General Discussion

Renew Deal

(85,109 posts) Thu May 28, 2015, 11:45 AM May 2015

The Bernie Sanders race argument is a cheap shot. [View all]

There is no good reason to believe that Sanders has a race issue. The basis of the criticism is that the crowd in VT was not very diverse and Sanders didn't address race issues. But look at the demographics of VT. According to the 2010 Census:

White: 94%
Black: 1% (103% change from 2000)
Hispanic 1%
Asian 1%
Multi-racial 2%

http://projects.nytimes.com/census/2010/map

I don't know where you're going to find diversity in a state with these demographics. If Sanders has a rally in NYC or DC and the crowd is not diverse then there's an issue to discuss. Beyond that I think the criticism is unfair, and a cheap shot, but predictable. I knew that when the rally in Burlington was announced this criticism was coming. How could it not? Sanders and his people need to be wiser about these issues. People hate the staging candidates do, but they do it for a reason and one of those reasons is to avoid this type of controversy.

184 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

The Bernie Sanders race argument is a cheap shot. [View all] Renew Deal May 2015 OP

All politicians have a race issue. MohRokTah May 2015 #1

Please tell me whether you get on DUers that support Hillary Clinton that whine when they feel davidpdx May 2015 #138

Agreed. Buzz Clik May 2015 #2

Since his opponents can only lose MannyGoldstein May 2015 #3

Wait a second - I come from Florida a very flat state. el_bryanto May 2015 #4

FL - the flatest state MannyGoldstein May 2015 #26

Then Sanders is your guy NorthCarolina May 2015 #42

First of all Bobbie Jo May 2015 #10

Yeah, obviously racial issues are fake concerns to POC..... bettyellen May 2015 #12

The point is not that their concern is fake, Maedhros May 2015 #46

"claim that Bernie is somehow not in favor of total racial equality." bullshit seabeyond May 2015 #50

That is exactly what the poster implied. The claim is that Bernie has not reached out bettyellen May 2015 #52

He officially announced TWO days ago BrotherIvan May 2015 #62

it was a black blogger that had nothing to do with du, AND i personally think seabeyond May 2015 #66

The blogger is a WHITE WOMAN BrotherIvan May 2015 #81

then my bad. i thought it was a black woman. nt seabeyond May 2015 #89

Ok, now we're getting somewhere BrotherIvan May 2015 #95

no. and still you said duers and ME were calling sanders a racist. and no one was. no. seabeyond May 2015 #97

You win! BrotherIvan May 2015 #99

i could use a gold star would help me to do an advance search. nt seabeyond May 2015 #100

Posted by someone in the 'Not Good Enough, Bernie' OP, it's this woman's blog from May 27 appalachiablue May 2015 #139

So you know this is the blog writer of 'Not good enough, Bernie', Nancy Letourneau appalachiablue May 2015 #143

Yes, her neoliberal blogposts often show up in the BOG BrotherIvan May 2015 #171

Sorry to know that, but now I recall hearing of the strange blogsite once or twice. appalachiablue May 2015 #173

Apologists love apologia BrotherIvan May 2015 #174

It's all about his ONE first speech, so yeah. bettyellen May 2015 #67

he started it last night with his OP. so everyone gets to play in it today. nt seabeyond May 2015 #69

Well it's making some Sanders supporters look pretty rude and dismissive... bettyellen May 2015 #72

i do not go into the ones that dismiss sanders, by clinton supporters. seabeyond May 2015 #75

Haha BrotherIvan May 2015 #80

you did NOT start an OP late last night accusing people of saying, sanders is a racist? seabeyond May 2015 #84

Their concerns are certainly unfounded when it comes to Bernie. Maedhros May 2015 #68

I think the criticism was of one speech, and that it is correct. bettyellen May 2015 #94

You're just helping throw muck on the wall to see what will stick. Maedhros May 2015 #101

If you think that is muck, good luck surviving till the primary. bettyellen May 2015 #147

Being warned that they're just getting started & you'll never survive till the primaries appalachiablue May 2015 #156

Exactly BrotherIvan May 2015 #64

Totally misrepresenting my words. nt MannyGoldstein May 2015 #61

Nope- you're saying quite clearly that the issue is a ginned up one quite clearly. bettyellen May 2015 #65

it's pretty clear to any reader. MannyGoldstein May 2015 #73

Awww, feeling constantly misunderstood must bum you out.... bettyellen May 2015 #93

+ a kabillion. nt Mojorabbit May 2015 #32

coming from small-town New England, it's either the Lottery, Brown Jenkin, MisterP May 2015 #53

The only way it is not a cheap shot... NCTraveler May 2015 #5

But, it isn't about demographics. leftofcool May 2015 #6

If you're a Democrat and are seeking the Democratic Party nomination Liberal_Stalwart71 May 2015 #7

But the idea that he is ignoring race in his speeches is not true BrotherIvan May 2015 #25

I just saw this op - and responded to another one on his demographics in VT JustAnotherGen May 2015 #35

Ok, you made me laugh BrotherIvan May 2015 #38

I just wanted to warn you! JustAnotherGen May 2015 #39

Pssst - I gave brother ivan a heads up JustAnotherGen May 2015 #36

Meanwhile, the vast majority of actual Socialists I've met.... JaneyVee May 2015 #8

No it's not. DanTex May 2015 #9

Exactly- and the reaction here claiming there were accusations of racism is BS bettyellen May 2015 #14

Using incendiary photos in a post to discuss the issue is very disgusting BrotherIvan May 2015 #27

It is one incendiary photo to illustrate an incendiary issue - one that people fear will be ignored. bettyellen May 2015 #44

The assertion had no basis in fact BrotherIvan May 2015 #48

Baloney- the criticism IS about the one kick off. bettyellen May 2015 #63

I am a person of color BrotherIvan May 2015 #77

I see your agreement. But if is all economics, why was black skin an excuse for slavery for life? freshwest May 2015 #113

I'm not sure I understand the question BrotherIvan May 2015 #115

Well said Brother Ivan. appalachiablue May 2015 #137

I'm not sure where I was going there, I'm tired. And that OP was weird. The pics freshwest May 2015 #153

+1, all the way thru your long post. exactly. nt seabeyond May 2015 #154

"Also, I am tired of listening to white people talking about black people like they know better." BrotherIvan May 2015 #178

Europeans did not enslave other Europeans for life, esp. in western Europe per se like they appalachiablue May 2015 #163

Thanks for the primer, I knew most of that already. My question was rhetorical and specific. n/t freshwest May 2015 #167

That's great, I just elaborated on what you brought up, but knew already- why and how whites appalachiablue May 2015 #172

Note, 'optics' has been used at least 7 times in 2 different posts I've read in the last 30 minutes. appalachiablue May 2015 #116

Yes, they are criticizing him for his "optics" BrotherIvan May 2015 #117

You've been fantastic the past couple of days with your posts enigmatic May 2015 #118

Wow, thank you BrotherIvan May 2015 #119

Exactly. It's "Gaslighting". You nailed it. Pooka Fey May 2015 #131

Charles Boyer would be proud! appalachiablue May 2015 #136

If that person is a Bernie supporter, I'm Rand Paul's love child. RufusTFirefly May 2015 #151

It seems there are new "suppoters" being made every day on this board BrotherIvan May 2015 #175

I told poster the OP should have been formatted differently to not give a misconception. But I agree freshwest May 2015 #112

I made a post about this subject BrotherIvan May 2015 #120

Great post- but I really didn't see anyone say anything more than his lack of addressing bettyellen May 2015 #157

i have concluded this morning, this fabricated, sanders is a racist, is simple another way for pro seabeyond May 2015 #161

Yep- and people here saying that SJWs are faking concerns- bettyellen May 2015 #168

how does one reconcile insisting on exclusive, when gaining votes is a must for a win, is the right seabeyond May 2015 #169

Agreed and I'm not interested in seeing white people get into a pissing contest on who's a racist. freshwest May 2015 #110

^^^^^^ THREAD WINNER ^^^^^^ If only we could rec posts. Tarheel_Dem May 2015 #29

Bernie has been stressing 8 universal subjects. Implicit in several of them is the issue of race RufusTFirefly May 2015 #45

There should be no more "implicit", come out with the out front issues of the voting block and addre uponit7771 May 2015 #126

How do you separate wealth/income inequality from race? mythology May 2015 #71

They are related but not identical. DanTex May 2015 #91

Me being 21 times more likely to be shot by the police has NOTHING to do with income, it's my skin uponit7771 May 2015 #127

this is the bluntly obvious reality. i have said this repeatedly, no impact. i do not get it. same seabeyond May 2015 #150

The media has homganized the issue into "the cops wont murder your kids if your rich" and made the uponit7771 May 2015 #152

Not everything is real as a heart attack but NOTHING is bullshit. TheKentuckian May 2015 #184

Economic inequality is directly linked to race issues. If this country were to Exilednight May 2015 #74

people disagree on that statement you are making. seabeyond May 2015 #76

They can disagree all they want, but its the truth. n/t Exilednight May 2015 #79

a person can be economically comfortable, still experience social injustice. no, not fact. seabeyond May 2015 #83

Go back and read what I posted and stop trying to put words in my mouth. n/t Exilednight May 2015 #85

no. just cause you lost the argument, does not mean there is wiggle room out. you CLAIMED seabeyond May 2015 #92

There is no argument. There is only the truth, and I stayed the truth. Have the day you deserve. Exilednight May 2015 #106

Me being 21 times more likely to be shot by the police has NOTHING to do with income, it's my skin uponit7771 May 2015 #128

Not true. If you lived in a middle-class neighborhood, your chances would drastically Exilednight May 2015 #135

The guy shot in the back in the Walmart and the guy shot in the back in Utah lived in middle class uponit7771 May 2015 #145

You're either oversimplifying the problem, or you're being Exilednight May 2015 #155

You're not going to back up what you said with anything empirical doesn't mean I'm full of anything uponit7771 May 2015 #158

Which car would you rather be in? Exilednight May 2015 #162

Interesting statement about 'priorities' as economic and racial inequality are like conjoined twins azurnoir May 2015 #78

That's a plausible argument, but some people don't see it that way. DanTex May 2015 #86

as long as there is a gap in income based on race my point stands the same would be true of gender azurnoir May 2015 #102

Sure, but a lot of people don't see it that way. DanTex May 2015 #105

Link please azurnoir May 2015 #107

I'm STILL 21 more times likely to get shot by the police has NOTHING to do with money... that's the uponit7771 May 2015 #125

He did attend the black lives matter parade in NYC, IIRC. Willing to be corrected. n/t freshwest May 2015 #109

Its his first speech though. romanic May 2015 #122

That's true. DanTex May 2015 #130

+1 uponit7771 May 2015 #123

+1 uponit7771 May 2015 #124

all it is, is a demographic issue. i say we relax and see where he goes. it is just the start. nt seabeyond May 2015 #11

Actually I think what started it here was an OP about a poll sufrommich May 2015 #13

It's not an issue at all. peecoolyour May 2015 #15

It's a MORONIC cheap shot. MineralMan May 2015 #16

Every candidate has to talk about issues of racism, sexism, etc. gollygee May 2015 #17

Those who are trying to paint Bernie as a racist are most likely paid corporatist trolls. Zorra May 2015 #18

"trying to paint Bernie as a racist " that would be NO ONE. those trying to paint duers seabeyond May 2015 #19

The jury has your back 7-0. DisgustipatedinCA May 2015 #20

Thanks. Every genuine poster here knows the obvious: neither Bernie nor Hillary have Zorra May 2015 #24

Well, some have had to "evolve" BrotherIvan May 2015 #28

along with 'some' don't wait for the latest poll before talking the talk azurnoir May 2015 #103

Shh, don't talk about that! BrotherIvan May 2015 #104

No, not all of us. Some of us have not forgotten the racism in Hillary's 2008 campaign. ieoeja May 2015 #56

I agree with this. I never forget. bravenak May 2015 #108

Aw, that wasn't racism. Jackpine Radical May 2015 #159

Nobody is trying to paint him as a racist gollygee May 2015 #22

Yes they are. Sexist, too. Same old, same old accusations from a certain group of DUers. merrily May 2015 #132

No one has called him sexist either. n/t gollygee May 2015 #134

I don't believe that. Renew Deal May 2015 #23

You are entitled to your opinion. I can't think of any other reason why any sincere person would Zorra May 2015 #37

Straw man. I haven't seen DU'ers painted Sanders as a racist. Just inept at dealing with race KittyWampus May 2015 #31

Best to stop piling it on, the wagon is already overloaded with race baiting horseshit. nt Zorra May 2015 #40

Jury Results Jokerman May 2015 #57

You are popular, today! (Jury Results) Gore1FL May 2015 #60

"This, above all: To thine own self be true, Zorra May 2015 #98

Please link to these claims of Sanders being racist or stop putting horrid words in people's bettyellen May 2015 #47

A lot of cheap shots are made at others too treestar May 2015 #21

So? Governor Clinton had African Americans on his staff. FACT- Sanders and his campaign KittyWampus May 2015 #30

I stand by my original assessment of that kickoff. The optics were horrible for a "Democrat". Tarheel_Dem May 2015 #33

+1, omg yes... if that was an major corp and I was going in for a job interview I'd turn it down uponit7771 May 2015 #129

Sanders supporters must HATE Chris Hayes MohRokTah May 2015 #34

And maybe he will JustAnotherGen May 2015 #41

To be honest, I don''t think this point has any bearing on the GE WRT Sanders. MohRokTah May 2015 #43

IF he ignores it JustAnotherGen May 2015 #49

Or Jeb Bush, or Ted Cruz, or Santorum, or... BrotherIvan May 2015 #51

They just SUUUUUUUUUCK JustAnotherGen May 2015 #55

You said it BrotherIvan May 2015 #59

"The Problem that "insurgent" progressive Dem prez candidates tend to face is expanding their base Cha May 2015 #121

i still have one following along nipping at my heels, accusing me saying sanders is racist, cause i seabeyond May 2015 #146

They couldn't realize how Cha May 2015 #181

i think he would also, and i think he would have no issue to listening. i do not think he is weak. seabeyond May 2015 #182

I know, huh.. "coddled" is a good word for it. Cha May 2015 #183

+1 uponit7771 May 2015 #148

I have entered BIZARRO WORLD lookatme May 2015 #54

Right cause look at how Bernie expressed his concern workinclasszero May 2015 #58

If he came to my town (in California no less) it would be mostly white people too. Throd May 2015 #70

Wait until the "Bernie Sanders is a rape-fantasy-writing misogynist" meme makes it here. peecoolyour May 2015 #82

if we talk racism, we are calling him a racist. if we talk misogyny issues, we are calling him a seabeyond May 2015 #87

No, there are conservative bloggers who found something he wrote decades ago. peecoolyour May 2015 #96

This is the first I've heard of this accusation and I find it amusing. Vinca May 2015 #88

If I was to agree with the many post of Bernie being a racist, It would make me Thinkingabout May 2015 #90

All of their arguments are cheap shots AgingAmerican May 2015 #111

Lots of cheap shots Art_from_Ark May 2015 #114

Sure deflects from things like Goldman Sachs and TPP, doesn't it? merrily May 2015 #133

Yes. We've long known a certain candidate fights dirty. And now we're seeing it. n/t RufusTFirefly May 2015 #140

Yep. And, we've seen it before. merrily May 2015 #141

I agree, but do you agree all the cheap shots aimed at Hillary are the same too? B Calm May 2015 #142

I think some are fair and others are not Renew Deal May 2015 #160

pro sanders created the racism conversation when others were merely discussing social justice. seabeyond May 2015 #164

The "not good enough" post pretty much stated it. Renew Deal May 2015 #165

chris hayes said the same. is he calling sanders a racist? i have been told i repeatedly call sander seabeyond May 2015 #166

not good enough = evil racist? Lol, on what fucking planet? bettyellen May 2015 #170

Cheap shots are the only shots fadedrose May 2015 #144

It's "centrists" attempting to attack Sanders...from the Left. It's like your parents trying to be cool Romulox May 2015 #149

This is a subject fueled by his supporters, I am beginning they are trying to defend Bernie from Thinkingabout May 2015 #176

I don't even know where the hell this rumor started d_legendary1 May 2015 #177

I started seeing posts about this yesterday mostly by his supporters claimng he wasn't racist, like Thinkingabout May 2015 #179

Come to think of it I started seeing those posts yesterday too d_legendary1 May 2015 #180