As independent Vermont Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders continues his now-longshot bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, his wife Jane Sanders continues to make the rounds in support of his candidacy. On Thursday’s Morning Joe, co-hot Willie Geist asked Mrs. Sanders to explain why Bernie is still doing poorly with minority voters, even though Bernie’s message of income inequality should capture many of those voters. Mrs. Sanders chalked it up to Hillary Clinton‘s “good relationship with the African-American community,” and the fact that Sanders needs to “get out in front of them”:

I think if he was running against anybody but Hillary Clinton, who was the anointed one, who is the most well-known person running for office in this country, in the world, she has a good relationship with the African-American community that goes back decades. That hurts us, helps her. We are making inroads especially among those under 45. We’re winning across races. We’ve been picking up all along. We’re going to keep on doing that. It’s basically getting out in front of them, talking with about the issues that affect them. And that his general bold vision for the future actually affects them disproportionately because, as you say, a lot of them have lower incomes, they are concerned about the cost of higher education, and a number of the issues that Bernie puts out there.

The key elements of that response, that Sanders is just not well-known enough among black voters and that his overall campaign theme is better for minorities already, are nearly identical to those given by Bernie Sanders essentially since his campaign began. Back in June of 2015, Sen. Sanders explained that black voters “may not understand” his record and plans, but ten months later, after picking up significant support from white voters in the interim. Clearly, someone is not getting it.

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