HILLARY GROUP. Sanders’ “ghetto” gaffe ....... may have Crippled his bid for 2016 nom [View all]

[misterhighwasted]

‘Ghetto’ gaffe highlights Bernie Sanders campaign’s struggle with race

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Sanders’ “ghetto” gaffe underlined a persistent problem that may have crippled his bid for the 2016 nomination. He has struggled to connect with black voters, and his choice of words has often undercut a populist economic message that might have resonated with people of color.

Even if Sanders had the best of intentions, it was not his best moment, as evidenced by one of his most prominent African-American surrogates — former NAACP chairman Ben Jealous — who told NBC News: “Sen. Sanders is from Burlington, he grew up in old Brooklyn, he knows white folks live in ghettos.”


(Umm, so why did he say such a racially compartmentalized thing)

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His comment drew swift condemnation on social media, since it appeared that the Vermont lawmaker was implying that only black people live in impoverished communities, reinforcing inaccurate and painful stereotypes that have dogged African-Americans for years.

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Sanders, who has been shellacked repeatedly by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton among black voters in every 2016 contest to date, has aggressively tried to court African-Americans. He has worked references to criminal justice reform and voting rights into his stump speeches and debate talking points. He has boasted endorsements from black icons like Dr. Cornel West, Danny Glover and Harry Belafonte.
He has even tried to soften his past positions on gun control, in a direct nod to concerns in communities of color about the shootings of unarmed black men.


http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/bernie-sanders-ghetto-gaffe-highlights-campaigns-struggle-race


(Not sure if msnbc's report has been posted here yet)