Sanders, Killer Mike discuss socialism

Rapper Killer Mike interviewed Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) about the meaning of socialism in a video uploaded to YouTube on Tuesday, giving the Democratic presidential contender the opportunity to explain why his brand of liberalism should appeal to the African-American community.

In an interview conducted at the rapper’s Graffiti Swag Barbers in Atlanta, Killer Mike, born Michael Render, talked about growing up poor in West Atlanta and described how he had to hustle to make money as a young man, which helped him understand the merits of capitalism.

But Render argued in favor of “compassionate capitalism,” which he said was lacking in today’s economic environment. He said part of what attracted him to Sanders was the belief that “compassionate capitalism” is one of the tenants of Democratic Socialism, which he said has been wrongly demonized in many quarters.
 
{mosads}“People of my community, my ethnic community, haven’t had an opportunity to hear you say, ‘These are the things I think,’” Render said to Sanders. “So what is socialism and what does it mean to the black community?”

Sanders, who, as a senator from a predominantly white, rural state has struggled to make inroads with African-American voters, explained that he believes that, as citizens of “the richest country in the world,” all Americans are born with “economic rights.”

Those rights, Sanders explained, include universal healthcare, free tuition at public colleges and the ability to earn a “living wage.” 

“To be truly free you need economic rights. … You can go out and give a speech, but if you don’t have any food in your stomach, if you don’t have a house, a roof over your head, if you don’t have any education, are you really free?,” Sanders asked.

Render has emerged as one of Sanders’s most high-profile backers. He endorsed the senator over the summer, saying he was first attracted to Sanders’s support for restoring the Voting Rights Act.

Render has since met with Sanders on a handful of occasions and introduced him at a rally in Atlanta earlier this month.