Ta-Nehisi Coates: Why Precisely Is Bernie Sanders Against Reparations?

[Prism]

194. Stating as clearly as I can

I think people have convinced themselves that what Sanders wants is radical. It's not. Take any issue at random, look at the polls, and you'll find pretty broad support for a lot of what the man is proposing. Sanders does need to do a lot of legwork to explain and make clear his policies, but increasing payroll taxes when you're offsetting other health care costs isn't a hard explanation or even the hardest sell imaginable.

Of course, it would help if other Democrats weren't muddying the waters out of self-interest.

80% of Democrats, 50% of Americans, and 25% of Republicans support a single payer system.

15% support reparations.

Sanders is a politician. He sees those numbers. He may think the politics are hard, but he believes the current disposition of the American people make it possible. With reparations, the public support is so politically abysmal, he would be shooting himself in the foot to come out for them.