2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: If Bernie is courting progressive voters, why Liberty University? [View all]BainsBane
(53,035 posts)overall. He has started to try to make appeals to supporters of Black Lives Matter, but that has been undercut by the actions of too many of his supporters. As another OP pointed out, after a certain point one can't help but see supporters as reflective of leadership ability. It's not just DU. It's all over.
He has openly lamented the fact that the white male voter has gone to the GOP. They did so following the Civil Rights movement. You think his message SHOULD appeal to ALL Democratic voters. I submit that is the call of each individual voter to make. Clearly many people of color don't see it that way. I would refer you to the the black press, Twitter, and comments about concerns some members of that community on DU have expressed. I am in no position to speak for them. I could summarize how I interpret their remarks, but you would be better advised to read them yourselves. Some of his comments on immigration are also problematic. You can read about that as well.
I can tell you why I don't find his campaign appealing. I'll link below to a previous post on how I don't believe his campaign cuts across class boundaries. http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=482991
I don't buy what he's selling. He makes a lot of promises he has no ability to deliver on. I heard him promise to overturn Citizens United in his conference call before the house parties last week. He can't legitimately make that promise. All he can do is promise to appoint judges who will view the legal principle underlying the case differently. He can't control how many judges resign, what cases come before the court, and ultimately how they will rule. Nor is C.U. the only decision limiting campaign finance reform.
He promises not to take money from Super Pacs, when he knows it is in fact illegal to do so. He is capitalizing on the voters' ignorance about campaign finance law, and I find that troubling. That is probably the number one thing that got me thinking something wasn't right. People repeat that claim over and over again as a reason to support him, when it's an empty promise. Not only that, there are Super PACs raising funds for him, and he recently hedged a reporters questions about that. He also has an authorized PAC that was fined for refusing to comply with the basic filings of the all too meager existing campaign finance law.
Gun control is another issue I care about, and he has cast some bad votes, the Brady Bill and immunity for gun corporations. I can't figure out how that last one reconciles with his anti-corporate rhetoric.
I also find his use of the Koch brothers as a foil for everything an insult to my intelligence. They are not the source of border policy in this country. They are one wealthy family, and there are many more. The problem is not them as individuals but the systemic influence of big money. I prefer Clinton's discussion of Dark Money and issues rather than scapegoating the Kochs. It's not that I care about the Koch's feelings. It's that I don't like to see many systemic issues made small. I don't like how he uses them as red meat to gin up anger among his supporters.
Too many of his supporters have been incredibly hostile to Black Lives matter. That bothers me as someone committed to human equality. I don't see that as simply about others. I don't trust people who are hostile to such movements because I know I can't trust them with my own rights.
That gets to women's reproductive rights. He has a good voting record on those issues, as many people point out. However, a president doesn't just passively vote on what is presented to him. His priorities set his agenda, and reproductive rights do not appear to be a priority to him, as I addressed here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=497463
I will vote for someone I KNOW will fight for ME. I don't know that about Sanders. He may well fight for white upper-middle and middle class men, but that isn't me. I understand that refusing to surrender myself to their interests makes me the enemy around here. Nothing I can do about that. My vote is my own, and I have no obligation to put others' privilege before my basic rights and concerns.
Then there is the fact he has absolutely no record of success in implementing any of what he promises. What matters is not what politicians promise but what they get done. His record in that regard is not persuasive.