2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: How Bernie Sanders exposed Democrats racial rift [View all]Beowulf
(761 posts)First, the Sanders campaign badly mishandled outreach to PoC groups. Not because they didn't care, but because they misread the landscape. They also had to deal with the decades-long head start Clinton had in those communities. It's not realistic to expect the campaign to catch up in 10 months.
There's been little discussion on how Third Way Democrats, led by the Clintons have strategically used identity politics to take the focus off of economic issues that cross demographic borders focusing instead on issues that assuage fear. Please note that I'm not saying there's nothing to fear about Trump. There's plenty. But what gets lost if the discussion gets reduced to that. Yes, I'm white, but my granddaughters are biracial. Trump's bigotry and potential consequences of that bigotry matter personally.
There's been little discussion on how the Clintons have used their foundation to court PoC leaders through awards, recognitions, and grants.
There's been little discussion on how David Brock and the various super pacs and media organs he controls manipulated the narratives around the candidates and race.
There's much more to be laid in the laps of both campaigns that would need to be addressed honestly if we're going to find some common ground.