I ask this sincerely. I know Blacks don’t need to explain their support for Hillary (as a recent recommended diary here famously proclaimed), but as a White person, I would genuinely like to know why her support is so strong given the Clinton’s well-documented, mixed (at best) history on racial issues and Bernie’s solid record on civil rights for over 50 years.
The Clintons brought us the execution of Ricky Ray Rector, the dissing of Sister Souljah, the Crime Bill that led to the insane long-term incarceration rates of minority youths, economically devastating Welfare “Reform”, trade deals that disproportionately hurt minorities, Hillary’s speech on “super-predators” and kids who needed to be “brought to heel”, and just the other day, the callous dismissal of a Black Lives Matter protester who paid $500 to get into a Hillary event:
Sanders, on the other hand, started his activist career protesting segregation in Chicago, leading the first civil rights sit-ins at the University of Chicago and getting harassed and arrested by Chicago police (as documented at the 1:00 mark in the video above). Bernie was arguably the best ally the Congressional Black Caucus has ever had, founding the Progressive Caucus to amplify their concerns by having legislators of all backgrounds working together for the same goals.
I understand that the Clintons are better known in the Black community, but this doesn’t strike me as a case of “better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.” It seems more like “better the (in part) devil you know than the angel you don’t.”
I understand that the Black community is (like every other community) not monolithic. What I really don’t get is why Bernie’s message of inclusiveness and working together across all racial and ethnic lines to fight those who are keeping ALL of us down appears to have so little resonance in the African-American community. As Killer Mike and so many others have pointed out, it’s Bernie who has consistently followed the teachings of Dr. King:
While no one “needs” to explain their vote, I really would like those who have insights into what strikes me as a real paradox to help me understand both the current disparity in the candidates’ African-American support and whether there is anything more Bernie could do (in the time-frame of the current campaign) to change the dynamic. Thank you.
Sunday, Feb 28, 2016 · 6:33:09 PM +00:00
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Jim in Chicago
Update: The comments I’ve seen so far largely point to things out of Bernie’s control, such as the fact that the state he represents in Congress is overwhelmingly White. I would very much like to see comments on what he could do at this point (that he’s not already doing) to better reach the African-American community and gain a larger share of Black support.