Ellison confirms CBC PAC endorsed candidate without CBC membership input

[Mufaddal]

Now on Twitter:

Rep. Keith Ellison
?@keithellison

Cong'l Black Caucus (CBC) has NOT endorsed in presidential. Separate CBCPAC endorsed withOUT input from CBC membership, including me.

https://twitter.com/keithellison/status/697809288203522048

[Kalidurga]

1. And Hillary supporters are saying that most members do endorse Hillary.

I am torn about who to believe.

[kristopher]

4. Then Why Didn't They Vote?

[mikehiggins]

9. Everybody supports HRC. Well, maybe except for one or two. Remember

you are talking about people who were approached for their support (or volunteered it) when HRC was considered absolutely inevitable. The idea of an ideological revolution was the farthest thing from anyone's mind and, frankly, none of these people were wrong. Like Chump's brother JEB!, given what we know now things might not have played out this way BUT what these people knew then made support for HRC eminently sensible.

And once in the mix it would be impossible to do anything but double down on their support. Changing their positions would be viewed unfavorably by the next President of the United States. Nobody outside of the GOPukes wanted the West Wing looking at them like they were traitors.

What went wrong?

Simple: you can't fight something with nothing. HRC's campaign stands for nothing but more of the same. Sanders is preaching revolutionary change to "take back America." He wants to take it back from the oligarchs, not the minorities or the poor or the oppressed, and all HRC can do is play "catch-up" to the tenor of the times.

Sanders is that Chinese guy standing up in front of the tanks. HRC is flummoxed. This was NOT supposed to be happening.

If Sanders wins some more YUGE victories the HRC machine will crumble like the Berliin Wall.

[AtheistCrusader]

11. Can't take people for granted and expect them not to be pissed off about it.

Remember this?
http://www.ibtimes.com/teamsters-abandon-democrats-union-withholds-hillary-clinton-endorsement-after-twice-2121237

Unions have been warning us for some time about the party's lackluster performance when in power. They aren't getting what they need. You can't assume the support of people who need your help, and you never help them.

[Dustlawyer]

21. The analogy of the Chinese protestor in front of that log line of tanks

is appropriate, except Bernie will win!!!

That's worth a heart!

[kristopher]

2. True to form for the Clinton Campaign. nt

[Fawke Em]

3. Get your social media fingers revved up to correct all the news reports!

I've already started Tweeting this.

The media will probably not make much of a clarification - if any - regarding this. Hope Ellison goes onto some talk shows over the next few days to speak to this.

[Mufaddal]

8. It's time to get a lot of pro-Bernie voices out there

I think Ellison, Turner, Jealous, along with Belafonte, Killer Mike, and a couple of Bernie boosters from the black community not just for SC, but for the rest of the campaign, could make a big difference. I would say West, but honestly I'm not sure that he is viewed with the same level of relevance in much of the black community (particularly the younger generation) as he used to, although you could make the same argument for most of Bernie's other surrogates in that regard. IMO Turner does the best for him. She is absolutely incredible in on-the-spot interviews, and she doesn't take crap from the media when they get condescending about Bernie; she hits right back.

Conversely, I think the Clinton camp overestimates the value and meaning that endorsements have in this day and age (and definitely among youth), especially "establishment" endorsements. In fact, that kind of endorsement may actually Bernie more than it helps her, because it just proves the narrative he established early on in the race: the machine, when threatened, lines up behind its candidate to crush the person standing for real structural change. Given the condition of the black community in the US today, in both rural and urban areas, my guess (and I stress that word) is that a lot of the black electorate and potential electorate will be wondering: what have the folks in CBC leadership done for us recently? Well, the answer is not much, and they haven't for ages. In fact, many or most of them voted for the 1994 Clinton omnibus crime bill, and at least Bernie had a halfway decent excuse for voting for it himself (even if I wish he still hadn't).

[840high]

17. Good idea.

[Wilms]

5. Ohhh. Without membership input.

This is another Clinton pattern.

[Maedhros]

18. Once or twice might be considered an anomaly, but there is now an established pattern

of liberal political organizations granting endorsements to Hillary based upon leadership fiat rather than the will of the membership.

I can't think of a better way to illustrate Hillary's "establishment" credentials. The Party leadership so desperately wants Hillary to be President, but the people think otherwise. Call me crazy, but I stand with the people.

[SoapBox]

23. She gets titles...

But they are really meaningless because they lack support behind them.

[Wilms]

28. "She gets titles..." is right.

Bernie gets votes.

How many endorsements did Clinton have in NH?

She also spent more per vote than Bernie.

[HooptieWagon]

6. That seems par for the course.

But many, if not a majority, of the CBC members have already endorsed Clinton, so taking a vote would have just been a formality. It would have helped her optics, though...when all your Union endorsements come from leadership fiat, not membership votes, then it gives the perception the candidate doesn't give a shit about common people.
The real disappointment is that the CBC PAC was formed to help Blacks run for Congress, not to be used as a prop for a white woman with an overbearing sense of entitlement.

[Kip Humphrey]

7. Hillary camp gets another establishment endorsement and spins it like its a whole lot more.

why am I not surprised?

[lostnfound]

10. Let's all have some dignity and self-restraint please

I just want to say that i'm as disappointed as anyone but we are true progressives and that includes looking at the long view. If the CBC is powerful enough to influence an election - and they might well turn out to be that - there is a kernel of something to be appreciative of...

We don't know the outcome. It could be that he assroots progressive AA leaders will be strengthened, not weakened, by this, in the long run. It could be that Sanders will win anyway, and will eventually help put in place that benefit the AA community in ways that Clinton never would have. Yes it is possible that Hillary will win the primary but lose the general, which would be quite a painful outcome, but the Democratic Party that emerges from its own ashes will no longer be DLC oriented.

What ever we feel about the CBC endorsement, let's not be stupid and feed into resentment and us-vs-them thinking. It's counterproductive, and I'm pretty sure Bernie wouldn't like it.

And I'm talking to us Berners in general, not directed at the OP. Kudos to Keith Ellison though!!

[navarth]

15. That's all good.

And I would like to also urge my fellow Bernie supporters to refrain from any gloating when we win. Best to be classy in victory.

That is not to accuse anyone, or to say that I suspect that anyone is going to be guilty of this. Just a friendly humble request.

[lostnfound]

30. Love your answer! Nt

[navarth]

31. thanks!

[Maedhros]

19. I think we should be accurate and refer to it as "the CBC PAC endorsement" as Ellison has shown.

Another PAC for Hillary? Not surprising or really meaningful.

[Duval]

12. Good for Ellision. Now we know. Sigh!

[in_cog_ni_to]

13. Figures. n/t

PEACE
LOVE
BERNIE

[saidsimplesimon]

14. Good to hear that the CBC is not a monolithic

echo chamber.

I can "count cards" but do not gamble in casinos. These are not the days of Tammany Hall.

[elljay]

20. There is the CBC and there is the Progressive Caucus

Not all African American members of Congress are progressive. The CBC has many establishment members who have been entrenched in their comfortable positions without challenge for decades. It would be interesting to compare the endorsements of the CBC members who are not members of the Progressive Caucus with those who are.

[frylock]

16. Probably the result of another 2am phone call from Bill.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

22. I guess she figures it's the same thing if she gets their money....

Even a little bit.

This calls into question the validity of all of her other endorsements.

[SoapBox]

24. And speaking of money...Camp Weathervane is fundraising in Mexico and London.

Saw that a couple days ago....

Money, money, money, money, money...There is never, ever enough big money for the Clintons.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

29. They do like to dress to impress....

I'd like to see them dressed to the 9s and take a limo ride to an abandoned factory in the Rust Belt.

[WillyT]

25. K & R !!!

[arcane1]

26. A PAC staffed and funded with lobbyists from tobacco, pharma, private prisons, and student loans.

Surprise, surprise!

[Paulie]

27. The CBC PAC exists to elect democrats and bring more African Americans to elect democrats

Bernie is running as a Democrat but he's an independent. I expect long term party people to support the long term party person.

If this a change election and a political revolution it will happen with hard work, determination, in spite of the party power players.

Comes along with running in the Dem's sandbox.

Bernie needs everyone to get out there and help.

[kgnu_fan]

32. this is important for people to know...

[MisterP]

33. this, BLM, and the Lewis flap to me seems a mounting crisis over AA party representation

a lot of the anger's driven by traditional leaders fighting grassroots ones for position, siding with even Rahm Emanuel to stay gatekeepers, even Michelle Alexander's convincing damnation unable to break the party loyalty

BLM is a generational movement, and is going after Dems like Rahm and Robert McCulloch as much as the PDs

Clinton threw out BLM because she thought she could afford to--but pretending she's "the candidate for Blacks from the party for Blacks" breaks down with another candidate running; "you do not have our PERMISSION to speak on this topic!" doesn't work on the Internet where anyone can be anything (of course not talking about criticism of careless statements from outsiders entirely separate from AA experience and discursive communities): there's a desperate need for not only a new economics but for a new politics, one without gatekeepers that can throttle challengers, one that recognizes the Internet and self-sustaining, horizontal leadership

this isn't playing out this way a-tall with Latinos, who're often labeled as "half conservative" swing voters, BTW