Harlem not feeling Bern!

In the last few days, Hillary Clinton and her campaign staff have descended on New York hoping to deny Bernie Sanders a win in the big apple.

Hillary Clinton and New York have a long-standing relationship, and it can be argued that the relationship is not mutually beneficial. In certain political circles, Hillary Clinton is seen as a fraudulent transplant that only moved to New York in order to further her political ambitions. To be sure, Hillary Clinton’s real road to the white house began in earnest when she became a senator representing New York State. Needless to say, New York has been very good for secretary Clinton. Harlem, more than any other neighborhood in the five boroughs, has a special relationship with the Clintons. It was here that Bill Clinton opened his presidential office after leaving the White House.

Now, team Hillary is making the rounds in Harlem hoping to avoid taking a loss in their own back yard. According to political pundits Bernie Sanders has virtually no chance, however the Brooklyn-born Vermont senator isn’t ready to concede Harlem. Admittedly, team Sanders has tapped into a progressive enthusiasm in his home borough, but nonetheless, the campaign has struggled to make inroads in the historic neighborhood in Upper Manhattan that is considered the heart of Clinton Country.

Hillary Clinton kicked off her New York campaign at the Apollo Theater in Harlem on Wednesday. The Democratic presidential candidate emphasized her roots in New York, where she served two terms as a U.S. senator. She lives in Westchester County and her national campaign headquarters is in Brooklyn. The former secretary of state, who leads Sanders in pledged delegates (1,243 to 975) in New York polls, stressed that she would deliver where her primary rival Bernie Sanders could not.  

The Sanders campaign, fueled by an unstoppable stream of small donations that is enabling it to compete in New York, said it is looking to open an office in Harlem over the next few weeks. But so far, there’s little evidence the neighborhood is ready to embrace the Vermont senator. The campaign is even having difficulty nailing down a venue for a rally. Rev. Charles Curtis of Mount Love Bapist Church on Lenox Avenue confirmed that a minister working with the Sanders campaign reached out to rent the church for a campaign event and that he turned down the offer. Curtis admitted that he turned down the Sanders campaign primarily because of a packed schedule of community events; however, he was hesitant to say he would be willing to host the senator even if the church was free.

“Right now, based on what I have seen, and the people I have spoken to, I doubt seriously if he going to do well in Harlem. Clinton has the support of most of the African-American clergy.”

Ouch!

Obviously, trying to harness votes or a venue in Harlem is a near impossible task for the Sanders campaign. The chief criticism of team Sanders is that they do well with white voters in states like New Hampshire and Wisconsin, but are unable to expand their voter base in ethnically diverse states like New York. Sadly, even in the democratic presidential race, it all comes down to black and white voter enclaves.

Despite the fact that Harlem isn’t feeling the Bern, the Sanders campaign is holding a rally on Thursday at Saint Mary’s park in the South Bronx.