African Americans who support Bernie are not welcomed in the African American group.

[HoosierRadical]

Last edited Thu Feb 25, 2016, 04:05 AM - Edit history (1)

The African American group banned me because I dared to voice my opposition to our community's knee jerk support of Hillary. Up until now the African American group was the only group I subscribed to. A thread started by kwassa the moderator who banned me, started a thread titled

"Why Clinton Is Connecting With Black Voters—and Sanders Isn't"

I was the first to respond; HoosierRadical (263 posts)

1. Clinton is "connecting" because too many Black people are going with name recognition instead of actually researching who's policy proposals align with our interests. These same people where slow to support President Obama back in '08, if not for Iowa, they would have blindly followed the Clinton machine.

Also, it boggles my mind that people can't understand why President Obama offered her the Sec of State position, it was to get her out of the senate so she couldn't cause trouble, better to have her running around the world and preoccupied with foreign policy issues.

[jillan]

1. Unreal.

[SoapBox]

2. Well...

It just emphasizes how supporters want no opposition from anyone regardless of color, sex, orientation, etc. etc.

We are expected and ordered to march in line and vote for her...period.

I have other plans with my vote.

[Nyan]

3. You got banned from the group because of this?

Oh my...

[HoosierRadical]

6. Yep I have provided a link to the thread

please go and read my replies, it didn't warrant being banned.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/118742477

[Nyan]

11. I read the entire exchange.

Your comments were perfectly calm and factual. It is beyond reactionary to ban people for that kind of comment.

[cui bono]

16. Not in the least. But they are predeominantly there to be a Hillary group at this point.

With them you are damned if you do, damned if you don't.

I'm sorry that happened to you and I wish I could tell you I was surprised, but I've seen them bully other AA people off this board. And I've seen that group used as a Bernie smearing group with OPs that were complete lies. They don't care because they are for Hillary. They allow white people to go in there and post anti-Bernie OPs that are lies but they don't even allow PoC to make any posts that are critical of Hillary. Shameful. I've gotten a pm from an AA member who said another black person wasn't black enough to have a valid opinion.

The name recognition of Hillary is such an obvious point, but they will try to turn it around in an attempt to paint the person saying it as a racist. Same thing when anyone brings up Bernie's civil rights record, the response is "oh, so black people are stupid?" when no such thing was said. The fact is they have railed against Bernie from day one about his "lily white crowds", his "for white male only" economics platform and more, purposefully trying to exploit racism just to score political points. Any PoC who support Bernie are "outliers", as if PoC are a monolith, which is ridiculous.

It's been a concerted effort by Hillary supporters to go after him on one of his big strengths, civil rights activism. It's quite astonishing how long they have been going at it.

When the BLM protests happened they wouldn't shut up about Bernie's handling of the situation, but when Hillary was rude there wasn't a peep about it. They don't discuss why so many BLM activists are supporting Bernie. Are there any who have endorsed Hillary? I haven't heard about it. Where is the outrage over the incident that just happened with a BLM activist and Hillary?

It's a game to them and it's a team sport to them. It's a real sad state of affairs when they take a group that should be about something really meaningful and turn it into a political propaganda machine.

I saw that post of someone suggesting an "AA for Bernie" group. That would be great!

.

[passiveporcupine]

21. Can somebody please explain to me

Clinton may not be able to turn out 5,000 voters for a single event, but her deep ties to the black community

What are these deep ties they keep talking about but never actually explain?

And this article posted, just goes on and on about how these women were approached by Hillary when no one else would listen and she listened. Well that's great...I'm glad she listened, but now what is she gong to do about it...Because listening may soothe their emotions, but it won't fix the situation.

[Mbrow]

32. and the case can be made

that her support for her husbands policies (strong support) led to the pain and anguish in the black community today....

[olddots]

4. all we are here is a net name

and some letters we type .I agree with you because all we can do is hope people are who they say they are or believe in what they say they believe .

[JonLeibowitz]

5. I have noticed for some time that the group has acted as a soapbox.

Members muse there about how Bernie's plans are "not good enough" and gloat about his struggles with the AA community. It's a way to hit Bernie and his supporters on DU from a nominally neutral group while those who do so are anything but. I ignore the entire group, there is very little actual discussion about policy there.

[HoosierRadical]

7. They're still my people and it makes me sad

the moderator would misuse his or her authority to enforce blind allegiance to Hillary.

You know you are absolutely right, I just went ahead and officially unsubscribed from that group.

[840high]

13. I asked a question about

Hillary and Bravenak told me it was the AA group. I knew it was the AA group. Then she got the moderator to warn me with a ban. Never going there again.

[roguevalley]

19. I'm sorry, HoosierRadical. Come sit with us a while.

[potone]

22. Yes, do!

That group seems to be imposing a pro-Clinton gag rule on anyone who supports Bernie. I read the entire thread and I saw nothing in HoosierRadical's posts that merited banning. As a white person, I don't dare post in that group, but for them to ban other AAs just because they support another candidate is absurd. It is an echo chamber, not a discussion group, and that is a pity, because they could contribute a lot to the discussion about how to rid this country of institutional racism, which is an urgent problem that too many white people don't see.

[JimDandy]

24. I stated the same thing to no avail! See my post #23 below. What a travesty that the really dire

AA issues have taken a back seat to installing a political operative.

[JimDandy]

23. I can commiserate. I had to trash the AA group for the same reason.

I had fallen down the rabbit hole into the Hillary group and responded to a poster there who also happens to be a Host for the AA group. Instead of answering my post, she snarkily questioned if I was tired of trolling the AA group! I replied (bolded for emphasis):

JimDandy (5,785 posts)
Response to Starry Messenger (Reply #38)
Sun Feb 21, 2016, 07:43 PM

69. Simple question.

And I don't troll AA. My family is mostly White, including me, with some Blacks and Asians. AA issues have been a long-time concern of mine. I was one of the DUers on the original thread in the Obama Support group that called for the starting of the group. Unless the AA group is now not allowing anyone to post there unless they themselves are Black, I have felt it appropriate to express my views there also.

But, a few days ago, I finally had to trash the group, for now, because, instead of it being a forum to discuss positive ideas about serious issues like: how to encourage the hiring of Blacks and the issuing of government contracts, at all levels, to minority and women owned businesses; or if anything can be done to ameliorate the harmful SCOTUS affirmative action decisions; or getting a consensus on what the top issues should be to focus on in the area of prison reform (arrest warrants for debts?/solitary confinement?); or even election protection issues, an area I have worked in a long time (sued the Lieutenant Governor of my state and mostly won the decision), it has devolved into a support group for one single political candidate. I think, in this very polarized environment, it would have benefited the AA group to have had a rule that posts in support of or opposition to a specific candidate should be posted in their respective groups and not in AA, but that's just my .02 cents.

In any event, this post on Susan Sarandon would be useful to discuss in GDP, if you feel so inclined to repost it there.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1107&pid=52563

In her reply to my post, that AA group host denied the group was basically a second support group for Hillary. (No link to her post as I now have all the Hillary posters on ignore--needed to dump all those "Never EVER" type of people and focus on the positive messages of Bernie and us progressives.)

[VulgarPoet]

8. That's exactly why I'm not even fucking around with any of that nonsense

the writing on the wall was apparent with one look at that group tbh...

[ReallyIAmAnOptimist]

9. Can you start a new group, AA's 4 BERNIE?

Just thinking out loud... I don't know how that all works.

It's hard to change people's ideas, especially when they don't seem willing to step back and really take a fresh, logical, look at the facts.

But hey maybe focusing your energy on GOTV... calling into SC for Bernie is critical right now.

I'm organizing my precinct for the WA caucus; it reduces my anxiety to be in action!

Trust yourself, and do what you can.

[HoosierRadical]

10. Thank you so much for the suggestions!

I will definitely signed up to to GOTV calls for Bernie.

[VulgarPoet]

12. Y'know I was initially happy that there was an interracial group...

...and then I realized that it hasn't been posted in since last year.

Guess the song remains the same, too white to be black, too black to be white.

[ALBliberal]

14. I encouraged posters to not share personal information so that they

Don't risk other members learning their physical addresses. I was banned. No warning. Didn't even know I was posting in the AA group. Wrote a pm explaining. Ignored.

[HooptieWagon]

15. That's pretty typical of the Hillarians.

They are authoritarians with no tolerance for free minds or free speech.

[GreatGazoo]

33. I see a few authoritarian behaviors but also think that because Hillary has been under constant

attack for decades her campaign is attracting and retaining people who identify with that. In other words people feel attacked or empathize with those who are and are very sensitive to it such that they over react to all criticism or perceived criticism of Hillary.

Some react to even the most polite discussion of her votes and policies as if it is "nasty and personal" to mention those. When I read some of their posts more closely I think I am seeing how they jump from what others might perceive as a discussion of her differences with Sanders to 'that is a RW meme!' or 'that is a personal attack.'

Outside of the active primary period, DU has been mostly supportive of Hillary when she is under attack from FOX and the GOP with Benghazi and all that, so again, some on DU may be struggling with the more mixed tone right now.

[MisterP]

17. if they don't purge Groups, how else are they gonna say "you never cared about this Group

until your precious candidate was running! infiltrators everywhere!"

[lostnfound]

18. I'm sorry that happened to you.

Bummer.

We are glad to have you here.

[ellennelle]

20. oh honestly

that is beyond unconscionable. i don't get it. the whole hillary thing is like some cult clique or something. kinda scary.

fwiw, i got blocked from the hillary group, and i never did figure out why. so prissy, like jr hi school. none dare confront them with the zit on their nose.

well, you're more than welcome here, tho i'm still not sure where 'here' is; i just float in and out.

but your voice should be heard, loud and clear. so i second the motions here for you to start an AAs for bernie!!

one question; can i visit even if i'm not AA?

keep smiling, kiddo!

[JimDandy]

25. I third it: AAs For Bernie Group!!!

And then an AA Group For Institutional Racism Issues!!

[CBGLuthier]

26. Maybe you could petition to start an AA for Bernie group and make the others change their name

to AA for Hillary.

Of course since Skinner is a Clintonite also, well, good luck with that.

[desmiller]

27. They need to be ashamed of themselves. You were blocked because

They don't have a response to your critique of Hillary. So whoever's in charge resort in blocking you. That action alone demonstrates how insecure they are about their candidate. By blocking you, they're protecting their "happy place."

[desmiller]

28. Here's a clip about this "Hillary Hypnosis" problem

[link:

|

[PatrickforO]

29. Interesting.

I'll refrain from further comment, though I agree with your first point.

[eridani]

30. Too bad. Maybe I should look up members/anned ratio there also.

Hillary Clinton Group
Number of subscribers: 304
Number of people trashing: 192
Blocked members: 531
Subscribers to blocked members ratio: 0.573


Bernie Sanders Group.
Number of subscribers: 867
Number of people trashing: 144
Blocked members: 248
Subscribers to blocked members ratio: 3.50

[Laughing Mirror]

31. You are in good company

Getting thrown out of a Clinton event, like activist Ashley Williams removed from Clinton's fundraiser, with a charming: "You are the first person to ask me that, dear."

[Depaysement]

34. I disagree

I am banned from the Hillary Group but not the African American group and I am a Sanders supporter.

I disagree with what you posted. Clinton is connecting because Bernie appears to many African-Americans as just showing up now. It's not really true but it is the perception.

African- Americans have been sold out by so many white "saviors" who arrive with the magic potion that morphs into snake oil right after the election. It's no wonder people are cautious; better the devil you know.

Bernie should stick to class politics but also address issues that are unique to the black community - police violence and the summary execution of black men for one. He has tried but failed to make the case. Hard to see why that's the black community's fault.

[Cleita]

35. Considering many of that group aren't even AA but

are also cult members of two other despicable groups still operating here I'm not surprised.

[Admiral Loinpresser]

36. Sorry for your trouble.

But glad to meet you!