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Related: About this forumDo Some People Think Bernie Sanders Is a Republican?
I found this to be an interesting question, and wonder how much truth there could be to Pakman's hypothesis. After all, Sanders has a stellar voting record on minority issues, but his numbers among minority voters do not seem to bear that out. At least not yet.
Furthermore, most people don't pay anywhere near the amount of attention to political issues as we do here at DU. Particularly when it's a primary we are talking about; and one in it's very early stages, at that. Considering the fact that Sanders (as well as his voting record) is still not very well known among average voters, could this perhaps be a partial explanation?
David Pakman Show
Published on Jun 11, 2015
mmonk
(52,589 posts)valerief
(53,235 posts)PotatoChip
(3,186 posts)I have friends, family members, and acquaintances who are all very bright, but likely know very little about Sanders, Webb, O'Malley, or most of the clown car characters.
They just don't happen to follow politics as closely as you or I.
mmonk
(52,589 posts)Thanks.
PotatoChip
(3,186 posts)Still don't, quite frankly.
I'll be happy to answer to the best of my ability, if you'd be willing to rephrase.
mmonk
(52,589 posts)Especially since of all candidates running, he is the furthest away from the Republican Party today's ideology.
Response to mmonk (Reply #10)
PotatoChip This message was self-deleted by its author.
MADem
(135,425 posts)I thtink some people mistake him for a Libertarian.
He's just not that well known outside the "interested twenty percent" of Americans that are involved in, and follow, the political scene. However, those that do observe the political landscape are well aware of who he is.
This isn't a 'slam' against him, if people don't know who he is and what he stands for...back when Leno was on TV and doing that JAYWALKING segment, there were AMERICAN idiots perambulating around Hollywood who didn't know who Biden was.
This one predates the Bush regime, but it's still SAD...
PotatoChip
(3,186 posts)NorthCarolina
(11,197 posts)it doesn't work for average people. GOP have nots are listening to Bernie and becoming aware of political realities beyond Fox News. That's why his campaign so far has been nothing short of genius. Freed of the restraints of corporate donors, he can truly be a champion of the people, not having to couch his agenda in double speak...and that's exactly what he is doing. God speed to this man, he may well be a last hope for the middle class and poor of this country.
appalachiablue
(41,182 posts)The powers will make sure of that. This country's in a very large, deep ditch and if we don't get out now it may be too late. The way I see it, and it's reality to me, there are just too many huge forces all converging now, namely the unchecked power of global neoliberal corporatism and governance, destructive irreversible climate change, and permanent unemployment and economic and social dislocation for millions of people on a planet of 7 billion due to coming AI tech advances in robotics.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)George II
(67,782 posts)You said:
"Sanders has a stellar voting record on minority issues, but his numbers among minority voters do not seem to bear that out."
He's only run for office in Vermont, which has a 93.8% WHITE population. So how could he possibly have gotten big numbers among minority voters?
PotatoChip
(3,186 posts)By that reasoning, minority voters should/would love US House and Senate Tea Partiers from states like Florida, Texas, NJ or NY.
I'm talking about his voting record. Here are just a few examples:
Sanders scores 97% by the NAACP on affirmative action
OnTheIssues.org interprets the 2005-2006 NAACP scores as follows:
0% - 33%: anti-affirmative-action stance (approx. 177 members)
34% - 84%: mixed record on affirmative-action (approx. 96 members)
85%-100%: pro-affirmative-action stance (approx. 190 members)
About the NAACP (from their website, www.naacp.org):
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has worked over the years to support and promote our country's civil rights agenda. Since its founding in 1909, the NAACP has worked tirelessly to end racial discrimination while also ensuring the political, social, and economic equality of all people. The Association will continue this mission through its policy initiatives and advocacy programs at the local, state, and national levels. From the ballot box to the classroom, the dedicated workers, organizers, and leaders who forged this great organization and maintain its status as a champion of social justice, fought long and hard to ensure that the voices of African Americans would be heard. For nearly one hundred years, it has been the talent and tenacity of NAACP members that has saved lives and changed many negative aspects of American society.
Sanders co-sponsored recognizing Juneteenth as historical end of slavery
A resolution recognizing the historical significance of Juneteenth Independence Day and expressing that history should be regarded as a means for understanding the past and solving the challenges of the future.
Recognizes the historical significance to the nation, and supports the continued celebration, of Juneteenth Independence Day (June 19, 1865, the day Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War had ended and that the enslaved African Americans were free). Declares the sense of Congress that:
history should be regarded as a means for understanding the past and solving the challenges of the future; and
the celebration of the end of slavery is an important and enriching part of the history and heritage of the United States.
Legislative Outcome: House versions are H.CON.RES.155 and H.RES.1237; related Senate resolution S.RES.584 counts for sponsorship. Resolution agreed to in Senate, by Unanimous Consent
Sanders scores 93% by the ACLU on civil rights issues
The mission of the ACLU is to preserve protections and guarantees Americas original civic values - the Constitution and the Bill of Rights:
Your First Amendment rights-freedom of speech, association and assembly. Freedom of the press, and freedom of religion supported by the strict separation of church and state.
Your right to equal protection under the law - equal treatment regardless of race, sex, religion or national origin.
Your right to due process - fair treatment by the government whenever the loss of your liberty or property is at stake.Your right to privacy - freedom from unwarranted government intrusion into your personal and private affairs.
We work also to extend rights to segments of our population that have traditionally been denied their rights, including Native Americans and other people of color; lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgendered people; women; mental-health patients; prisoners; people with disabilities; and the poor. If the rights of societys most vulnerable members are denied, everybodys rights are imperiled.
http://www.ontheissues.org/Domestic/Bernie_Sanders_Civil_Rights.htm
George II
(67,782 posts)The ONLY people who have voted for him so far in his political career are Vermonters.
Surely you don't think people snuck over the borders from New York, New Hampshire, or Mass to vote for him, do you?
The statement was that his numbers among minority voters doesn't bear out his voting record on minority issues.
If there are very very few minorities in the state in which he's been elected, how can there be an assessment of how minorities have or haven't voted for him?
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Once they get to know what he stand for they will realize that he has been on their side since the early days of the Civil Rights Movement.
Bernie spoke out against the police brutality in Ferguson within days of the killing. He has been a strong supporter of the African-American community and interests.
The news will get out. I'm not worried about this.
The Clintons have a good reputation for standing up for African-American rights. It has been earned. But Sanders is just as strong, maybe even stronger, on that issue. People just don't know as much about Sanders' pro-African-American history as they do about the Clintons'.
INdemo
(6,994 posts)Not the way Hillary does. It was really kind of shocking that NBC covered her Iowa visit over the week-end
I have noticed that MSNBC has backed down a little bit on Bernie Sanders coverage.
Could be that NBC/Comcast execs said cool it?
IHateTheGOP
(1,059 posts)I can't think of anyone who is more opposite of a stinking republican than Sanders.