Bernie speaking about the early 1960s civil rights protests in Chicago

[Uncle Joe]

Link to tweet

This is one of if not the best video that I have seen of Bernie speaking about his experience during that time.

[WeekiWater]

1. How he went from there to where he is today is beyond me.

From voting against a pathway to citizenship to his “lift all boats” economic approach. It’s the cornerstone of why he attracts so many people like HA Goodman, the Sane Progressive, and people who will chant “we solved racism” at a courageous black woman.

Sanders has some ideas that would be excellent for oppressed communities. I do not think he doesn’t care. At some point he simply got caught up in his own hype, concentrates on inequality, and views all inequality in terms of poverty as the same. That is Sanders career in a nutshell.

[Eric J in MN]

7. The 2007 immigration bill was supported by George W. Bush.

Bernie Sanders voted against it because it exploited guest workers.

Barbara Boxer (D-CA) also voted against it.

With regard to his current positions on racial issues, Bernie Sanders said he'd sign a bill to study reparations if it were sent to him as president. He criticizes racism multiple times in his stump speech.

[WeekiWater]

9. Since you are educated on the vote...

Considering you state his reason as being the exploitation of guest workers, how did that pan out over the next decade? Do you understand how bad that sounds. He voted to continue to oppress over ten million people because of his concern about guest workers? That is horrific.

I appreciate your honesty. You are saying he voted against a pathway to citizenship for a reason that will not reconcile with the oppressed.

[WeekiWater]

11. Boxer voted for the late and great Ted Kennedy's bill...

The last time it came up.

https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00234

[Eric J in MN]

48. That's a vote on an amendment but this is

...the major vote on the 2007 immigration bill:
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/110-2007/s204

[WeekiWater]

63. Boxer voted for it in late June.

Kennedy’s final push.

https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00235

This is still nothing but a sidetrack by you.

Sanders repeatedly voted against a pathway to citizenship. You highlighted his horrific “reason” above.

I get that you are just reading up on this and feel you have to hold a position. But these are facts.

Sanders didn’t even want it debated. That’s sad.

[lunamagica]

22. THat was not the reason he voted against it. Listen to him talking to the gigantic anti-immigrant

Lou Dobbs.

Sanders makes it sound like immigrants are nothing but invaders who steal jobs

[Demsrule86]

44. I don't find the explanation convincing

And this is the first time I have seen racist slime like Dobbs miserable propaganda posted on DU.

[lunamagica]

70. I posted it because Sanders was on the racist slime's show helping him to spread his

racist propaganda.

[sheshe2]

76. Yes.

And thank you.

[Demsrule86]

82. Ok, I object to any Democrat appearing on Fox liars shows or doing town hall there for that matter..

gives this propaganda site stature and ratings they don't deserve...so we agree.

[lunamagica]

83. Good

[Eric J in MN]

49. You're right that he doesn't

...say guest-workers would be exploited in that segment.

However, Bernie Sanders repeatedly says that guest-workers taking jobs is his concern.

He’s not against more people becoming US citizens.

[WeekiWater]

64. You've got a gears with a crank attached to the goalpost. NT

[lunamagica]

68. He changed his tune when he bacame a candidate and it was convenient.

But here you can see clearly where his heart was when it happened. I mean Lou Dobbs?!?!?! Come on!

[onit2day]

12. Nice try but polls show he leads all other candidates among the black community

He's been a dedicated civil rights leader for years. He looked pretty good as a college kid huh. He has changed the entire conversation toward inequality wherever he found it. Recently got legislation passed in the senate to end our support of war in Yemen and introduced his Medicare for all bill. A dedicated candidate leading the way for our progressive agenda.

[WeekiWater]

16. It was the delivery of accurate information.

Take it or leave it. Not replying to the rest of the sidetrack. Please don’t be so offensive toward civil rights leaders.

[sheshe2]

77. Link?

He's been a dedicated civil rights leader for years.

And please, not the one from the 60's.

[BlueFlorida]

19. Don't forget

"I am against open borders because that will make all the poor people come in."

[Tom Rinaldo]

23. Do you have a link to that "quote"? A source for it perhaps? Or did you write it? n/t

[stonecutter357]

27. i have a link to that "quote" .

[sheshe2]

78. ...

[BlueFlorida]

32. Here is your link

https://www.newsweek.com/bernie-sanders-open-borders-poverty-world-immigration-1388767

[Tom Rinaldo]

51. Your quote does not exist. Neither at that link or anywhere else. You wrote it yourself

Having said that I have no problem with anyone giving their own opinion of what Sanders or any other candidate really believes, based on their own interpretation of statements that they've made. I think that's what you did here, right? Newsweek does not have that quote, but their coverage contains some of their own analysis. Fine. They do not attribute a false quote to anyone while doing so though.

Why not link to the actual source and let everyone draw their own opinion of what Sanders said, and why? There is a lot of spinning going on, but there is also an actual video of the FULL "live interview" that some people have a need to express opinions on. I'll leave that link here along with the observation that some have tried to cherry pick individual phrases from that interview out of context. Let Sanders speak for himself within the full context of that interview:

[lapucelle]

59. "Oh my god, there's a lot of poverty in this world, and you're going to have people from all over

the world. And I don’t think that’s something that we can do at this point. Can’t do it."

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/437790-bernie-sanders-blasts-open-borders-theres-a-lot-of-poverty-in-this-world

[lapucelle]

58. Here's the exact quote and a link to the video of BS saying it.

“Oh my god, there’s a lot of poverty in this world, and you’re going to have people from all over the world. And I don’t think that’s something that we can do at this point. Can’t do it.”

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/437790-bernie-sanders-blasts-open-borders-theres-a-lot-of-poverty-in-this-world

[BlueFlorida]

60. Thank you

[Tom Rinaldo]

75. I already posted the link above and urged folks to view the whole video.

The "exact quote" differs from how it was presented here, and it is only a partial response to a question. about whether open borders are possible. Right after that portion of the interview Sanders says:

"the strength of our nation is in fact the diversity and the new ideas that immigrants from all walks of life have given this country, so you need a rational non racist immigration policy which welcomes people in from all over the world to improve our economy, but clearly you can not have open borders."

That is the Democratic Party's position. You name the leading Democrat, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Hillary Clinton, they all oppose open borders. They all praise the contributions to our nation and our economy that immigrants from all walks of life make. They talk about the jobs immigrants fill that others are uninterested or unable to fill, and not just high tech jobs but migrant farm workers also. They talk about how immigrant families work hard to build small businesses that contribute to our communities. But they DO NOT support simply opening up our borders to everybody in the world who shows up here thinking they can do better here than they do at home.

Trump campaigns on accusing Democrats of supporting "Open Borders". What does "Open Borders" literally mean? In Trump world it literally means our borders should be unregulated and unprotected so that anyone who thinks they can do a little better living in America than they do in their country of origin can just stroll right across our border and set up residency here.

The Right points to the poverty that afflicts billions of people world wide and says, if Democrats get their way all of those people can and will try to make their way to America to steal American jobs and/or go on Welfare, by just waltzing across our border. THAT is how Republicans describe what Democrats stand for on immigration and refugees. It is nonsense of course but it has to be confronted head on and directly called out as nonsense. The nonsense part is that Democrats want totally open borders. But if we did have totally open borders there would in fact be a mass exodus of people to the U.S.from poorer regions of the world.

Economic migrants already pay "coyotes" thousands of dollars to smuggle them across our border. I am not talking about refugees. Refugees fitting certain criteria (and wealth isn't one of them) have a legal right to enter our country and apply for asylum. That doesn't require a "coyote" to sneak them across. Legally asylum seekers can enter the U.S. But non asylum seekers pay coyotes thousands to enter the U.S. with no guarantee they won't get deported (Obama deported record numbers of them), if we had totally "open borders" why would hundreds of thousands or more not save up for a one way plane ticket here for less than that, and avoid all the trouble and risk?

Democrats stand for a fair and rational immigration policy that is welcoming to people of all races and nationalities and not slanted toward favoritism to those of certain ethnic and racial backgrounds only. Democrats proclaim the benefits of controlled immigration to our nation rather than describe is as a literal threat to our nation. Democrats also believe in our international obligation to offer refuge to those arriving at our nation fleeing war and persecution THAT is the Democratic position. We can not allow Republicans to brand Democrats opposition to Trump's immigration and refugee policies as "favoring open borders."

The Sanders comment was in reference to the potential for economic mass migration were we to have totally open borders, not to the worthiness of a poor people immigrating in to America. Sanders has no issue with poor people immigrating to America under a "rational non racist immigration policy". Democrats favor an immigration system that includes "a lottery" to make sure that immigration access is possible from all parts of the world including Vietnam, China, Mexico, Africa, Latin America etc. We do not seek to discriminate by country of origin. Trump and Republicans are the ones who want to only let in the rich and highly skilled. But yes, Democrats do favor putting overall limits on the number of immigrants we absorb each year.

[lapucelle]

79. The link I posted is to BS's response at an Iowa town hall, not his appearance on the Daily Show.

BS says nothing about a "rational non racist immigration policy".

When asked at an Oskaloosa, Iowa, town hall why he supported open borders, the 2020 White House candidate was quick to clarify his stance.

“I’m afraid you may be getting your information wrong," Sanders replied, according to The Washington Post. "I think what we need is comprehensive immigration reform.”

“Oh my god, there’s a lot of poverty in this world, and you’re going to have people from all over the world. And I don’t think that’s something that we can do at this point. Can’t do it,” the Vermont lawmaker continued.

Link to tweet

[Tom Rinaldo]

80. Fair enough. Thank you for the correction

He talked about a "rational non racist immigration policy" in the other interview where his comments were more expansive. Here he mentioned needing "comprehensive immigration reform" while rejecting the accusation (and that is exactly what it was) that he and leading Democrats favor totally opening up our borders. Republicans keep setting that fictitious "Democrats favor open borders" trap hoping we will fall into it.

[elleng]

2. NO DOUBT he's been WITH us and FOR us,

well before WE were even here/there.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

72. No question... Bernie is someone we can count on to do the right thing EVERY time, ALL the time!!

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[betsuni]

3. Ouch! The comments to that tweet.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

6. Looks like the usual twit loonies on Twitter

That lobster loon and Watson seem have an obsession.

[BlueFlorida]

33. Without the Russian trolls

70-80% of the tweets are running anti-Bernie

[comradebillyboy]

37. Even with the trolls the tweets were very anti-Bernie.

So he went to a couple of demonstrations and then moves to Vermont as soon as he graduates? No civil rights activity from Bernie for the next 50 plus years. Great record.

There are good reasons Bernie doesn't talk about himself. It would be too embarrassing.

[BlueFlorida]

39. Yeah .. can't wait

for the essays to come up in debates.

[Eliot Rosewater]

52. yep

someone here said Bernie leads in the AA vote

[BlueFlorida]

56. When one replaces analytical and logical thinking

with devotion, any conclusion is possible.

[LongtimeAZDem]

62. Well, first you assume he has all the AA votes he wants, then . . .

[Eliot Rosewater]

66. I dont think he has a lead in that category AT ALL as someone alleged

BS is not leading in AA votes by ANY stretch

[LongtimeAZDem]

69. I was doing "Bernie Math" :D

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

4. Good for Bernie!! SO DAMN PROUD of that guy... as we all should be!!

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[NastyRiffraff]

5. "Should be"? Sorry,no thanks

I'm not AT ALL proud of this guy. Quite the opposite. Flame away.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

8. Not gonna flame... but, why can't you just acknowledge that Bernie's

exemplary efforts in supporting and promoting the civil rights movement in those days, while certainly not rising to the level of the true leaders and heroes on the "front line" of that movement, is still deserving of our respect for those efforts. Is that really to much to ask?


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[NastyRiffraff]

10. Er...no

One march, fined $25, isn't "exemplary efforts." He's a wannabe, riding on the real efforts of others.

I will never forget or forgive the bros booing John Lewis. And Saint Bernie saying nothing.

[onit2day]

13. another Bernie bias assumption as if they know Bernie. Wasn't there. saw nothing but comments

U forgot the buses, the sit ins, the marches, the first to refuse corporate donors. I find your criticism petty and unjustified but of course if he's our candidate U will vote for him right?

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

17. You're on it today onit2day!!

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[BlueFlorida]

21. If Bernie really cared about civil rights

he would have shut down the booing of John Lewis at the convention or at least condemned it at some point after.

Nothing. His bratty supporters booed all the civil rights icons and even other Democratic fighters of the past.

They tried to bully Dolores Huerta in Las Vegas to have her caucus for them. Did Bernie ever apologize? NOOOOOOOOOOO

We know what Bernie did at the convention and till the election. He promoted himself, his revolution while giving a wink and a nod to Nina Turner, David Sirota and Brihana Gray to support Jill Stein and go public with it.

Then he turns around and hires the VERY SAME PEOPLE who gave us a Trump.

Enough of Bernie's sloganeering and photo ops.

[Kahuna7]

29. +1,000,000

[NastyRiffraff]

73. He won't be our candidate

so I'm not worried about voting for him.

[BlueFlorida]

20. It was just a photo-op for him

He was never in the south where the actual action was.

Now he is touting it as though he was with Rev. King on every march.

[Uncle Joe]

34. Martin Luther King in Chicago 1966

(snip)

King and hundreds of demonstrators had scarcely set out on a march to promote open housing when he was struck by a rock. "The blow knocked King to one knee and he thrust out an arm to break the fall," the Tribune reported. "He remained in this kneeling position, head bent, for a few seconds until his head cleared." Aides and bodyguards closed in around King, holding placards aloft to shield him from the missiles that followed.

King and the demonstrators had hoped to reach a real estate office on nearby 63rd Street, intending to demand that properties be rented and sold on a nondiscriminatory basis in the all-white Chicago Lawn neighborhood. Only a few of them made it before a riot broke out. At least 30 people were injured, some by a hail of bricks and bottles accompanied by racial epithets. Some counterdemonstrators were clubbed by baton-wielding police officers. More than 40 people were arrested when a crowd of whites blocked adjoining streets and cursed the police, several of whom were hurt.

(snip)

Yet to that point, the civil rights movement had scarcely been felt in the ghettos of Northern cities. Blacks had flocked to cities like Chicago hoping to escape Southern segregation, only to find that Jim Crow had followed them. By custom — sometimes enforced by violence — African-Americans were confined to inner city neighborhoods with rundown housing and overcrowded schools.

To publicize their plight, King moved into a shabby third-floor apartment on Chicago's West Side on Jan. 26, 1966. "We don't have wall-to-wall carpeting to worry about," he said of his new neighbors' living conditions. "But we have wall-to-wall rats and roaches."

(snip)


https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-mlk-king-marquette-park-1966-flashback-perspec-0731-md-20160726-story.html

[BlueFlorida]

38. Still just a photo-op for Bernie nt

[Uncle Joe]

40. Because there was "no actual action in Chicago?" n/t

[onit2day]

14. well said. Right there with ya. Yeah Bernie and Elizabeth.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

15. They really would make the most awesome team ever!!

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[Kahuna7]

25. Exemplary?? C'mon.

[Demsrule86]

46. You can't mke something true by saying it. Where the more recent civil rights actvities?

[workinclasszero]

67. So am I!

He was right on lots of issues when it wasn't popular to be right!

That is why I trust him now.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

71. Exactly... this election is all about which progressive candidate has been consistently right

on the issues... Bernie, who is not a "Johnny come lately," can be trusted to carry through on his campaign promises, which is EXACTLY what the Democratic base has been looking for!!


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[BlueFlorida]

18. I don't often talk about myself ...

[Kahuna7]

24. Hey! Got anything more recent Bernie?

Seems to be that was over 55 years ago, and since then...nada.

Under: Bernie Sanders stammers when asked if he's passed laws that help blacks... His reply: not specifically.

Bernie's thesis is when poverty no longer exists, racism will cease to exist.

https://www.mediaite.com/online/bernie-sanders-stammers-when-asked-if-hes-passed-laws-that-help-black-people-not-specifically/

[juxtaposed]

35. here's just one

https://www.politifact.com/florida/statements/2016/apr/05/bernie-sanders/did-bernie-sanders-fundamentally-improve-lives-tom/

[Kahuna7]

26. Why is he talking about something that happened over 55 years though?

Has he done anything more recently?

[juxtaposed]

36. in case you missed it

https://www.politifact.com/florida/statements/2016/apr/05/bernie-sanders/did-bernie-sanders-fundamentally-improve-lives-tom/

[Kahuna7]

43. I'm pretty sure the subject is civil rights...

Nice deflection though.

[namahage]

54. I guess partial credit is good enough...

The coalition and the growers’ exchange both say Sanders should get some credit, although it’s likely that the agreement could have been reached without his efforts.

Whether the agreement "fundamentally changed the lives" of the workers is difficult to quantify. The agreement included an increase for purchasers which goes toward pickers, but it’s unclear on average how many dollars more each picker earns per week as a result of it. There have been other successes in the agreement, including the resolution of worker complaints.

We rate this statement Half True.

[blue cat]

28. It would have helped more

If he had bothered to vote.

[MineralMan]

41. A lot of us in Bernie's age group were active in

civil rights issues back then. Some focused their activism in their own local area, while others traveled to other locations to protest racial injustice.

It's good that Bernie Sanders participated in that movement, and I don't think anyone denies that he did.

He's also been a labor activist and has pushed for economic justice over the years.

All are good things to have done, and bravo to him for his involvement. That alone, however, is not the entire history of Bernie Sanders. He's running for the Democratic nomination for President.

There's another activist from that era, John Lewis. When that activist spoke at the Democratic Convention in 2016, supporters of Bernie Sanders booed him. Bernie Sanders was there, but did not tell his supporters to stop that behavior. I'm afraid I find that to be a problem when it comes to my support for him as a candidate.

It is not what someone did in the 1960s that is the most relevant thing today.

[LongtimeAZDem]

42. +1

[Uncle Joe]

45. John Lewis would never have been elected to the Congress in the first place if

those actions in the 1960s weren't the most relevant thing today, the same holds true for President Obama.

It is not what someone did in the 1960s that is the most relevant thing today.

That includes John Lewis' actions along with millions of other black and white civil rights activists.

[MineralMan]

50. That's not relevant to my point.

Of course the civil rights movement was important. What specific individuals did at that time, however, is less important to politics today. Why was John Lewis booed and heckled in 2016 for seconding Hillary's nomination? That's also important.

I congratulated Bernie for his civil rights activism. A lot of us were involved in that activism at the time. That, however, does not necessarily mean that we should be President. There are many other issues of importance. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the nomination. John Lewis congratulated her for that, and got booed.

Think about it. This is 2019. It's a new campaign.

[Uncle Joe]

65. I'm glad you said "we" be President because that's Bernie's point

https://berniesanders.com/us/

Not me. Us.

No one candidate, not even the greatest candidate you could imagine, is capable of taking on Donald Trump and the billionaire class alone. There is only one way we win — and that is together.

Bernie spoke at the convention on a Monday, to my knowledge he wasn't at the convention on Thursday when John Lewis was heckled during a live interview.

John was not one of the scheduled speakers.

So what was Bernie supposed to do when all this was taking place live, do an instantaneous group call to the people that were heckling John?

https://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/dnc-2016-schedule-of-events-and-speakers-225617

Monday:
Congressman Keith Ellison (Minnesota)
National Education Association President Lily Eskelsen Garcia
Congressman Raul Grijalva (Arizona)
Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal (Iowa) and candidates of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee
SEIU President Mary Kay Henry
Congressman Joe Kennedy (Massachusetts)
Chair of the Democratic Governors Association Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy
Building Trades President Sean McGarvey
U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (Oregon)
Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (California) and members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
AFSCME President Lee Saunders
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten
First Lady Michelle Obama,
Senator Bernie Sanders,
DREAMer Astrid Silva and Senator Elizabeth Warren
Gavel time expected at 4 p.m.

[https://splinternews.com/congressman-and-civil-rights-icon-john-lewis-gets-heckl-1793860654

[LongtimeAZDem]

53. How does that in any way mitigate the actions of Sander's and his supporters three years ago?

The only way that would be relevant is if you're saying that Sanders' work in Civil Rights entitles his followers to boo Lewis.

[Demsrule86]

47. Well said MM.

[Hoyt]

55. I think everyone in Chicago at the time was there. In any event, his America First

ideology — when it comes to Hispanic Immigrants and foreign trade — is where he is today.

Not my thing. If he’s nominee, great. Otherwise, too much baggage for now.

[SidDithers]

57. And he's been a fierce defender of Civil Rights ever since...

fighting in the trenches in the racially explosive battleground of ** checks notes ** Vermont.

Way to go, Bernie.

Sid

[George II]

74. You forced me to check my notes too, Sid. As of this year.....

....there are less than 8,000 African Americans in Vermont (7,921 to be exact). That's 0.02% (two HUNDREDS of one percent) of all AAs in the United States.

http://worldpopulationreview.com/states/vermont-population/

[namahage]

81. And how many of those AAs are in prison?

Possibly due to a certain crime bill that Bernie not only voted for--but also used to demonstrate his "tough on crime" bona fides:

https://web.archive.org/web/20061018180921/http:/www.bernie.org/truth/crime.html

[Uncle Joe]

84. 488 as of October 22nd 2018 do you believe they should be allowed to vote?

Vermont Is One of Two U.S. States That Let Incarcerated Citizens Vote

(snip)

Former inmate Jeremy MacKenzie said he voted in several elections while imprisoned, both in Vermont and in a privately run facility in Kentucky where Vermont used to send its overflow prisoners. He said casting a ballot may seem like a small thing, but it played a big part in helping him feel like a part of the outside world. A Burlington native, MacKenzie was released in March 2013 after serving eight years for crimes including drug trafficking and bank robbery.

"You've got a lot of people disconnected from their community, and any way they can participate in the process of their community, especially in a positive way, is important," said MacKenzie. "People who are incarcerated, we're coming back to the communities we came from, and we have families that are home. So to think that voting decisions don't ripple down to people in prison is not correct."

(snip)

While prison rules vary, inmates generally have access to news through television, newspapers and electronic tablets. But when Tibbott visited, she heard little political chatter, she said — with one exception. A group of inmates inside Rutland's Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility, which mostly houses inmates who are from the southern part of the state, were eager to cast ballots in the Bennington County state's attorney's race, she said.

For years the region had a disproportionately high incarceration rate, and its prosecutors have a reputation for being aggressive and opposing criminal justice reform.

(snip)

https://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/vermont-is-one-of-two-us-states-that-let-incarcerated-citizens-vote/Content?oid=22484635