Bernie Sanders the top choice for minorities

\Hillary Clinton expects to win the South Carolina Democratic Primary with a “firewall” of loyal minority voters. This is based on an assumption that the Clintons have always been good friends to minority voters. But have they?

One of President Bill Clinton’s signature “accomplishments” in office was welfare “reform,” which eliminated traditional cash payments in favor of such programs as food stamps. Recent studies have shown that, in fact, this change has increased poverty, lowered income for single mothers, pushed many into homeless shelters, and left states free to eliminate welfare entirely. It has also exacerbated the growth of income inequality.

Another Clinton “accomplishment” was the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. This act created 60 new death penalty offenses, including for drug trafficking, and 50 new non-capital offenses, among them making membership in a gang a federal crime. This act has been a major contributor to the mass incarceration of Americans, a large portion of them minorities.

And a third major “accomplishment” was Clinton’s championing of the NAFTA trade agreement, which helped to accelerate the loss of American factory jobs. According to the nonpartisan Economic Policy Institute, the increased trade deficit with Mexico alone since NAFTA led to a net loss of 682,900 U.S. jobs by 2010. Traditionally, minority workers have been the hardest hit when layoffs have occurred.

What kind of “friend” is Hillary Clinton? Only Sen. Bernie Sanders has addressed the issues which are so important to all racial groups: protecting our jobs, strengthening the safety net for those in need, and ending the mass incarceration of Americans. He is the candidate who has earned the votes of South Carolina Democrats.

This story was originally published February 23, 2016 at 10:16 PM with the headline "Bernie Sanders the top choice for minorities."