The vetting of Sen. Bernie Sanders continues in earnest in the world of social media as we inch ever closer to Super Tuesday, which will likely prove to be a defining moment in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.
On Friday, Bianca Delarosa shared a video of Sanders using the word “niggardly” at a 1986 gubernatorial debate in Vermont — this isn’t the first time the video has surfaced in this election cycle.
For what it’s worth, Delarosa is an avid supporter of Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., who dropped out of the Democratic primary in December.
“I am not going to be niggardly about funding for daycare,” Sanders is heard saying in the clip.
I’m not going to be NIGGARDLY (no relation to n*gger) with daycare funding.
I’d have said “Stingy” instead. pic.twitter.com/8PUg2UNevr
— ⚖️ Bernie Doesn’t Like Babies or Dogs (sus) ⚖️ (@KHiveQueenB) February 29, 2020
The video was circulated last year by Mediaite’s Tommy Christopher, who said of the term: “The word ‘niggardly’ is an obscure and arcane synonym for stingy that has no etymological link to the n-word.”
That assessment is accurate, and the n-word is now so repulsive in our society — save for some in the black community — that the use of “niggardly” has practically become nonexistent just because it could be mistaken for a slur.
As we have learned by now, there is no room for error when it comes to avoiding being tagged as a racist.
Christopher shared the tweet he posted in March 2019, suggesting the same thing said in the tweet above, that the term “stingy” would do just as well.
“I am not going to be niggardly about funding for daycare…” – Bernie Sanders 1986. I know it’s not a slur, but I’ve always wondered why a person would choose to say that word, when “stingy” would do just as well. pic.twitter.com/gy0Nh36yea
— Tommy X-TrumpIsARacist-opher (@tommyxtopher) March 12, 2019
Delarosa responded to the fall out to her earlier tweet to say: “Come tell my husband not to be so NIGGARDLY when I ask for money. I’ll be recording.”
Come tell my husband not to be so NIGGARDLY when I ask for money.
I’ll be recording.
— ⚖️ Bernie Doesn’t Like Babies or Dogs (sus) ⚖️ (@KHiveQueenB) February 29, 2020
She had also visited the issue back in January, encouraging Sanders supporters to record themselves as they work the term in while talking with a large group of black men.
I need every White Bernie person in my mentions arguing for Bernie to be able to yell “Niggardly!” in public to do one thing.
Go find a large group of black men and find ways to work niggardly into a conversation with them.
Record this event..or live stream it.
Post it.
— ⚖️ Bernie Doesn’t Like Babies or Dogs (sus) ⚖️ (@KHiveQueenB) January 9, 2020
Turns out, Bernie Sanders did use the n-word itself in a passage from his 1997 book, “Outsider in the House.” Twice. He encased the uncensored term in quotation marks each time.
Here’s a sampling of the responses to the story from Twitter:
Was he ever a nice young man? In every single clip I see of him he looks old and nasty even when he was young.
— Sheena Queen of the Jungle (@texdakota) February 29, 2020
He got to say the word without saying the word. He was feeling deprived because white people can’t say the word and Black people can so he figured out a sneaky way to do it.
— ⚖️Pennell Somsen: #KHive, trending #Biden2020 (@PinaS1945) February 29, 2020
Only this old crackpot would use that word.
— Beaux?️? (@NuclearWessels) February 29, 2020
Holy crap. Cheap? Careful? Thrifty?
Vote for Biden.— CLAIRE SCHRIMPF (@gxcmanteca) February 29, 2020
A small taste of what a billion dollars in oppo will do to the republic of bernistan.
— ?️? PETTY RUBBLE ENDORSES JOE BIDEN (@HillaryzMyHmgrl) February 29, 2020
I had not ever heard that word – and had to look it up when I first heard it as used by Bernie. I was shocked that he had used it. It is so unusual. One has to consciously use it, or it does not happen because there are so many common-language alternatives. BS intended to use it.
— Su Mohan #WinBlue?#DemsWork4USA?? (@SuMoh7) February 29, 2020
This was something that was brought out in academia once. No, the word is fine by dictionary definition, but bad for the association ppl have with it.
— Florence Nightingale. (@jaynemead17) February 29, 2020
You forget that Bernie is a major deity and gets a free pass on this stuff…? #Bernieisgod
— Dr Áine Foley (@AineMedievalDub) February 29, 2020
Like, I get what the word means but just using common sense, it’s not a word I use. It’s not that hard. It sounds too close and it’s easy for people to mistake the meaning since it’s not at all common. It’s one of those words you might come across in very dated literature.
— fanster (@FF_fanster) January 9, 2020
There are over 150,000 words currently used in the English language and around 50,000 words no longer in use. There is no reason to use the word “niggardly” in modern usage. Bob Dole used the word in the 90s and the left pillared him over it. No pass for Bernie on this.
— PWM (William) ?? Biden2020 ? (@PWM62) January 9, 2020
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The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.
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