Babz Feels The Bern

When Bernie Sanders came out this week for ending the death penalty and ending the federal prohibition against marijuana legalization, he convinced at least one hard-core Hillary Clinton supporter to take a second look.

That supporter is Babz Rawls-Ivy, managing editor of the Inner-City News and a WNHH radio talk-show host.

On Friday Rawls-Ivy appeared as usual on WNHH’s week-in review ​“Friday Pundits” show. She and fellow panelists — Michelle Turnor of WNHH and WSHU and morning-show host Joe Ugly — discussed the two positions Sanders took this week in his uphill Democratic presidential campaign against frontrunner Clinton.

In recent weeks, Rawls-Ivy has stood by Clinton as the most qualified and electable Democratic candidate.

Rawls-Ivy is also an outspoken criminal-justice reform advocate, calling for a dramatic rethinking of both the drug war and the death penalty. She said Friday she hasn’t decided to now support Sanders, but will consider the idea, especially if Clinton continues to stand by her support of the death penalty.

“I’m a a fan of Hillary Clinton. I’m a big fan for a lot of reasons. But I think Bernie Sanders brings a dialogue that we have not seen since the Kennedys,” Rawls-Ivy said.

In a similar turnabout, Joe Ugly, who has backed Sanders over Clinton in past shows, interjected that he now doesn’t believe ​“Bernie Sanders is presidential,” a common sentiment among some who watched the two square off in a recent debate.

“I think we have to change oour mind about what that is. We come to ​‘presidential’ with this pageantry. We’re so not used to not having someone speak so much with clarity,” Rawls-Ivy responded.

Click on the above sound file to hear the entire program, which touched on subjects ranging from school discipline to racial profiling. The Sanders-Clinton discussion begins at 19:10.