# Why is Sanders weak in the South? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 9, 2016, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sanders-weak-in-the-south/748379 "2016-03-09T06:05:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sanders-weak-in-the-south/748379/21 "2016-03-09T16:57:33Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > That’s funny. Did you mean she plays a southerner on TV (when she’s not playing something else)? She’s from _everywhere_, man. With the primary in Illinois (where she was born and raised) next week, she’s from Chicago again, for a little while. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sanders-weak-in-the-south/748379/22 "2016-03-09T16:59:05Z")
And for campaign purposes, she is a New Yorker. I understand she did live in Arkansas for a time. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sanders-weak-in-the-south/748379/23 "2016-03-09T17:20:10Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I doubt that has much to do with it. Rather, it’s probably the notion that he’s rather socialist and left-wing, combined with the fact that he’s a northerner/yankee. Redundant. Southerners think that about ALL Jews. Interesting, though, that the first synagogue in North America was established in Charleston. And that the Confederacy’s Secretary of State was Jewish. ---
**Author:** ![DerekMichaels00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f14d63/32.png) [@DerekMichaels00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DerekMichaels00)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sanders-weak-in-the-south/748379/24 "2016-03-09T17:34:19Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Jewish. maybe among _some_ black Democrats (given how there is some tension between blacks and Jews) but not on a general level. Sanders got blown away in the South because there are very few issue liberals in the broader black community; they’re actually pretty moderate on the issues. Most of the Democrats left in the south are African-Americans; most whites down there are Republicans. ---
**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:** [March 9, 2016, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sanders-weak-in-the-south/748379/25 "2016-03-09T17:54:17Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > She’s from _everywhere_, man. Indeed. That’s just one of the many things we all _looooooove_ about Hilary… ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sanders-weak-in-the-south/748379/26 "2016-03-09T18:01:08Z")
But is she a Berliner? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sanders-weak-in-the-south/748379/27 "2016-03-09T18:02:55Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Indeed. That’s just one of the many things we all _looooooove_ about Hilary… It is, certainly, one of the things we all **should** love about Obama – he’s lived all over the world. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sanders-weak-in-the-south/748379/28 "2016-03-09T18:21:24Z")
Maybe it is a rational decision that when and if we get more income “equality” it will not be equally heirarchied and divided among racial groups, cause that’s the way it always has gone. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sanders-weak-in-the-south/748379/29 "2016-03-09T18:29:40Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Maybe it is a rational decision that when and if we get more income “equality” it will not be equally heirarchied and divided among racial groups, cause that’s the way it always has gone. You need to re-word that for clearer meaning. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sanders-weak-in-the-south/748379/30 "2016-03-09T18:34:31Z")
[While a plurality](http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/02/09/democratic-voters-increasingly-embrace-liberal-label/), the overall number of Democrats who identify as liberal is still smaller than the total of those identifying as moderate or conservative. Liberals are the minority in the Democratic Party nationwide. The south skews further towards the moderate/conservative side of the party. He’s selling a more left/liberal brand where the majority of Democratic voters want the moderate or conservative part of the party. Not surprisingly sales have been poor. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sanders-weak-in-the-south/748379/31 "2016-03-09T18:39:24Z")
You can never avoid race in discussing American politics. [Here’s a black perspective:](http://verysmartbrothas.com/maybe-black-people-arent-feeling-bernie-sanders-because-were-tired-of-people-saying-we-should-be/) > [@](#): > > And while I get it — Sanders’s political views do seem like they’d be more favorable for Black Americans than the other candidate’s — these people are ultimately treating Black voters like we’re sick toddlers refusing to take our Bernietussin. > > _“This will be good for you, Little Jahiem. Trust me. A spoonful of Bernietussin will stop your sniffles.”_ > > This bit of parental admonishment is even implied in many of the “Why don’t Black people support Sanders?” pieces that don’t outright condescend. Because just the act of crafting a piece around that premise implies that Black people should be supporting Sanders, but there’s some mysterious reason preventing us from doing so. And not only is this infantilizing, it has the potential to actively turn potential Black voters away. Because White people — and yes, liberal White people too — convincing Black people to do something with “Trust me. It’s for your own good” has never really worked out very well for us, historically. > … > There are many very valid reasons for Black people not to support Sanders. (Just as there are many not to support Clinton.) Us not knowing whats good for us isn’t one of them. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sanders-weak-in-the-south/748379/32 "2016-03-09T18:46:30Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Redundant. Southerners think that about ALL Jews. There are many Jews in South Carolina. Besides, they must be OK, the Bible is full of them! ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sanders-weak-in-the-south/748379/33 "2016-03-09T19:04:32Z")
> [@DerekMichaels00](#): > > maybe among _some_ black Democrats (given how there is some tension between blacks and Jews) but not on a general level. Yeah, among the black Democrats. Heh. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sanders-weak-in-the-south/748379/34 "2016-03-09T19:05:23Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > You need to re-word that for clearer meaning. I just diagrammed it and it seemed OK. I mean that even in a progressive revolution some people may be more equal than others. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sanders-weak-in-the-south/748379/35 "2016-03-09T19:18:16Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > You can never avoid race in discussing American politics. [Here’s a black perspective:](http://verysmartbrothas.com/maybe-black-people-arent-feeling-bernie-sanders-because-were-tired-of-people-saying-we-should-be/) Thanks for that link. I needed it for a facebook conversation I was having with a Bernie fan. And a white woman admonishing a white man over this is less effective. ---
**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:** [March 9, 2016, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sanders-weak-in-the-south/748379/36 "2016-03-09T19:19:20Z")
Sanders isn’t bad with the south, he is bad with black voters. Black voters make up the vast majority of Southern Democrats so his losses there are more pronounced. Sanders lost the black vote by about 3-1 in Michigan but he still won the state. Sanders consistently loses the black vote by 50-70 points. As to the reasons why, I’m not totally sure. Black voters are more socially conservative than white liberals, more religious, and Sanders economic speech has no real discussion of race. Even blacks when do well economically still face racial issues. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sanders-weak-in-the-south/748379/37 "2016-03-09T19:20:25Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > Thanks for that link. I needed it for a facebook conversation That’s where I _found_ it. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sanders-weak-in-the-south/748379/38 "2016-03-09T19:40:34Z")
Bernie’s message of economic injustice resonates well with the young middle and upper class youth who are just figuring out that they’re playing in a crooked game. To people who have known for generations they’ve been left out it comes across as condescending. It’s like the second class passengers on the Titanic explaining to the guys in steerage that the system is unfair. Yeah, it’s true, but tell them something they don’t know. ---
**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:** [March 9, 2016, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sanders-weak-in-the-south/748379/39 "2016-03-09T22:51:00Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > Here is actually a fantastic article on the African-American vote in the South, written by a Daily Kos member who has been very involved in GOTV efforts: > > [Why Bernie Sanders Is Losing the Black Vote and How We Can Win It – People's War](https://pplswar.wordpress.com/2016/03/07/why-bernie-sanders-is-losing-the-black-vote-and-how-we-can-win-it/) > > There is a lot of good stuff there and it gets into some specifics, but the general takeaway is that Sanders has a horrible campaign strategy regarding Southern African-American voters (which is partially the appearance that he favors economic justice over all else) That was interesting and has some good info. Sanders, being from a white progressive state doesn’t have to deal with the kind of hostility black people (esp in the south) have to deal with. So I can see why they would feel he may not stand up for their interests when push comes to shove. I can see in a way while Hillary would be a better pick, because she has had to deal with hostility from the right more than Bernie has. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sanders-weak-in-the-south/748379/40 "2016-03-09T23:29:42Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > That was interesting and has some good info. Sanders, being from a white progressive state doesn’t have to deal with the kind of hostility black people (esp in the south) have to deal with. So I can see why they would feel he may not stand up for their interests when push comes to shove. I can see in a way while Hillary would be a better pick, because she has had to deal with hostility from the right more than Bernie has. The other good point in that article - Hillary might not be perfect, but the Clintons have a long track record with the Black community - she is therefore more trusted. That isn’t going to fix itself in the next few weeks - but the primaries are moving North and West, so maybe it won’t be such a big deal. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sanders-weak-in-the-south/748379.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sanders-weak-in-the-south/748379.md?page=3)