Nina Turner Blasts Audience From Black Women's Forum for Booing Senator's MLK Comments

[ehrnst]

156. So tell us, why didn't any other candidate have this reaction to this audience?

Last edited Sun Apr 28, 2019, 10:57 AM - Edit history (1)

No one can seem to answer that. Inconvenient truth?

Bernie was making his case by his history as to why he would be on the side of African American Women but was never able to finish because of a few hecklers that just couldn't handle that inconvenient truth.

You said that no one could know what Bernie was going to say, but now you know what he was thinking?

"A member of the audience asked Sanders “What do you believe is the federal government’s role to fight against the rise of white nationalism and white terrorist acts, and how do you plan to lead on that in your first year as president?”

Sanders delivered a lengthy response that wandered from a critique of Trump’s “demagoguery” to policies like immigration reform and Medicare for All, but did not address white supremacist terrorism. It was during this reply that the audience began to jeer.

Moderator Amy Allison had to refocus Sanders, telling him “The core of the question is about, as president what would you do with the rise of white supremacist violence, to protect our communities?”

“You know, as somebody who, I know I date myself a little bit here, but I actually was at the March on Washington with Dr King back in 1963,” Sanders replied, to audible groans from the audience, “and as somebody who actively supported Jesse Jackson’s campaign, as one of the few white elected officials to do so in 88, I have dedicated my life to the fight against racism and sexism and discrimination of all forms.”

So switching his non-answer to talking about his past was "setting the stage?" Why not a simple, no-brainer response like, "I will restore the Homeland Security Domestic Violence Unit that Trump disbanded. That is the first line in stinging plans by these groups before they can carry them out."

Why would he need "setting the stage" that "he would be on the side of African American Women" with a reciation of his history after a long rambling non-answer? Wouldn't listening to them and respectfully answering their questions do that? Do you think that they were incapable of thinking that he "he would be on the side of African American Women?"

It was obvious he hadn't prepared for their most predictable questions - trying to tapdance back to his bullet list stump speech, and clearly wasn't appreciative of what an opportunity that they were giving him. In fact the opposite - he acted like he was granting them the opportunity to listen to his stump speech in person.

He blew off their question with the status quo politician sidestep, got defensive when they vocally expressed frustration,
and you want to portray him a "victim" of a bunch of rude WOC, who clearly just "couldn't handle" someone who is talking about his civil rights history?

Then this he sends out a WOC to say with a straight face to a cheering, overwelmingly white crowd, that the group of WOC were "booing his civil rights record," and his white supporters defend that as not being a very bad look, at least?

Think about it, Joe. Just think about the inconvenient truths that you are desperately trying to avoid.

Kandice Webber, Houston Rising, explained what they needed to hear from him clearly enough.

“If economics is Bernie Sanders’ sweet spot then you need to talk about economics as it pertains to black women and he didn’t do that. One of the things that were fighting for right now is to stop feeding off the scraps of the white man’s table. Bernie Sanders gave us scraps today; we came for a feast.”

He's stepped in it, and instead of acknowledging that he did and wipe it off his shoe, he's tracking it all over the rug.

Barack Obama was invited to a candidates' forum on health care reform in 2008. He declined because he didn't feel he had his policies developed enough to talk about. Sanders does not seem to have that sort of self-awareness or wise campaign counsel - at least that he listens to. But he's not known for his listening skills, which is somehow is considered a virtue by many of his supporters.