Senator Sanders' significant defeat of Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential primary effort in New Hampshire was impressive. For months, Clinton has been, and remains, the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party for President.
Prior to the actual primaries, we always believed that leadership of the National Democratic party organization was stacked with Clinton supporters. For several months, she conducted her campaign as a coronation instead of as a legitimate contest.
Clinton speaks about her campaign as what "I" can do. Of what "I" will do. Of what "I" propose. She says on the basis of her years of experience that SHE is best equipped and suited to repair those parts of our political system and economy that are broken.
Instead of the "I" that Hillary Clinton uses in referring to her experience, Sanders repeatedly says what "we" are going to do. Of what "we" can do.
He says, that, if "WE" create a massive turnout of voters, "WE" will create a "political revolution" in this country.
Senator Sanders repeatedly says that the political and economic systems are so rigged and deeply embedded with favoritism for the rich and powerful, nothing short of a massive show of voter power, which says "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH," can materially and immediately change it.
Both campaigns in Nevada and South Carolina will take their respective messages to a potentially significant number of Hispanic and African-American voters. The rhetoric of both campaigns seems to be telling prospective voters that THEY are THE candidate that "deserves" their vote for several similar and distinct reasons.
There is a disturbing undertone in the Clinton campaign, which not so subtly suggest that, "You owe US. We've been there for YOU in the past on important civil rights and social justice issues. It's payback time. Now WE expect and need you to vote for US."
Additionally, Clinton surrogate civil rights leaders' supporters are now saying they have no memory or recall any experience they had during the Civil Rights Movement where they can remember Bernie Sanders ever being present or a part of such a movement. This, of course, is simply grossly unfair to Sanders.
Whether a young activist Bernie Sanders was known to John Lewis or Martin Luther King at the time of their leadership is not a fair or true index of Sanders' earlier commitment and/or activism. There were times when as a political advisor, personal lawyer and draft speechwriter for Dr. King, when we and others worked 24/7. During those times, there were people whom we met years later, who had also been active, but neither we nor Dr. King knew them personally.
Accordingly, OUR failure to notice or know them did not nor does not diminish the magnitude their early commitment and actions, about which we did not know at the time.
The Congressional Black Caucus endorsed Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama in 2008. They have now announced their endorsement of Hillary Clinton's candidacy for president again.
The Sanders campaigns has the support of several prominent African-American from the Civil Rights Movement, performing artist and motion picture stars and and authors. Included among these are the actor Danny Glover, the legendary performing artist Harry Belafonte, Benjamin Jealous, former President of the NAACP and the celebrated authors Michele Alexander and Ta-Nehisi Coates, and the rap artist "Killer Mike."
New York Times columnist Charles Blow today wrote:
It is not so much that black voters love Clinton and loathe Sanders. Indeed, in The Nation magazine, the estimable Michelle Alexander makes a strong case in an essay titled "Why Hillary Clinton Doesn't Deserve the Black Vote." For many there isn't much passion for either candidate. Instead, black folks are trying to keep their feet planted in reality and choose from among politicians who have historically promised much and delivered little. It is often a choice between the devil you know and the one you don't, or more precisely, among the friend who betrays you, the stranger who entices you and the enemy who seeks to destroy you.
As the Sanders and Clinton campaigns head towards states with substantial black and Hispanic voters, it is important for everyone to remember the title of the best selling book by the celebrated African-American author, Alice Walker: WE ARE THE ONES WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR.