On the March 5 broadcast of Chris Cuomo’s prime time CNN show, Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign co-chair Nina Turner debated Democratic strategist and Joe Biden supporter Hilary Rosen. During the segment, Turner referenced a quote from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Rosen immediately questioned Turner’s interpretation of the quote and a heated argument between the two ensued.
By smugly questioning Turner’s—who is a black woman—interpretation of King’s words, Rosen—a white woman—not only trivialized Turner’s experience as a black woman in America, but also exemplified the lack of understanding centrist Democrats have for the plight of black Americans.
The Martin Luther King Jr. quote referenced by Nina Turner reads as follows.
“I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Councilor or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to ’order’ than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: ‘I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action’; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom…”
There is a great irony in Hilary Rosen’s support for Biden and her claim that Turner was misinterpreting King, which is that Rosen unintentionally assumes the position of the “white moderate” cautioned against in King’s letter. By supporting Biden, Rosen firmly backs his moderate political stances over Sanders’ more radical leftist ideas, thereby supporting complacency.
If we were to ask a room full of Democrats, “Who here supports justice for black Americans?” I would expect that everyone would want to appear in support. If we were to ask those same Democrats, however, who among them would not only be willing to support justice but campaign for it, protest against injustice and support legislation they may not personally benefit from, I suspect some in the crowd would sing a different tune.
The scenario above illustrates the divide that exists between the two poles of the Democratic Party. This divide is between those who seek to maintain the status quo with the appearance of progress versus those who seek radical systemic change. This stark divide has perhaps never been more plainly observed than in this Democratic primary cycle with the two frontrunners, Sanders and Biden.
Sanders is the true progressive. He is both socially and fiscally liberal with a mind toward championing the average American worker and crafting better social welfare programs. Biden is the centrist riding on the legacy of Obama; he is the establishment candidate who welcomes super PAC donors and lacks the vision for the crucial change this country needs.
In spite of what often seems the case, it takes more than establishment backing to win the Democratic primary for the presidential election. It also takes the complacency and utter apathy of the comfortable American voter, as we’ve seen with Biden winning recent primaries in states such as Massachusetts, Minnesota and South Carolina.
In order to reach the cultural state of “positive peace” that King advocates for in his letter, we as Americans must ask ourselves which Democratic candidate will advocate best on behalf of not only us and our families but also on behalf of our neighbors and those we may never meet.
The choice for me is clearly a vote for Bernie Sanders, but I fear for those who think a Biden presidency would advance any working or middle-class interests in a post-Trump world, if he were even able to beat Trump in the general election.
Hayley Jones is an English major junior who will be self-quarantining with her sweet pup over break.