I am responding to a diary that begins with a comment that I posted at 2 a.m last night, seconds before I closed up my laptop and went off into dreamland. I was stunned to find at lunch-time that my comment was taken in a very negative way in a reply to my comment, accusing me of being racist in supposedly accusing African-Americans of anti-Semitism. I replied that the commenter had completely misunderstood my comment. Then, I turned to the Rec List and I was flabbergasted to find my comment was made a target in a Rec List self-styled rant diary. I won’t take away what I am sure are heartfelt emotions reflective of profound emotional churn, but they’re misguided — and I feel I need to clear the air with a diary of my own.
** I didn’t set out precisly to write an apology for my earlier comment, but as I read comments below, I see that maybe I should have. So let me say explicitly that my intial comment was too curt. I didn’t explain my meaning and that clearly left room for misundertanding of the worst kind. I’m sorry for that. Maybe, I shouldn’t post comments right before going to bed.**
My comment was in a thread discussing African-Americans and their concerns about Sanders’ economic populist message — the idea being that the community sees that as an existential threat because of the belief that it will be not include them and may even be a pretext for greater oppression.
I did push back against the idea that the populism that Sanders offers is or should be seen as in any way threatening to the African-American community.
I’m Jewish. My mother’s family had to flee Hungary, where she’d been at a German school. I understand how populism can go horribly wrong. I don’t need any lecture on that. But, Sanders’ message was very inclusive — and engages on social justice in many ways...including specifically supporting communities of color. That’s the larger point I was making.
When Sanders supporters urge the party to start making a more blatant appeal to the economic concerns of American citizens, it’s not at the expense of combatting all manners of social injustice. It just isn’t. Let that go.
We need to recognize that there are legitimate concerns which the Democratic Party has done next to nothing about for decades. in fact, Democratic leaders have actually flamed the passions behind these economic concerns with policies that have favored a privileged, educated (largely white) class (of which I am definitely a part — or, at least to which I was born — life’s dealt some tough blows and I’ve made some bad choices, too).
In the comment in question, I did say that I thought that there were factors other than distrust of Sanders’ economic message at play in how badly he did in the primary with African-American voters. I spoke to his being old and white, and from a small state, how his political activity, particularly in his Senate years — all mant that he was unfamiliar to those voters in ways that Clinton was not and that maybe he didn’t have the creds. I also said his being Jewish was probably a factor.
There was nothing racist in my comment (other than acknowledging that identity is a thing when people vote) — and the reply to that comment was completely wrong in suggesting that I was accusing African-Americans of being anti-Semitic. I said that his being Jewish was a factor in his inabiilty to win more than a third of votes in that community. It was. I know this because I have heard it from African-Americans. We’re talking about a deeply religious Christian community.
That’s not an accusation of anti-Semitism. It’s identifying the role that Christian identity plays in the African-American community, especially in the deeply religious, church-centered communities in the South.
I am to be honest stunned by the diarist’s response. In fact, I’ve heard all sorts of pushback against the idea that Sanders could have won — and that pushback has largely turned on the idea that the right would have crushed a Jewish candidate. Well, that presumes that not enough Democrats would have supported a Jewish candidate. What’s that based on? Religion. There are plenty of people — right and left — who say they’re supporting Candidate X because they think he is a good, God-fearing Christian.
That’s all I meant — any other spin is entirely outside my intention and frankly beyond anything I was thinking.
As a Jew, I don’t particularly like the idea that Jewish candidates do face a barrier in getting the votes of Christian communities — even Christian communities of color — but, it’s hard to deny that’s a reality...at least when it comes to voting for President. I’m not saying it’s insurmountable, but I have to acknowledge it exists. What’s amazing is that you’ve completely turned that on its head to suggest it’s a statement of oppression against African-Americans.
I’ll add this rejoinder — since that diarist said my comment is loaded with resentment — and indicative of resentment that Sanders’ voters have.
Yes, some Sanders supporters feel tremendous resentment — at the effing DNC. I’ve not heard a single Sanders supporter express any resentment at African-Amerian voters. Perhaps I’ve missed some but, if I did, it’s the tiny exception to the rule. This is a tempest in a teapot in so many ways, but mostly because there’s no there there.
Yes I have some resentment, but apparently the diarist is utterly clueless as to whom it is directed at.
Nothing in my comment reflected any resentment at people who did not vote for Sanders. In fact, I feel little or no resentment for them. I totally get why they voted the way they did and I find it logical and mostly sensible — and totally understandable.
If anyone wants to know where I’ve been prolific and accusatory, they should check out this comment I wrote a few days ago, which currently has over 160 recs and 25 replies. Or check out my Facebook feed where I’ve been challenging my Sanders comrades-in-arms — and seriously pissing off a number of people whom I came to know very well, whom I worked alongside and for whom I hold a good deal of respect. But, I don’t respect their Presidential vote. Even in the heat of the campaign, I was pushing back hard aginst the idea of not voting for Clinton if and when she became the nominee. And, I spent months of keyboard activism since the Convention trying to convince them of the risk and the need to support the Democratic candidates at all levels.
MY purpose in continuing to push back against Stein voters is my fervent desire to build an unshakeable coalition on the left — and to make sure that what happened in 2000 and now again in 2016 does not happen again. For me, it was slowly unfolding train wreck that I could see coming from a long way away. We have a narrow margin, and cannot afford those defections, nor we can afford to have natural allies utterly disparaging the Democratic candidate during the general election — and frankly, being that negative during the primary, too. It cannot help but encourage a destructive narrative that will undermine our prospects.
My purpose in pushing back against the idea that Sanders’ populism is a threat or somehow excludes any groups (other than billionaires) is to lay the groundwork for that large coalition. Not to blame anyone — including the Stein voters. It’s just to say that there’s a way forward and we should embrace it.