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Vermont’s Black Leaders: We Were ‘Invisible’ to Bernie Sanders

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What is Hillary doing about it that Bernie isn't?

I never hear an answer to this, just some sidestep into 'electibility' and 'pie in the sky' shit.

People have explained it. You can chose to accept the logic or not. In the end black voters are the ones who get to decide who to vote for and the only ones it has to make sense to is them.
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
This just proves that Bernie is so color blind that he literally cant even see black people.
 

JustenP88

I earned 100 Gamerscore™ for collecting 300 widgets and thereby created Trump's America
That's not to say that Bernie doesn't care about these issues, because he does, but he needs to be more explicit about it and he needs to stop pivoting to Wall Street and bankers whenever he's asked about it

You're talking about a guy who said "Sandra Bland would be alive if she were a white woman." You're not going to get more explicit than that.
 

phanphare

Banned
What the racist South and good chunk of the North was going to cast out generations of that shit just to stand with black people? Not in this universe's America

I'm referring to this basically

MLK said:
Our whole campaign in Alabama has been centered around the right to vote. In focusing the attention of the nation and the world today on the flagrant denial of the right to vote, we are exposing the very origin, the root cause, of racial segregation in the Southland. Racial segregation as a way of life did not come about as a natural result of hatred between the races immediately after the Civil War. There were no laws segregating the races then. And as the noted historian, C. Vann Woodward, in his book, The Strange Career of Jim Crow, clearly points out, the segregation of the races was really a political stratagem employed by the emerging Bourbon interests in the South to keep the southern masses divided and southern labor the cheapest in the land. You see, it was a simple thing to keep the poor white masses working for near-starvation wages in the years that followed the Civil War. Why, if the poor white plantation or mill worker became dissatisfied with his low wages, the plantation or mill owner would merely threaten to fire him and hire former Negro slaves and pay him even less. Thus, the southern wage level was kept almost unbearably low.

Toward the end of the Reconstruction era, something very significant happened. (Listen to him) That is what was known as the Populist Movement. (Speak, sir) The leaders of this movement began awakening the poor white masses (Yes, sir) and the former Negro slaves to the fact that they were being fleeced by the emerging Bourbon interests. Not only that, but they began uniting the Negro and white masses (Yeah) into a voting bloc that threatened to drive the Bourbon interests from the command posts of political power in the South.

To meet this threat, the southern aristocracy began immediately to engineer this development of a segregated society. (Right) I want you to follow me through here because this is very important to see the roots of racism and the denial of the right to vote. Through their control of mass media, they revised the doctrine of white supremacy. They saturated the thinking of the poor white masses with it, (Yes) thus clouding their minds to the real issue involved in the Populist Movement. They then directed the placement on the books of the South of laws that made it a crime for Negroes and whites to come together as equals at any level. (Yes, sir) And that did it. That crippled and eventually destroyed the Populist Movement of the nineteenth century.

If it may be said of the slavery era that the white man took the world and gave the Negro Jesus, then it may be said of the Reconstruction era that the southern aristocracy took the world and gave the poor white man Jim Crow. (Yes, sir) He gave him Jim Crow. (Uh huh) And when his wrinkled stomach cried out for the food that his empty pockets could not provide, (Yes, sir) he ate Jim Crow, a psychological bird that told him that no matter how bad off he was, at least he was a white man, better than the black man. (Right sir) And he ate Jim Crow. (Uh huh) And when his undernourished children cried out for the necessities that his low wages could not provide, he showed them the Jim Crow signs on the buses and in the stores, on the streets and in the public buildings. (Yes, sir) And his children, too, learned to feed upon Jim Crow, (Speak) their last outpost of psychological oblivion. (Yes, sir)

Thus, the threat of the free exercise of the ballot by the Negro and the white masses alike (Uh huh) resulted in the establishment of a segregated society. They segregated southern money from the poor whites; they segregated southern mores from the rich whites; (Yes, sir) they segregated southern churches from Christianity (Yes, sir); they segregated southern minds from honest thinking; (Yes, sir) and they segregated the Negro from everything. (Yes, sir) That’s what happened when the Negro and white masses of the South threatened to unite and build a great society: a society of justice where none would pray upon the weakness of others; a society of plenty where greed and poverty would be done away; a society of brotherhood where every man would respect the dignity and worth of human personality.

https://soundcloud.com/mipdo/rare-mlk-jr-on-how-the-races
 
However this should make it clear to himself and his supporters that racism is a problem far bigger than just financial equality.

Exactly, and listen it's good to talk about fiscal inequality. But in the context of discussing Black issues in America it's disingenuous to talk about that to the exclusion of other factors.

No, he shouldn't.

Have you even read the conversation in this thread?
 
No, he shouldn't.

?

The message didn't fly with his black constituents in Vermont, so he should continue with the same message while trying to gain black support on a national level..........

Yeah that's the ticket!

Edit: Did we just get a MLK quote in here, where did I put my bingo card?
 
?

The message didn't fly with his black constituents in Vermont, so he should continue with the same message while trying to gain black support on a national level..........

Yeah that's the ticket!

That's that condescending "I know what's best for you, shut up" shit...

I'm telling you.....
 
What is Hillary doing about it that Bernie isn't?

I never hear an answer to this, just some sidestep into 'electibility' and 'pie in the sky' shit.

Its less about Hillary and more about being critical of Bernie. Hilary doesn't do anything better tbh but that's kinda the point. Neither candidate has really come out in force about the injustices of POCs in America. They are either silent or have bad history with POC (Hillary) or using a single idea to compensate(Sanders)

This is simply a criticism of Bernie, has nothing to do with Hillary tbh.
 
?

The message didn't fly with his black constituents in Vermont, so he should continue with the same message while trying to gain black support on a national level..........

Yeah that's the ticket!

The constituency in Vermont never had a chance to get to know Bernie and what he's about. Same issue you see on a national level. /s
 

The Technomancer

card-carrying scientician
Exactly, and listen it's good to talk about fiscal inequality. But in the context of discussing Black issues in America it's disingenuous to talk about that to the exclusion of other factors.

Yup. I get that inequality is his focus. Its a good focus to have. But we're at a point where literally being asked on a debate stage about racial issues turns into a conversation on Wall Street
 
That shit was built into America wayyyyyy before Jim crow.
Its origins really go back to the Bacon Rebellion, and back then it was a means to keep the lower class divided. Clearly the origins of racism are purely a matter of class - the current best of racism has grown beyond that but is still very strongly rooted in it.
 

JustenP88

I earned 100 Gamerscore™ for collecting 300 widgets and thereby created Trump's America
However this should make it clear to himself and his supporters that racism is a problem far bigger than just financial equality.

Of course it is. But the whole "would that end racism" business is a silly distraction that does little more than marginalize other, legitimate issues. Like, seriously, what is going to end racism? I don't know that I've seen any serious, actionable policy proposals from anyone that would actually do anything about deep-seated racism. How can one "end" racism?
 
Of course it is. But the whole "would that end racism" business is a silly distraction that does little more than marginalize other, legitimate issues. Like, seriously, what is going to end racism? I don't know that I've seen any serious, actionable policy proposals from anyone that would actually do anything about deep-seated racism. How can one "end" racism?
No one's suggesting that's possible.

I think you're seeing people ask what a person can do about it and taking it all the way into talk about ending it.
 
Of course it is. But the whole "would that end racism" business is a silly distraction that does little more than marginalize other, legitimate issues. Like, seriously, what is going to end racism? I don't know that I've seen any serious, actionable policy proposals from anyone that would actually do anything about deep-seated racism. How can one "end" racism?

No one has asked Bernie to end racism. But if your platform about how you are the best candidate for black voters is economics and they see it differently then why wouldn't you listen to their voice? Like, there are tons of systemic issues that candidates could propose policy on.
 

boiled goose

good with gravy
To say that Bernie is somehow worse than other politicians is disingenuous.

To say he runs from racial inequality issues is also unfair. Dude was arrested protesting this shit

To say that maybe as a Senator he should have reached out more might be fair. Sure.
 

Mael

Member
You mean despite a LONG history talking about minority issues and racism?

That apparently didn't translate into anything for Vermont.
Again I don't think it's that interesting for politics to just be about "talking about things".
 

JustenP88

I earned 100 Gamerscore™ for collecting 300 widgets and thereby created Trump's America
No one's suggesting that's possible.

I think you're seeing people ask what a person can do about it and taking it all the way into talk about ending it.

Well, I took the "is that going to end racism" quote from Hillary. I have a hard time viewing this conversation outside of the context of an election in which we're choosing between two candidates.

No one has asked Bernie to end racism. But if your platform about how you are the best candidate for black voters is economics and they see it differently then why wouldn't you listen to their voice? Like, there are tons of systemic issues that candidates could propose policy on.

I suppose I don't agree with the narrative that he's ignoring these issues. Has he made combating racism the main issue in his campaign? No. Nobody has. Has he spoken on it? Has he made policy proposals regarding these issues? Yes, I believe so.
 
57023.jpg


Lets just put this into play before anyone else gets some ideas.
 

Mael

Member
To say that Bernie is somehow worse than other politicians is disingenuous.

To say he runs from racial inequality issues is also unfair. Dude was arrested protesting this shit

To say that maybe as a Senator he should have reached out more might be fair. Sure.

Gotta love how the reply to "Sanders action in Vermont don't paint him as a supporter to black people's plight" is "But he walked with MLK!"

I'm talking about Hilary, not Bernie.

My mistake, I misread.
 

Slayven

Member
To say that Bernie is somehow worse than other politicians is disingenuous.

To say he runs from racial inequality issues is also unfair. Dude was arrested protesting this shit

To say that maybe as a Senator he should have reached out more might be fair. Sure.
Maybe not running but we just had a debate where he turned every race question into a rant about billionaires and wall street. At best he needs to develop some nuance
 
Gotta love how the reply to "Sanders action in Vermont don't paint him as a supporter to black people's plight" is "But he walked with MLK!"

Apparently that one arrest is enough to overcome any criticism he'll ever face. Must have been a damn good arrest
 
What is Hillary doing about it that Bernie isn't?

I never hear an answer to this, just some sidestep into 'electibility' and 'pie in the sky' shit.

She has been campaigning for minority support since around her announcement. If just talking about 2016 elections.
 
Bernie just seems deaf to anyone that doesn't jump aboard his income-inequality-solves-everything train. Other politicians have said he doesn't work well with them on other issues, and it looks like it extends to everyone.

It's impressive that there is close to 20,000 black people in prison in Vermont when there is only around 2,000 people in Vermont prisons total.

I don't understand the math here. Typo?

Does Vermont incarcerate a higher percentage of its black population than other states? I wonder if that is a systemic racism issue (blacks are convicted in situations where whites are not; blacks are falsely accused at a higher rate; etc.) or if the minority population is so low that crimes committed by them are more easily solved. Is the black population spread across the state or concentrated?
 

dave is ok

aztek is ok
Lets just put this into play before anyone else gets some ideas.
I love how people don't even need to mention MLK for you to shitpost over people mentioning it anymore

I don't understand the math here. Typo?

Does Vermont incarcerate a higher percentage of its black population than other states? I wonder if that is a systemic racism issue (blacks are convicted in situations where whites are not; blacks are falsely accused at a higher rate; etc.) or if the minority population is so low that crimes committed by them are more easily solved. Is the black population spread across the state or concentrated?
No typo. Slayven was saying there was twice as many black people in Vermont prisons than there are living in Vermont which is ridiculously false.

Vermont has a lot of black prisoners by percentage because it has a small number of prisoners, period. From 2007:

Ten years ago, there were 48 black people in Vermont prisons, about four percent of the prison population. Today that number has grown to 210 and represents almost ten percent of all inmates. The largest single factor appears to be drug crime.
 
Of course it is. But the whole "would that end racism" business is a silly distraction that does little more than marginalize other, legitimate issues. Like, seriously, what is going to end racism? I don't know that I've seen any serious, actionable policy proposals from anyone that would actually do anything about deep-seated racism. How can one "end" racism?

"Seriously, whats going to fix the issues that you care about? It isn't possible. Sorry. You shouldn't even hope for it. Its a waste of time.

Now please vote for the candidate that will magically fix all of the problems i care about and talks about all the issues that are relevant to my interests. Ok?"

Can't figure out why black voters haven't flocked to Bernie. I mean, how do you turn an offer like this down.
 
Apparently that one arrest is enough to overcome any criticism he'll ever face. Must have been a damn good arrest
Bernie's just using the same methods as anarchist crust punks. Get arrested once, become invulnerable to criticism about your inaction at all other times.

To convince me he cares, all it would take is something like "you guys are right, I haven't been doing enough. Here's a team I put together. We're listening now" and then actually listen and propose some new ideas based on that. It's not much, but it's something. I like self-awareness in politics.
 
I love how people don't even need to mention MLK for you to shitpost over people mentioning it anymore


No typo. Slayven was saying there was twice as many black people in Vermont prisons than there are living in Vermont which is ridiculously false.

Vermont has a lot of black prisoners by percentage because it has a small number of prisoners, period. From 2007:

Post #56 & 71
 

Mesousa

Banned
He's done March 1st. He can go back up to vermont and ignore the black people in his state after that. He can also take Killer Mike with him. Embarrassing pandering to a group he could have had in the bag if he was even remotely sincere.
 
Apparently that one arrest is enough to overcome any criticism he'll ever face. Must have been a damn good arrest

Real talk. I mean I don't doubt his previous efforts. But the question to me is: what this dude actual policies that he'd implement to really make substantial headway into the problems facing Blacks in America.

His fallback to his main campaign theme doesnt resonate with me
 

JustenP88

I earned 100 Gamerscore™ for collecting 300 widgets and thereby created Trump's America
"Seriously, whats going to fix the issues that you care about? It isn't possible. Sorry. You shouldn't even hope for it. Its a waste of time.

Now please vote for the candidate that will magically fix all of the problems i care about and talks about all the issues that are relevant to my interests. Ok?"

Can't figure out why black voters haven't flocked to Bernie. I mean, how do you turn an offer like this down.

Lol. Taking a lot of liberties there, per usual. Black voters can, obviously, vote for whomever they choose.
 
No one is expecting him to solve it, but handwaving it with income inequality kind of says he might not care about the modern problems black people face.

In most of his speeches I've watched, he consistently brings up:

- Mass incarceration rates in the US, disproportionately black and latino. Blacks getting arrested for mild crimes such as marijuana possession. Advocates legalizing marijuana and reducing incarceration rates.

- Black people getting shot by cops, and the need to hold the police accountable. Also advocates bringing more diversity into the police force, and disarming the police.

- High unemployment rates among black youths, something like 51%. Advocates getting them jobs through infrastructure spending, and education through free college.

Although I haven't watched as many of Hillary's speeches, I almost never hear any of these issues addressed. Mostly just some passing lip service about "she will fight for equal opportunity for all people" and "body cameras."

Look, no president, not Bernie, not Hillary, can solve the racism in this country. It's ultimately up to each American to fight against the racist attitudes that pervades many citizens. When a black person is stared at in a store by others for fear of shoplifting, there's no president who can do anything about that. But, when looking at things a president could get accomplished to help fight against systemic racism, I don't see how Hillary comes out way ahead of Bernie on the issues.
 

phanphare

Banned
Segregation was everywhere just in the south it was written down. Most of everywhere else it was implied. Up north you still have a lot of segregation in neighborhoods to this day.

all I'm saying is that racism and segregation were used strategically as a means of keeping people divided to the benefit of the wealthy who exploited them
 

JustenP88

I earned 100 Gamerscore™ for collecting 300 widgets and thereby created Trump's America
Bernie's just using the same methods as anarchist crust punks. Get arrested once, become invulnerable to criticism about your inaction at all other times.

To convince me he cares, all it would take is something like "you guys are right, I haven't been doing enough. Here's a team I put together. We're listening now" and then actually listen and propose some new ideas based on that. It's not much, but it's something. I like self-awareness in politics.

Now, I feel like this is the point where people would point to his surrogates, campaign hires, additions to his criminal justice platform, etc... Then they'd get called out for whitesplaining and the cycle continues...
 
Does Vermont incarcerate a higher percentage of its black population than other states? I wonder if that is a systemic racism issue (blacks are convicted in situations where whites are not; blacks are falsely accused at a higher rate; etc.) or if the minority population is so low that crimes committed by them are more easily solved. Is the black population spread across the state or concentrated?

Because of the small population of Vermont's prisons and the small population of blacks in VT all the statistics look worse than they are, but VT has a lot of the same problems most other places have in terms of racial bias. Blacks are more likely to get pulled over, to be asked to search their vehicle, to get arrested for something that a white person might not, etc, even worse because they stand out a lot more in what is otherwise a very homogenous state.

A lot of it is drug crimes, which is why the Vermont prison population has gone up a lot in the last couple years (stricter enforcement) and there would be many more white people in prison if they were pulled over, searched, etc at the same rates as black people.

Vermont is a great state but it's subject to the same problems that exist across America.
 

sphagnum

Banned
Most definitely his blind spot and disappointing. I think BLM did a lot of good to force him to confront his own problems.

Bernie's a good example of what often happens with white leftists in the US, in that they have good intentions but lack experience or knowledge about things outside of their own purview and sometimes get the blinders on so tightly that they just ignore stuff that doesn't apply to the theories they've already developed. It's why intersectionality is so important.
 
Now, I feel like this is the point where people would point to his surrogates, campaign hires, additions to his criminal justice platform, etc... Then they'd get called out for whitesplaining and the cycle continues...
It's the listening part that I think most people just do not get. Everyone says they're a good listener when asked. Self-awareness is key.
 

GaimeGuy

Volunteer Deputy Campaign Director, Obama for America '16
The problems Bernie has are in terms of rhetoric. Policy wise, he has a better record than Hilary and even several members of the Congressional Black Caucus. But early on, he gave way too many economic answers to questions on social issues, and the result was a perception that he just didn't care about the plight of black people, and this perception has become a monster that is out of his control now.
 
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