Some thoughts on Bernie, Hillary and Black Voters

With regards to practical/pragmatic matters, Bernie has no plan for the major point in his platform, how to break up the big banks. Even if he had a plan, he doesn't know how he would get it through Congress. His health care proposal is fairly detailed but will require an average increase of $5000 in taxes for regular Americans. Even the poor would be hit hard; the math is outlined in this article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/clinton-sanders-debate_us_5713e53de4b06f35cb6fdfee. By and large, black voters are pragmatists first and foremost because history bears out that progress comes in increments; there is no Revolution. He seems to lack an understanding of how policy comes about. He lacks support from Congressional Democrats; he's as much of a pariah as Ted Cruz is in the GOP.

The other big problem is his tone. He is really tone deaf on race issues and makes everything about the income inequality and Wall Street. He's got a history of ignoring major black community figures when he's campaigning in the area and dismisses Southern Democratic Voters, who are mostly black, because those states usually go red in the general election. He tends to embrace narratives in which people can't disagree with his means or ends, either the voters don't know him or they don't understand, etc. He's also been hyper-critical of President Obama too, who is hugely popular because of his pragmatism, his record and the unprecedented obstruction and opposition he's faced. Sanders lacks a lot of the composure and poise that Obama possesses. Sanders tends to react to criticism negatively and usually responds with character attacks.

I actually see a lot of similarities between Sanders and Trump: In tone, in campaigning, in voting base (white male voters), and disdain for the party (he still identifies as Independent but wants to be the leader of the Democratic party). He really doesn't seem like he's willing to unite party behind Hillary against Trump, insisting she court his voters herself. He's only running in the Democratic primary because he would have no shot otherwise, but he doesn't support the party at all. We both know loyalty is important to black people.

In contrast, Hillary knows how to talk to black people. http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/mothers-trayvon-martin-eric-garner-voice-support-hillary-clinton-n524571 is just one example but there are definitely others. She has a proven record of doing the leg work and building coalitions. She has also been very supportive of the President and plans to continue his legacy. Her approach is a more pragmatic one; she will support the most progressive policy option possible instead of demanding absolutes or making ultimatums. She's also been raising a lot of money for Congressional Democratic races in hopes of taking back Congress so she can get more done, something Bernie hasn't done at all this year. She's also already said that if Sanders were the nominee, she'd support him 100% against the Republicans. She's not perfect, no one is but I think she's the better choice and I think a lot of other black people have made that determination.

That being said, I would definitely support Sanders in the general election if he were the nominee. Obviously I can't speak for other black people but I've seen a lot of others making the same points better than me. @docrocktex26 is one of the best and this is one of her storify posts from a few months ago: https://storify.com/docrocktex26/musings-on-buyers-remorse-and-the-unrealistic-expe