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Gothmog

(145,321 posts)
78. There are good reasons why Sanders is not appealing to African American and other voters
Thu Apr 28, 2016, 10:40 PM
Apr 2016

There are good reasons why the demographics are not working for Sanders and why many voters including some African American voters are not supporting Sanders. Demographics are important in that this explains one of the big divides between Sanders supporters and Clinton supporters. There is a vast difference in how Sanders supporters and Sanders view President Obama and how other Democrats view President Obama. I admit that I am impressed with the amount accomplished by President Obama in face of the stiff GOP opposition to every one of his proposals and I personally believe that President Obama has been a great President. It seems that this view colors who I am supporting in the primary http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/clinton-sanders-obama_us_56aa378de4b05e4e3703753a?utm_hp_ref=politics

But lurking behind this argument about the future is a dispute that's really about the past. It’s a debate over what Obama accomplished in office -- in particular, how significant those accomplishments really are. And it's been simmering on the left for most of the last seven years.

On one side of this divide are activists and intellectuals who are ambivalent, disappointed or flat-out frustrated with what Obama has gotten done. They acknowledge what they consider modest achievements -- like helping some of the uninsured and preventing the Great Recession from becoming another Great Depression. But they are convinced that the president could have accomplished much more if only he’d fought harder for his agenda and been less quick to compromise.

They dwell on the opportunities missed, like the lack of a public option in health care reform or the failure to break up the big banks. They want those things now -- and more. In Sanders, they are hearing a candidate who thinks the same way.

On the other side are partisans and thinkers who consider Obama's achievements substantial, even historic. They acknowledge that his victories were partial and his legislation flawed. This group recognizes that there are still millions of people struggling to find good jobs or pay their medical bills, and that the planet is still on a path to catastrophically high temperatures. But they see in the last seven years major advances in the liberal crusade to bolster economic security for the poor and middle class. They think the progress on climate change is real, and likely to beget more in the future.

It seems that many of the Sanders supporters hold a different view of President Obama which is also a leading reason why Sanders is not exciting African American voters. Again, it may be difficult for Sanders to appeal to African American voters when one of the premises of his campaign is that Sanders does not think that President Obama is a progressive or a good POTUS.

Again, I am not ashamed to admit that I like President Obama and think that he has accomplished a great deal which is why I do not mind Hillary Clinton promising to continue President Obama's legacy. There are valid reasons why many non-African American democrats (myself included) and many African American Democratic voters are not supporting Sanders.

I understand why Sanders supporters dislike talking about demographics but the fact remain that Sanders supporters tend to not like President Obama and that dislike affects the amount of support that Sanders is getting from certain demographic groups.
Race baiting around here gollygee Apr 2016 #1
yup. agreed. La Lioness Priyanka Apr 2016 #2
+1000!! Digital Puppy Apr 2016 #8
You stole my answer!!! Jackie Wilson Said Apr 2016 #17
Wow! That was good. Kind of Blue Apr 2016 #24
I think this is a good spot to re-refer to this body of academic analysis ... 1StrongBlackMan Apr 2016 #38
Yep. The nastiest, stupidest people here who do absolutely NOTHING but chase after Number23 Apr 2016 #42
Idk but take issue with pts 1 & 2 katsy Apr 2016 #3
taking issue with something, is not the same as calling it race baiting La Lioness Priyanka Apr 2016 #5
Discussion of race I would hope is comfortable katsy Apr 2016 #21
OMG. that is such a load of crap. You don't need to be POC La Lioness Priyanka Apr 2016 #23
Message auto-removed Name removed Apr 2016 #25
except that is not at all what i said. La Lioness Priyanka Apr 2016 #27
Message auto-removed Name removed Apr 2016 #30
Why are you here?? Digital Puppy Apr 2016 #28
I did not dismiss race as a form of analysis. katsy Apr 2016 #26
when you are white and you have an opinion about BLM that is not positive La Lioness Priyanka Apr 2016 #35
I'm sorry. I wish I read the original op. katsy Apr 2016 #36
given the long standing and extensive history of racism, people should be real careful La Lioness Priyanka Apr 2016 #37
"Which demographic do you think we can afford to lose?" Number23 Apr 2016 #43
Not as I understood the op. katsy Apr 2016 #45
I don't what you trying to say but whatever it is, it's overshadowed by the knee jerk defensiveness Number23 Apr 2016 #46
do you realize how entitled your ' now we can't ' sounds? La Lioness Priyanka Apr 2016 #50
I know that I haven't seen BlueMTexpat Apr 2016 #4
i am POC, i'm not black, i too am here as an ally La Lioness Priyanka Apr 2016 #6
I know that I have learned BlueMTexpat Apr 2016 #9
If you ask a question or make a statement The Polack MSgt Apr 2016 #7
Pretty much sums it up. OneGrassRoot Apr 2016 #31
Message auto-removed Name removed Apr 2016 #10
did you create this account just so you could say this? La Lioness Priyanka Apr 2016 #11
I blocked him from the group JustAnotherGen Apr 2016 #12
the trouble people go through to call me a racist La Lioness Priyanka Apr 2016 #13
I sent it to MIR JustAnotherGen Apr 2016 #14
i am attracting quite the nutty audience La Lioness Priyanka Apr 2016 #16
Let us know when you reach bravenak levels of stupidity Number23 Apr 2016 #44
Because it disturbs the narrative ismnotwasm Apr 2016 #15
Message auto-removed Name removed Apr 2016 #18
I'm guessing that it's simply a convenient way to discredit race as a topic of conversation LanternWaste Apr 2016 #19
As others have pointed out Coolest Ranger Apr 2016 #20
holy fuck La Lioness Priyanka Apr 2016 #22
Jeez... Digital Puppy Apr 2016 #29
It's the nutty season.... 4139 Apr 2016 #32
There have always been ignorant people here. wildeyed Apr 2016 #33
so many people are blatantly advocating a third party run La Lioness Priyanka Apr 2016 #34
+1 fleabiscuit Apr 2016 #61
It makes people uncomfortable./nt DemocratSinceBirth Apr 2016 #39
As others have stated, it is largely brer cat Apr 2016 #40
it's funny that you posted this article, just a couple of days ago i wrote to one of the group admin La Lioness Priyanka Apr 2016 #41
For some of the same reasons Jamaal510 Apr 2016 #47
White fragility knows no political boundaries MrScorpio Apr 2016 #48
this is really quite brilliant. nt La Lioness Priyanka Apr 2016 #49
Part of it is education too forjusticethunders Apr 2016 #51
absolutely true La Lioness Priyanka Apr 2016 #53
There are a lot of knuckledraggers posting here these days. Buzz Clik Apr 2016 #52
They look just like Name Removed! JustAnotherGen Apr 2016 #58
wow. that's fucked up. fleabiscuit Apr 2016 #62
ibtruth Should be Mad at His Wasted Privilege Not Us lib87 Apr 2016 #66
I'm the person that persona dislikes JustAnotherGen Apr 2016 #67
I Agree 100% lib87 Apr 2016 #68
There is a DUer here that ... 1StrongBlackMan Apr 2016 #71
My Goodness What a sad man lib87 Apr 2016 #74
Yeah, you can bet on it. Jackie Wilson Said Apr 2016 #69
I still recall the day, a corner of DU discovered that you weren't ... 1StrongBlackMan Apr 2016 #72
I couldn't decide which one to respond with JustAnotherGen Apr 2016 #75
I honestly don't get it. Starry Messenger Apr 2016 #54
this is beyond that even. if someone disagreed that race had something to do with La Lioness Priyanka Apr 2016 #56
What Eric Holder correctly observed: Liberal_Stalwart71 Apr 2016 #55
also liars. we pretend to care about race and racial inequality La Lioness Priyanka Apr 2016 #57
Absolutely!!! Liberal_Stalwart71 Apr 2016 #65
The use of the phrase "race baiting" against PoC is a misuse of the term Haveadream Apr 2016 #59
another truly brilliant post. i am glad i posted my OP, if only because some of the responses La Lioness Priyanka Apr 2016 #60
Plus eleventy billion nt Quayblue Apr 2016 #73
Same reason that a woman discussing gender is accused of playing the gender card. pnwmom Apr 2016 #63
Most systems of privilege and hierarchy play by similar rules... MrScorpio Apr 2016 #64
The fact that this right-wing term is used by Quayblue Apr 2016 #70
The very concept of "race" is racist Ghost Dog Apr 2016 #76
Reminds me of an amateur practicing with a real nunchaku. Good luck. eom fleabiscuit Apr 2016 #77
race is a social construct, and like all social constructs it exerts powerful impact La Lioness Priyanka Apr 2016 #79
There are good reasons why Sanders is not appealing to African American and other voters Gothmog Apr 2016 #78
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