The Republican candidates would just deny they have any. It speaks volumes that matters of racial injustice and an exponentially increasing income gap (due to wage stagnation) are considered “non-issues” in the Republican debates, as though they’re not even happening at all. It’s like we live in different realities that are somehow contained within the same universe. 
I thought this was a particularly dumb question. It is kind of like the job interview query, “What is your greatest fault?” The answer being something like, “Well, I have to admit, I often just work too hard.”
I do agree, however, that no question like this ever comes up at the GOP “debates,” but they are not designed to inform, or actually debate an issue; they are pure theater.
Its not the first time he has said something like that either, which he got flak for then, which is why iam surprised he said it again during the debate.
Doesn’t matter if questions like this are asked at a Republican debate because they don’t answer the questions anyway, and they get away with that. Just talk about anything, never mind what the questions was, and the moderators don’t call them on it.
a comment that raised eyebrows among viewers who thought the senator was characterizing all black Americans as impoverished.
If one is listening, why would that comment “raise eyebrows”? While rich blacks are harassed, it is the poor who really get it the whole picture.
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I think that even though that line was poorly put, the point he sought to get across was clear enough, which pretty much echoed what Hillary also said right before. So I’d give him a slack on that one (then again, even though a minority I’m not the direct target audience there, and I’m curious how AA voters thought about it. Mention @PluckyInKY :)).
Having said that, I also feel Bernie does have some memorable (?), ad-writes-itself “America was founded on racist principles” moments (I’d name them “nearly Biden moments”). Say, another line @ProfessorPoopypants posted upthread (the mental health one), I personally found funny. We here are often saying “Trump has NPD,” “Cruz is a psychopath” and so and so forth, after all. But as a comment by a political figure, that line might also be a boderline politically incorrect – who knows, people who struggle with their mental health issue AND (rightly) hate the Republican candidates may not have been happy about that line.
I don’t like nitpicking such borderline comments when they are well-meant. At the same time if people who have actually suffered don’t receive them well, then there must be something to be desired about how to express the intended points.
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To understand Sanders, consider the recent studies which showed that poor whites are more likely to live in a good neighborhood than rich blacks. And rich blacks are more likely to live in a bad neighborhood than poor whites.
But the question was horrible. It’s designed to give the conservative press ammo against the eventual nominee. I expect to see hand-wringing articles in the MSM from concern troll journalists “Are they racially sensitive enough”. Similar to when Obama ran, the “Is he black enough” articles.
Or they attack the moderators for the question, and get away with that too.