Sanders gets tough reception at minority women's event, signaling challenges ahead

HOUSTON — The groans erupted halfway through Bernie Sanders’s appearance Wednesday at a presidential candidates’ forum sponsored by She the People, a group that aims to drive up voter participation among women of color.

Before an audience of about 1,700, many of them African American and Hispanic women, the moderator asked Sanders (I-Vt.) how he would handle the rise in white supremacy. Sanders spoke of fighting discrimination and running a campaign “to bring our people together around an agenda that speaks to all people” — then returned to a familiar message on universal health care.

For many in the audience, that was insufficient. “Come on!” a woman shouted from the back, as others began to jeer and boo.

The reception reflected Sanders’s struggle to win support from minority voters, a problem that dogged his 2016 primary campaign against Hillary Clinton. Sanders has taken steps since to improve his outreach, including meeting with black leaders and talking more frequently about the difficulties facing minorities, but Wednesday’s event suggested the senator still faces challenges.

This morning, Joe Biden properly defined the term "Economic Anxiety."

It seems to be bother some people.

Economic anxiety is a term that came about to give cover and comfort to the deplorables that Biden highlighted in his video. Economic anxiety is a term that was bestowed upon a group who fear an economically inclusive America and equal opportunity for all. The term, as used near the end of and after the last election, was cover for the opposition to Clintons progressive message of a more just economy. It is flat out rooted in racism. It is comfort for those not willing to be on the front lines with the white nationalists.

Bidens video really brought back the fond memories I have of HRC and the campaign she ran. The grief she took. The made up problems people had with her. Her brilliant mix of social and economic justice. It is that mix that brought about the need for cover for the economic anxiety voter.

Joe Biden Just called the racists deplorables in the most beautiful of ways. Put down the economic anxiety bullshit. Our progressive values address it directly. Hillary Clinton addressed economic issues in a very good way. She addressed the concerns of those now being labeled as having voted for Trump because of economic anxiety. They voted the way they did because of the fear of a more inclusive economy, economic, and social justice. Most are figuring out they were lied to. Joe Bidens blue collar appeal will work with them without pandering or ignoring that which their anxiety comes from.

The White Nationalists Biden highlighted in his video are the front lines of the economic anxiety crowd.

Joe's Story and More

“During my adolescent and college years, men and women were changing the country—Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy—and I was swept up in their eloquence, their conviction, the sheer size of their improbable dreams.”

"We have too often allowed our differences to prevail among us. We have too often allowed ambitious men to play off those differences for political gain. We have too often retreated behind our differences when no one really tried to lead us beyond them."

"The United States Constitution says We the People. Not We the Donors."

An idea that goes back to our founding principle that all men are created equal. It’s an idea that’s stronger than any army, bigger than any ocean, more powerful than any dictator. It gives hope to the most desperate people on Earth. It instills in every single person in this country the belief that no matter where they start in life, there’s nothing they can’t achieve if they work at it.

We’re in a battle for the soul of America. It’s time to remember who we are. We’re Americans: tough, resilient, but always full of hope. It’s time to treat each other with dignity. Build a middle class that works for everybody. Fight back against the incredible abuses of power we’re seeing. It’s time to dig deep and remember that our best days still lie ahead.

It’s time for respected leadership on the world stage—and dignified leadership at home. It’s time for equal opportunity, equal rights, and equal justice. It’s time for an economy that rewards those who actually do the work. It’s time for a president who will stand up for all of us.

Amy Klobuchar was excellent at the She The People Forum.

I watched the forum before bed last night and thought it was great. I think Castro and Klobuchar really took the night. Warren did extremely well she was just asked questions that were a bit more narrow in scope. She did great at answering the questions she was asked.

With that, I was really really impressed with Klobuchar. I’m not as familiar with her and I need to learn more about her. She was great.

Other candidates were really good but I think Klobuchar and Castro really stood out. Mainly because of their direct answers to the questions. It was also nice to be reminded of how accomplished Castro is. He clearly looks at and understands the big picture.

Vice President Joe Biden: Never is it the woman's fault

Not the full speech.

Excellent Video: Gloria Steinam Talks To Joe Biden About Violence Against Women

I can see Biden rolling out with an announcement video that is a bit more of a production than just him talking. Watching this video gives one the comfort that many of us felt under the Obama Administration. The video literally brought out a remembrance of that feeling for me.

Take A Minute To Read This: This is the Joe Biden you rarely see

This week, Joe Biden is set to announce his candidacy for president. Forgive me for getting ahead of the punditry clutter with this story.

Meetings in the Oval Office with President Obama and Vice President Biden to discuss Democratic House races were always thrilling. Notably, the body language was instructive. The president would sit straight in his chair, cerebral and analytical, absorbing the analysis I presented as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. The vice president would hunch forward with his arms outstretched, as if waiting to dive into one of the districts and campaign there himself.

At one such meeting in 2011, I was struggling to concentrate. My dad, who was living in Arizona, had just received a diagnosis of lung cancer. The prognosis was not good. On the way to the White House, I stopped to pick up a “get well” card. My plan was to ask the president to sign it. My dad was a fervent Democrat, and perhaps one of the only Democrats in the retirement community of Ahwatukee Foothills in Phoenix.

After the meeting, I asked the president to sign the card. To my chagrin, he nodded no, then went to his desk, pulled out a drawer, grabbed a piece of stationery, and wrote a personal note. As I left, Biden asked me to join him in his West Wing office. I thought we were going to review maps of competitive districts. Instead, he said, “Your dad’s condition is going to one of the hardest things your mom will go through. I’d like to call her.”

A little warm up for the Biden announcement.

He covers a lot in this.

2/27/2014: Gun laws in California: Concealed-carry ruling appealed by Attorney General Kamala Harris

California Attorney General Kamala Harris asked a federal appeals court Thursday to review and reverse its recent decision that declared unconstitutional the restrictions many counties use to limit the right to carry a concealed handgun.

San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore — whose policy the lawsuit had challenged — announced last week that he would not appeal the three-judge panel’s Feb. 13 ruling. So Harris on Thursday moved to intervene in the case, asking that the 2-1 ruling be reviewed by an 11-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

Harris’ office noted Thursday that if the ruling is allowed to take effect, sheriffs all over California — including the Bay Area, where counties are rather tightfisted about concealed-carry permits — could be required to issue permits based on nothing more than the applicant’s stated wish to carry a gun for self-defense.

“Local law enforcement must be able to use their discretion to determine who can carry a concealed weapon,” she said in a news release. “I will do everything possible to restore law enforcement’s authority to protect public safety, and so today am calling on the court to review and reverse its decision.”

12/5/2012: California A.G.'s New Position on Deportation is a Win for Immigrant Rights

California Attorney General Kamala Harris jumped in to the immigration debate on Tuesday by announcing law enforcement in the state can ignore Obama administration requests to hold undocumented immigrants. Harris said law enforcement agencies were not obligated to comply with the federal law called Secure Communities.

Harris’ announcement is seen as a win for immigration reform because she is the chief law officer of the state that boasts the largest number of Secure Communities deportations.

Harris said her office has received dozens of inquiries from sheriffs and police chiefs confused about whether they must comply and hold detainees for up to 48 hours after they otherwise would have been released, the Associated Press reported.

“In the interest of public safety, it is our recommendation that those chiefs and sheriffs make a decision about whether or not they will detain an illegal immigrant based on their priorities,” Harris said.