The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views of Liberal America.
In The New York Times, Sen. Sanders says that the liberal elite “forgot” hardworking Americans, what he really means is that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did not excuse their actions, or assuage their guilt.
Keep also in mind that when Sanders says “Hardworking American,” he seems to mean white factory worker. Because I’m a Black, 25-year-old with student debt, and I felt like she talked to me. Am I not a part of Sanders’ America?
The common theme right now is that Democrats failed to realize that they had to “appeal” to wider swaths of the America republic, but that is simply not true. I’m certain that I don’t “appeal” to a young-earth creationist, but that’s probably because, scientifically speaking, that idea is nonsense, and I’m not giving anyone a cookie for being ignorant.
Not to mention that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, and by an extraordinary margin, second only to the legend himself, President Barack Hussein Obama.
That alone makes it clear that Trump does not have a mandate to lead, which in itself makes it clear that Clinton did appeal to the voters Sanders is claiming she didn’t.
A substantial portion of the American electorate rejects Donald Trump and his vision for America outright, because you don’t have to compromise with hate.
Hillary Clinton said in one debate that:
“Implicit bias is a problem for everyone.”
The media and right-wing pundits interpreted this as
“Ah, she’s calling us all racists!”
Well, when your Facebook feed is clogged with excuses, why it is justifiable to kill an unarmed Black 18-year-old in the street, leave his body there for four hours, and simply put the officer on administrative leave, I think you deserve to be called that.
Right wing pundits have proven themselves to be so averse to the claim of “racism” that they shut out any of the criticisms that lead someone to make that assertion. If a wife says, “You’re unfaithful” because her wife cheated on her, her wife doesn’t get to object to the packaging of the message without analyzing the substance.
Clinton is not here for your ignorance. What Sanders really means to say is that Hillary Clinton “didn’t appeal” to voters because she has a degree and uses polysyllabic words. And how could she possibly fix that, given that any attempt to come off that pedestal or wear a T-shirt instead of a diamond-studded Armani jacket would be cause for calls of condescension and weeks of being bullied in the press, the same as she was bullied for preparing for the debates?
And even now, the process of “healing” begins, with flowery posts from voters of all stripes talking about how they know that not all people who voted for Trump are racists, I suppose in an attempt to… What?
Make white voters feel OK.
That’s the goal. It’s always been the goal. And now, it’s Bernie Sanders’ goal. Sanders is literally saying that the cause of a loss this grand is that the oppressed were not appealing to the oppressor.
It’s the height of respectability politics. No, we do not compromise with racist tendencies, speech, or policies. We overcome them, and always have.
Does Bernie Sanders think Martin Luther King Jr. succeeded because he had “widespread appeal?” No, they didn’t like him, and they didn’t have to like him. They had to reckon with him.
What Sanders, and indeed many others, is advocating for is the idea that respectability makes people not racist.
It’s the same kind of politics that causes someone to say:
“Well, if you just raise your hands up, there wouldn’t be a problem … “She didn’t have to be wearing that skirt.”
It’s seeking to place us all under a cultural amnesia where we forget the campaign we just witnessed for the last 15 months, and it’s seeing to it that in the fullness of time, we apologize to the bully.
I vote that we don’t.
Watch the first interview with Sanders after Trump’s victory:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olILIkiIrM0&ab_channel=LiveStreamTVNews
Featured Image: Screenshot Via YouTube Video.
