Bernie Sanders traveled to Mississippi on Wednesday to try to improve his weak standing with black voters, after garnering less than 20% of their support in the South in 2016.

But on the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, in front of a largely black audience, Bernie delivered a stinging criticism to the country’s first black president. After belittling him as merely a “charismatic individual,” Bernie blamed President Obama for Democrats losing 1,000 seats in state legislatures during his 8 years in office.

The episode resulted in a round of headlines reminiscent of the 2016 campaign.

Now:

AP: Bernie Sanders struggles with new path to black voters

The New York Times: Bernie Sanders Courts Black Voters Anew. But an Obama Reference Stings.

Buzzfeed: Bernie Sanders’ Revolution Needs Black Voters To Win. But Can He Talk To Them?

2016:

Politico: Why Black Voters Don't Feel The Bern

The Guardian: Bernie Sanders isn't winning minority votes – and it's his own fault

The Washington Post: Why Bernie Sanders will rue his ‘deep South’ dismissal of black voters

And it provided more fodder for Obama and Clinton allies to attack Bernie.

What’s clear: Bernie still has a lot of work to do as he moves closer to a possible 2020 presidential bid.

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