Ummm… errr… wait a minute, I’ll go to Wikipedia and look it up… 
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Well, I certainly don´t think it´s the biggest news today. And I am aware that people like Cornell West, or Ben Jealous, can rub people the wrong way.
And I´m quite aware that no one voice speaks for all black people. But his endorsement gives a counterargument to the meme being pushed by some HRC supporters, i.e., that Sanders somehow is incapable of appealing to the majority of minorities. Like…
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Thanks. My post was edited to reflect my oversight (aka, ¨selective reading¨).
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shrugs okay. Most of the folks in the BLM movement are either agnostic this cycle or openly hostile to Bernie. Go on Twitter and see how ugly it’s gotten. They’re not openly endorsing Hillary but the Bernie folks have gotten under their skin enough where they’re openly hostile to Sanders in a way that they’re not to Hillary. And the energy in the black community isn’t in the NAACP or other old organization, it’s in the flawed but loud BLM movement.
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Waldo Martin’s excellent book on the Black Panthers (“Black Against Empire”) is a castigating and needed treatment of the often disconnect between academics/advocates (mouthpieces) versus people on the ground.
His portrayal of Eldridge Cleaver is especially damning.
If there is one thing that I like about the Internet, social media and the like, it is the potential for the types of discussions necessary for people at the grassroots level to identify types of posturing and advocacy.
And their motivations.
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This is yoooge, or not. Probably not. The NAACP is not the force it once was in the Democratic Party.
Joy Ann Reid and other black pundits have discussed this as well. She’s talked about the sort of “Sanders marched on Washington, and you’re black so you should support him” rhetoric and the need for Bernie’s supporters to dial it way, way down.
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WIth Team Hillary no longer able to keep up the facade that Bernie cannot possibly attract any significant support from African-Americans, now we seem to be proceeding to the argument that he only attracts support from the *wrong kind" of African-Americans. Under the bus you go, Ben!
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There will, of course, be a split (or splits). You should see it with Latinos. Look at Cuba. According to my boricua wife, most of the Caribbean Spanish rhythms came from Cuba (straight from Africa).
And here we have two Cuban Presidential Candidates who would think that Nixon was too “accommodating to African Americans”…
We will know soon enough how well Sanders is doing with African - Americans. The Feb. 27 primary here in S.C. will be the first test of his appeal to the black community.
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Up to a certain point, Team Hillary has been able to portray Bernie’s outreach to African-American voters as a hopeless and condescending appeal by white liberals telling African-Americans who they ought to like. But with something like 1 out of 5 AA voters in SC now backing Bernie, and recent endorsements from folks like former NAACP president Ben Jealous, Justin Bamberg (the lawyer for Walter Scott’s family, also a state representative who was active in the fight to remove the Confederate flag from the Capitol grounds) and Erica Garner (Eric Garner’s daughter), along with folks like Nina Turner and Killer Mike, it seems like it will be getting a lot harder for Team Hillary to paint Bernie, and the movement he’s leading, as irrelevant, or tone-deaf to the concerns of African-Americans. It’s one thing to attack “white liberals” for trying to convince African-Americans to switch to Bernie, but quite a different thing to attack the growing number of African-Americans for doing so.
Does any of this guarantee that Bernie will pick up a large portion of the African-American vote in time to perform much more strongly than expected in South Carolina? No, of course not. But the chances of him making some major progress in that area do seem to be improving. I doubt Team Hillary is particularly worried about this endorsement, or about the still-quite-modest gains Bernie is making with African-American voters…but obviously any movement in that direction is probably unwelcome.
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How do these endorsements at all even remotely disprove the theory that Sanders won’t attract a significant portion of the black vote? You seem to be operating under the notion that who does the endorsing isn’t particularly relevant, just as long as they’re black and prominent. Next you’ll be singing the praises of Tavis Smiley’s endorsement.
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Who is attacking those endorsing him? How is it even remotely an attack to acknowledge that Jealous isn’t likely to be the black electorate swaying endorsement that some people think he is. This is silly.
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…1 out of 5 AA voters in SC…
1 out of 5 certainly sounds more significant than 20 %, doesn’t it?
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He or she is Berniesplaining.
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African Americans will vote their practical interests. Between democratic candidates, perceived electability is what will matter in the end. AA were mostly for Clinton in the beginning of 2008. It took demonstrable evidence that Obama had the ability to win nationally across ethnic lines before they felt secure enough to fully support him – but what really pushed them over was Clinton’s horrible racist message master Mark Penn. I think/hope that breach of trust has been mended – in no small part because Obama himself made peace with her and has all but formally endorsed her. Bernie would also be a good president for African American interests – but if they don’t believe he can win the general – even with their support – its a moot point.
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I don’t think it’s gonna change many minds here in SC, most have already decided
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Ben Jealous Endorses Bernie Sanders (D)
Ben Jealous is
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the former NAACP head,
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a tremendous activist for criminal justice reform,
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and fighting to protect our waters, health and environment;
and I am one HAPPY DEMOCRAT !
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Uh no. In fact I agree with what some other folks have said in that some of Bernie’s AA endorsers could end up costing him more AA votes than they gain him (as some have suggested may be the case with Cornel West). But I do think endorsements from folks like Bamberg and Garner probably do have the potential to help him, especially with younger African-Americans who are tuned into the Black Lives Matter movement. I don’t know enough about how Nina Turner is perceived by African-Americans outside of Ohio, but she’s certainly a powerful speaker. Killer Mike? Who knows (I’m guessing his explanation of how he decided to go for Bernie – that he was smoking a joint and looking at Bernie’s Tweets – probably didn’t go over too well with older African-Americans). Ben Jealous – again I don’t know how that plays with African-American voters of different ages, outlooks, etc., but I suspect this one probably helps him more than it hurts him.
So, no, I’m not “operating under the notion that who does the endorsing isn’t particularly relevant, just as long as they’re black and prominent.” But yes, overall it looks to me like according to the (limited available) polling, he’s making some progress with AA voters in South Carolina (whether that is mostly despite these endorsements, or partly because of these endorsements, I’ll admit I don’t really know).
http://corporispublica.org/images/e/e5/D-FTW-300.png
#####[Standard Disclaimer: This commenter wishes it to be known that in November he or she plans to vote for the Democratic nominee, whoever that turns out to be, and will encourage their fellow primary candidate supporters to do likewise.]
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Only to the severely math challenged.
[Edit: On second thought, and after reading your other comment, I’ll concede that maybe it does “sound more significant,” even though as a matter of arithmetic, obviously it “shouldn’t.” At any rate, that was not my intent (at least not consciously!)]