# Does Sanders have appeal beyond white liberals **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 27, 2015, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sanders-have-appeal-beyond-white-liberals/729017 "2015-08-27T03:27:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2015, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sanders-have-appeal-beyond-white-liberals/729017/1 "2015-08-27T03:27:04Z")
These are his base, educated white liberals. However they/we are probably 10-15% of the electorate. Does Sanders have a lot of appeal to minorities, the disadvantaged, Reagan democrats, etc? Is it just name recognition holding him back or does he really top out at about 1/3-1/2 of the primary vote because he only has support from liberals? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2015, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sanders-have-appeal-beyond-white-liberals/729017/2 "2015-08-27T06:01:08Z")
I hear that both of the non-white voters in VT are supporting him. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sanders-have-appeal-beyond-white-liberals/729017/3 "2015-08-27T22:13:12Z")
I’m pretty sure what you saw was the one non-white citizen standing next to a mirror. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sanders-have-appeal-beyond-white-liberals/729017/4 "2015-08-28T01:04:13Z")
A June CNN/ORC poll had him at 2% of black Democrats. That would have to increase tremendously for him to have the slightest chance. Yet another reason why it’s simply obscene to have the first two primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire, with their tiny non-white populations. This [Charles Blow](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/17/opinion/activists-feel-the-bern.html?_r=0) column from the NYTimes has other telling statistics. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sanders-have-appeal-beyond-white-liberals/729017/5 "2015-08-28T01:36:51Z")
Name recognition has a lot to do with it. He probably doesn’t even have all of the Anyone-but-Hillary crowd behind him because they don’t know who he is. I don’t see any signs he has party establishment support either. Trump and Hillary are sucking up all the air time and Bernie isn’t very exciting. All he’s going to talk about is justice, equality, fiscal responsibility, and other boring stuff even if he did get air time. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sanders-have-appeal-beyond-white-liberals/729017/6 "2015-08-28T01:44:36Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > I have no problem with Bernie Sanders. I know who he is and what he stands for. I just don’t think he has a very good chance of winning while Hillary Clinton is all but guaranteed to win. Easy choice for me. > > This [Charles Blow](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/17/opinion/activists-feel-the-bern.html?_r=0) column from the NYTimes has other telling statistics. I always get Charles Blow confused with Kurtis Blow. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sanders-have-appeal-beyond-white-liberals/729017/7 "2015-08-28T03:53:51Z")
As of right now, Sanders’ base looks more like the Republican base in terms of ethnicity than the actual Republican base.🙂 But that can of course change and he’s making an effort. Plus he now beats Bush in general election polling, so apparently he’s electable. Although I think this has more to do with voters’ hunger for honesty and authenticity than his ideology. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sanders-have-appeal-beyond-white-liberals/729017/8 "2015-08-28T13:18:24Z")
Minority woman here who really wants Sanders over Hillary. So you can add one Asian lady to your count. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sanders-have-appeal-beyond-white-liberals/729017/9 "2015-08-28T14:35:27Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Minority woman here who really wants Sanders over Hillary. So you can add one Asian lady to your count. 🙂 Meh. Asians don’t count as minorities (any more). ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sanders-have-appeal-beyond-white-liberals/729017/10 "2015-08-28T16:10:46Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Does Sanders have a lot of appeal to minorities, the disadvantaged, Reagan democrats, etc? Sanders positions on income inequality and other social policies are things that would benefit minorities, the disadvantaged, Reagan democrats and other groups like blue collar workers. If he is successful in connecting with those groups and convincing them of this then his support from those groups surely increase. I’m not sure how successful he will be in that regard but it is crucial to him having broader appeal. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sanders-have-appeal-beyond-white-liberals/729017/11 "2015-08-28T16:46:34Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Meh. Asians don’t count as minorities (any more). Oh really? When did that happen and what leads you to this nonsensical conclusion? ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sanders-have-appeal-beyond-white-liberals/729017/12 "2015-08-28T17:03:05Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > Oh really? When did that happen and what leads you to this nonsensical conclusion? [The 1960s.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honorary_whites) Although I think the Nazis had a similar term for the Japanese. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sanders-have-appeal-beyond-white-liberals/729017/13 "2015-08-28T17:20:26Z")
Bernie needs _party machine_ voters to get anywhere. And there is no strategy he can use to get them. The dirty secret is that the Democratic Party depends on low-information voters as much as the Republican. Minority and less educated Democrats vote for whoever the party apparatus backs up. They don’t, can’t, mess with the netroots, and the blogerati might as well be speaking Chinese on the moon. Wall Street or lobbyists are mythical beasts who can’t possibly have any effect on their daily lives. Even if they do. Anybody who assumed educated white Democrats had any connection with other Democrats really \*is \*living in the 1960s. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sanders-have-appeal-beyond-white-liberals/729017/14 "2015-08-28T19:12:43Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > Oh really? When did that happen and what leads you to this nonsensical conclusion? When pundits started talking about Asians as “model minorities.” ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sanders-have-appeal-beyond-white-liberals/729017/15 "2015-08-28T19:35:10Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > When pundits started talking about Asians as “model minorities.” Sounds racist to me. What’s the aim of promulgating this slur? Your pronouncement is as offensive as any other stereotype and it is strange that you would perpetuate it. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sanders-have-appeal-beyond-white-liberals/729017/16 "2015-08-28T20:13:37Z")
This middle-class black dude supports Sanders. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sanders-have-appeal-beyond-white-liberals/729017/17 "2015-08-28T21:46:43Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Bernie needs _party machine_ voters to get anywhere. And there is no strategy he can use to get them. > > The dirty secret is that the Democratic Party depends on low-information voters as much as the Republican. Minority and less educated Democrats vote for whoever the party apparatus backs up. They don’t, can’t, mess with the netroots, and the blogerati might as well be speaking Chinese on the moon. Wall Street or lobbyists are mythical beasts who can’t possibly have any effect on their daily lives. Even if they do. > > Anybody who assumed educated white Democrats had any connection with other Democrats really \*is \*living in the 1960s. Can you expand on this, I am confused by what you mean. There are a lot of apathetic democrats, that is why the GOP is putting up roadblocks to voting. The harder it is to vote, the fewer apathetic voters who will turn out. However it seems like what Sanders lacks with them is name recognition. Sanders may not be able to win them over with his track record or his stance on the issues, but if he can get name recognition he should expand his voting base. Plus considering that white liberals are 1/3 to up to 1/2 of the democratic primary electorate, that alone will give him a boost. Plus if he can get unions on his side that could push him over 50% in the primary. The more apathetic voters will just go along with whomever the party nominates. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sanders-have-appeal-beyond-white-liberals/729017/18 "2015-08-28T22:02:45Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Name recognition has a lot to do with it. He probably doesn’t even have all of the Anyone-but-Hillary crowd behind him because they don’t know who he is. I don’t see any signs he has party establishment support either. Trump and Hillary are sucking up all the air time and Bernie isn’t very exciting. All he’s going to talk about is justice, equality, fiscal responsibility, and other boring stuff even if he did get air time. Maybe if he’d have served in the armed forces and attained the rank of, I don’t know, Colonel, maybe he’d have better name recognition around the country? ---
**Author:** ![inscrutable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a88e4f/32.png) [@inscrutable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inscrutable)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sanders-have-appeal-beyond-white-liberals/729017/19 "2015-08-28T22:27:16Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Anybody who assumed educated white Democrats had any connection with other Democrats really \*is \*living in the 1960s. But that doesn’t stop them from promising to solve every problem by throwing more money at it… ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2015, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sanders-have-appeal-beyond-white-liberals/729017/20 "2015-08-29T15:12:40Z")
Cornel West Supports Sanders. I think it remains to be seen if a significant black vote follows. But it is pretty interesting that a #BlackLivesMatter leader is backing Sanders. Bernie listened to his hecklers and made some adjustments to his platform. In contrast, Trump throws out his detractors (Ramos) > **[Cornel West Issues Extensive Statement as to Why He Supports Bernie Sanders -...](https://trofire.com/2015/08/28/cornel-west-issues-extensive-statement-as-to-why-he-supports-bernie-sanders/)** > > Cornel West has issued a statement explaining why he supports Bernie Sanders over any other candidate. Chief among his reasons is that Bernie Sanders has an authenticity that is unparalleled by other candidates – and that Donald Trump is not for... [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sanders-have-appeal-beyond-white-liberals/729017.md?page=2)