BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS — In a rather extreme attempt to regain his fading hopes of becoming the Democrat nominee, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders was endorsed by Rev. Jesse Jackson at a Michigan rally on Sunday.
βI stand with Bernie Sanders today because he stood with me. I stand with him because heβs never lost his taste for justice for the people. I stand with him because he stands with you,β Jackson told the crowd in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
βThe Biden campaign has not reached out to me or asked for my support,β he added. βThe Sanders campaign has, and they responded to the issues I raised.β
It is interesting to note that Jackson was running against Joe Biden in the 1988 primaries. At the time, Biden told voters to reject Jacksonβs candidacy, going so far as to say so at rallies with mostly-black audiences. Later in the primary campaign, Biden dropped out due to charges of plagiarism and dismal polling numbers.
Jackson was referring to Sandersβ endorsement of him when he ran for the Democrat presidential nomination in 1988. The endorsement came before the primaries on Saturday. Jackson said Sanders had given him commitments on 13 issues including nominating African American women to the Supreme Court and his Cabinet and considering an African American woman as his running mate. Jackson also cited Sandersβ support of a wealth tax, his βMedicare for Allβ proposal and free tuition at public colleges and universities, among other things.
βSenator Sanders supports a single-payer health care plan that I advocated in 1984 and 1988 with his Medicare for All plan that will provide every American with universal and comprehensive health care,β Jackson said in his statement, βwith extra funds targeting rural and minority hospitals and community health centers.β
Jacksonβs endorsement of Sanders was considered key since Biden has been outperforming him in attracting black voters. Biden won 61 percent of the black vote in the recent primaries held in South Carolina. This is ostensibly due to Bidenβs appeal as having served under a two-term black president.
As a symbol of his political bond with Jackson, Sanders posted a photo of him praying with teh Baptist minister.
It should be noted that despite his claims to being a βproud Jewβ, Sanders does not normally attend synagogue. Sanders is currently