African American
In reply to the discussion: Ta-Nehisi Coates, Bernie Sanders, and Reparations [View all]wildeyed
(11,243 posts)will come from a fusion coalition of activist and justice loving people of all colors. AAs do not have the numerical power to force this on their own. But any moral person understands that what we as a country did and continue to do demands justice. Anyone who studies history can trace the wound to our founding documents and see that it still festers. And the infection is not only in the AA community. It festers in the white community as well, but most of us are too drunk on our privilege to even care. We just consume more and more, addicted to the greed that was the root of the evil in the first place.
A true activist or revolutionary of any color should be willing to stand up and be part of that coalition that demands economic and spiritual justice for a wrong so obvious and gaping. But a politician could not, at least not yet. Clinton is a politician, so she will not. And O'Malley is a politician so he will not. And Sanders is a politician, so he will not either.
This is not about the nature of politicians. It is about intellectual honesty and a politician who demands radical economic justice for some, but refuses, on pragmatic grounds, to speak up for others.
And it is not "Democrats" damn job to "take an activist approach" to gerrymandering. It is the f'ing activists job. It is possible to do a complete end run around both parties and get a non-partisan redistricting ballot initiative introduced in most states. Take it straight to the voters, let them have their say. You want it? Go get it. But first you have to do the work of organizing to get it on the ballot and campaigning so you win. Do that and you might find a new respect for Clinton and her ilk, too.