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In reply to the discussion: It appears there is not a lot of difference between ... [View all]Jim Lane
(11,175 posts)Sanders asserts that many Trump supporters are frustrated with the status quo (true), that many of their grievances are legitimate (true), that they are receptive to a candidate who will challenge the status quo (true), and that Trump has gained popularity with them by channeling their frustration into racism, xenophobia, and misogyny (true). Sanders further expresses the hope that at least some of those Trump supporters can be won away from Trump by getting them to realize that the traditional values of the Democratic Party offer real solutions to their legitimate grievances, as opposed to Trump's snake oil.
You appear to imply that, if Sanders were currently polling a higher percentage of the black vote, he would therefore disdain a possible source of support; that, for example, he would have refused to speak at Liberty University, and would not voice his belief that some Trump supporters have some legitimate grievances.
I see no evidence for those propositions. Candidates seek support where they think they might get enough results to make it worth their time. Sanders could have overwhelming support from the black community and he would still have gone to Liberty to try to add to his total, just as Clinton, with a big lead in the polls, continues to campaign hard and try to add to her total.
By the way, is there anything Sanders said at Liberty that you think was ignobly pandering to the right-wingers? I thought his speech was, in fact, a defense of the traditional values of the Democratic Party.
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