Clintons and the black vote

[pdsimdars]

From reading different discussions, a couple of the main points seem to be that the Clintons kept visiting the black Churches over the years, etc and another main point was that Bernie called for someone to primary Obama.

First, the Clintons and the churches. I guess the sticking point for me is that they did NAFTA which took away the jobs and then welfare reform that took away the social safety net and all that "tough on crime" stuff that put more people in prison than any other president in history. To summarize, they took away the jobs, took away the social safety net and then threw everyone in prison. Of course, I've seen video of Bernie on the Senate floor passionately arguing against these things. Apparently that doesn't matter doesn't count for much. But someone destroying your community is OK as long as they come to church with you. Is that it? If so, I really don't get it at all. Bernie fought AGAINST all that but didn't go to church.

Second is the idea that Bernie called for someone to primary Obama. Well, not really. There are things that Obama has pushed that I have strongly disagreed with, like the TPP. So, if you disagree with anything Obama does, you are scum? Bernie thought Obama was too far right on some issue and during an interview he said so and also said maybe someone should primary him to move him to the left. Just a comment. He didn't go out and look for someone or anything like that. He even campaigned FOR Obama. But some propaganda artist blew it up and twisted it all out of shape to manipulate people.

In both these cases, I think people are being manipulated by talking points that are really deceptive.

[stonecutter357]

1. lol

[msanthrope]

2. Could I have asked for a better example? nt

[BumRushDaShow]

3. Oh FFS

[Recursion]

4. Sigh

23 million net jobs created during his 8 years in office. Unemployment fell to record lows while labor participation went up. Unprecedented gains in wages and income, particularly (disproportionately in fact) to African Americans, viz:



As well as seeing the violent crime rate drop by 50%.

If Bill Clinton's administration was a failure, we could use a lot more failures like that.

Running against Bill Clinton's terms is a huge mistake on Sanders's part, and I say that as a guy who's voting for him. It's a disastrous idea.

[Depaysement]

6. But this is politics

And that's more than issues. Going to the churches forges a bond. It makes people feel that you know them, like them, like their life and that they matter. If you lived in the community you'd get it. Bernie understands why he couldn't overcome this, especially in the South.

[Stuckinadeepredstate]

7. The answer lies in your post

The Clintons have been involved in the AA community for decades. As a southern governor, BC made a concerted effort to engage with AA voters and HRC was always there with him. Prior to being First Lady of Arkansas, she was involved in work with AAs in the Deep South. During BC's tenure as governor, the Reagan Revolution was really roaring and AAs were really being marganizlized by the national Democratic Party.

BS is somewhat a victim of geography. He is from an overwhelmingly white state. You can argue that he has taken positions that would in theory have benefitted AAs but he is a very unfamiliar figure in that community in a community that has been promised the moon many times and it has never been delivered. Throw in that HRC has wisely positioned herself as the person to cement Obama's legacy and there it is.

As for calling for someone to primary Obama, that didn't cross BS political calculus because he never had to answer to AA voters before because his state is more lily white than a Whole Foods check out line. So to him what was a rhetorical question, came across as totally crass and disrespectful in the AA community.

The musings of a Southerner. Hopefully it offers some clarity.

[PATRICK]

9. Primaries are about turnout

and there just are not many good infrastructures to talk to and get out votes as black Churches, a power they have exerted well since Kennedy. This is why it is beyond individuals or access to the same information and a bloc can be "delivered" even in this day and age.
Nowadays you can win primaries still with these blocs but not so easily at all the national election. This is not nefarious anymore than getting affectionate voters from your own state. Some of this support is immune from media influence and new candidates, the former definitely not a bad thing.

[Hoyt]

8. The ultimate arbiters/deciders disagree with you on this.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

10. That's people for you.

You can do all sorts of things that hurt them horribly, destroy their communities, tear apart their families, but as long as you do it at a remove or two, so it's not terribly obvious that you were one of the main reasons such is happening, and at the same time come around and chat pleasantly with them every so often, they'll go around thinking you're a nice person.

[onenote]

11. I've said this before: its actually quite simple

It comes down to this, in my opinion. If Clinton had walked away after losing the nomination to Obama, and had stayed on the sidelines, she would have burned her bridges to the AA community. But she didn't do that. She endorsed Obama. She campaigned for him and urged her supporters to work on Obama's behalf. And she became part of the Obama team after the election.

That, in my opinion, went a long way to solidifying her status in the AA community -- a community that still overwhelmingly supports Obama.

As a Sanders supporter (but one who expects Sanders to support Clinton if she ends up with the nomination and who will do the same), I'm honestly not sure what Bernie could do to overcome that advantage.

[Spacedog1973]

12. He would have had to make Reperations

a part of his 'revolution' platform. Its really as simple as that.