How do you simultaneously pander to Jews, Black people and Israel-haters?
Bernie Sanders gave us a lesson in this less than stellar talent just yesterday, while speaking at Harlem’s famous Apollo theater.
-Sanders assured his audience that, as a child, he cried upon learning that most of his father’s family was killed in the Holocaust, and that this taught him hatred based on someone’s accent or race is a terrible thing (too bad he didn’t stop there);
-“Love always trumps hate” (great cliché line, Bernie: tell it to the members of your father’s family you cried about);
-And, during the Q&A period, when an audience member invoked a nasty anti-Jewish routine” – “As you know, Zionist Jews — and I don’t mean to offend anybody, alright, they run the Federal Reserve, they run Wall Street, they run every campaign.” – instead of telling him to take a long walk on a short pier – which is the first thing he should have done – Sanders answered by claiming to be proud of his Jewish heritage (which, until now, I have never heard him make any mention of whatsoever), that he strongly supports Israel (he surrounds himself with Israel-haters), and that “I also believe that we have got to pay attention to the needs of the Palestinians.” (no one gets left out).
Well done, Bernie. You hit most of the political food groups for New York. Too bad you couldn’t work in a shout-out to the Latino and Asian communities as well, then you’d have pretty much hit for the cycle.
Interestingly, the most important part of this event may not have been anything Mr. Sanders said, but who he shared the stage with: Harry Belafonte (who, though he is pushing 90 years old now, is still very active and respected in Harlem….and whose politics are, if anything, to the left of Sanders’), former Ohio congressperson/far-leftist, Nina Turner, and the widow of Eric “I can’t breathe” Garner, who died after physically being brought down by a police officer in Staten Island.
Hillary Clinton would have loved to have them at her side…..and will, I am sure, lose votes for them being with Bernie Sanders.
He can win New York. and if if he does, he can win the nomination. That should give Ms. Clinton nightmares…
….and, for very different reasons, it should give the rest of us nightmares too.
