Sanders Pressed on Reparations at Forum on Black America

[bravenak]

http://www.buzzfeed.com/evanmcsan/sanders-reparations#.oc6BaDGog

[bravenak]

8. She was at a black forum in SC

[AtomicKitten]

22. No, she was in Minnesota, declined the Black Forum, but attended a DFL fundraising dinner afterwards

They both attended DFL Party fundraising dinner AFTER Bernie attended the Black American Forum which Hillary was invited to but declined to attend.

When Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders bring their campaigns for the Democratic presidential nomination to Minnesota Friday, they're likely to encounter the same divisions they've seen recently in other states. Clinton and Sanders will give separate speeches at a DFL Party fundraising dinner in St. Paul. Sanders also plans to go to north Minneapolis to talk about racial equity. Clinton declined an invitation to that event.

http://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/02/11/clinton-sanders-mn-campaign-event-separately

Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are speaking at the DFL's Humphrey-Mondale dinner Friday night at RiverCentre in St. Paul.

This is a major coup for the Minnesota DFL party to get both remaining candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination at this dinner. They are expecting 4,000 people to attend raising around $1 million. With Sanders and Clinton both here, the DFL party chair expects this to be the biggest party fundraiser in history. Their appearances at the 5th annual Humphrey-Mondale dinner come just one night after the two had another feisty debate in Milwaukee.

Sanders appeared at the Black America Forum at Minneapolis Patrick Henry High School Friday afternoon.

http://kstp.com/politics/clinton-sanders-democratic-presidential-campaign-minnesota/4046147/

[bravenak]

24. I guess she did not not want to go

[BainsBane]

40. She is in S Carolina today

and in MN. She cancelled local events her campaign had scheduled here to be in S Carolina. She did attend the Humphrey-Mondale dinner.

I learned this from her MN campaign staff directly because I was supposed to be invited to a MN event.

[AtomicKitten]

42. the Black Forum was right before the fundraising dinner in Minnesota - she declined to attend

[bravenak]

44. Why do they need to attend the same events if Sanders has issues connecting? Do u know?

[BainsBane]

50. Why do Clinton and Sanders need to attend the same events?

They don't. This is just an excuse to try to attack Hillary. I suppose they think it makes up for the continual attacks on John Lewis, Ta' Neshi Coates, Black Lives Matter, Elon James White, and all the other black activists and voters of color keyboard warriors have worked so hard to alienate.

Now we might well ask why Bernie isn't at the event in S Carolina that Clinton is attending, but frankly I can't manage that degree of pettiness.

[AtomicKitten]

51. It's not petty to correct false information put out there.

She was invited to the Black Forum and declined ... and she WAS in Minnesota.

[BainsBane]

59. Yes, she was in MN but not at the time of the event

Okay, given that you want to play games, why didn't Sanders appear at the event in S Carolina? Why is the Mpls even the one that matters and not the S Carolina ones?

You do realize that Clinton has met with community groups in MN before. Bernie was here not long ago, and I didn't read anything about his scheduling anything other than a big rally. Whereas the last time Clinton was here she met with a number of community groups, including local Somali leaders. Now that Bernie decides to do something, you accuse Clinton of negligence for not turning up for simply because Bernie did, whereas all the dozens and hundreds of events Bernie didn't attend in the past don't matter to this argument because that would require caring about something besides making cheap, empty attacks to promote one person's career. This after thousands of Sanders supporters have spent the last few days insulting John Lewis, just as they attack and berate anyone who dares to exercise their democratic rights, rights John Lewis risked his life for, only to be insulted by the self-entitled, certain that they and they alone are the only human beings on the planet whose views or votes matter.

So what exactly is the issue? Clinton is obliged to follow Sanders everywhere he goes? He owns her schedule? Obviously the issue is not whether the candidates meet with community groups, because if that were the case you would have insisted your own candidate do so on one of his many trips to Mpls in the past. Of course, what's the point if it isn't in front of cameras?

Those are rhetorical questions. I am not interested in pursuing the discussion further because I find personality politics mind-numbingly empty.

[AtomicKitten]

60. She was there, was invited but declined. Period.

[bravenak]

66. Exactly

[Avalux]

2. At least he showed up and had the conversation, unlike his opponent. n/t

[bravenak]

4. This is the fifty first time! I'm replaying that in my mind

[Empowerer]

19. You do know that all black people don't gather in one place at one time?

Sometimes we spread ourselves out in different places around the country and candidates can actually interact with us in separate places on the same day and they don't have to both be at the same event to talk to us.

Cool, eh?

[Avalux]

20. Wow. I'm sorry you took that personally. n/t

[CorporatistNation]

3. Formal Reparations Would be A Non Starter... However, Affordable College, $15Buck Minimum Wage,

Reeling in Wall Street, Single Payor Health Care... Those might just equlibrate with Reparations.. with the dramatic improvement in the quality of life and life goal formation that would accrue from such policy..

[bravenak]

6. He was not discussing the subject

He refused to speak about reparations

[TipTok]

21. For whom exactly?

[bravenak]

27. Your meaning is unclear to me

[TipTok]

34. Who would get these reparations?

[bravenak]

38. Read A case for reparations from ta nehisi coates

[TipTok]

48. Let's assume that I've got other things to do...

... but am still interested enough for a summary.

Go for it...

[bravenak]

49. It won awards. I am not worthy

[NowSam]

56. Perhaps the heirs of plantation owners should

Pay the decendent's of slaves reparations for the stolen labor that made the landowners rich. If the heirs cab profit from that labor several generations later than shouldn't they share the wealth with the decendents of those who broke their backs in the fields to enrich them?

[TipTok]

68. Why would anyone be responsible for what their great great great great grandparents did...?

[NowSam]

69. Hey they can inherit that wealth

across generations. why not the decendents of those who did the work? I don't know. Seems to be the decent thing to do.

[TipTok]

71. Do you think there are a significant number of families...

... Still living the plantation life after a dozen or so direct father to son handoffs?

[NowSam]

72. I have no idea.

I'm just playing devils advocate here. I think the best reparations would be to look for a more just fair society moving forward. Tuition free college and Healthcare is a great start.

[TipTok]

73. For everyone or just minorities or just descendents of slaves?

[NowSam]

74. For everyone. Sorry I wan't more clear.

Slavery is a horrible injustice and it is understandable to me the request for reparations but I where to we start? How far do you go back? There have been horrible injustices perpetrated on human beings and entire swaths of the Earth's population since the dawn of civilization.

Bernie is trying to correct things by pointing out injustices like the 1% at the top taking all the wealth.

Ultimately and in the hopes of clarifying - I am not for or against reparations - I am just exploring the question and I think it is a conversation worth having.

[PonyUp]

5. Well?

[bravenak]

7. At a black forum in SC ( she was somewhere Sanders was not, i have no idea where)

Last edited Sat Feb 13, 2016, 01:39 AM - Edit history (1)

[AtomicKitten]

23. Nope. She was in Minnesota; see reply 22 above.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511219271#post22

[bravenak]

25. I got your last reply

[sheshe2]

29. Boom

[bravenak]

32. I guess i have no clue where she was.

Away from Sanders I guess

[JonLeibowitz]

9. Does it bother you that President Barack Obama has the same position that Senator Sanders does?

[bravenak]

10. No.

[JonLeibowitz]

11. Excellent Post. Thank you.

[thereismore]

45. Busted! Now please answer my question, you know which. nt

[bravenak]

46. No. Not in public

[thereismore]

47. OK, then PM me. nt

[Arazi]

12. lol, this isn't a serious conversation . You're a good egg for trying

[JonLeibowitz]

14. I fully expected the result i got. (See Post #11)

[sheshe2]

61. Link?

[JonLeibowitz]

63. .

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/obama-opposes-reparations-slavery-article-1.314179

[valerief]

13. Again, no video. nt

[HerbChestnut]

16. here you go

[valerief]

17. Thanks! This didn't at all play out the way politico said it did. nt

Last edited Sat Feb 13, 2016, 01:54 AM - Edit history (1)

[msongs]

15. oddly enuff neither bernie nor hillary can be everywhere. nt

[bravenak]

18. Very true

[SMC22307]

26. Ta-Nehisi Coates Is Voting for Bernie Sanders Despite the Senator's Opposition to Reparations

TA-NEHISI COATES: I will be voting for Senator Sanders. I have tried to avoid this question, but, yes, I will be voting for Senator Sanders. I try to avoid that, because I want to write as a journalist—do you know what I mean?—and separate that from my role as, I don’t know, a private citizen. But I don’t think much is accomplished by ducking the question. Yes, I will vote for Senator Sanders. My son influenced me.

http://www.democracynow.org/2016/2/10/ta_nehisi_coates_is_voting_for

Smart man, and smart son. They understand what's at stake.

[bravenak]

28. Very nice

[sheshe2]

33. ...

[SMC22307]

37. Does Ta-Nehisi's announcement that he'll vote for Bernie sting?

Group hug for everyone!

[sheshe2]

54. Sting?

No, should it?

Every man and woman have a right to vote. No one should bully another and tell them how and why they should vote. Do I agree with his vote? No. Yet it his vote and I will not bully him to 'splain it to me. His right. His vote.

My concern, I do not want a REPUKE anywhere close to the Oval Office. If they get there our children will suffer for years. The Court will be decided and a lifetime of suffering will follow. Our children and our children's children will suffer.

[SMC22307]

55. Bernie consistenly polls better against Republicans than Hillary.

Yes, think of the children.

[sheshe2]

57. My vote is my own.

My choice. Mine.

[SMC22307]

58. Who says it isn't? (n/t)

[bravenak]

39. Love you

[jillan]

31. Shhhhh! You'll mess up his plot to take down Bernie on a political forum.

[SMC22307]

41. LOL Yeah, that isn't going too well.

But the Clinton Machine is just getting warmed up, so all this is good practice. The GOP will be child's play compared to Hillary, Brock, et al.

Hillary. Must. Not. Lose. Twice.

[Odin2005]

30. Reparations is a stupid band-aid that papers over structural racism...

...with what is basically a bribe to shut up and quit fighting for change. It does NOTHING to actually END structural racism and white privilege.

[bravenak]

35. Nothing Sanders has put forward will end it either, but at least it does something.

Nobody could end antisemitism post holocause but reparations were paid. Not enough. But something. Did antisemitism go away? No, it's still here getting worse. At least we can do a little to repair the damage.

Have a nice day.

[Wig Master]

52. Adolph Reed opposes reparations FWIW

So the first question for me has always been how can you imagine putting together a political alliance that would be capable of prevailing on this issue. And what you get in response is a lot of “What black people deserve” because of the harms that have been done to them. I just think it’s fundamentally unserious politically.

But I’ll say this and I’ll say this as a Sanders supporter-I’ll come clean on that. The idea that Bernie Sanders becomes the target of race-line activists now, and not Hillary Clinton, is just beyond me and it smells. It smells to high heaven.

You might say, well, she’s not the one who pushed through NAFTA or signed the omnibus crime bill, or ended the federal government’s commitment to direct provision of income support or housing that her husband did. But she supported all that stuff then. My mind is blown by the understanding of politics that undergirds this perspective that people like Coates and proud TFA alum Deray McKesson and holy roller Marissa Johnson and all those others embrace. It’s fundamentally anti-left. The only thing you can say is that this is a class program. That this is a program that expresses and connects with the interests, or the world view, if not interests-although they do come together-of an aspiring or upwardly mobile stratum of the black and other colored PMC (professional managerial class) that scoffs and sneers at programs of material redistribution.

When I was working in the GI movement, when people like that would come into the meeting, I’d just ask them “So which branch of military intelligence are you assigned to?”

http://johnhalle.com/outragesandinterludes/?p=741

[Liberaltalker]

53. Reparations will not happen...

The difference is that in of the case the reparations payed after WW2 to both Jewish people and Japanese Americans it was payed to those who were directly affected by those events. They were still alive. I do believe that during the time of reconstruction former slaves should have absolutely been granted reparations, but we are many generations removed from that time. Not even President Obama thinks reparations should be granted. Its a none starter, and its not fair to judge a presidential candidate negatively for his stance on this issue.

[bravenak]

65. I can think otherwise

The case for reparations lays it out beautifully

[840high]

67. Good post. Thank you.

[sadoldgirl]

36. Divide and conquer, right?!

[bravenak]

43. Interesting take

[JI7]

62. Sanders knows many white people supporting him would oppose this

i don't think Sanders himself is totally opposed to it. at least i don't think he would have a problem with it . but many white people supporting him would.

[bravenak]

64. That's certainly my impression

[Bluenorthwest]

70. Did Hillary send a text message in support of reparations or something? She declined to attend

that forum, in spite of being in the State. She had a fundraiser with you know, people with money.

[bravenak]

75. Is Hillary Bernie Sanders? Because Sanders was the subject

[Billsmile]

76. Bernie's Answers Echo MLK

By sticking up for all those damaged by a rigged system Sanders' solutions are in sync with Dr. King's economic solutions.

http://www.prrac.org/pdf/FreedomBudget.pdf

[99Forever]

77. The issue is a non-starter.

Not just for Sanders, but for every POTUS candidate. Period.

It's nothing but a weak sauce, cheap, dirty, rotten, lousy, slimy, sleazy attempt at shitty "gotcha" smear.

When you are prepared to hold every other candidate's feet to the fire equally, get back to us.

Till then...

... meh, who gives a fuck?