The second congressional hearing on reparations bill HR 40, held virtually last week, featured some conservative voices of opposition such as Black talk show host Larry Elder, but for Ohio Congressional Candidate Nina Turner, reparations are a no-brainer.
The anti-swamp politician and former senator in Ohio, Turner worked as an ally and national co-chairwoman for former presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders.
“How could anyone who has seen everything happening to Black people in this country be opposed to reparations?,” Turner asked on Twitter after the Feb. 17 hearing.
Her question got major response.
“Work to get the check cut, Nina. #ReparationsNow #purereparations,” one person encouraged her on Twitter.
Others attempted to answer her question: “Black people who oppose are ashamed of our history and they are in denial that it happened. White people who oppose are like just let it go away as long as I’m in charge and I’m the hierarchy it’s okay or they think it’s not happening to us it’s okay”.
Another user answered Turner, “Because they are don’t care about black people. Reparations have been paid to many others except for the ones that BUILT this country.”
Turner plans to run in 2021 in Ohio’s 11th congressional district special election since incumbent Rep. Marcia Fudge was selected as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Biden administration. Turner’s congressional candidacy has the backing of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, actor-activist Danny Glover, media personality Charlamagne Tha God and others.
Sanders and Turner agreed on reparations. He said, “I’m a strong co-sponsor” of HR 40. Despite this, Sanders wasn’t able to attract a dominant number of Black voters. During his presidential run, African-American aides blamed the “higher-ups” for brushing off Black voters.
During the 2020 primary season, Sanders had noticeable losses in Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Joe Biden won these states by large margins. Many of these states, including South Carolina and Mississippi, have a large percentage of Democrats that are Black, News One reported.
Sanders’ deputy state political director for South Carolina, Donald Gilliard, said the losses were due to a campaign focus on progressive white voters and not Black voters. “I knew that our campaign had not done the work it needed to do,” Gilliard told The Washington Post. Gilliard added that he felt the campaign’s strategy was “geared toward white progressives,” which forgot about Black voters.
Turner, Sanders’ most prominent Black ally, was criticized for not understanding Black voters in South Carolina. Some Sanders staffers felt she was wrong for the job when it came to South Carolina outreach. “She didn’t know the state,” said Gilliard of the disconnect between local and national leadership.
Turner is now gearing up for her own political clashes. There will be at least three special House races in 2021 that could break open long-simmering divides within the party, The Hill reported.
Turner has thrown her hat in the race to take Fudge’s seat but she’s already getting criticism over past attacks of Biden. Critics won’t forget how Turner compared a vote for Biden to eating half “a bowl of shit.”
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Cleveland City Councilman Jeff Johnson (D), who is also running against Turner, told The Hill in an interview that he is not looking to get into “trivial and silly” fights within the party but that Turner’s comments are “relevant to how you will be representing the interests of the 11th District.”
“I think it’s irresponsible for anyone to come and ask for votes from the 11th District and then go to Washington to constantly challenge and confront Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, as stated by Sen. Turner and her allies looking forward to her coming so that they can force issues like ‘Medicare for All,’” he said.
