There are good reasons that the Clintons have long been popular in the black community -- first and foremost that the Clinton years were very good economically throughout the country. In fact, as an Obama supporter in 07-08 from day one (hoping that Obama would NOT be another neoliberal like the Cilntons, Gore, Kerry and Lieberman) I remember how for what seemed like the longest time Hillary Clinton had a double-digit lead in the polls among African-American voters. Oprah Winfrey's endorsement and active campaigning helped that to shift in 07.
But imagine that HRC gets the nomination and then gets elected president. Once again I would hope that Bernie Sanders does NOT simply fold up his organization but transforms it into a center of progressive opposition both within and outside the Democratic Party. At that point, I would imagine that there could be a much broader appeal during the years of a Hillary Clinton presidency for blacks and latinos. Bernie Sanders already has the support of many important progressives including, very vocally, Michelle Alexander, author of the blockbuster book "The New Jim Crow". So in my view, Tom Hayden's reasoning about race falls apart even without all the rather dubious realities of the Congressional Black Caucus PAC -- Hayden has been a very sophisticated progressive observer of US politics for over 50 years and should know better than to follow the kind of racial politics logic he advances in that essay.
I would like to see one or more DUers with online media connexions write a stirring rebuttal to Hayden == and this is VERY MUCH something that should be discussed in the Bernie Sanders group (in my arrogant opinion)
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