Addressing the social issues/diversity thing: questions and suggestions

[Ken Burch]

Last edited Sun May 31, 2015, 07:36 PM - Edit history (1)

(I'll be forwarding a link to this thread to the campaign site if I can figure out how, btw.)

Three things from me:

1)Anybody know if they're going to put Bernie's stands on anti-oppression issues on the website or if he'll be giiving and major speeches about that? Once we get his impeccable anti-oppression voting record and personal history out there into wider circulation, I really think we can put this to rest?

2)Does Bernie have poc/LGBTQ/women's outreach people on his campaign team? If not, they are needed and if so, we need to get their pictures onto the website-faces make the outreach real.

3)Any word yet of well-known poc/LGBTQ/feminist/disablity rights figures willing to go public with endorsements? Getting somebody like Barbara Lee or Danny Glover or some younger, less establishment LGBTQ/feminist/anti-ablist activists to give open public endorsements of Bernie's candidacy would make a huge difference.

Add any suggestions you might come up with below.

[sabrina 1]

1. There are several minority 'for Bernie' groups on twitter already. They are independent of his

campaign afaik. There is no minority issue with Bernie, that is in the 'hopes and wishes' of those who are very worried that he actually is looking like a serious threat to the status quo.

The best thing to do as much as possible when these 'memes' start, and there will be plenty more, is to let those threads drop and we should not be allowing them to distract us.

I have every confidence that a man who participated in the Civil Rights movement for several years has even the remotest problem or will have, with minorities and their issues.

[Ken Burch]

2. Can you link to some of those groups? Thanks.

Obviously Bernie has earned minority support...but we need to let those voters know how good he actually is. And it's important to any campaign to start the outreach, to actively ask people for their support and make it clear that they are valued and their needs acknowledged.

We can make this into a good thing, with just a little effort.

[bettyellen]

4. Great post, so sorry others are trying to convince you that somehow women and POC should not be

Groups he reaches out to. Shame there are people here wishing they could dismiss us completely, writing us off as war mongers or plants. I don't know if you all realize how crazy that sounds?

At any rate I plan to follow the primary race closer than usual because I think it's the best field ever.
Going to take a hint from Bernie and not slam any of the candidates. Good luck with this endeavor!

[BrotherIvan]

5. NO ONE is doing that

What they are saying is instead of paid plants or fake photo ops, let's get the record out there. While some people are worried about optics, others are worried about the real thing and actual policies that will benefit people, including all disenfranchised groups. Sanders has a stellar record for every social issue there is. Maybe stop taking made up shit on DU as gospel. You do know that in this very thread are female supporters and people of color right?

[bettyellen]

7. Wow- you pretended this was of no concern in GD and created another thread here to discuss it - and

Then call other people phony and accuse them of thinking about optics only?
People would like to hear what Sanders has to say - without pivoting to economics. Stop tripping and realize that I said the same fucking things to you that you started a thread about. Try having an honest conversation in GD about it. We're not all plants for fucks sake.

[smokey nj]

8. This group is a safe haven for supporters of Bernie Sanders.

[BrotherIvan]

9. Can you link to my thread that you're talking about?

Because I have trouble understanding your argument. A lot of trouble.

I'm not accusing you of being a plant. I'm talking about people complaining there weren't enough people of color in Vermont. This whole dustup is about his kickoff speech and the "optics" that people are complaining about. Because I have yet to read anyone actually debate his record. And it is his record of actual actions and votes that is the most important.

[smokey nj]

10. Actually it goes back further than that. Remember this thread?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=6593320

That's where the swiftboating started.

[BrotherIvan]

11. I'm not surprised that his "supporters" are *concerned*

[bettyellen]

12. I like all the candidates, and I'm trying to figure out who to support.

Not feeling the love here, and will just lurk because obviously I'm a paid whatever for agreeing with Ivan. Lol. Not too weird, lol.

[BrotherIvan]

16. Someone paid you to agree with me bettyellen?

[bettyellen]

18. Lol, I wondered if someone paid you to pretend

You don't agree with me!

But yeah- there are some nutty conspiracy theories about women and POC being paid.... I'm really not sure what we're supposed to do. Hoping someone sends me a check anyway!

[BrotherIvan]

19. I hope they pay you a lot, bettyellen. You work hard.

[Ken Burch]

14. She's now temporarily suspended from posting for using abusive tactics

and making false accusations about people.

[BrotherIvan]

6. Groups are popping up all over the place

It's hard to keep track of everyone. You can look them up on twitter too.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/African-Americans-For-Bernie-Sanders/536100189866313

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Latinos-For-Bernie-Sanders/1560396217583356

https://www.facebook.com/WomenForBernieSanders

https://www.facebook.com/Women4Bernie

I can't find an LGBTQ group yet if someone can add that. There are tons of groups and each state is forming one. Social media is going to be big in this campaign. And social media HATES sponsored bullshit.

[Ken Burch]

13. Thanks. I'm going to link to those on my Alaska for Bernie Facebook page

Finding a First Americans/First Nations/Native Americans for Bernie group would also be good.

[BrotherIvan]

15. I can't find that page yet

But I did stumble on this interview that looks very interesting. I'm going to have to find the time to listen to it. If you do, let us know what you think.

https://soundcloud.com/siriusxm-news-issues/native-american-author-speaker-activist-gyasi-ross-bernie-sanders-2016-is-the-way-to-go

[Ken Burch]

20. Here's the link to my page:

https://www.facebook.com/search/str/ken%2bburch%2bbernie%2bsanders/keywords_top

[madfloridian]

22. Here's one. Over 400 followers.

https://twitter.com/LGBT4Bernie

[TheKentuckian]

3. Just remember what most of the teeth gashers want is to cut it out with the economic

civil liberties, anti war stuff and focus on demographic concerns and then only on "national conversations" and listening tours which means a lot of talk and no action as they try to thread the needle even on where they claim to focus while carefully fostering and maintaining the status quo.

They will produce outcry at each and every stop and find something to be offended about until and unless the economic, civil liberties, and foreign policy message is silenced, that is their game to bully him into chasing his tail checking boxes until his message is diluted into incoherent irrelevance at which point they will declare the candidates to be running on the same thing so let's go with the known brand.
If the boxes are all checked but he continues to also focus on his message then we will see accusations of pandering, that speeches are too long and wonky to maintain their attention (boring), or that doesn't get traction declare that the "constant pivot back to economics and other areas is proof enough of not taking their issues seriously" (as I have already seen) no matter what.

They are trying to erridicate all other considerations and all present and future candidates that aren't establishment line. Never assume good faith from those with none.

I strongly suspect that many of the newly minted O'Malley people are just trying to make sure the anti establishment vote is too divided to pose any threat to the establishment at which point they will be "Ready for Hillary".

[BrotherIvan]

17. Nailed it

I'm not sure about the O'Malley supporters being just out to split the vote though as many of them are from Maryland or close by so are more familiar with him. It seems fairly genuine.

The rest of your post is spot fucking on.

[swilton]

21. Taking your thought a step further - here's the strategy

(This was posted in another thread and I'll also post Sabrina1's response)

Bernie's campaign is R E V O L U T I O N A R Y for this reason -

Rather than going by the 'classic' paradigm/campaign strategy which is what Hillary's campaign and this source thread's analysis is based upon - i.e. that voters are divided racially/ethnically and therefore must be campaigned/appealed to based upon those interests -------

Bernie's campaign (I suspect) is based upon the paradigm of classism - that voters/social divisions are much deeper based upon class (the rulers/oligarchy/1%) vs. everyone else (the workers/middle class/etc.)- Therefore his strategy is to try to unite different racial groups - into a voice of 'things that we all agree upon': (health care, jobs, environment, a living wage, etc., etc.) His presentation in NH as much as said that (paraphrasing his words into my own words) the Koch brothers/oligarchy tries to divide the people - and in so doing break down democracy (voice of the masses) - examples: gender, race, religion, etc.

Here are comments from Sabrina 1

"He is an extremely intelligent man and has no doubt know for a long time the tactics of 'dividing and conquering'.

And while the 'little people' have been bickering and fighting among themselves, as planned, the ruling class has been scooping up as much as they can get their greedy hands on, using the two party system, the 'team' system, to do it.

Many of us caught on more recently no doubt, than he did.

What the ruling class fears most is that the people will unite against them.

That is why they detested OWS, because that was the first public indication that the people were catching on, that they were no longer willing to play on their 'teams'.

THEY of course belong to neither team, they are above that.

But they must be getting nervous now with all the signs that the 'game', rigged as Warren stated, may be over.

Bernie has emerged at just the right time.

Classism was always the problem, it's been a problem throughout history, in every corner of the world.

The Independent vote is now the largest voting bloc in the country. People fleeing both parties as they no longer are willing to give their loyalty to those who are not loyal to them.

THAT is the vote Bernie will most likely get.


Bernie's campaign (I suspect) is based upon the paradigm of classism - that voters/social divisions are much deeper based upon class (the rulers/oligarchy/1%) vs. everyone else (the workers/middle class/etc.)- Therefore his strategy is to try to unite different racial groups - into a voice of 'things that we all agree upon':


There is going to be huge resistance, and we've seen it already, to this movement, and it is a movement. Because this is going to work as the truth is it has become THEM against ALL OF US. They got too greedy."

We-as Sanders' followers have to always remember that Bernie is not playing by the Clinton/O'Malley/establishment rules because he is establishing a new paradigm.

[TheKentuckian]

23. I don't disagree but I think that is a good general election game plan but to get there

he is going to have to win the establishment game in the party first and that means getting enough of the party to stop playing too while getting folks off the sidelines and to register Democrat and getting them to show for a primary.