I realize that there's a big Bernie Sanders thing going on at Dailykos. There are going to be a lot of people mad at me for throwing cold water on the parade by addressing some drastic flaws in Sanders' campaign. After a successful Wisconsin rally that attracted more than 10,000 people both the people and the press have been trying to catch some of that lightening in the bottle. The awkward phrase "Bernie-mentum" has been heard, and the slightly more clever "Feel the Bern" has become a huge hit for fundraiser e-mails.
Still, despite all the celebration on Daily Kos, there has been a very awkward issue about Bernie Sanders that most people around here have been trying to ignore. NBCNews buried it deep in its article about Sanders' Wisconsin rally, but it was an important fact nonetheless.
The sea of faces skewed heavily white. Sanders, who hails from a state with a population that is 95% white, has acknowledged that most Democrats of color are unfamiliar with his message and vowed to address it.
This is a very, very big problem for a candidate who may quite possibly end up as the Democratic nominee. Kevin J. Kelly wrote
a very good article about the challenges of why it is essential for Sanders to stop relying on white progressives to "Feel the Bern" and needs to spread his message to non-white Democrats if he seriously doesn't want to screw the Democrats (and the country) if he scrapes into the Democratic nomination.... only to be handily defeated by Jeb Bush.
Just 3 percent of blacks, Latinos and Asian Americans polled recently by the Wall Street Journal and NBC News said they favored Sanders. More than 90 percent of the same group supported Hillary Clinton's candidacy.
Sanders' tiny degree of support in minority communities reflects his scant name recognition there in contrast with Clinton's. But it also stems from Sanders' general silence on race issues during his eight years as Burlington mayor, 16 years as a U.S. House member and nine years in the U.S. Senate.
Does Jeb Bush have these problems with minority voters? Absolutely not.
(Jeb) Bush did very, very well among Hispanics, beating the Democratic candidate, Buddy McKay, 61 to 38 percent among Latinos. That's a huge number. But keep in mind that in Florida, especially in 1998, the Latinos who were going to the polls were often conservative, with Cubans dominating the Latino vote. Nationally, Latino voters are increasingly more Democratic-leaning, with two-thirds having roots in Mexico.
Among women voters in 1998, Bush tied with his Democratic opponent; among African Americans, he notched 14 percent of that vote, also a good showing for a Republican.
White progressives can give Sanders the nomination, but they can't give him the White House.
In a Bush v. Sanders, Bush will have Latinos, women, and whites.... giving him a very handy victory indeed. Sanders will not win us the White house, not if his appeal continues to be confined to white progressives.
Sanders silence on race and his tunnel vision on one political issue are problems. When Sanders makes a speech, you are sure to know what he's talking about. Income gaps! The shrinking middle class! Cracking down on corporations (except gun corporations. Shut up.) Socialism!
All important issues, yes, but there are other issues that are just as important. Climate change. The rising power of China. Entrenched racism in our society, whether it be police shootings of unarmed African-Americans or the Charleston shooting or Donald Trump's ill-advised criticism of Mexican "rapists," has come to the forefront and it is a mistake for Sanders to not take advantage of that. To Sanders' credit his campaign has vowed to change that, but Sanders has been a bit slow. Clinton, a far more polished politician who has been much closer to the office of the Presidency (through marriage and also through her position as Secretary of State for the Obama administration), just projects a greater air of competency. Also Clinton is far more well-versed than Sanders on the challenges African-Americans face in society today.
In Houston earlier this month, speaking to an almost entirely black crowd at Texas Southern University, once known as the Houston Colored Junior College, Mrs. Clinton evoked the legacy of Barbara Jordan, an alumna who served in the House of Representatives in the 1970s, and delivered an impassioned plea to make voting easier for the poor and African-Americans affected by new state voting laws.
With the greatest respect towards Bernie Sanders, when was the last time he spoke in front of an almost entirely black audience? I'm actually curious about this. The crowds that Sanders have been drawing so far have been looking a tad pale.
Indeed, it's not just racial minorities where Hillary Clinton outstrips Sanders in the polls. Clinton outstrips Sanders on almost every front whether it be African-American voters (over 70% preference), women (over 60% preference), and political moderates (over 50%).
Folks, I don't mean to take a dump on Sanders like this. He is a good man and a good politician and he has a certain crusty charm that is endearing. He also has a good deal of courage, even going on "The O'Reilly Factor" and enduring O'Reilly's appalling dickishness... something that Hillary Clinton has opted out of. Sanders stands on the correct side of every issue, except gun control, but then again so does Clinton. Clinton has made mistakes in the past too, but Sanders has no apologies for his pro-gun votes while Clinton has publicly stated her regret over her Iraq war vote.
Moreover, it's time that Sanders supporters leave their own biases at the door and ask themselves: "Were I an undecided voter, would I vote for Sanders over Jeb Bush?" Look at Jeb Bush. He has an energetic speaking style and is extremely polished. Sanders can't compete, as he demonstrated in this interview on the Baltimore. Sanders is slouched, tired, and mussed. His speaking style is unpolished. He addresses police violence while completely ignoring the problem of police racism. Compare this with Clinton's poise in this interview where she battles, once again, with (sigh) Benghazi. If you were an undecided voter with no real interest in politics, who would you vote for?
Be honest now.