Rapper Talib Kweli: Bernie Sanders is ‘Easiest to Get To’ for #BlackLivesMatter Protesters

Rapper Talib Kweli appeared on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher this week, where he defended the shutting down of a recent Bernie Sanders campaign rally by #BlackLivesMatter protesters.

“Why Bernie Sanders?” Maher asked Kweli. “Bernie Sanders, plainly, is not a racist. Bernie Sanders is not the problem.”

“Just because someone has a record of civil rights doesn’t mean they’re automatically entitled to the black vote,” Kweli replied.

“But is he the first guy we should be attacking?” Maher pressed. “Shouldn’t we work up our way from people who…”

“Well, he might be the easiest because he’s somebody who’s dealing with the people more directly than a Jeb Bush or Hillary Clinton,” Kweli explained. “He might be the easiest to get to.”

“The job of activism is not to be liked, or not to be polite,” the rapper continued. “Just because you’re progressive, doesn’t mean that you have a grasp of racial issues. It’s very possible to be progressive and still have no understanding of racial issues.”

Kweli added that protesters have forced Democrat candidate Martin O’Malley as well as Sanders to create a campaign platform to deal with racial issues.

Watch the debate between Maher and Kweli above.