Skipping the Line

I don't know many passionate Hillary supporters. For the most part, she continues to be favored not for who she is but who she isn't in this election. Which certainly isn't ideal for the Democrats, though they'll certainly take it.

However, some rather forceful anti-Bernie rhetoric would sometimes cross my Twitter feed. Some of the criticisms were fair (his plans aren't necessarily realistic, his temperament may not be suitable for a head of state) and some were mostly just blanket insults aimed at his supporters which, frankly, aren't doing any favors for the Democrats' image. (Pro tip: insulting your new members isn't exactly the best way to retain those new members.)

One complaint about Bernie in particular popped up time and again, and still does; a complaint that frustrates me to no end. That complaint, more than any other, eliminates any faith I may have had in the Democratic Party. A complaint lobbed, usually, from Democratic loyalists and insiders that, basically, ensures that I will never want to be a part of that institution.

Time and again, I heard the criticism that Bernie "skipped the line."

A Black Perspective on Hillary vs. Bernie

I don't browse Reddit, but today I was linked to a post there in which a black Redditor detailed a few reasons why black voters favor Hillary Clinton. I had been wondering about the black perspective of this primary race, and though that account obviously doesn't speak for all black people (and doesn't claim to), it does give some valuable insight that I hadn't considered.

So, I'm going to explore each of their points one by one. My intention isn't to refute their points, but just to give my own perspective.

Bernie Bummer

Today Bernie lost the primary vote in South Carolina to Hillary Clinton by a wide margin: 26% to 73.5%. As a Sanders supporter, this isn't a big deal to me in and of itself. South Carolina Democrats voted on their issues, and Hillary has a pretty strong base there. It was a decisive victory for Hillary, for certain, and I'm certainly not going to bear a grudge against South Carolina.

Unfortunately, neither candidate really seems to have captured the imaginations of the South Carolina electorate. Only 369,526 people voted in the South Carolina Democratic primary today, which is down about 30% from 2008. I wonder if those voters were undecided or simply apathetic.

That said, going into today's election I was pretty disappointed in how it was being reported. I don't take much stock in the idea of media conspiracy, but even before today's victory for Hillary all I've been hearing from pundits is that Bernie's campaign is done. That sort of pronouncement doesn't just seem premature; I believe it actually influences the results.

The Fandom of Bernie Sanders

I like Bernie Sanders. He's bucking the system in ways I'd never expect from a politician, and he's made integrity a core part of this election's conversation. He's liberal, but not a Democrat, which makes him relatable to me personally. And though his plans for the country may be difficult to pass given the current makeup of Congress (heck, even with a Democratic majority), I believe the direction he would take the country is inevitable if this country is to survive the coming era.

So, yes, I'm an out-and-out Sanders supporter. I needed to make that clear, because I'm about to talk about how embarrassing Sanders supporters are.

Reflections on the Democratic Candidates: Bernie Sanders

After yesterday's Democratic debate, I decided to go ahead and get my thoughts down regarding the Democratic candidates. Unlike the Republicans, whose surface opinions I largely disagree with, if I were to list my common ground with the Democratic candidates this series would basically never end. Instead, I'm going to try and be critical of the candidates and point out my concerns.

Let's start with my preferred candidate: Bernie Sanders

Fighting an Attitude

A few days ago, a group of #BlackLivesMatter activists interrupted a Bernie Sanders event to call out the candidate for his lack of vocal support for their movement. Their movement is focused on bringing about real change in response to the recent, frequent, and increasingly hard to deny string of unarmed black people killed by cops. It's a worthy goal, and this is a problem that should be one of the key issues our politicians should be addressing today. However, that specific event troubled me.

The #BlackLivesMatter movement received some backlash for the incident from fans of Senator Sanders, of course, even while it was happening. Many people don't understand why the movement would show up to protest a man who has dedicated his life to progressive causes, including marching with Dr. King in the 60s, and whose campaign is focused on narrowing the income gap and providing assistance to the poor.

There's an unspoken connection there, in which black people are assumed to be poor and, to be fair, poverty rates are much higher among black people than they are among white people. However, as several response articles defending the activists' actions note, there is a difference between economic disparity and racial disparity. Black people are more likely to get denied a job, passed over for promotion, arrested, or shot by a cop than white people with the same education and income level. It's a separate problem, and one that needs to be addressed.

That said, I still can't condone the way those #BlackLivesMatter activists handled that situation. (I'll clarify here that #BlackLivesMatter is a loose organization with no real leadership, so it's difficult to say how the movement as a whole feels about the actions of those activists. This is a common problem among movements without central organization.) It was poor form, disrespectful, and misguided. Which is fine: the activists are human and are allowed to make mistakes. However, the true test of character is that, when you make a mistake, you have the grace to apologize. They have not apologized. Instead, they have dug in their heels.

Their defense is, basically, that you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet. Their message is important, and they shouldn't have to apologize for interrupting someone else's event to spread their message. Word needs to get out. Something has to be done.

Which is all true. Their message really is important, and disruptive behavior will call attention to their cause. But will it help? Maybe so. As I understand it, Bernie Sanders has been a lot more vocal about plans to solve the problem of cops killing black people, as well as several other instances of institutionalized racism. However, I can't help but wonder how many supporters of #BlackLivesMatter were discouraged at the activists' behavior, allowing their disgust at their treatment of a friendly candidate to obscure the purpose of the movement.

Methods matter. When fighting for a good cause, it's important to maintain a level of respect for everyone involved, whether or not they respect you in kind, and whether or not they're deserving of respect. When you walk the path of righteousness, you must watch your every step, not for yourself but for your cause. Don't give people an excuse to be distracted from your message. Don't belie your own cause.

At its core, the fight for racial equality is a battle for respect. Minorities (blacks, hispanics, my fellow natives, etc) are not respected as equals by many people. They can deny it, but evidence proves otherwise; that, time and again, all other things being equal, the person with the lighter skin wins over the one with darker skin. However, showing an equal lack of respect for those who don't respect you won't solve the problem. It's hard, but the only long-term solution is to be the better people, respecting everyone equally, even and especially when they disrespect you in return. With time and persistence, public perception will acknowledge the truth: that those who strive to be better are, in fact, better, and those that do not make the effort will find themselves left behind. This is how progress is made, and it's made over the course of years, decades, and sometimes lifetimes. It's not easy, but there are no shortcuts. It's the only way.

The alternative is to have the same attitude as the people you fight against, which is exactly the sort of thing Martin Luther King, Jr. preached against in his book Strength to Love:

Returning violence for violence multiplies violence,
adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness:
only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.

I think the "love" he's referring to, "agape" as theologians term it, is similar to what I mean when I speak of respect. Disrespect breeds disrespect, as seen in the incident between Senator Sanders and the #BlackLivesMatter activists. The only cure is respect, which Sanders has shown by taking their concerns to heart despite their methods.

Eye for an eye is not and never has been an effective or sustainable policy. Let's fight it.