Why did Sanders overwhelmingly lose the Black vote in the 2016 Dem. primaries?

[Californiadreaming]

Why did Bernie Sanders overwhelmingly lose the Black vote in the 2016 Democratic primaries?

[Rules for me, but not for thee]

Black men love them some white women?   But I'm not really sure since Bernie's socialist policies would've helped the black community a LOT more than anything Hillary put on the table which was just more of the same empty BS.

[Frodo]

This article from early March should answer all your questions:

Why Black Voters Don’t Feel the Bern

[Fuzzy Bear Loves Christian Missionaries]

It's very simple.  Black Democratic voters are more inclined to vote as a bloc at the behest of their political leaders than any other demographic group in America.  They are this way for one reason; to maximize influence.

The reward for this is that now, Black Democrats have a Presidential nominee that is ESPECIALLY indebted to them.  Had the black vote not gone as decisively for Hillary as it did, she'd have been in real trouble.  In addition, heavy black support for Clinton was one more factor in persuading Superdelegates, many of whom being elected Democratic officials relying on black support in primaries as well as general elections,

On top of all of that, Hillary Clinton, who is actually a Democrat, has, over the years, piled up IOUs from black elected officials.  Sanders has never done that; this was a huge advantage Clinton had over Sanders in this race.  It didn't matter that Sanders marched in the 1960s; that was ancient history.  Hillary does "get" politics; she puts herself out for others and gets them to view themselves as indebted to her.  That's a compliment, by the way; if you can't do that well, you won't get far in politics, because politics is a team sport.

[Rules for me, but not for thee]

Logically, though, Sanders supports many positions favorable to African-Americans, such as criminal justice reform and universal health care. But logic is secondary to emotion in today's politics.

Probably which is why I hate politics these days, everyone's on the blind hope or fear train.

[King of Kensington]

Bernie represents Vermont (which has one of the smallest Black populations in the US) and never really developed any political relationship with the Black community.  Hillary had a massive advantage going in.

[Lincoln Republican]

Blacks have been supporting establishment Democrats for generations and they were not going to change in the 2016 primaries.  So Bernie really had no chance to begin with.

Black voters are the most monolithic voting block in America, and the establishment Democrats know very well they can take them for granted, which they continue to do.

[This account no longer in use.]

Obviously, they could sense $anders' racism and misogynism. Any sane African-American would not vote for that obviously racist old coot.

[Erich Maria Remarque]

Obviously, they could sense $anders' racism and misogynism. Any sane African-American would not vote for that obviously racist old coot.

[Rules for me, but not for thee]

Obviously, they could sense $anders' racism and misogynism. Any sane African-American would not vote for that obviously racist old coot.

Um, what? Show me a clear quote where he's racist or misogynist.  Or are you just triggered SJWs?

[This account no longer in use.]

You see, Dabeav, the mere fact that $anders would oppose an anti-discrimination hero like HILLARY CLINTON should prove that he doesn't care about anyone aside from white straight men.

[Nyvin]

Minorities are not as left wing as white liberals.    It's really two different groups,   and Republicans have it backwards...expanding their vote further into the white population is going to hit a brick wall at some point, while expanding their vote into minority populations can yield significant returns.

In other words - Republicans think the political spectrum is like this:

<---Blacks---Latinos/Asians----------white liberals----><-------GOP...

Really it's like this:

<---white liberals-------Blacks--------Latinos/Asians----><-------GOP...

Just because Blacks vote more monolithically doesn't mean their more progressive, it just means they're more united.

The problem is the Republican voter base is vehemently against minorities and the party leadership can't do anything about that.

That's why Bernie did so well with white liberal populations found in white liberal states, and fell off a cliff with states that rely on minority race votes.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

Obviously, they could sense $anders' racism and misogynism. Any sane African-American would not vote for that obviously racist old coot.

Um, what? Show me a clear quote where he's racist or misogynist.  Or are you just triggered SJWs?

He's mocking people who claimed that Sanders was racist or unsympathetic to minority issues during his campaign, complaining about his focus on economic issues and then deriding him as a panderer whenever he did talk about racial justice.

(Radfems also attacked Sanders for his "condescending" attitude towards Clinton at the debates, but that was mostly on pro-Hillary blogs and clouded behind the "Berniebro" narrative.)

[King of Kensington]

Minorities are not as left wing as white liberals.    It's really two different groups,   and Republicans have it backwards...expanding their vote further into the white population is going to hit a brick wall at some point, while expanding their vote into minority populations can yield significant returns.

In other words - Republicans think the political spectrum is like this:

<---Blacks---Latinos/Asians----------white liberals----><-------GOP...

Really it's like this:

<---white liberals-------Blacks--------Latinos/Asians----><-------GOP...

Just because Blacks vote more monolithically doesn't mean their more progressive, it just means they're more united.

The problem is the Republican voter base is vehemently against minorities and the party leadership can't do anything about that.

That's why Bernie did so well with white liberal populations found in white liberal states, and fell off a cliff with states that rely on minority race votes.

A good point.  Since the Black vote is virtually Democrat, it ranges from very progressive to rather conservative.

Note the difference between Northern and Southern blacks as well - Sanders took about 30% in states like Illinois and Michigan (where more have been influenced by trade unionism) but was around 10% in South Carolina and Mississippi (where there are more rural blacks and religion and cultural conservatism plays a greater role).

[Maxwell]

Black men love them some white women?   But I'm not really sure since Bernie's socialist policies would've helped the black community a LOT more than anything Hillary put on the table which was just more of the same empty BS.

wait aren't you a libertarian dont libertarians hate socialism

[Rules for me, but not for thee]

Black men love them some white women?   But I'm not really sure since Bernie's socialist policies would've helped the black community a LOT more than anything Hillary put on the table which was just more of the same empty BS.

wait aren't you a libertarian dont libertarians hate socialism

I used to then I realized we're never getting true free-market healthcare.  Even if you cleaned house and started from scratch as a thought experiment; we'd just end up back with a bunch of insurance agencies and pharma bros controlling the market again.   Single-payer works and it's not "bread line".  Everyone ever needs healthcare sometime in their lives and people will go more often to the doctor, which leads to longer lives.  So paying into it as a tax isn't unfair to anyone.  Just have to have some watchdogs to keep down the corruption and keep up the efficiency.  This can be an argument for education as well (and to keep down prices in both areas).

Some socialist programs are good, you just don't want to go full socialist.

[cMac36]

Mainly because of who he was facing, the major-brand-name Democrat in the World rather than some inherent quality of his.

[OneJ]

As a Black person (and this is coming from a person who is too young to vote until the year 2019), I liked what Bernie stood for, but I felt that his policies were too unrealistic. They were NOT going to get passed through a GOP-majority Congress if it turned out to be the case for him.

For example, the problem with Universal Health Care is that you would have to pay higher taxes. I don't know too many African Americans who don't mind paying higher taxes.

As terrific as tuition-free college may seem, that also seems unlikely to get passed. Its pretty much an empty promise.

Next, despite the fact that Bernie did march with MLK, he still moved to Vermont (a state over 90% White) and I didn't know about the things that he did for minorities while living up there period. Just because Bernie marched with MLK doesn't mean that we African Americans should vote for him. It's a silly reason to do so. Its about their willingness to get things done in a country along with their proposed policies. Not marching with a Legendary figure among the Black community.

Hillary has a much stronger record among helping not just Black people, but other minorities and even children. That's one reason why she is favored in the Black community because we know that she knows what's up instead of some Republican politicians shifting away from all minorities. That's probably why Asians and Latinos are now literally trending Democratic in Presidential elections because the GOP doesn't seem to care about us.

That's all I can really think of for now.

[Dr. Arch]

As a Black person (and this is coming from a person who is too young to vote until the year 2019), I liked what Bernie stood for, but I felt that his policies were too unrealistic. They were NOT going to get passed through a GOP-majority Congress if it turned out to be the case for him.

For example, the problem with Universal Health Care is that you would have to pay higher taxes. I don't know too many African Americans who don't mind paying higher taxes.

As terrific as tuition-free college may seem, that also seems unlikely to get passed. Its pretty much an empty promise.

Next, despite the fact that Bernie did march with MLK, he still moved to Vermont (a state over 90% White) and I didn't know about the things that he did for minorities while living up there period. Just because Bernie marched with MLK doesn't mean that we African Americans should vote for him. It's a silly reason to do so. Its about their willingness to get things done in a country along with their proposed policies. Not marching with a Legendary figure among the Black community.

Hillary has a much stronger record among helping not just Black people, but other minorities and even children. That's one reason why she is favored in the Black community because we know that she knows what's up instead of some Republican politicians shifting away from all minorities. That's probably why Asians and Latinos are now literally trending Democratic in Presidential elections because the GOP doesn't seem to care about us.

That's all I can really think of for now.

Cogently stated.

[BlueSwan]

As a Black person (and this is coming from a person who is too young to vote until the year 2019), I liked what Bernie stood for, but I felt that his policies were too unrealistic. They were NOT going to get passed through a GOP-majority Congress if it turned out to be the case for him.

For example, the problem with Universal Health Care is that you would have to pay higher taxes. I don't know too many African Americans who don't mind paying higher taxes.

As terrific as tuition-free college may seem, that also seems unlikely to get passed. Its pretty much an empty promise.

Next, despite the fact that Bernie did march with MLK, he still moved to Vermont (a state over 90% White) and I didn't know about the things that he did for minorities while living up there period. Just because Bernie marched with MLK doesn't mean that we African Americans should vote for him. It's a silly reason to do so. Its about their willingness to get things done in a country along with their proposed policies. Not marching with a Legendary figure among the Black community.

Hillary has a much stronger record among helping not just Black people, but other minorities and even children. That's one reason why she is favored in the Black community because we know that she knows what's up instead of some Republican politicians shifting away from all minorities. That's probably why Asians and Latinos are now literally trending Democratic in Presidential elections because the GOP doesn't seem to care about us.

That's all I can really think of for now.

She really does and I wish more people would realize this.