Scarborough Explains What Black Voters Want To Head Of Urban League (VIDEO)

“Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough on Friday morning explained what it is exactly that he thought black voters wanted from a presidential candidate to Urban League National President Marc Morial.

Scarborough asked Morial what he thought of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) record on civil rights after Rep. John Lewis’s (R-GA) questioned Sanders’ commitment to African Americans on Thursday. Lewis said, “He didn’t see (Sanders),” but he “met Clinton. I met President Clinton.”

“I think he’s a credible individual and I think he’s sincere,” Morial said of Sanders. “But the real question, the real question is who would make the best person to carry the banner the fall for the Democratic Party? Who would make the strongest candidate? And who would make the best President?”

Clinton was expected to meet with representatives from the group on Tuesday, Morial said. The invitation had been extended to Sanders and all other presidential candidates as well, he added.

Scarborough questioned what the group’s motivations were.

“If you’re the Urban League, isn’t the question who would help black voters the most?” he asked Morial. “Whose policies would actually break away the ongoing vicious cycle we have where the rich get poorer, the poorer—I mean the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, isn’t that what’s critical? Because it’s black Americans who share the disproportionate burden of those numbers.”

Morial said his organization wants to know which candidate would give African Americans the “opportunity” to be a part of the country’s policy discussions.

“I would frame it this way, who offers to African-Americans an opportunity to be a significant part of their governing coalition once they become President? That’s the issue,” Morial said.

Scarborough continued to press Morial on what would be the most important issue for African-American voters.

“Is that more of the issue than jobs?” he said. “Getting black teenagers back to work? Black Americans back to work instead of who is going to give me a job in the administration.”

Morial said that being involved in how “policies are shaped” was critical.

“You don’t understand what I’m saying,” he told Scarborough. “Being a part of a governing coalition means you will have a seat at the table to be a participant as policies are shaped.”

Watch below: