Why Hillary Clinton Doesn’t Deserve the Black Vote - Michelle Alexander/TheNation

[WillyT]

Why Hillary Clinton Doesn’t Deserve the Black Vote
From the crime bill to welfare reform, policies Bill Clinton enacted—and Hillary Clinton supported—decimated black America.
By Michelle Alexander
February 10, 2016


Michelle Alexander has questioned what the Clintons have done to deserve such devotion among black voters.
Brad Barket via Getty Images

<snip>

Hillary Clinton loves black people. And black people love Hillary—or so it seems. Black politicians have lined up in droves to endorse her, eager to prove their loyalty to the Clintons in the hopes that their faithfulness will be remembered and rewarded. Black pastors are opening their church doors, and the Clintons are making themselves comfortably at home once again, engaging effortlessly in all the usual rituals associated with “courting the black vote,” a pursuit that typically begins and ends with Democratic politicians making black people feel liked and taken seriously. Doing something concrete to improve the conditions under which most black people live is generally not required.

Hillary is looking to gain momentum on the campaign trail as the primaries move out of Iowa and New Hampshire and into states like South Carolina, where large pockets of black voters can be found. According to some polls, she leads Bernie Sanders by as much as 60 percent among African Americans. It seems that we—black people—are her winning card, one that Hillary is eager to play.

And it seems we’re eager to get played. Again.


Hillary and Bill Clinton in 1992. (Reuters Pictures)

The love affair between black folks and the Clintons has been going on for a long time. It began back in 1992, when Bill Clinton was running for president. He threw on some shades and played the saxophone on The Arsenio Hall Show. It seems silly in retrospect, but many of us fell for that. At a time when a popular slogan was “It’s a black thing, you wouldn’t understand,” Bill Clinton seemed to get us. When Toni Morrison dubbed him our first black president, we nodded our heads. We had our boy in the White House. Or at least we thought we did.

Black voters have been remarkably loyal to the Clintons for more than 25 years. It’s true that we eventually lined up behind Barack Obama in 2008, but it’s a measure of the Clinton allure that Hillary led Obama among black voters until he started winning caucuses and primaries. Now Hillary is running again. This time she’s facing a democratic socialist who promises a political revolution that will bring universal healthcare, a living wage, an end to rampant Wall Street greed, and the dismantling of the vast prison state—many of the same goals that Martin Luther King Jr. championed at the end of his life. Even so, black folks are sticking with the Clinton brand.

What have the Clintons done to earn such devotion? Did they take extreme political risks to defend the rights of African Americans? Did they courageously stand up to right-wing demagoguery about black communities? Did they help usher in a new era of hope and prosperity for neighborhoods devastated by deindustrialization, globalization, and the disappearance of work?

No. Quite the opposite....

<snip>

More: http://www.thenation.com/article/hillary-clinton-does-not-deserve-black-peoples-votes/

[NWCorona]

1. Now this isn't the conservativeblackchic

Some very valid points in that article.

[billhicks76]

44. Alvin Greene

Why can't people recall history???

[Uncle Joe]

2. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, WillyT.

[kgnu_fan]

3. K＆R

[Autumn]

4. Awesome read Willy. Thanks for posting it.

K&R

[noretreatnosurrender]

5. Powerful Voice

Of course, the idea of building a new political party terrifies most progressives, who understandably fear that it would open the door for a right-wing extremist to get elected. So we play the game of lesser evils. This game has gone on for decades. W.E.B. Du Bois, the eminent scholar and co-founder of the NAACP, shocked many when he refused to play along with this game in the 1956 election, defending his refusal to vote on the grounds that “there is but one evil party with two names, and it will be elected despite all I do or say.” While the true losers and winners of this game are highly predictable, the game of lesser evils makes for great entertainment and can now be viewed 24 hours a day on cable-news networks. Hillary believes that she can win this game in 2016 because this time she’s got us, the black vote, in her back pocket—her lucky card.

She may be surprised to discover that the younger generation no longer wants to play her game. Or maybe not. Maybe we’ll all continue to play along and pretend that we don’t know how it will turn out in the end. Hopefully, one day, we’ll muster the courage to join together in a revolutionary movement with people of all colors who believe that basic human rights and economic, racial, and gender justice are not unreasonable, pie-in-the-sky goals. After decades of getting played, the sleeping giant just might wake up, stretch its limbs, and tell both parties: Game over. Move aside. It’s time to reshuffle this deck.

[WillyT]

6. Yep...

[Sweetearth]

14. Jingoists

Trouble is she *talks the Neo-liberal talk & has it down pat, but WALKS the right wing walk. Poor Repubs they're so in lock step with the big Jingoistic projects *she's delivered, & share so much in common with her influence on Wall Street & the banks they're left with only marginal things like Benghazi & her emails to complain of. When it comes to **control, Hillary IS the system, left ,& (in practice), right.

[kwassa]

7. Willy cuts and pastes once again from a 19-day old article

That was posted and dicussed on DU back then.

And posts no commentary of his own.

[WillyT]

8. I Couldn't Top That If I Tried...

And BTW... I'll Be Posting It Before EVERY Primary And Caucus.

Do you have a problem with her analysis ???

[noretreatnosurrender]

9. Thank you

For standing up and not backing down.

[kwassa]

10. I have a problem with your failure to state an idea of your own.

and your ability to stick around and debate it. I've never seen you do it. Ever. You appear to be more of a hit and run poster. Dump some text, and take off.

[redstateblues]

12. He ran out of ideas a long time ago. Cut and paste. Cut and paste. Cut and paste

[polly7]

17. The problem both you and the previous poster seem to have is

the inability to mention a single point in the article and try to score points against the messenger. Typical. No ideas, just stupid derailing.

Not much thought needed for that, but it's sure used a lot. Why is that? You can't argue the original message?

[VulgarPoet]

18. No, they can't.

If they could, they'd have tried to fight my analysis on my collation of her misdeeds.

[polly7]

19. They don't because there's so much proof out there.

Derailing is one thing, personally attacking someone simply for posting is just lazy .... they need to try harder. At least argue one tiny point, and make it worth clicking on.

[kwassa]

26. No. Willy never argues his own point of view. That is the problem.

He just posts links, and runs away.

Not our problem. His problem.

[polly7]

28. He posted something he thought might be of interest.

Apparently it's not, to you.

Big deal.

[kwassa]

29. No, he is advocating something, because he keeps doing it.

Like his infamous Stockholm Syndrome post.

You are not him. You can't debate for him. He has to do it for himself.

Not that he has ever done it so far.

[kristopher]

21. That would be bad because.... ?

[WillyT]

13. Oh kwassa... I've Been Informed I Do Not Have The Chops To Comment On Race...

So I Post, and let you all lead the discussion.



Have a nice day.

[WillyT]

15. "...stick around and debate it..." - I'm Here... Where Are You ???

[NWCorona]

16. 😀

[kwassa]

24. I am right here, Willy. What part of Alexander's thesis do you think is important?

and why?

Tell me in your own words.

[WillyT]

30. No... You Tell Me... You Seem To Speak For Blacks... I Defer...

A Selected Bibliography on Racism
John F. Henry
Department of Economics
California State University, Sacramento
(* denotes especially recommended)

A. General Works

American Academy of Political and Social Science, The Negro's Progress in Fifty Years (1913)
*Aptheker, H., The Negro People in America (1946)
Brawley, B., A Social History of the American Negro (1921)
Brown, Wm., The Black Man: His Antecedents, His Genius and His Achievements (1863)
Cromwell, J., The Negro in American History (1916)
Carlyle, T., The Nigger Question
*Cox, O.C., Caste, Class and Race (1948)
Race Relations (1976)
DuBois, W. E. B., The World and Africa (1972)
The ABC of Color (1967)
The Souls of Black Folks (1903)
Color and Democracy (1945)
Elkins, S., Slavery (1959)
Easton, H., A Treatise on the Intellectual Character...of the Colored People of the U.S. (1837)
Ferris, W., The African Abroad..., 2 Vols. (1913)
Foner, P., American Socialism and Black Americans (1977)
* History of Black America, 4 Vols.
Fortune, T., Black and White: Land, Labor and Politics in the South (1884)
*Foster, Wm., The Negro People in American History (1954)
Franklin, J. H., From Slavery to Freedom, 4th ed. (1974)
Haynes, R., The Trend of the Races (1922)
Helm, H., From Darkness to Bright (1909)
Herskovitz, M., The Myth of the Negro Past (1941)
Jordan, W., White over Black (1968)
The White Man's Burden (1974)
McGay, V., Africa in World Politics (1963)
McWilliams, C., Brothers Under the Skin (1964)
Meier, A. and Rudwick, E., From Plantation to Ghetto (1966)
Mill, J. S., The Nigger Question
Miller, K., An Appeal to Conscience: America's Color Code of Caste A Disgrace to
Democracy (1918)
Myrdal, G. An American Dilemma (1944)Payne, D., History of the A.M.E.Z. Church (1891)
Phillips, U., Life and Labor in the Old South
American Negro Slavery (1918)
-2-
Rogers, J. A., Nature Knows No Color Line (1952)
Rosenberg, A., Race and Race History
Southern Exposure, Mark of the Beast (1980)
Thomas, W. H., The American Negro (1901)
Washington, B. T., The Future of the American Negro (1879)
The Negro in Business (1907)
Williams, G. W., A History of the Negro Race in America From 1619 to 1880 (1883)
Winston, H., Strategy For a Black Agenda (1973)
Wood, N., The White Side of a Black Subject (1896)
Woodward, C., Origins of the New South (1951)

A.1 Bibliographic Guides

Abajian, J., Blacks in Selected Newspapers, etc.
Afro-Americana, 1553-1906
Bibliographic Guide to Black Studies
Fisk University Library, Dictionary Catalogue of the Negro Collection
Howard University Library, Dictionary Catalogue of the Jesse E. Moorland Collection of
Negro Life and History
Index to Periodical Articles by and about Negroes
Jenkins, B. and Phillis, S., Black Separation: A Bibliography
Kumatz, T. and Wolf, J., The Black Experience
McPherson, J., et. al., Blacks in America
Miller, E., The Negro in America
N. Y. Public Library, Dictionary Catalogue of the Schomberg Collection of Negro Literature

And that's just half of the A's...

Link: (.pdf file): http://www.csus.edu/indiv/h/henryjf/PDFS/RacismBib.pdf

Education... what a wonderful thing...



AND... Make sure you read this in your lifetime:



And...

[kwassa]

32. I knew you couldn't speak in your own words. More cut-and-paste, a bibliography.

I would ask a question here, but you wouldn't answer it.

[kwassa]

25. I don't think you have the chops to comment on race.

Prove me wrong.

In your own words.

[WillyT]

22. The Hillary Swarm Makes Me Limp..

[kwassa]

37. Simply shows you have no fortitude.

[snowy owl]

50. So personal attacks are okay here? I thought not.

Debate the story, please.

[thereismore]

11. They have a BIG problem with the analysis. It stirs up that long-suppressed element called

soul.

[kristopher]

20. "No. Quite the opposite"

K&R

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

23. I appreciate and respect Michelle Alexander very much, but black voters will vote however they want.

[Dont call me Shirley]

27. K & R, WillyT!

[doc03]

31. I guess she is smarter than about 90% of them that voted for Clinton in SC. n/t

[Beacool]

33. Yeah, thousands of people were sooo stupid.

Nice way of winning voters over to your candidate's side.

[doc03]

36. This Hillary bashing is getting rediculous, I thought we were supposed to support

Democrats here not trash our own day after day. I have seen stuff here Republicans haven't even stooped to.

[Beacool]

38. You said it!!!

Regardless of who supports which candidate, it's not wise to insult large swaths of voters that are going to be needed in the GE.

[billhicks76]

42. Really??? Look Up Alvin Greene!!! Can You Not Ignore That?

Those voters elected Alvin Greene to Face off agains Sen. Jim DeMint for national office. The same Hillary supporters here claimed SC elections were rigged.

[KingFlorez]

34. Clearly, the people of South Carolina didn't feel the same

More than 80% chose to vote for Clinton. It isn't up to one pretentious article to decide who black voters should choose, it's up to individual voters.

[billhicks76]

43. Alvin Greene

[KingFlorez]

46. I know who that is

I'm not stupid or uninformed, so I'm well aware of who Alvin Greene is. There was something sketchy about him, but it's quite a stretch to compare him to Hillary Clinton.

[billhicks76]

48. I Didn't Compare

People here say trust the system there. He was was beyond sketchy. He was an unelectable no-name sex predator discharged from the military who never had a dime in his life. No campaign literature, no TV commercials, no recognition, no supporters, no ability to speak and no history...yet he was nominated to the US Senate Election...uh...hello?!?! Clinton supporters were crying that the entire system was rigged in SC. But now its all about the great people of SC???

[dreamnightwind]

49. No, the implication was that the SC elections are suspect

and that Alvin Greene is an example of that.

[Number23]

52. No stretch is too far (or too hilarious) for the desperate.

[Tarc]

35. Cool story, bro

Almost as cool as was when it was posted, repeatedly, 3 weeks ago.

[billhicks76]

45. Almost As Cool As Alvin Greene

[SciDude]

39. It is noteworthy that establishment Democrats have been lamenting the

white southern Republican voter and how they have voted against their own interests for many decades. I'm a progressive liberal and have supported Democrats for years but it is really frightening to see Democrats today in full denial and doing that exact same thing only this time in the Cult of Clinton Personality that has been created by the big-$ oligarchs.

The Clinton's are as much political theater (some would say propaganda from the 0.01% Oligarchs) as was Reagan and nearly the very same older-generation whites, only this time on the other "team," are about to pull a repeat of the Reagan Revolution but this time with Clinton's Oligarch-Run-Non-Revolution. We've seen this same scam run on the American people before. How many blatant lies, pay-offs, and corruptions will it take for Democrats to wake up?

I fear they will not in time and we will be stuck with a disturbing choice:

Trump Vs Clinton

[billhicks76]

40. This Should Be Obvious To Any Intelligent And Genuine Person

[SHRED]

41. "The truth shall set you free"

[billhicks76]

47. Remember Alvin Greene Was "Chosen" in SC To "Challenge" Sen. Jim DeMint

The guy couldnt form a sentence, had no money trail his entire life to the point where they wondered how he even afforded the $10,000 filing fee, had no literature or mailers and had no TV commercials. Yet somehow the completely unknown military discharged, sex offender won the nomination by the Democrats for the US Senate?!?!?! Clinton supporters back then called the entire system rigged in SC as I recall.

[thereismore]

51. Always good. nt

[bobthedrummer]

53. K&R#50 and a Super Tuesday tune

[WillyT]

54. Thank You For That !!!

[WillyT]

55. G'Night...