Cornel West: Bernie Sanders is an insurgent on par with Jesse Jackson

[RiverLover]

Cornel West: Bernie Sanders is an insurgent on par with Jesse Jackson
by Steven W Thrasher
The Guardian
Sept 21, 2015

Bernie Sanders is as much an insurgent as Jesse Jackson was, according to Cornel West, who worked for both Jackson campaigns and is now the socialist Democratic presidential candidate’s most high-profile black backer. “Absolutely, no doubt about it,” the academic and campaigner told the Guardian. “There are some similarities and elective affinities.”

........But “the Sanders campaign is even more progressive than Jackson’s were, because his critique of Wall Street is more direct,” West said in an interview last week. What Jackson had – and Sanders does not – was strong black support. But, said West, “that’s what we are going to get – once black people find out who Brother Sanders is”.

West said he thought African Americans would rally behind the white guy from the Ben and Jerry’s state who is not “a household name” when they discovered he was for economic reforms such as free tuition at public universities, single payer healthcare and “closing tax loopholes for oligarchs”, he said. “In my mind, the leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement will recognize that Brother Bernie is much stronger on people, on economic justice, and on racism than any other candidates,” West said.....

.......But he said he thought that they would also “recognize that [Obama] didn’t fight institutional racism for six and a half years”. And West pointed out there was a higher rate of black child poverty now than when Obama came into office, and that black unemployment remained twice that of whites – which was why he thought Sanders’ ambitious economic arguments might appeal to black voters.........

Full story~
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/sep/21/cornel-west-bernie-sanders-jesse-jackson

[liberal N proud]

1. _____

[olddots]

2. the Guardian has a better grasp of America

than America does .