Bernie Sanders has claimed that some Democrats are using “identity politics” to block discussion of issues such as “class politics”, in a series of comments that have drawn criticism from some quarters.
The veteran Vermont senator accused the “liberal elite” in America of using the inclusion of marginalised communities, such as Black or LGBTQ+ people, as a way to make issues seem difficult to understand.
“We get to this thing called ‘identity politics’, you’re Black, you’re tremendous, you’re wonderful. You’re gay, you’re the greatest thing on Earth, rather than say: what do you stand for?” the former Democrat, who now sits as an independent, said.
Speaking on an episode of the Flagrant podcast on Monday (19 May), Sanders was asked about his supporters being accused of racism and misogyny during the 2016 Democratic presidential primaries, which he lost to Hillary Clinton.
He responded by claiming that the “Democratic establishment,” which he described as a threat to democracy, had worked with mainstream media to create a “myth” that his supporters, many of whom were “young people” and “people of colour,” were bigots.
“That’s what the liberal elite [tries to do],” he said. “I hope that everybody watching the programme would agree that we as a nation need to end all forms of bigotry, whether it’s racism or sexism, homophobia or xenophobia, whatever it is, liberal Democrats talk about that all the time.
“Is every gay person brilliant or wonderful or great? No, of course not, everyone’s a human being. The issue is: what do you stand for? And that gets you back to the issue we discussed earlier: class politics.“
Sanders said discussion of these topics, especially among Democrats, helped ignore the real question, which is: which side are you on?
“No one cares what colour you are or what your gender is”
“Are you going to stand with working families?” he asked. “Are you going to raise the minimum wage to a living wage? Are you going to fight to guarantee healthcare for all people, or not? Are you going to demand that the wealthiest people [pay] their fair share of taxes, or not?
“Those are the issues. No one cares what colour you are or what your gender is.”
His comments brought mixed reactions from viewers, with some accusing him of “pandering to the anti-DEI crowd,” while others argued he was criticising Democrats for expecting marginalised groups to “automatically vote for them”.
Sanders has often voiced his support for ending discrimination in the US, including that faced the LGBTQ+ community, with whom, he said, politicians must “stand united.”
Recently, Sanders criss-crossed the US to hold rallies, dubbed the Fighting the Oligarchy Tour, offering Democratic voters an outlet for their anger and fear as Donald Trump continued to reverse progressive policies.
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