Pause in media dereliction on Bernie Sanders?
The media continues to promote the self-fulfilling fallacy that Bernie Sanders have a minority problem which makes catching Hillary Clinton in coming states impossible. This narrative is used to minimize Sanders’ wins and inflate Hillary Clinton’s win.
Bernie Sanders had huge wins in Alaska, Washington, and Hawaii this weekend. These were lopsided wins which indicate an across the board shellacking. There was mostly a whimper when compared to the positive reaction Hillary Clinton received for last week’s split decision even though Sanders won the delegate race last week as well.
The media’s false narrative and dereliction are an attempt to suppress the excitement that is progressively brewing for the lesser known Sanders. It is narrative that attempts toe the line of the Democratic establishment with has come out blazing against Bernie Sanders.
The clip in this post was refreshing. For small instant in time, a dialogue based on reality occurred.
This morning in perusing my newsfeed I came across an article at RawStory that touched a nerve. The article is titled “#BernieMadeMeWhite: Meet the Black writer who called out the media for erasing people of color.”
Leslie Lee III is a writer and English teacher from Baton Rouge, LA, who lives in Yokahama, Japan with his wife Kelly and their dog Taco. His writing ranges from essays and articles on politics and Japanese wrestling, to the novel he is working on with his father about Kentucky’s Black coal miners. But according to some sources, Lee does not actually exist. He’s a figment of the imagination. Because he’s both Black and a supporter of Bernie Sanders.
The nice thing about the notion of the unbearable whiteness of being a Sanders supporter is that it doesn’t need to be based in reality. On Saturday, for example, CNN attributed Sanders’ landslide victories in Alaska, Hawaii and Washington primaries to the whitey-mcwhiteyness of the states:
These caucus states — largely white and rural — are the type of places Sanders traditionally does well. In order to win the nomination, he must replicate this success in other, more ethnically diverse states that hold primaries, as he did in Michigan last month. In theory, it’s possible. But the reality is tough.
Likewise, in theory, it’s possible to portray these states as white. But the reality is tough. Because they’re not. Washington state is literally the seventh most diverse state in the Nation. Two (if not three) of the five most diverse counties in the country are found in Alaska, which CNN itself described as “the most diverse place in America,” in an article in January. And Hawaii, according the Pew Research Center,
stands out… more than any other state… when it comes to its racial and ethnic diversity… The Rainbow State has never had a white majority. In fact, non-Hispanic whites, the largest group in most states, account for only 23% of the population, according to 2013 census figures.
It is true that Hillary Clinton so far received the majority of the black and Latino votes. They know her because, in the past, she has campaigned within those demographics. In fact, before then Senator Obama became viable, Clinton also had the plurality of the black vote. It is a conscious decision by many in the black and brown communities that the Republican Party is anathema to their values, wants, and needs if not an outright clear and present danger. As such their calculation is to compromise and vote for the surest thing.
Voters understand that Bernie Sanders policies are more in line with their needs. As he becomes more viable, other communities will coalesce around him.