Bernie gets "mostly true" about words on youth unemployment by race.

[madfloridian]

I am not that fond of Politifact as a rule. I think they often go overboard to prove something false that is really true. I think they nitpick.

Sounds like they did a decent job analyzing Bernie Sanders' claim about unemployment among
Caucasian, Hispanic, and African American youth.



Bernie Sanders says 'real unemployment' rate for African American youth is 51 percent

During a campaign event in Portland, Maine, that attracted thousands of supporters, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders made a striking claim about unemployment among African-American youth.

"For young people who have graduated high school or dropped out of high school, who are between the ages of 17 and 20, if they happen to be white, the unemployment rate is 33 percent," he said. "If they are Hispanic, the unemployment rate is 36 percent. If they are African-American, the real unemployment rate for young people is 51 percent."

A reader asked us to check whether Sanders was correct, so we took a closer look. (Sanders seems to have made this a go-to talking point in his campaign; he offered a similar claim in an interview with The Nation.)

The article describes the different sources used and concludes it is mostly terminology in question.

It’s a real statistic, but Sanders didn’t really describe it the correct way. He twice used the term "unemployment rate" and once used the variation "real unemployment rate," a vague term that doesn’t have any official definition at BLS and wasn’t mentioned in the EPI research he was quoting.

On the other hand, Sanders’ choice of statistics actually understated his broader point. Since it’s reasonable to assume that dropouts have an even higher unemployment rate than high-school graduates, the figure for "young people who have graduated high school or dropped out of high school," as he put it, is probably even higher than 51 percent, since that figure includes only high school graduates.

Politifact concludes that "The statement is accurate but needs clarification or additional information, so we rate it Mostly True."

[Cali_Democrat]

1. Social justice is key

Income and education equality are pointless when you're dead.

Mike Brown was on his way to college, but was gunned down in cold blood. Had he been white, he would still be alive today...but some racist cop decided that he looked like a "demon" and deserved death.

Income equality would not have stopped Dylan Roof from massacring 9 black people at church.

[madfloridian]

2. Do you give him credit for anything?

[Cali_Democrat]

5. When Bernie talks about the African American community...

...he tends to frame the debate around economic justice. Your OP is a good example of that.

He needs to frame it in terms of social justice otherwise African Americans will continue to tune him out.

[madfloridian]

6. So like I say...in your mind he can not please unless he says things just right.

[Cali_Democrat]

7. He needs to discuss social justice more IMO

that way he can really reach minorities and close the gap with Hillary.

Economic justice is useless when institutionalized racism is alive and well.

Right now Hillary is blowing him out of the water when it comes to the African American vote. This is because she's doing a better job of reaching that demographic.

Just my two cents.

[Vattel]

9. Focusing on economic justice won't cause very many African Americans to tune him out.

[madfloridian]

3. Do you even give him credit for pointing out the serious nature of racial unemployment statistics?

[Vattel]

4. Way more blacks die due to unequal educational and economic opportunity than

are murdered by racists. By far. Not even close.

http://www.theguardian.com/money/us-money-blog/2015/jan/05/rising-income-inequality-deadlier-for-black-americans-study

[CTBlueboy]

8. inflammatory much ?

What has HRC done for black people so there be no more Mike Browns and Charleston 9 ?

Correct me if I'm wrong but- was it not HRC that said we needed more cops ?

Correct me if I'm wrong - wasn't it not A HRC surrogate that suggested : If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position.

Correct me if I'm wrong- wasn't HRC that implied Obama was "too soft on crime" when he called for abolishing of mandatory sentences.

As a black male , education, are jobs are important issues to my community
its really sad on your part to use the name of dead victims to make a point

[Cali_Democrat]

10. Well I'm a black male and I can point to stats

...showing you that most blacks are backing Hillary right now.

I don't think what I said was inflammatory at all.

[CTBlueboy]

11. and I'm also black male

What has HRC done so there are no more mike browns and Charlestons 9

[madokie]

15. I'd like to hear the answer to that also

I'm an old color blind white man and I want answers to what you asked.
Bernie is is bringing up and talking specifics where no one else is. Hillary is simply paying lip service, O'Malley I'm not sure as I'm not paying much attention to him as I'm solidly in the Sanders camp.
I've been defending President Obama since the first speech he gave that I heard. I'll go to my grave defending him

[daleanime]

12. And that means nothing he said.....

nothing he said is true?

[BrotherIvan]

14. Thank you

Unfortunately, this is a set narrative that will be repeated ad nauseum until the primary is over.

[MannyGoldstein]

13. The average black family's income has dropped 10%

since 2008.

So what, I guess.

Impoverished people are making more likely to commit crimes. Whatever.

[FloriTexan]

16. Kick!