 n/t

[rbrnmw]

118. thank you

you get it

[msanthrope]

120. Thank you. nt

[onenote]

108. No, Clinton's margin amongst AA voters was built on her supporting Obama and being part of his team

It just that simple.

If Clinton had walked away after losing the nomination to Obama, and had stayed on the sidelines, she would have burned her bridges to the AA community. But she didn't do that. She endorsed Obama. She campaigned for him and urged her supporters to work on Obama's behalf. And she became part of the Obama team after the election.

That, in my opinion, went a long way to solidifying her status in the AA community -- a community that still overwhelmingly supports Obama.

As a Sanders supporter (but one who expects Sanders to support Clinton if she ends up with the nomination and who will do the same), I'm honestly not sure what Bernie could do to overcome that advantage.

[Nye Bevan]

112. Got any specific examples of "slander" of Sanders?

Because there weren't any in the OP, despite its length.

[wildeyed]

113. No, it was based on his words and deeds.

He made it very clear what his priorities were. Racial justice was not high on the list. He said so. And he opted to use surrogates who are disliked or distrusted by many in the AA community. That was a bad way to introduce himself to a groups of voters who didn't know much about him before this election. His own words and deeds....

No one ever said he wasn't on the right team. But he made poor campaign decisions in this area.

And I cannot stress this enough. AA community generally LIKES Clinton (and Obama). They might have been persuaded to vote for Sanders, but not by dissing Clinton. All of the "what about Clinton?" talk is NOT persuasive. It actually does the opposite, driving potential supporters AWAY from your guy.

And condescending to POC on who knows best about how to address institutional racism? Not a persuasive argument either. You should just skip that part. You know, you don't have to post EVERY SINGLE thought that goes through your head.

[Blue_Tires]

115. No, as I've pointed out before

The Sanders campaign repeatedly sabotaged any chance they had with the black vote ever since last summer...

[Darb]

119. Shark Jump!!!!!

Yep, another one.

[taught_me_patience]

121. What is the slander campaign?

Can you provide some concrete examples or are you seeing things that aren't there?

[Jitter65]

122. So you believe that the AA voters can't use their brains either? nt

[kgnu_fan]

124. Do not trust her...