The war of words between Democratic presidential contenders Bernie Sanders and Julian Castro over their disagreement on proposed reparations for descendants of slaves isn’t showing any signs of letting up.
The independent senator from Vermont’s 2020 presidential campaign manager – in a conference call Monday with reporters - accused Castro of playing politics and doing “a disservice” to Sanders' lifelong advocacy “for racial and economic justice.”
CASTRO SAYS HE SUPPORTS REPARATIONS FOR DESCENDANTS OF SLAVES
Castro, the former San Antonio mayor who later served as Housing and Urban Development secretary under President Barack Obama, supports the idea of reparations for the descendants of slaves — which could come in the form of tax credits, subsidized education costs or other ideas. Two other Democratic presidential candidates – Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts – also back reparations.
Sanders rejected the idea of reparations during his 2016 White House bid, and earlier this month once again pushed back against the proposal.
“I think that right now, our job is to address the crises facing the American people and our communities, and I think there are better ways to do that than just writing out a check,” Sanders said during an appearance on “The View.”
BIDEN, CASTRO, TOP LATEST 2020 DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION POLLS
Castro on Sunday took a jab at Sanders' comments that a check wasn’t the best way to address the issue.
“To my mind, that may or may not be the best way to address it,” he said in an interview on CNN.
Targeting two of Sanders' signature proposals, Castro argued that “it’s interesting to me that, when it comes to 'Medicare for All,' health care, the response there has been, ‘We need to write a big check,’” Castro said of Sanders. “When it comes to tuition-free or debt-free college, the answer has been, ‘We need to write a big check.’”
“And so, if the issue is compensating the descendants of slaves, I don’t think the argument about writing a big check ought to be the argument that you make, if you’re making an argument that a big check needs to be written for a whole bunch of other stuff,” Castro added.
Asked about those comments, Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir told reporters “no one’s got a magic solution. We’ve had an awful legacy of slavery, an awful legacy of racial disparities across so many different areas. Anyone who tells you they have a magic bullet here is lying to you.”
And apparently zeroing in on Castro, Shakir added “I do think that this effort to play politics with it does a disservice to the fact that Sen. Sanders...has been a lifelong advocate for racial and economic justice.”
Castro, who’s said he would create a commission or task force to look into all possible ways to provide reparations if elected, is a long-shot to win the Democratic presidential nomination. The latest polls suggest that Sanders – along with potential contender former Vice President Joe Biden - is one of the front runners in the race.
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