re: #108 Patricia Kayden

Race is definitely Bernie’s kryptonite.

Bernie’s problem is the classic “when all you have is a hammer…” approach to social ills. He’s also a product of his time, which was that era in American politics when “serious” folks started suggesting that problems like racism, sexism, and bigotry were inherent problems in capitalism and pursuing socialist policies that would make people “equal” would solve those problems. And while it’s accepted that many supporters of unfettered capitalism use such division to keep workers divided, it’s (at best) arguable that paying white people more will suddenly cause their racist views to disappear. LBJ’s observation about white voters is still true to this day.