‘None of this looks good': Cenk Uygur rips #BlackLivesMatter protest against Sanders and O’Malley

[still_one]

Young Turks host Cenk Uygur chided the #BlackLivesMatter protest during Saturday’s Netroots Nation progressive conference, saying that the disruption had gained more attention than the message the movement wanted to deliver.

“None of this looks good,” Uygur said on Monday. “If you care about this movement, I don’t think today’s the day you celebrate and go, ‘Got ’em.’ I wish this helped, but I really don’t think it did.”

Uygur showed footage of the demonstration during town hall appearances by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, including the crowd jeering O’Malley by using the phrase “white lives matter, all lives matter” during one response. Critics have argued that adding those descriptors minimizes the issue of police violence in black communities.

“I’m not sure the answers were so great in that context,” Uygur conceded. “But if we shut down the conversation after that, you’re gonna alienate people. You don’t want to alienate people, you want to bring them into the conversation, because that’s the only way we’re gonna get change.”

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/07/none-of-this-looks-good-cenk-uygur-rips-blacklivesmatter-protest-against-sanders-and-omalley/

[earthside]

1. Cenk is correct.

I believe that this whole dust-up is an attempt by a Trotskyite-type cadre to cause trouble, chaos, disunity, etc. for the express purpose of splitting the Democratic Party if possible.

Sadly, the organizers of NetRoots had no conception that a faction like this is capable of this kind of stunt. And, pathetically, there are too many liberals and progressives that will go into a crisis of angst if anyone raises questions or challenges a very small vanguard cabal clever enough to use a name like 'Black Lives Matter'.

But it works ... imagine a candidate for the Democratic Party's nomination for President of the United States apologizing for saying "All lives matter." Whether he knows it or not, O'Malley has just blown his chances for the nomination -- who would vote for a commander-in-chief that spineless?

Democrats better be wary and aware of destructive political cabals like BLM; they don't really care about black lives and they certainly don't care about the success of the Democratic Party or the liberal/progressive cause in the U.S.

[oberliner]

6. an attempt by a Trotskyite-type cadre to cause trouble?

You actually think this?

[earthside]

15. It is a real possibility.

A couple of decades ago when I was involved for a short period of time with the Green Party, we saw this exact kind of stuff.

Look at the rhetoric, the actions, the organization, etc.; it fits right in with the kind of behavior one sees from the radical, radical hardcore left.

These folks look for the easy targets and are intent upon creating division and disruption especially amongst those who would appear to be their natural allies. Because ... coalition building is not what they are interested in -- they want to dominate.

[oberliner]

17. Wow

That is really interesting.

Thanks for sharing your insights.

[Cosmic Kitten]

20. Right-wingers and 3rd-Wayers are the big winners in this instance

[hifiguy]

74. It's handing them a hammer

which they WILL use against lefties. Have to agree with the OP. Why go after people who already are on your side?

[ananda]

25. Interesting. You can see the effect here for sure.

Fortunately, it's still very early in the campaign process and once it filters
thought the moiling limbec of politics, I think it will get lost in the vapor,
so to speak.

But Black Lives Matter will not get lost, hopefully. It's an important movement,
and many human lives are at stake.

[geardaddy]

40. And the co-op wars in 1970s Minneapolis and St. Paul

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_O_(political_group)

But I don't think #BLM is like that. The Green Party here in the Twin Cities has that baggage though.

[earthside]

66. This has come up before with BLM.

Since this thread started I've done a little Googling and this issue of BLM being infiltrated and/or co-opted by hardcore, radical groups like RCP has come up before.

I am very suspicious of any so-called leftwing group that attacks the most progressive and boldest of leaders in the Democratic Party. I am very wary of any group that tries to argue that talking about equality, poverty and economic justice is now a betrayal of African-American concerns and issues.

Thanks for the reminder about 'The O' ... those kinds of things can happen on the left and we ought to be on guard because the real opponents, i.e., the Repuglicans, the Tea Party, the Birchers, the Kochs, etc., will absolutely manipulate, take advantage and exploit 'in-fighting' among Democrats and liberals.

[ http://mn70s.tumblr.com/post/15561396788/the-co-op-wars ]

[hifiguy]

76. Yep. If this keeps happening

To the most progressive candidates it can safely be described as a ratfuck of some sort.

[PowerToThePeople]

109. I know nothing about blm leadership

But the attacks on DU against the candidates are from the right wing of DU.

Speaking of co-op wars, I agree with the sentiment that canned goods, etc should have been sold. The poor and struggling workers can not afford natural markets, they are middle class and up. I do not agree with the violence but understand where the anger may have come from. It is still vissible today, the truly supressed are still not represented. Representation stops where the money stops.

[A Simple Game]

50. Your theory makes sense, why did they attack their best hope(s) for President?

Why not protest the Republican candidates? Fear of arrest? The message would have gotten out to the public or at least to the Democratic candidates, who are their allies and most likely to be the next President, just as well and not alienated them to the movement.

I see no win at all for anyone but the Republicans and maybe Hillary in this move. Which brings up the question of; if they wanted to attack their best allies for maximum publicity and effect, why not attack the candidate they supposedly favor and think favors them the most, Hillary.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

58. Taking your comments at face value the thing I can't wrap my head around is --

What do they imagine they will gain? They can divide their allies but then what? The RW isn't going to split or defect to them. Then what?

Are they so desperate for a slice of the pie that they'll slap the whole thing to the floor? It strikes me as very short sighted.

[earthside]

68. Taking my comments at face value ...

... you have to get out of the Democrat-Republican paradigm for it to make 'sense'.

The radical left are revolutionaries; they probably hate liberals and Democrats more than they hate Repuglicans. Liberals propose peaceful reform and change -- they can't wait for that; they don't want a 'slice of the pie' they demand the whole pie!

Now, I'm not saying that BLM is that kind of radical left with any certainty, but their actions at NetRoots and the rhetoric of some of its 'leaders' sounds like it to me.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

78. Maybe I'm just not radical enough. They seem more nihilistic than revolutionary.

Even a revolutionary wants some-THING at the end of the day. Yet, those who make enemies of everyone, especially those who would normally be inclined to show common cause, seem to find more delight in fighting than actually winning.

[heaven05]

75. No, no

Last edited Tue Jul 21, 2015, 06:00 PM - Edit history (1)

you have it wrong.....racists look for easy targets to shoot in the back, hang or otherwise execute. Anger to this reality has nothing to do with trotsky ...what a load, huge steaming load of crap. I have been involved for a long time also....and I always found out who wanted to dominate....it wasn't people like #Black Lives Matter....does privileged ring a bell? Green party, huh........

[randys1]

80. I am usually a big fan of Cenk but in this case he is wrong, as you say.

[Starry Messenger]

10. Oh boy. (nt)

[geek tragedy]

29. " a Trotskyite-type cadre to cause trouble, chaos" We've seen this script before

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.#Allegations_of_communism

[earthside]

38. Except that was Hoover being a provocateur.

My vague remembrance of history is that the SCLC and Dr. King had to be always vigilant against attempts by genuine Spartacus League-types who truly wanted to radicalize the civil rights movement for their own aims.

When you see any small group who seems to be intent upon driving wedges between natural allies; who agitate to cause distrust and cynicism among people who are united in the desire for progress and change, like BLM seems to be doing, well, there really are ideological factions out there who know what they are doing and have an agenda.

[geek tragedy]

39. I find your red-baiting of African-American activsits to be reprehensible nt

[earthside]

46. Don't be naive.

BLM is probably 25 or 30 activists, tops.

Twittering does not make one a warrior for civil rights.

So, trying to infer that criticism of BLM now means criticism of "African-American activists" in some sort of total sense is divisive.

[geek tragedy]

47. Don't play the stupid-ass "divisive" card after accusing black activists of being Communists nt

[heaven05]

82. You damn sure

aren't a warrior for civil, human or voting rights nor can perceived as one of the "allies". Nope, just can't.. yes, ally no.

[heaven05]

79. geez

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you are suspect with this trotsky-hoover crap.....we've had the privileged left as allies for generations, what has been the outcome? Losing voting rights. Losing civil and human rights. Losing life, literally. Your "vague" remembrance is based in the usual....privileged bubble of insulated unreality. geez...

[Sunlei]

37. ALL republicans make the most of the free publicity started with a few protesters heckling

[karynnj]

54. I agree and wonder why the people running Netroots didn't try to transform the confrontation to a

discussion.

The problem I can see is that #blacklivesmatter IS far more than "black lives matter". To the people involved with it, it is self explanatory and means everything from protesting police killings of blacks, systemic racism, the unfairness of white privilege and probably a long list of things that I, as a white woman do not even hear.

I think that what happened was NOT just a failing on the part of Sanders and O'Malley to communicate but a failure of the #blacklivesmatter group. Logically, it was not wrong for O'Malley to respond to "black lives matter" (which is how he obviously heard what was said) and thinking he was agreeing by affirming they did matter and then making it universal that "all lives matter". In fact, out of this context, "all lives should matter" is what you want - anywhere you are speaking. While it is to their credit that they later responded more in the vein that #blacklivesmatter want. However, just as interpreting everything from a white mainstream perspective using just that language, the protesters were using language in a very non conventional way and expecting everyone to have assimilated the unique meaning they gave to it --- rather than using it with enough explanation that everyone would understand what they were saying.

I understand the frustration of the candidates when they were interrupted and yelled at. I think Bernie Sanders had every right to be angry that these young people completely ignored his history - counting it as irrelevant. The problem was that in their disruption they failed to even try to either ask him a question AND listen to his answer or to ask him to listen to them make a coherent case for what they were asking.

Now, imagine that at least one of the Daily Kos people running the event had had the presence of mind to see that this was a confrontation between two sides that really needed to hear each other out. Imagine he/she would have quickly acted to transform the confrontation where neither side could possibly understand the other to a moderated discussion - letting the #blacklivesmatter people explain some of their issues -- and letting the candidates either ask more questions of them or explain how they could help.

I saw one very articulate young woman from the #blacklivesmatter speaking on Chris Hayes. While I have followed the discussion and have two daughters who have joined NYC marches, much of what she was saying was essentially jargon that was tough to even parse by someone outside the "group". In some ways, Hayes did her no favors by simply validating what she said rather then trying to get her to be more specific of what concrete things the men could have purposed.

[bettyellen]

69. We should be wary of BLM? Seriously? Lol.

[TBF]

81. Those damned commies!

[mmonk]

89. LOL. I wouldn't go that far.

[daredtowork]

124. I think the money of Hillary's campaign has to be taken into account

One of the messaging goals of Hillary's campaign has been to split "social justice" from "economic justice", and then make it look like "old white guy" Bernie is out of touch with social justice.

Hillary was conveniently adsent from Netroots Nation. Her campaign didn't have to direct this operation, but they could have given "walking around money" to a group that had this bright idea. A lot of Hillary money is sloshing around. There can even be hope of a future job based on "urban guerilla marketing" genius.

This didn't occur to me until I tried to post about how Hillary was spared the bad optics in GD. All the posts about Bernie and O'Malley's disuption, including this one, are posted in GD. But if you mention Hillary, it is supposed to be hustled offsides to the new politics section. When I pointed out this inconsistency to Skinner, he just dared me to alert the Bernie/O'Malley ones. There seems to be some commitment to hiding the fact Hillary made herself unavailable for this unfortunate photo op.

[davidpdx]

148. Well and we have been told on DU that BLM will protest Hillary Clinton as well

Yet we know this will never come to pass. She controls her events in a way that it would be pretty difficult for protesters to get in.

[daredtowork]

152. and it won't be on the same Netroots Nation playing field as Bernie and Malcolm O'Malley.nt

[PatrickforO]

2. Cenk is right on this one. It alienated people who can help.

Of course, the BLM movement would reply to my statement above by saying, "If they can help then why aren't they?" which is a good point.

This is what divide and conquer looks like. Big money capitalists use their noise machine to fan racism. People buy guns. Cops get more aggressive and innocent black kids are killed for no reason. Parents of these kids are devastated and very angry. They start the BLM movement. In spite of paying lip service to black lives matter, most people in power shunt this issue off to the side and do nothing. The BLM people get even more angry because of this lack of action. Finally, the protest boils over and two Dem candidates are shouted down at the Net Roots event.

This pisses off a bunch of white people, who say things like 'I wish this helped, but I really don't think it did,' and create an unspoken meme that the BLM people are angry, aggressive, won't tells us their demands, and are RUDE.

See? Divide and conquer. You guys think the Koch brothers are giggling about this? I do.

[GoneFishin]

19. The one thing you can definitely count on is that the Kochs are giggling or maybe celebrating this

division.

[Sunlei]

42. candidates need to provide the Department of Justice info so everyone treated badly by police, can

learn how to file DOJ reports. If our Department of Justice has thousands of reports, millions of calls and reports they HAVE TO, investigate every single report.

Our candidates also need to learn and plan how to handle hecklers and protesters. Learn also how to handle the audience 'plants' who are there only to add to a hecklers voice.

[PatrickforO]

72. That DOJ reporting method is a great idea.

[Sunlei]

87. I think our candidates need to learn how to work with protesters, who may disrupt future events.

Even if they take a minute to 'speak to them' and offer to give protesters some time to speak with him/her right after the event. .

[newfie11]

3. Was this instigated by repugs somehow nt

[still_one]

4. I doubt it. Most like an expression of frustration, but anyone who watched the video of the net

roots town hall will observe that when Bernie was addressing the issues he was being interrupted on, it seemed there was a significant number who were receptive as evidenced by the applause he received.

Unfortunately, what the BLM leadership failed to recognize, you do not invite people to a town hall for a dialog, and then prevent that dialog from occurring, is counter productive

[immoderate]

5. Frayed knot.

--imm

[PADemD]

8. The BLM protest reminded me of Tea Party tactics, and

the temper tantrum my 3-year-old threw in the grocery store.

[heaven05]

11. So they are children

having a tantrum? We fear that nothing will be done to START protecting black lives by those who allegedly are our leaders and are letting them know our fear in a vocal manner in no uncertain terms. And because they are not respecting the wishes and/or the deductions of the oh so "civilized privileged" here by being quiet, asking, "please massa may I have some more", they are children??? Typical response of the privileged who don't face death at the hands of police and white racists EVERY time they walk out the door, make a traffic mistake, or even be worshiping in a church. I know where the problem lies and it's not with #Black Lives Matter. "Tea Party tactics"? It's not #Black Lives Matter using them.

[Sunlei]

43. even the use of the 'BLM' is wrong. Black Lives Matter. spell it out always!

[PADemD]

90. The abbreviation BLM was used five other times on this thread.

Did you notify those people too?

[Sunlei]

91. no I just posted here. What I meant is "Black Lives Matter" is such an important movement.

I would like people to spell the full name of the cause out in every public venue to help the movement grow.

[newfie11]

141. Bureau of land management

Comes to mind here in the west when BLM is posted.
Agree Black Lives Matter is better.

[lumberjack_jeff]

61. For whom did this debacle look good?

Republicans, yes.

Anyone else?

[hifiguy]

94. Nope. Maybe the Turd Way types

who want to make Bernie look bad. No one else.

[groundloop]

7. Sadly I believe Cenk is correct.... it's the GOP debates that should be disrupted

Heckling Bernie Sanders over civil rights is about as fruitful as protesting at an Elton John show over gay rights. If we somehow slip up and let a repub into the White House you can be guaranteed that civil rights in this country will take one giant leap backwards. There will be more 'tough on crime' rhetoric (with the not so hidden message that black people are the criminals) and more militarization of police forces.

Do I have an answer for the serious problems that exist in this country concerning race? Hell no, I'm not that smart.... but I don't believe attacking the people who have the best chance of promoting this cause is the answer.

[heaven05]

18. if the americans "slip up"

Last edited Tue Jul 21, 2015, 05:47 PM - Edit history (1)

and let a creepublican back in the WH I take solace in that I and all black people will not be the only ones getting the screw. Guaranteed. The creepublicans don't give a damn about anyone but some of their base, those who hold their racist view and as the tools they are can and will be used to vote in one of those fascist clowns from the RW clown bus. #Black Lives Matter wasn't an "attack" it was a putting on notice to those "allies" of ours that the game is known and it won't be "business as usual" as it has been with politicians and POC for generations as soon as they get our vote. There's a difference you know, between "attack" and inform.

[blackspade]

31. Too true.

African American are the ones taking the hits right now.
But rest assured, our corporate masters will tighten the screws on the rest of us no matter our race or creed.
Pay attention folks, BLM is trying to wake us all the hell up.
Candidates asides, we Democrats have a choice, make BLM part of our platform or suffer the consequences.

[heaven05]

9. His opinion on this doesn't matter

Last edited Tue Jul 21, 2015, 02:53 PM - Edit history (2)

he is the same as many here who hate the fact of black voices raised in anger at white people especially men. To hell with cenk.. Anger is not logical...all you spocks out there. Generations old Anger bred in the crucible of amerikkkan racism cannot be reasonable...all you "whitesplainers" out there. Not civil in the face of , "yeah we understand, BUT it's not that important" is getting old after all these years. To HELL with cenk..... Never trusted him anyway.

[still_one]

12. No question that BLM was expressing their frustration at the lack of action that has been getting

worse for some time now.

However, why hold a town hall if you don't want to engage in a dialog?

I have another question, has BLM done the same type of protests at republican events also?

Your racial characterizations of "whitesplainers", and how they should have no opinion on this matter speaks for itself.

However, this is a discussion forum, where people are allowed to voice their OPINIONS. You may or may not agree with those opinions. Others may or may not agree with your opinions, but that is what a discussion forum is about.

[heaven05]

16. creepublicans could give a damn less

about POC and the life altering/taking issues of white racism TODAY. To hell with those creepublicans who will never do anything, so my counsel will always be don't waste energy on the creeps. Those who say they are going to "change" things are being put on notice, no "business as usual" anymore. Enough of this BS from people whop have NO idea of the threat faced by a POC every time they walk out their front door. That's my opinion on this discussion forum. My characterization of "whitesplainers" is based in reality and I hope it does speak for itself. They have an opinion and that is my analysis of their opinion. Simple as that.

[jwirr]

56. So hurting one of the front running candidates will help anyone in the long run? And

as you know it did hurt everyone but Hillary. Yes, he is still getting huge crowds but now we are seen as "the white candidate". We do not have a Barrack Obama this year - the candidates are all white - unless you want to vote for Jindal, Rubio or Carson.

Are you at all worried about economic issues? My mixed racial family is. We are worried about a lot of things. And yes we are very worried about Black Lives Matter because that is us. But on the other hand we do not see how making corporations more powerful is going to help any of us.

BTW I am not angry about the BLM protest. This issue needs to be kept front and center because it is the difference between life or death for too many black men and women as we have seen with Sandra Bland.

And I am not sure that dialog is going to help much because the issue is well known - racism, hate and police violence is in the news everyday. The problem is well defined. I think the elected leaders - those already in office need to get together NOW (President Obama, the Black caucuses, the Progressive caucuses, community leaders, etc.) and come up with a comprehensive solution to this issue. It is the plan to solve this problem that is missing. And because this is a complex issue it is not going to be easy to create this plan nor to implement it.

[heaven05]

65. that question of economic issues

Last edited Tue Jul 21, 2015, 05:56 PM - Edit history (2)

is....yes, of course I worry. I worry everyday being on a fixed income. Something Bernie says he's going to fix. Well see when/if he wins the GE. I've just heard too many words that have passed like the river under a bridge with NOTHING having been done, ever, of real substance yet. The small gains given from when I was getting my head busted while standing and screaming at the privileged, "I am a man, not a boy" are being rescinded and outright taken away. Voting, civil and human rights. That, in addition to dead, bleeding and hanging unarmed, women, men and children is what #Black Lives Matter and I are screaming about to the politicians and some our "allies", who after they get our vote, go about "business as usual".

Appreciate your response and agree with some of your points. Thank you and I hope I'm clear on my priorities.

[jwirr]

67. Thank you. That at least lets me understand where you are coming from. If we do not get this

right this time I am very afraid that we will not get another chance. They are after our voting rights all across the country. I know that politicians cannot be trusted but we have to choose someone or we let others choose for us. Unfortunately I am not so sure that it is not too late already.

[angel123]

22. BLM protests at republican events

But, republicans do not depend on black votes to win elections. Democrats, progressives and liberals take our votes for granted. It's as if, all you have to do is make us fear what republicans will do. Well, if it gets worst for black people, trust me, I am use to it. Are you?

[Dawgs]

13. TYT are THE ONLY ones in media that have exposed what the cops are doing to the black community.

And, they've been doing it almost every day for years. I know because I watch TYT every day.

And, did you even watch the video? I doubt it, because he didn't say that the "anger is not logical".

[heaven05]

14. yeah, yeah

Last edited Tue Jul 21, 2015, 05:49 PM - Edit history (1)

I have no problem with that. He is good on that point and other relevant social issues. In this case, I totally disagree. The logic I have seen used here in the last three days concerning the anger of black people with the idea that no matter what, as has been usual, it will continue to be "business as usual". with all candidate, no matter their honey covered words. You can love the hell out of cenk. In this case, as far as I'm concerned he should have kept HIS MOUTH SHUT about this issue if he had nothing but criticism. This BS of "yeah, I understand the frustrations and anger of black people, BUT"........is just not going to get it anymore, from candidates or my "allies".

[Dawgs]

52. For real? You obviously did not watch it.

Because if you did you would know that it was not ONLY criticism.

[heaven05]

77. #Black Lives Matter should not

Last edited Tue Jul 21, 2015, 06:02 PM - Edit history (1)

have been criticized for exercising their right to vocally let the BS "business as usual" crowd know that POC want the executions of unarmed people to end. That's all I'll say to you.

[Dawgs]

85. I don't know anyone on left that would disagree, including Cenk. n/t

[jwirr]

120. Business as usual crowd - neither the Selma event not NN are known for their business as

usual crowds.

[LittleBlue]

33. Cenk is a person of color

he is the same as many here who hate the fact of black voices raised in anger at white people especially men.

Ridiculous

[heaven05]

140. i don't know about the POC claim

but yeah my anger has made me ridiculous. Ridiculously angry and in this case maybe misplaced.

[blackspade]

36. I think your anger at Cenk is misplaced.

The clip at TYT is far more nuanced than the OP article.
His main point was that BLM got the floor, but didn't engage Sanders or O'Malley.
He is correct in that, but that is a tactical issue, not a negative reflection on BLM as a whole.
Hopefully BLM will hone it's tactics to cut through all of the media static that is surrounding Netroots so that their actual message gets driven home.

[heaven05]

139. yeah

I'm getting like a lot on here. Just not listening. I just am very tired of the nuanced BS from many in the anti-#Black Lives Matter crowd.. His nuance is worth listening too. Just tired. I gave Sandra Bland up to my "higher power" last evening and just going to try to stop further wasted black aspirations, dreams and lives. thanks

[blackspade]

142. The senseless killing has to stop.

Our justice system is set up to destroy th lives of black men and women.
It is a fucking atrocity.

All I can say is that black people are some of the most reserved and calm people in the US.
What you all endure daily, while still maintaining your civility is inspirational and humbling.

[heaven05]

146. I still don't agree completely

with any criticism of people who are enraged at the continuing murder of black people. Yet, I do agree with you and I just have to watch my anger and keep it under control...... No doubt....

[nadinbrzezinski]

128. This is what I wrote in another post and I think it is relevant here

Myself... I know it is an emergency

Trust me, I do... and people are getting angry at the usual, but you have two minutes at city council

(Locally the Brown Act drives some folks nuts, including me.)

What I have seen locally though has been very effective. When they tried (take into account I report on this) full disruption, the council meeting came to a halt, soft cuffs appeared from nowhere. and I waded into what looked like it was going to get billy club time...but photos were needed. So... me and the Channel 10 cameraman waded in hoping none used pepper spray, or tear gas... enclosed space, it sucks even more.

When local activists held a very silent protest at the inauguration of that city council, which I have LOTS of photos off, and handed demand letters to members of the city council, one of the few, actually let me clarify, the only media who got that money shot, they are actually getting somewhere.

Is it as fast as I would like to see? Nope. Is this moving as fast as the activists want to see? NOPE. We also have a bunch of intersection going on, between BLM, and Occupy (it is not dead yet). I wish the enviro guys and gals joined up, because all this is connected, but I cover this crap, I don't give suggestions.

What happened at NN15, it will be weeks, even maybe months, before we know the real effect... for good or bad.

You cover social movements, and you learn quickly that what might look like a disaster, is not, and what does not look like a disaster is.

I am going over and over and over on how to write an analysis piece of what happened there because of this. My first impulse from what I have seen in person... it will be negative in the short term, but positive in the long haul. It truly depends on both the pols (who already are changing messages) and movement leaders... it is complicated.

And I hope this is not going too much into the dynamics of this.

[heaven05]

145. Thanks

Last edited Wed Jul 22, 2015, 01:24 PM - Edit history (1)

a bad day, yesterday, that's all. I have after a nights rest come into a semblence of emotional balance once again. I will agree, to be more effective in getting the message of anger, frustration and exasperation at the generations old inaction of our 'leaders', tactics must change. I think the candidates and #Black Lives Matter got that message.

Like other groups I've been in over the years, a manifesto of demands concerning how to eradicate or at least continue to try to ameliorate the ongoing and seemingly worsening of systemic and institutional racism. Concrete proposals on how to possibly have local and state governments put strong anti-racist language in their local charters governing racist groups and how, when and where they can spread their hate.

Cops must start enforcing the law when it comes to the outright threats issued by these groups. Police department must be forced legislatively to better train police officers, not continue to militarize them like some kind of occupation army. Weeding out the thugs would be a good start...huge job, I know, but possible. These ideas are not original. In the last three days I've seen them presented by many different concerned citizens. Bodies must start appearing in large numbers on many streets vocalizing our disdain for the direction, racially, socially and economically this country is heading in. It will take concerted and continuous local, state and national effort to start marginalizing hate groups and maximizing unity of people against the hate. Can't stop free speech, can't take hate out of the hearts of people, but the hate groups can be dispersed lawfully and legislatively.

On a personal level, people of good conscience, I've met, electronically, many here, must start organizing large rallies against these hate groups, locally and nationally. The million man march type national rally against racism would be one. Lot's of good people out there, people with good hearts and intentions need to come together. #Black Lives Matter joined with the Ferguson movement and the joining of local, state and national groups concerned about black lives have to come together in a united front. This is possible, MLK's 1963 D.C March. Petitions.....concrete proposals about changing and trying to heal police-community relations, all are needed. Some of the candidates have good ones. It's a young mans/womans game to march, can't do much. But when I'm able I will and do contribute funds and ideas. I will try to limp along with them otherwise..

Thanks again for your post, revealing....and valuable

[nadinbrzezinski]

150. I cover these things.

As media. We ran an editorial last night...yeah, yeah was not the first to the gate, but if it were it would have been a very different piece. Will PM you a link.

[Blue_Adept]

21. He's just telling them to watch their tone and put them in their place

Right?

[Dawgs]

53. No.

WTF!!

[heaven05]

156. you're kidding right?

if not.....

[SoapBox]

23. Is BLM doing this to Obama?

[geek tragedy]

30. Yes, they have. nt

[jwirr]

60. I seem to have missed that. Link?

[geek tragedy]

63. here ya go:

http://thinkprogress.org/election/2015/03/07/3631178/black-lives-matter-protesters-interrupt-obama-selma/

[NOLALady]

113. I was there.

I heard them but I didn't know who the disruptors were at that time.

[jwirr]

119. I don't have to watch that I remember it when it happened. They were not especially accepted

then either. Weren't the other attendees telling them that they could not hear?

[WorseBeforeBetter]

130. “Your vote is your voice! Get registered!”

Obama did not pause his speech or acknowledge the interruption. But some older people in the crowd became angry, shouting at the young protesters: “Your vote is your voice! Get registered!”

Interesting.

[geek tragedy]

131. You are presuming that the demonstrators don't vote? nt

[WorseBeforeBetter]

132. I don't have stats on young AA voter turnout handy.

Do you? But that quote seems to suggest that the older demonstrators don't think that the younger demonstrators vote, and that's a problem.

Wait, I do have this:

Obama blames lack of African American, Latino turnout for Democrats’ midterm woes

[raouldukelives]

149. Obviously they have tried and haven't had an acceptable response.

I don't know. I understand what Cenk is saying but at the same time these are real people we are talking about, real lives.

And sometimes it reaches a point that trumps pleasantries.

Hence the overwhelming desire, the need, to assure they elect a President who takes the issue seriously.

[Zorra]

24. It is unfortunate, but we still have to do whatever we can to get the cops under control. nt

[Cheese Sandwich]

26. I'll say Cenk is wrong. Jayar is right. It was a good conversation though.

They have to protest like that. Nobody pays any attention to their issue until something important gets disrupted. This is their best way. They can't and don't put faith in promises and dialogs with white liberal politicians. Or for that matter with black liberal politicians. They are fighting with the tools they have and it is a matter of life and death.

[Maedhros]

45. But why pick a relatively obscure event like Netroots Nation

if the objective is to raise awareness?

Why pick someone powerless, like potential Democratic nominees - and not even including the front runner?

Why completely ignore the sitting President and his AG, who are far and away more able to address the problem right now?

I'm in favor of protests, and I'm also in favor of making politicians earn their votes, so I won't criticize their tactics per se. But it does seem like they were off-target, given their stated objectives.

Why demand that supporters tell their potential nominees to send a message to the White House, when BLM could go directly to President Obama or AG Lynch with their message?

[geek tragedy]

48. Why are you making shit up like pretending that BLM has "completely ignored" Obama?

http://thinkprogress.org/election/2015/03/07/3631178/black-lives-matter-protesters-interrupt-obama-selma/

Senators running for President are powerless?

[Cheese Sandwich]

49. These protests pop up at O'Malley events a lot because of his policing record as mayor of Baltimore

Not these same exact people, but members of the grass-roots criminal justice reform community.


Activists Crash O'Malley Announcement: 'He Must Atone' For Zero Tolerance Policing

BALTIMORE, MD — Former Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley (D) chose the Charm City skyline to provide the backdrop for his speech Saturday morning announcing his campaign for the presidency. While the former Maryland governor spoke about the American Dream, telling the audience “there is no such thing as a spare American,” protesters and activists shared the spotlight as they spoke out about O’Malley’s failed police policies from the other side of the stage.

But Baltimore residents who were also in attendance in Federal Hill Park said Gray’s death last month and the ensuing demonstrations and riots were a direct result of O’Malley’s police policies as mayor. A few minutes into O’Malley’s speech, Megan Kenny, a Baltimore activist holding a sign reading “Stop Killer Cops,” began marching and chanting “black lives matter” as police attempted to stop the interruption.

“The unrest and the unlawful police practices stem from O’Malley’s zero tolerance policies,” Kenny said. “His zero tolerance policies were ineffective, period.”

#blackLivesMatter protesters disturb Martin O'Malley rally

http://thinkprogress.org/election/2015/05/30/3664429/omalley-baltimore/

========================

Back in Baltimore, Martin O’Malley is heckled, and could face political fallout

BALTIMORE —Former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley was heckled on a packed street corner in West Baltimore on Tuesday, after he cut short a trip to Europe to return to the city he led as mayor for seven years.

O’Malley (D), who is preparing to launch a White House bid, waded into a crowd near the burned-out shell of a CVS pharmacy that was destroyed and looted Monday night. He was confronted by two men on motorcycles who shouted expletives and blamed the recent violence in the city on O’Malley’s tough-on-crime policies from 1999 to 2007.
...

In his travels to early nominating states, O’Malley has described Baltimore to Democratic audiences as a down-on-its-luck city that came to believe in its potential again while he was mayor. He has trumpeted progress made during his tenure, including a steep drop in violent crime, which is attributed in part to a zero-tolerance approach that led to a sharp increase in arrests.

The mayhem that broke out Monday following the funeral of Freddie Gray — who died after being injured in police custody — complicates that narrative. And the unrest has given critics of O’Malley’s aggressive policing strategy a fresh platform to blame him for some of the deep-seated mistrust between the city’s police and the poor communities, more than eight years after he left the mayor’s office.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/back-in-baltimore-omalley-seeks-healing-could-face-political-fallout/2015/04/28/1fc4fc54-ede7-11e4-a55f-38924fca94f9_story.html


O'Malleys Baltimore Protest Visit Backfires
Martin O’Malley Visits Baltimore Protest, Unintentionally Highlights His Controversial Policing Policy

Critics say O'Malley's "broken windows"-influenced crackdown on crime when he was mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007, then Maryland's governor until January of this year, worsened the decades-old tension between Baltimore police and the black community. On Tuesday O'Malley toured the damage from the riot following Freddie Gray's funeral, but his attempt to demonstrate leadership only wound up drawing attention to his role in creating the conflict.

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/04/omalleys-baltimore-protest-visit-backfires.html

...he was also heckled by several people. One man asked him what he was doing about the boarded-up houses in the neighborhood. "You made a lot of promises," he shouted. "And I did the best that I could," O'Malley said. "In what community? Not in the black community!" the man responded. Two men on motorcycles followed the former governor, shouting at the crowd that formed around him. "F--- that, this is his fault!" screamed one of the men. "Do you know who he is? Why would you shake his hand?
...

While O'Malley is reportedly hoping to run to the left of Hillary Clinton, Politico notes that on crime he was "more Michael Bloomberg than Bill de Blasio." During his time as mayor O'Malley implemented a "zero tolerance" approach to policing and saw a dramatic reduction in crime. However, in 2010 the city paid $870,000 to settle a suit alleging that Baltimore police arrested thousands of people without probable cause during O'Malley's tenure.

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/04/omalleys-baltimore-protest-visit-backfires.html

[Maedhros]

55. Indeed.

But I don't see much discussion of O'Malley regarding the Netroots Nation incident, other than by O'Malley supporters saying he handled it well.

Have they also protested at Hillary events?

My take away from this is that BLM is targeting those people who they think will listen. Oddly, from appearances they don't think Hillary or Obama are useful targets.

[Cheese Sandwich]

59. I haven't seen any of these at Hillary events.

Maybe we should organize one.

[Indydem]

123. So here we have it.

"My candidate looked like a fool when heckled by people with an agenda that said candidate can't respond to passionately. Therefore, I will try to make other candidates look equally foolish in order to promote my candidate who has already stepped in it."

I have been told for weeks that Bernie was going to give us his rays of knowledge and we should all just feel lucky to experience the purity and perfection of his message.

Until he has to drop knowledge, and then he looks like a bumbling old man.

[jwirr]

64. I agree that this has to continue. They issue is too important.

[PFunk]

27. And here we go once again shooting ourselves in the foot

This sudden dissing of the BLM will drive more blacks to just sit on their hands at election times. As many gay groups used the same tactics to get their point across.

[still_one]

34. and as labor did when propelling Reagan to victory against Carter

[PFunk]

41. ok, but my point still stands

this dissing of BLM will NOT help Bernie or dems in general. You don't like what they did fine. but quit ripping on them for doing so. It's like white folks telling blacks how to act which is a good way of driving them away.

[still_one]

44. I was not contradicting it, The example I used was comparable because

labor was upset that President Carter deregulated the airline industry, and that is why they turned away from him, the reasoning being that Democrats were not listening to labor's issues, but taking them for granted

However, the results of Reagan winning the election probably was the worst thing that could have happened to labor

[Cleita]

28. Cenk has always told the uncomfortable truth, which is why his show

was canceled on M$NBComcast and replaced by the more corporate PC Rev. Al Sharpton.

[think]

32. Watching the video in it's entirety is very important for context. /nt

[LittleBlue]

35. Spot on as usual

[cantbeserious]

51. Cenk Is Correct

Last edited Tue Jul 21, 2015, 04:34 PM - Edit history (1)

eom

[architect359]

57. k & r

nt

[Tarheel_Dem]

62. How many people in this thread agreed with Cenk & Crew when this happened? If so, you're

as much a hypocrite as I've always known he is. I guess there are good hecklers & bad hecklers? Could it be because these "hecklers" were POC, and Obama's hecklers aren't?

[bettyellen]

70. Interesting.

[Tarheel_Dem]

71. Cenk: The biggest hypocrite on the internet. Black folk know we're not equal in the eyes of some...

but now we're not even equal when it comes to disruption & heckling? If these were ever true allies, I'd hate to see who the real enemies are.

WHITE HECKLERS = GOOD
BLACK HECKLERS = BAD

The message is loud & clear. Got it!

[PeaceNikki]

73. Yup. Fuck Cenk.

[brentspeak]

133. Yeah, that's a brilliantly thought-out, cerebral critique of Cenk n/t

[brentspeak]

136. Well, to answer your question:

The one who remembers asking you this very simple question:

http://election.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=838208&mesg_id=842877

You claimed to be working for the Democrats in the 2011 and 2012 Wisconsin elections/recall attempts, but defended every electoral irregularity committed by Waukesha's Republican county clerk Kathy Nickolaus. When I asked you a very specific question concerning your alleged involvement on behalf of Democrats: "Ok, what is the name of your Democratic CD who you claimed said there were no significant irregularities", your response was...?

Silence.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

83. If I were black I would be helluva offended by having upper middle class white folks telling me...

If I were black I would be helluva offended by having upper middle class white folks telling me how to act.

[Tarheel_Dem]

84. They don't seem to get that they are no better than the GOP on issues of race. They're so...

busy defending when, where & who they marched with that they simply can't hear what's being asked of them. Sometimes it enough just to know you've been heard, and not judged by your so-called "allies".

Admittedly, I already didn't like Cenk, and this just confirms everything I felt in my bones about him. If there's a split, and I sense one coming, it will be the fault of all these Johnny-Come-Lately(s) to the Democratic Party, especially the ones who were still voting Republican up through the first term of Bush II.

[Dawgs]

93. Do you realize that Cenk is THE ONLY PERSON IN MEDIA that talks about the issues of BLM.

He has been doing it almost every day for years.

I dare you, or anyone else that doesn't like Cenk, to follow this link.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cops+black

You might be surprised.

[Tarheel_Dem]

95. F**k Cenk. And I'll pass on your link, but thanks anyhoo.

[Dawgs]

96. Can you explain why you don't like him?

I'm genuinely curious?

[brentspeak]

135. You're going to have wait for answer

He waiting to receive talking points.

Ok, the talking points have arrived. Here they are: "Just keep typing 'F$%k Cenk!' over-and-over. Maybe some gullible moron out there will think negatively about Cenk simply because you typed 'F$%k Cenk!"

[freshwest]

129. Still voting GOP through GWB. And haven't learned much since. Yet they lecture... n/t

[Tarheel_Dem]

138. These recovering Repukes are the new "liberal" thought leaders, doncha know? Go figure.

Running around screeching about "Turd Way"....blah...blah.

[Dawgs]

86. Did you watch the video? Honestly?

Because if you did you would know that Cenk had know problem with the heckling.

[theaocp]

92. It certainly doesn't seem so, but T_D

did admit his view is already dim for Cenk. As you said, he didn't have a problem with the heckling, but rather the lack of discussion that could have followed. Well, that, and the unfortunate addition of "burning it down". I tend to agree that that phraseology could be positively altered.

[Cha]

97. Cenk is an idiot.. Netroots Nation stands behind the Protesters.. and bernie and his fans can

keep dissing them all they want. We'll see how far that gets them.

snip//

"In a statement, Netroots Nation Executive Director Raven Brooks stood with the protesters. “Although we wish the candidates had more time to respond to the issues, what happened today is reflective of an urgent moment that America is facing today,” Brooks said. Next year’s conference will take place in St. Louis, close to Ferguson, and local leaders of the #BlackLivesMatter movement will be directly engaged, Brooks added. “We plan to work with activists there just as we did in Phoenix, to amplify issues like racial profiling and police brutality in a major way.”

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/122329/bernie-sanders-and-martin-omalley-failed-their-blacklivesmatter-test

"Vox spoke to Morrow on Sunday evening about why he wasn't impressed with Sanders or his online fans.."

Another snip//

And it seems like any time black people bring this up on Twitter, there's all these people who, I don't know, they're just sitting around searching his name on Twitter or something, they just come and get in your mentions and start harassing you, they start saying the same things over and over to you, like, "He marched with Dr. Martin Luther King," and, "He was at a sit-in," and they send you a picture of him at a sit-in from 1960-something. That's all well and good, and I'm not denigrating that work, but it's almost as if they're trying to say, "You shouldn't expect him to continue this" or, "Because he's done stuff in the past, you shouldn't question him now."

Imani Gandy ?@AngryBlackLady

If I see one more Bernie acolyte mention that he marched with MLK, I'm going to burn the Internet to the ground. @EdDescault @Eclectablog
4:23 AM - 19 Jul 2015

That @AngryBlackLady tweet, sent out to her 35,000 followers, inspired Roderick Morrow—who runs the “Black Guy Who Tips” comedy podcast with his wife, Karen—to launch the mocking hashtag #BernieSoBlack:

snip//

Which I thought was a funny joke. It's like they're almost trying to outblack us. "Oh, you're a black person, what could you possibly understand about our candidate? He was marching before you were even born!" Okay, that's cool, but you gotta stay on top of it. So I made a joke that's like, "Bernie's blacker than us! Bernie's SO BLACK!" That's how it feels when they come into our mentions and tell us that we don't know what we're talking about, and even though [Sanders] doesn't talk about #BlackLivesMatter right now, we should just kind of shut up. So I was just like:

snip//

Roderick Morrow:Sort of. The thing about the Bernie Sanders fans is while they're very obtuse and they don't listen, they are more polite than the people who just call you the n-word or a racial slur or something. It's more like that passive-aggressive "We're on the same side, man!" where clearly they don't want you to talk about anything that their candidate can do better, but they do want you to just vote for him.

http://www.vox.com/2015/7/20/9005855/black-twitter-bernie-sanders

I love this guy!

[Tarheel_Dem]

100. Yeah. Like BLM ever needed advice from the GOP "convert". Cenk is an a**hole, and I'll venture....

that his listening audience (such as it is) is very homogenous. According to Cenk & Co., you have to disrupt power, it's your right....unless of course, you happen not to be white.

[Cha]

104. Right.. fucking hypocrite.. he's dense as a doorknob.

[Uncle Joe]

102. There was a major difference between these two incidents.

1. There were many hecklers in the Netroots event and they basically just over-shouted the candidates and closed it down, there was no back and forth communication, debate or in-depth exchange of ideas or points of view.

2. The Obama speech was interrupted by one heckler (Obama even described her as polite) and the event wasn't shut down, Obama was able to address her point and go on with his speech.

Cenk's primary criticism of the Netroots incident was the counterproductive alienation created by the chaotic nature of the event.

[Cha]

105. However Netroots Nation Stands Behind the Protesters of #BlackLivesMatter and so do I

snip//

"In a statement, Netroots Nation Executive Director Raven Brooks stood with the protesters. “Although we wish the candidates had more time to respond to the issues, what happened today is reflective of an urgent moment that America is facing today,” Brooks said. Next year’s conference will take place in St. Louis, close to Ferguson, and local leaders of the #BlackLivesMatter movement will be directly engaged, Brooks added. “We plan to work with activists there just as we did in Phoenix, to amplify issues like racial profiling and police brutality in a major way.”

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/122329/bernie-sanders-and-martin-omalley-failed-their-blacklivesmatter-test

And, so does this online Black Community..

"Vox spoke to Morrow on Sunday evening about why he wasn't impressed with Sanders or his online fans.."

Another snip//

And it seems like any time black people bring this up on Twitter, there's all these people who, I don't know, they're just sitting around searching his name on Twitter or something, they just come and get in your mentions and start harassing you, they start saying the same things over and over to you, like, "He marched with Dr. Martin Luther King," and, "He was at a sit-in," and they send you a picture of him at a sit-in from 1960-something. That's all well and good, and I'm not denigrating that work, but it's almost as if they're trying to say, "You shouldn't expect him to continue this" or, "Because he's done stuff in the past, you shouldn't question him now."

Imani Gandy ?@AngryBlackLady

If I see one more Bernie acolyte mention that he marched with MLK, I'm going to burn the Internet to the ground. @EdDescault @Eclectablog
4:23 AM - 19 Jul 2015

That @AngryBlackLady tweet, sent out to her 35,000 followers, inspired Roderick Morrow—who runs the “Black Guy Who Tips” comedy podcast with his wife, Karen—to launch the mocking hashtag #BernieSoBlack:

snip//

Which I thought was a funny joke. It's like they're almost trying to outblack us. "Oh, you're a black person, what could you possibly understand about our candidate? He was marching before you were even born!" Okay, that's cool, but you gotta stay on top of it. So I made a joke that's like, "Bernie's blacker than us! Bernie's SO BLACK!" That's how it feels when they come into our mentions and tell us that we don't know what we're talking about, and even though [Sanders] doesn't talk about #BlackLivesMatter right now, we should just kind of shut up. So I was just like:

snip//

Roderick Morrow:Sort of. The thing about the Bernie Sanders fans is while they're very obtuse and they don't listen, they are more polite than the people who just call you the n-word or a racial slur or something. It's more like that passive-aggressive "We're on the same side, man!" where clearly they don't want you to talk about anything that their candidate can do better, but they do want you to just vote for him.

http://www.vox.com/2015/7/20/9005855/black-twitter-bernie-sanders

Oh, people are "alienated" alright.. but, it's not the activists from #BlackLivesMatter who are doing it.

cenk and Bernie fans can keep dissing them all they want. We'll see how far that gets them.

[Uncle Joe]

107. Your own post has a major qualifier in it wherein Black Lives Matter agree with Cenk's point of view

"In a statement, Netroots Nation Executive Director Raven Brooks stood with the protesters. “Although we wish the candidates had more time to respond to the issues, what happened today is reflective of an urgent moment that America is facing today,” Brooks said. Next year’s conference will take place in St. Louis, close to Ferguson, and local leaders of the #BlackLivesMatter movement will be directly engaged, Brooks added. “We plan to work with activists there just as we did in Phoenix, to amplify issues like racial profiling and police brutality in a major way.”

I agree, Cha, the issue is urgent and Cenk didn't disagree with that, his primary criticism was in the chaotic nature of the event and with that BLM agrees per their statement which you posted, unless BLM doesn't truly wish that the candidates had more time to respond to the issues; Black Lives Matter being one of them.

[Cha]

112. More time, yeah.. but NRN stands with the Protesters there from #BlackLivesMatter and bernie lit out

instead of talking to them afterwards. Not impressed with him at all. And, his fans dissing the Black Community on this board are not helping their candidate at all.

snip//

"Sanders did even worse. Instead of expressing solidarity with the protesters, he talked about his pet issue—economics. He wasn’t “in the room,” and didn’t alter his pitch based on what was happening. “What Sanders should have done, when they said ‘Sandra Bland,’ you say ‘Sandra Bland!’” said political analyst and Blue Nation Review contributor Goldie Taylor, claiming that a simple show of empathy would have disarmed the protest. "He would have shut down the shutdown!"

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/122329/bernie-sanders-and-martin-omalley-failed-their-blacklivesmatter-test

snip//

Regardless of which version is true, what can't be disputed is that Sanders was incredibly dismissive and cranky towards the protesters. He didn't answer any questions, instead relying on his stump speech about income inequality and leaning on the fact that he marched with Martin Luther King in 1963. At one point he threatened to leave when his boilerplate answers didn't seem to sway the crowd.

The Aftermath

Sanders and O'Malley were both caught flat footed and their campaign teams let them down at Netroots but the reaction to yesterday's events is still unfolding. O'Malley apologized for his "White Lives Matter" comment within minutes of leaving the forum, and then went on to do interviews with prominent black news outlets to clarify his comments.

Bernie Sanders cancelled all of his remaining meetings that afternoon including one that had been promised specifically with Black Lives Matter activists. By Sunday the #BernieSoBlack hashtag started trending on Twitter, with people both chiding Sanders for his claims of black solidarity and crediting him for his work compared to Hillary Clinton."

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/reporters-notebook-sanders-slips-omalley-misses-blacklivesmatter-wins-n394746

[Tarheel_Dem]

117. So his response was to cancel the meeting?

[Cha]

118. You hadn't heard that?.. yeah, and they were not impressed.

[Tarheel_Dem]

121. I had heard it, but the poster who told me was taken to task, so I wasn't sure. Tsk...Tsk.

[Cha]

122. Of course.. they don't want that exposed.. too bad.

[Tarheel_Dem]

106. Blah....Blah...&...Blah. My initial observation of Cenk's rightwing ass stands. n/t

[Uncle Joe]

108. The only Democratic candidate that was perhaps helped by this

was Hillary Clinton, and the last time I checked she was to the right of Bernie Sanders.

Other than her, this only helped the Republicans.

[Tarheel_Dem]

111. For someone with only 2% AA support & 3% support from Latinos, BS showed that he's not ready...

for primetime. He & his fanbois like the media to fawn all over him & focus on his "crowd size", just not the lack of diversity. BS loves being greeted as the liberal hero when he turns up before thousands. He just got treated to what every other serious political figure comes up against. He mishandled it BIG TIME. If there were ever any hope of him climbing out of the single digits with POC, he blew it. And the fact that his supporters (Cenk included) are now running around the net badmouthing POC, and telling us how we should behave is the nail in his campaign's coffin. There aren't enough white leftists & disaffected libertarians to elect him, and he just split his drawers with the rest of us.

I think it was DSB, or some other wise DU'er, who predicted early on that BS' supporters would be his campaign's biggest liability. He lost two of his biggest black DU supporters over the weekend. If he was ever viable, he isn't anymore. As for me, I always knew he was a big old phony.

[felix_numinous]

88. I disagree, compassion and respect are called for here

Cenk is a professional journalist who has experience expressing himself under pressure on stage. These are regular people like you and me who have been profiled, traumatized and they are trying to find their voice!

The only way I can relate to this level of emotional/ social trauma is to remember times when I had total emotional meltdowns and wish I'd handled myself better . Jesus Christ these are people who cannot take it anymore, who the eff cares whether they're ready for prime time or not? I am asking all of my brothers and sisters to grow some empathy and make a space for them at the table.

How would YOU cope under similar circumstances? I truly doubt most people could handle the level of stress AA people and minorities live with every day. I know I don't have a quarter of the fortitude I've witnessed in recent years, no way.

[sufrommich]

98. Another tone deaf brogressive wags his condescending finger.nt

[Tarheel_Dem]

101. +1

[PeaceNikki]

110. Lol @ "brogressive"

[etherealtruth]

116. Without doubt .... my question:

why does it appear that "it is not a problem" if the voter's that are alienated are black voters (or PoC)?

I do not believe either candidate is a racist .... but they sure are having great difficulty presenting their message in a way that resonates with PoC

[Starry Messenger]

147. +2

[Cha]

99. Poor little cenk.. "none of it looks good.." to him. Netroots Nation Stands behind the Protesters..

And so does this Black online twitter community..

snip//

"In a statement, Netroots Nation Executive Director Raven Brooks stood with the protesters. “Although we wish the candidates had more time to respond to the issues, what happened today is reflective of an urgent moment that America is facing today,” Brooks said. Next year’s conference will take place in St. Louis, close to Ferguson, and local leaders of the #BlackLivesMatter movement will be directly engaged, Brooks added. “We plan to work with activists there just as we did in Phoenix, to amplify issues like racial profiling and police brutality in a major way.”

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/122329/bernie-sanders-and-martin-omalley-failed-their-blacklivesmatter-test

"Vox spoke to Morrow on Sunday evening about why he wasn't impressed with Sanders or his online fans.."

Another snip//

And it seems like any time black people bring this up on Twitter, there's all these people who, I don't know, they're just sitting around searching his name on Twitter or something, they just come and get in your mentions and start harassing you, they start saying the same things over and over to you, like, "He marched with Dr. Martin Luther King," and, "He was at a sit-in," and they send you a picture of him at a sit-in from 1960-something. That's all well and good, and I'm not denigrating that work, but it's almost as if they're trying to say, "You shouldn't expect him to continue this" or, "Because he's done stuff in the past, you shouldn't question him now."

Imani Gandy ?@AngryBlackLady

If I see one more Bernie acolyte mention that he marched with MLK, I'm going to burn the Internet to the ground. @EdDescault @Eclectablog
4:23 AM - 19 Jul 2015

That @AngryBlackLady tweet, sent out to her 35,000 followers, inspired Roderick Morrow—who runs the “Black Guy Who Tips” comedy podcast with his wife, Karen—to launch the mocking hashtag #BernieSoBlack:

snip//

Which I thought was a funny joke. It's like they're almost trying to outblack us. "Oh, you're a black person, what could you possibly understand about our candidate? He was marching before you were even born!" Okay, that's cool, but you gotta stay on top of it. So I made a joke that's like, "Bernie's blacker than us! Bernie's SO BLACK!" That's how it feels when they come into our mentions and tell us that we don't know what we're talking about, and even though [Sanders] doesn't talk about #BlackLivesMatter right now, we should just kind of shut up. So I was just like:

snip//

Roderick Morrow:Sort of. The thing about the Bernie Sanders fans is while they're very obtuse and they don't listen, they are more polite than the people who just call you the n-word or a racial slur or something. It's more like that passive-aggressive "We're on the same side, man!" where clearly they don't want you to talk about anything that their candidate can do better, but they do want you to just vote for him.

http://www.vox.com/2015/7/20/9005855/black-twitter-bernie-sanders

Oh, people are "alienated" alright.. but, it's not the activists from #BlackLivesMatter who are doing it.

cenk and Bernie fans can keep dissing them all they want. We'll see how far that gets them.

[freshwest]

127. Good post. Those who benefit from the status quo have to work hard to keep it... Just sayin' n/t

[deathrind]

103. After watching Cenk's

3 hours of irrational debate with Sam Harris I have lost the ability to take him seriously as a rational pundit.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

114. He says it well here.

I don't follow the guy, so don't know much.

But this was a good post.

[Paladin]

115. I'm with Cenk on this one.

And I'm not in either Bernie's or O'Malley's camp, either.

[951-Riverside]

125. Re: "you’re gonna alienate people. You don’t want to alienate people"

Hey dummy,

If you havent figured it out yet, years of alienation is what created movements like #BlackLivesMatter.

Maybe you should get down from your little lilly white suburbia in Burbank or whatever you live and check out the real world. By the way, the most oppressive and abusive cops happen to be in predominately democrat leaning areas like Los Angeles, Oakland, NYC, Chicago and Houston.

Appearenly #BlackLivesMeanNothing to you Mr Uygur

[Juicy_Bellows]

126. Lots of people slinging shit at Cenk.

TYT gave us wolf-pac and is one of the more interesting progressive intertoob shows around. Some here seem to hate green eggs and ham.... have you tried them yet?

[Dawgs]

143. Amazing, isn't it.

A simple search on Youtube shows that he's the only one in media that has exposed what the cops have done to the black community. And he's been doing it for years.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cops+black

[madokie]

144. Whose bankrolling these people anyway?

All lives matter and thats that.

[still_one]

151. The argument being made is by saying "All lives matter", diminishes the fact that African American

Lives seem to matter less, especially in light of the recent killings by law enforcement and racists of African Americans. Within a few days of hand ringing, it is back to business as usual.

The interesting exception occurred with the slaughter of the 9 African Americans in South Carolina. It actually result in the removal of the confederate flag from public buildings in that state, which was a recognition of what the flag actually represents, but in the majority of cases, especially among law enforcement, or self-proclaimed vigilantes, the opposite occurs

[geek tragedy]

155. that person gets it, they just don't like black folks

agitating for their civil rights, because that's too divisive, and not respectful enough of white authority figures

[geek tragedy]

154. "all lives matter and that's that" said the white person who dislikes it

when African-Americans speak out about their civil rights

O'Malley had the good sense to apologize for saying that crap, and here you are repeating that rightwing meme.



Nice sleazy insinuation that they're being controlled by outside funders, as if black folks don't protest of their own free will

[LWolf]

153. "DON'T GENERALIZE THIS SHIT."

I caught this from someone, sounded like Cullers, as a response to O'Malley's "all lives matter."

THAT I understand.

I don't disagree with Uygur about alienating potential allies, but I think that, sometimes, when we feel like we aren't being listened to, or heard, it's appropriate to stand up, to interrupt, and to force someone to hear you. If you are doing so to someone you have a respectful relationship with, the listener is more likely to hear, and to think about what he or she is hearing. I hope white America, has enough integrity to do so, and to quickly work past any shock or offense, and move back into the conversation. I hope those who are demanding our attention will move back into the conversation once they've got it.

I might think there was a better way to do this, but I understand it, and I think that any of us who do not support the clear racial injustices occurring in our country need to listen, need to hear, and need to respond, not with offense, but with support. If we are really allies, we listen and respond.