2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: John Lewis and Hillary Clinton’s problem with millenials [View all]Jarqui
(10,122 posts)Whoops! John didn't think that one all the way through, did he.
If we are to achieve a real equality, the U.S. will have to adopt a modified form of socialism. Martin Luther King
What good is having the right to sit at a lunch counter if you cant afford to buy a hamburger? Martin Luther King
27% of Blacks are in poverty and from that effectively oppressed as many are without a job, without education and therefore, without much hope. With free tuition to college, that is one way Bernie is trying to extend some of them a hand to give them a chance to get them out of the ghetto.
With single payer free for those in poverty, that's another way to give them a hand surviving their ghetto while they get educated to get out.
Economic equality is something MLK sought. MLK told us civil rights were not enough. 27% of Blacks are disproportionately in poverty in large part because they didn't get to play on a level playing field. Blacks got civil rights in the 60s but they didn't get economic equality. The unfair or racist circumstances have held more Blacks back.
Free tuition and free single payer for those in poverty very likely isn't what Blacks had in mind for reparations and certainly not enough of what they deserve but it's something of significant value for those struggling to get by. It will help Blacks and Latinos more than whites because many more of them are in that position today where they could really make good use of this. The rich kids or lucky ones with scholarships will go to the Ivy leagues. It's is the poor or unlucky Bernie is trying to reach so they get a chance they do not have right now.
To be fair, he's offering it to all so people don't bicker. But it is really targeted at those who are suffering the most.
If some Blacks don't like it, they don't have to go to school. It's still a free country. If they can afford an Ivy league education and want that, by all means, go for it. But I think a lot of Blacks in difficult circumstances could make good use of it. It doesn't solve the entire problem but it would help reduce it.
I do not understand why John Lewis cannot see that - particularly when he himself saw Bernie stand up on the floor of the House and Senate and demand things like this since 1991. I've been reading the congressional record and looking at what Bernie was saying back then. It's the same stuff. He means it.
Sanders is not a single issue candidate. Just in this post, free tuition and single payer are two very separate issues. But wealth and income inequality is a giant issue for Bernie. It helps so many other issues in a person's life. Bernie fought for civil rights for blacks and he saw how far it got them - not far enough. He saw, as MLK did, that if you do not have an education, health care and money in this society, civil rights don't mean so much because you're still not free if you cannot afford to do anything.
I try to understand why Blacks don't trust easily. Many have been hopelessly hated, screwed and oppressed for more than 200 years. But I'm not sure. But Bernie is offering many of them - the more unfortunate - something none of the other candidates are: a way out of the ghetto. Hillary isn't offering that. Hillary is putting all the glitter she can with her calculated and market researched phrases that have been tested in control groups to work with Blacks so her propaganda might sound good ... but when you peel away the layers, she's full of shit like she has been for the last 25 years, offering the status quo - what morsels and crumbs Wall Street will let Blacks and the unfortunate have. Bernie Sanders may be the closest Blacks will ever get to reparations.
For whatever reason, from the polls, it appears Bernie is falling short on making his case to John Lewis and the majority of Blacks. To me, it will be a real tragedy if they do not get what Bernie is offering. Maybe I'm forgetting one but it's the only time in my life since the 60s I can recall ever seeing Blacks get a really decent offer to make a difference. I guess the mistrust from years of hate and racism is too deep and complicated to get through. I too am sick of the suffering.
Maybe I'm looking at this all wrong but I doubt it.