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Originally posted by BlueTimberwolf
What can Bernie do to make inroads with minorities?
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Honestly...it's hard to say.
It comes down to electability and perceived readiness. Minorities tend to be more cautious and don't want to take chances, and Clinton is the "safe" choice in that regard. Obama (who was losing minorities BADLY in late 2007) was able to overcome this by winning IA outright. That showed minorities (blacks in particular) that Obama was viable to white voters, and thus a legitimate contender. It also helped that Clinton's campaign kinda imploded in the lead up to SC.
Not to mention, as far as actual ideology goes, minorities tend to be less liberal in general. The talk of who's a "real progressive" means little, because of lot of minority Dems are actually conservatives at heart, but can't get onboard with Republican racism.
So in conclusion...I don't really know what Sanders can do. I just think the nature of his populist movement is something that intrinsically doesn't appeal to minorities the same way it appeals to white liberals. If I were him I'd focus less on criminal justice and welfare reform (honestly, the average black voter doesn't have either as their most pressing issue) and lay out SPECIFIC plans about improving the economy.