Is Sanders’ Bern Destroying Clinton’s Black Voter Firewall?

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Is Sanders’ Bern Destroying Clinton’s Black Voter Firewall?

February 15th, 2016

Awake Goy

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton takes part in a Center for American Progress roundtable discussion on "Expanding Opportunities in America's Urban Areas" in Washington.

Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton may be losing some black voter support to rival Bernie Sanders.

Hillary Clinton’s campaign views South Carolina as a political firewall that will stop the momentum of rival Bernie Sanders and give her a victory that will launch her own momentum into other future primaries and caucuses. The foundation of that firewall is strong black support. But is that strong black support certain?

Clinton’s campaign manager writes that “high levels of support in the African-American and Hispanic communities won’t vanish in the face of Bernie Sanders’ attacks. That type of support was not created overnight. It has been forged over more than 40 years of fighting for and alongside communities of color. They know her, they trust her and are excited about her candidacy.” Most polls suggest Clinton will get that support in South Carolina.

A 72-year-old army veteran said, “I think [Sanders] is all right, but I don’t think he has the qualifications to be president like Secretary of State Clinton”. A 51-year-old woman said, “I would not say Bernie because he’s new to me. Clinton has already been under the microscope.”

However, that rock-solid support may be weakening, as the mood on college campuses is quite different. There seems to be an age or generation divide. Young black voters told National Public Radio that when they look at Clinton’s record, they don’t like what they’ve seen.

“I did my background research on what Hillary has really done for the black community”, one student said, “and it kind of concerned me.” Another student asked, “What makes [Clinton] good for black people now?”

Many young black students are reacting not just to Hillary Clinton, but also to her husband’s policies. There was concern over Bill Clinton’s 1994 Violent Crime Control Act, which experts claim greatly increased the number of blacks in prisons, and to Bill Clinton’s 1996 welfare reform measures which adversely affected many in the black community.

Hillary Clinton has not taken her minority support for granted. During her campaign appearances in the state she has played up her ties to the black community, including serving in President Obama’s administration. She’s also pointed out that Sanders is not willing to take on the gun industry, an issue that could be of special interest to black voters because of the massacre of nine black people in a South Carolina church in 2015.

If Clinton loses her black support in South Carolina, it may foretell difficulty as the presidential campaign moves into other southern states with sizeable black populations.