Why I Believe Bernie Sanders Represents Earned Success while Hillary Represents White Privilege. An Open Post to Minorities in Mississippi.

For the past year I have consumed information about Bernie Sanders. Who he is, who he was his whole life, his message – all of it resonates with me. I have gone to my little island away from the anger and hate that is spewed by the Republican party and found a place of hope where a belief that the underdog, whose set of values that now mimics a set I never thought I would call my own, resides. There, I have ignored Hillary Clinton. As a somewhat new Democrat, a value that I have to any cause is loyalty. So, I have chosen to not engage in any rhetoric that is anti-Hillary Clinton. That ends today.

A vast number of minority voters, specifically in the South, are and have been historically loyal to the Hill-Bill Dynasty. I have always been aware of this fact, but I never really knew the reason why. So, for the past week I have consumed all of the information that I could find about The Clinton’s and their history with African American voters.

Disgust would be too nice of a word. There isn’t an appropriate word that comes to mind.

I have been tempted to post about 100 Facebook Memes a day on the lawlessness of Hillary and Bill Clinton just in reference to what they have done to oppress others – minorities, the poor, the helpless. The list is long.

Passive aggressive memes on Facebook do not create change.

Neither do two career politicians and their use of others in their pursuit of power, greed and wealth.

But, back to the purpose of this post.

Hillary’s race to the White House.

To understand her race, I found it necessary to understand Bill’s race also. I discovered something in my research that I found interesting. Toni Morrison once called Bill Clinton the first black president because he put on sunglasses and played the saxophone on the Arsenio Hall Show during his 1992 successful campaign for President. I don’t remember much about 1992, but I remember seeing that clip on TV. It was historic, and I don’t fault Toni Morrison for her comment. I bring this up because the Clinton’s mastered the art of sending out mixed cultural messages. Pandering.

Hillary Clinton uses any means necessary to get what she wants. She uses Black People. She uses Wall Street. She uses the Military. She uses the LGBT community. She uses Black Lives Matter. She uses Republicans. She uses Democrats. She even used Obama in a Democratic debate recently after she vilified him in 2008 when she realized her dream of a White House address would not be coming true. She called Obama an elitist who didn’t understand the American people. She said, on television “Shame on you, Obama. Shame on you.” This because she didn’t “like” his campaign – one that she lost to and thankfully so.

After 32 years in office, Hillary has shown improvements in literally no areas that would be considered key indicators that show her loyalty to improving disparities among the African American community. She has done nothing that proves a commitment to reducing crime rates, incarceration rates and unemployment. In fact, under the Presidency of Bill Clinton, The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 led to more black men being incarcerated than seen ever in America’s history. During a time when most first ladies are redecorating, selecting china patterns and/or working on their own platforms, Hillary was in front of Americans referring to young black kids in the following way:

“They are not just gangs of kids anymore. They are often the kinds of kids that are called ‘super-predators.’ No conscience, no empathy. We can talk about why they ended up that way, but first we have to bring them to heel.”

The Clinton Administration created the invisible poor – poverty and unemployment rates of the incarcerated are not counted when creating statistics. The jobless rate among black men in their 20s who didn’t have a college degree rose to its highest level ever during their administration. However, none of this was reported in the media. When Bill left office in 2001, the true jobless rate for young, non-college educated black men including those behind bars was 42 PERCENT.

I could go on and on about how the original Clinton Administration enacted laws and took measures that perpetuated institutional racism. Study it. It is quite an eye opener.

I would like to address a few key points about Hillary.

She panders. She has recently even been accused of pimping out the Black Lives Matter voters. Hillary Clinton “loves” Black People. She is the first to show up in their churches and is eagerly endorsed by Black politicians. But, for what reason. She is a machine – and is likely promising them all positions of power if she gets her ultimate position of power. She “courts” the black vote by making people feel liked and taken seriously, but only when the cameras from major networks are rolling.

How serious could the southern black community, or any true southerners, be about a woman who doesn’t even live in Arkansas anymore? Not only that, she owns two multi-million dollar homes – one in New York and one in DC. Huge homes. She and Bill alone made over 32 million dollars entertaining last year. Speaking. Saying whatever they had to say to get the almighty dollar. She gets $600 haircuts. She stays in the Peabody hotel while Bernie stays on a bus. There is nothing real about her.

Campaign finance. Hillary’s campaign is funded by huge corporations.  Corporations that make money by keeping the middle and lower class poor. Do you know what Hillary’s first bill was that she introduced as a Senator? It was a bankruptcy bill that protected credit card companies – not the American people. Her first vote as a Senator was a vote that allowed companies like Chase and Citigroup to drain money out of the pockets of middle and lower class America – a bill that prevented people from filing bankruptcy. A bill that protected big corporations and big government. A bill that showed her loyalties will always be to the ones writing the biggest paycheck to her.

Hillary’s campaign is funded by large campaign contributions from Wall Street. Not the American people. Citigroup donated $824,402. Goldman Sachs donated $760,740. Chase donated $696,456. The average campaign contribution to Bernie Sanders? $30 bucks. By real people.

Check out these videos:

 

 

 

 

 

None of these inspire me. They are not videos that give me hope for the future of America, for the future of young people interested in the political process or for the future of creating positive change in the Black community – or in any community. She says to the girl in the third video that she would go run for office. Really? She is a crassly arrogant and insensitive woman who talks down to anyone who challenges her record. And her record should be challenged because she is a lawless human being. If she gets away with killing white people, what does that say for the future of any people? She gets away with private emails. There are no laws above her. None that she can’t break. Which brings me to this:

 

I don’t trust her, and I am white. In fact, 67% of Americans DO NOT TRUST her. She has lied to the American people on countless occasions.

Do you think that Michelle Obama could do or say any of the things that Hillary Clinton has done in these videos and lead the Democratic Party at this stage in the game. No. What Black woman could? Could Oprah even get away with the lawlessness Hillary pulls? Hell no. No one could. This is what I mean when I say white privilege.

Hillary was a Young Republican until 1968 and supported the GOP candidate Barry Goldwater who voted AGAINST the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Sadly, we are supposed to believe that she understands “black people” because John Lewis, an honorable Black Civil Rights Activist said he saw her during his time in Alabama – a statement he later admitted was in error. Hillary Clinton was NOT an activist during the Civil Rights Movement. She was against it as she worked to support a candidate who voted against it. Sanders was a CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST. Bernie led sit ins, pickets and was at the “I have a Dream” speech in DC along with Lewis. 

John Lewis and the Congressional Black Caucus endorsed a candidate (Hillary) who volunteered and supported a candidate (Goldwater) who voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964. I really do not get this. White privilege. Who knows how she crafted that behind closed doors. 

Sanders and Martin Luther King, Jr. have striking similarities in their value systems:

• They are both critics of the capitalist economic structure.
• They both support democratic socialism.
• They believe in economic rights for all.
• They saw the evils in a highly militarized society and the burden it puts on the poor and undeserved.

What is Clinton’s plan to improve things in the black community? It is very brief and without substance. She plans to:

• End the era of mass incarceration. (That she and Bill created.)
• Protect immigrants’ rights and keep families together. (Many videos to the contrary.)
• Defend every American’s right to vote. (But she supported a vote against the Civil Rights Movement.)

Bernie Sanders’ plan is so long and detailed I simply can not post it all. It can be found here: https://berniesanders.com/issues/racial-justice/

Bernie Sanders has been consistent since he ran for Mayor of Burlington well over 50 years ago. All of his speeches are on YouTube. He is a champion for fighting for minorities, for fighting for HUMANITY. He has done this his whole life. He is older, white and Jewish. He is from Vermont. This doesn’t resonate well with people in the South because many of us have never left the South. It is hard for people of color to trust any old white man. But, Bernie Sanders is the American Dream. His father, a Polish immigrant, arrived in New York many years ago penniless with the hope his family would live a better life – and live one they did as Bernie achieved much and gained a college degree.

That is exactly what he wants for Americans to be able to do today – make a living wage ($15 min. wage), end the war on drugs (legalize marijuana for both recreational and medicinal use), free college tuition for all (paid for by taxes on Wall Street), end police brutality and expand health care to make it single payer meaning 95% of American households would save money. He wants to bring back the middle class by creating jobs and has a detailed plan on how to make this happen found here: https://berniesanders.com/issues/creating-jobs-rebuilding-america/

Why is Bernie Sanders running for President? He is definitely not seeking to become a millionaire – his net assets are less than $700,000. He doesn’t even own a home in his home state of Vermont, he and his wife rent one. He owns a modest condo in DC. I do not believe he is running for personal or financial gain – he champions the fact that he can’t be bought in his campaign.

Sanders’ message and values reflect a lot of what I believe Obama captured in his campaign for the White House – Hope. Change. And, members of many communities still want the work that has been started by the Obama’s to continue as we press onward in America. When I watched the final State of the Union Address given by Obama in January this year, I felt so deeply saddened at the notion that in merely 100 days that they would be leaving the White House. Leaving the US in a better place that it was when they arrived, but leaving with dreams yet unrealized due to racism. Fear. Misinformation.

Bernie Sanders isn’t the white Obama. That is not what I am saying at all. I am saying I believe he is our best hope at continuing the work that Obama started.

Here is the short version of the platform that is Bernie Sanders:

 

Hillary doesn’t have a true platform because hers changes so often that she doesn’t put anything in writing. Her platform is whatever Bernie Sanders says but not as extreme.

For some reason, Hillary supporters believe that qualification for a job is measured in years. I just looked at the cover of the Clarion Ledger this morning where Bill Clinton gave a speech at Jackson State University, a historically black college saying “We need to rise together again.” Really? Because how exactly did those 18-21 year old college students rise to anything with the help of him or his wife? Statistically, the people he is asking for help and their parents and the parents before them should be in jail thanks to the 3 strikes rule, crack v. powder cocaine law of the 80s and the worst criminal justice bill written in the history of any presidency.

Someone in that audience at JSU yesterday should have asked Bill about a man named Ricky Ray Rector, a mentally impaired black man executed in Arkansas while he was running for POTUS. Rector had so little awareness of what was about to happen to him when he was put to death that he asked that the dessert from his last meal be saved for him for later. Make no mistake Bill Clinton flew back for the execution and used it as a media opportunity to pander to the right winged white people to show his tough on crime stance against black people. White privilege.

Truly, why is Hillary Clinton running for POTUS? Clinton is running to benefit herself. She is not running to make America great again, to give us hope for a brighter future – she won’t even take a stance on any real issues. She is a neocon and places a greater emphasis on war than the plight of struggling Americans – a classic example of white privilege in America. There is a huge relationship between war and poverty – something Martin Luther King detailed in his Beyond Vietnam speech.

Bill and Hillary embody the values of the New Democrats who believe the only way to win back millions of white votes in the south who have switched to the Republican party (for Jesus) is to adopt the heinous right-wing narrative that black communities ought to be disciplined with harsh punishment rather than coddled with welfare.

 

The man below has earned his success.

 

I found the video below to be one of the most eye opening videos on all of the differences between both Hillary and Bernie.

 

It is my hope that you will walk away from this post with a better understanding of who Hillary really is. If anything, I have learned more than I ever wanted to know about her and what she has done to the citizens of what is one of the most beautiful states in the United States of America – Mississippi. Bernie Sanders has a value system that has not changed – like he says, no one who works 40 hours a week should live in poverty.

Hillary Clinton doesn’t value members of the Black Community. She doesn’t value members of the Latino Community. She doesn’t value young people. She doesn’t value Americans. Hillary Clinton values herself and those that she can use. 

Please share this message through all avenues possible while there is still time. 

Everything you do for progress helps make progress happen. Every vote you cast, call you make, comment you post or door you knock on – if done with a positive attitude, will help make progress happen. The only way to win and succeed is to believe in your cause and keep moving forward. To learn more about Bernie Sanders and how you can share his message, https://go.berniesanders.com/page/content/splash.