Okay, what the hell happened at NRN?

[ybbor]

I was busy as hell all last week and weekend with the Ann Arbor Art Fair, my wife is a jeweler, and didn't see what went down.

I have been reading post after post and a lot of finger pointing from all directions. Did Bernie and Martin fold under pressure or what? Are there links so that I can see for myself?

Can somebody help?

Is it as bad as it's being made out to be?

Was it just those two, no Hillary?

I feel like I was living in the proverbial cave.

[PoliticAverse]

1. There's video, decide for yourself.

O'malley:

Sanders:

[Freelancer]

2. Turn back, and stay in your cave. If you say anything on this list, it will be held against you now.

[marym625]

3. Not anywhere near the hype it's being made out to be

No Hillary.

Madfloridian has a post of it somewhere. Looking for it.

They both did ok. Could have better. Could have been worse

[bravenak]

4. Some of us unruly negroes oppressed Sanders and O'malley.

[peacebird]

5. Very helpful. Advancing the discussion. Not.

Give me some concrete specifics of what needs to be done to solve the problem. We all agree black lives matter. We agree there is institutional racism. We agree it needs to be rooted out and ended. We agree the rise of the white supremacist movement is disgusting.
I hope anonymous will start unmasking the KKK so police departments can be cleaned up. But what specific concrete action would you like to see from our candidates?

[bravenak]

6. I'll tell you.

Stop lecturing black people on Dr. King and civil rights. Stop the paternalistic stuff. Stop telling us whats best for us. He needs to meet face to face. Hire some black staff to do social media. Go visit black churches and eat with the people. Go to a quincianera. Go on Jimmy Kimmel and read berniesoblack tweets (we love shit like that). His supporters have to stop acting like know it alls and constantly telling us that 'he marched with king before you were born!' Stop tweeting out bitter recrimintation to black twitter and Elon. Stop pretending everything is all goid with Bernie and Blacks. Hold a damn rally in a black area. Plenty more but I think you get it. Oh, listen to what the few black people still left here say. DU is a bubble and just cause you see Bernie stuff on the rec list it does not mean he has a bunch of support. Stop talking at black people about economic justice because we want social justice first so that we can live long enough to get the money. Realize racism is a probem and so is liberal racism. Stop telling us to go to republican then, like white liberals own the party and we are just here on sufferance. Realize that without us you lose.

[peacebird]

8. Thank you for some excellent suggestions!

And for the record, I am on your side and if we lose, you do too.

[bravenak]

9. Thank you for listening. Thanks. Finally somebody listened. I can take a nap now.

[ybbor]

13. Thank you as well

I envision a world where there are no pronouns except "we". And conversations are for the betterment of "us". Let's start having serious conversations, you have begun it.

[bravenak]

17. Great! To better days ahead!

[peacebird]

14. I tweeted them to Sanders & blacklivesmatter

If you have other ideas, please please start an OP with them. We need to move towards concrete actions to change this systemic racism. I hope Anonymous will work to unmask the KKK so we can weed them out of our 'justice' system.

I still think our candidates are better for everyone than any in the republican clown car....

[bravenak]

15. That was smart! Thank you!

I could never vote Republican or Jim Webb. Same difference.

[peacebird]

18. Thank you for talking with me. We have to fix this.

[bravenak]

19. We will. Probably soon too.

[peacebird]

20. I like your optimism!

[Wilms]

11. Great post, bravenak.

Not sure I get the paternalistic concern...but you've made a specific argument and recommended specific action to deal with it. That's cool.

I've surveyed the four AA's closet to me. Two are all about Bernie. One digs Bernie most but thinks Hillary has the best shot in the general and doesn't "want to take any chances". The fourth said, "who is Bernie?".

And guess what? That's roughly the results I get from white people I know.

Your recommendations make pretty good sense, and I have little doubt that it's what will play out.

[bravenak]

16. I think he can make supporters out of people who doubt him.

I still believe that. Plus not a fan of Hillary, so, it is what it is.

[WIProgressive88]

21. Thanks for your post. As a white male democratic socialist who tends to see things through the lens

of class and economics, I always appreciate your insights since they challenge my worldview and give me a more rounded perspective.

I truly believe that Bernie's heart is on the right side of social justice issues--I don't think that you can have true economic justice without social justice or vice versa--so I am hopeful that much of this rift can be addressed if Bernie supporters do more listening and less lecturing and if Bernie does a better job at reaching out and listening to minority communities.

I hope that, eventually, we may be able to earn back your support.

[bravenak]

23. I think he can get it done.

[NCTraveler]

7. Minorities have done enough listening and have started talking.

Some don't like that change. Every corner, every event, in your face. It is what must happen. To those who feel uncomfortable over it, do some self-reflection.

I say this under the belief that O'Malley could do enormous good at the Presidential level with respect to equality. Still, no free passes anywhere. Historical free passes have gotten nothing more than boots on necks. A softer sole on the boots, but boots none the less.

[ybbor]

10. Awesome!

Take ownership of the discussion.

[fredamae]

12. Seems very reasonable...

Get up, stand up, speak up, roll up your sleeves, get involved...join in become a part of it..or get out of the way....

[seveneyes]

22. NRN made themselves irrelevant and moot

They disrupted poorly.