Seawright: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's support won't help Bernie Sanders' 'math problem' with black voters
While some Democrats believe Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez could boost Bernie Sanders' 2020 bid, Antjuan Seawright, former senior adviser to the Hillary Clinton campaign, says Sanders faces a problem in South Carolina.
Since President Trump's election, we have seen our country transform in more ways than one, and not necessarily for the best.
Thankfully with the historic gains we saw in last year’s election — from Democrats taking control of the House and governorships across the country to game-changing victories all down the ballot — many more Americans now have a seat at the table.
As we enter into what could be the most transformative election of our generation, the American people are looking to us to set that table. We can only do that by taking a page from the political gospel as defined by Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., and focusing on "accessibility and affordability" for all Americans.
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Now, let’s be clear. When I talk about accessibility and affordability, I’m not just talking about health care.
I’m also talking about child care, housing and education. I’m talking about job creation and justice reform, security and sustainability. I’m talking about all the quality of life issues that affect our families every day.
By building an agenda committed to the gospel of accessibility and affordability, we can do more than win an election.
I’m talking about the American Dream. If we know anything, it is that no matter what issue or challenge we face as hard-working Americans, the solution will ultimately be judged by the answer to two simple questions: Is it accessible? Secondly, Is it affordable?
If the answer to either is "no," then when we haven’t done our job.
It’s simple really. Imagine you’re walking down the road one day and come across a hole that is too deep to cross and too broad to bypass.
Luckily there’s a man standing right next to you who has a board long enough to span the hole and sturdy enough to carry your weight and he’ll be happy to loan it to you — for the low, low price of $1 million.
The solution is accessible. But not affordable.
Now let’s say the man is willing to lend you the board for no charge at all. Unfortunately, it’s sitting at the bottom of the hole where he dropped it earlier.
The solution is affordable. But not accessible.
Yet if we step forward with solutions that are both accessible and affordable, we can not only defeat this obstacle, but fundamentally change the American landscape.
We could make quality health care and education for all Americans a right not just in philosophy but in fact. We could rebuild our crumbling roads, bridges, and water and sewer infrastructure. We could create good, high-paying jobs that raise countless families out of poverty.
We could close food deserts and the school-to-prison pipeline alike, build new schools and hospitals in rural communities, invest in clean air and clean water and ensure that every man, woman and child receive equal protection under the law.
We could change lives for the better and for generations to come.
Don’t get me wrong. I understand that kind of fundamental change can be difficult to imagine. I understand because I grew up in rural South Carolina and, while I never had the opportunity to know my grandfathers, I was blessed to have two sharecropping grandmothers. They were both as tough as pine knots, and they were never shy about educating us on the challenges they had faced over the years.
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Looking back now, I can see that too many of their struggles have become my own. They passed through the generations as much as brown eyes and banana pudding recipes.
It doesn’t have to be that way in the future. By building an agenda committed to the gospel of accessibility and affordability, we can do more than win an election. We can change the very course of history.
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