Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders issued a sharp critique of the Democratic Party’s “disastrous” campaign following Vice President Kamala Harris’s loss to former President Donald Trump in the presidential election.
In his statement, Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, expressed disappointment, stating, “It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working-class people would find that the working class has abandoned them.”
Sanders highlighted a shift in support away from the Democrats among various groups, saying, “First, it was the white working class, and now it is Latino and Black workers as well.” He argued that, while Democratic leadership defends the status quo, Americans are frustrated and seeking change, adding, “And they’re right.”
Reflecting on economic struggles, Sanders pointed to issues like income inequality and the absence of guaranteed paid family and medical leave, underscoring the ongoing economic instability affecting Americans.
He also criticized U.S. military aid to Israel, saying, “Despite strong opposition from a majority of Americans, we continue to spend billions funding the extremist Netanyahu government’s war against the Palestinian people, which has resulted in a horrific humanitarian crisis with widespread malnutrition and the starvation of thousands of children.”
Recently re-elected to his fourth term in the Senate, Sanders expressed skepticism that Democratic Party leadership would learn from this campaign. “Will the big money interests and well-paid consultants who control the Democratic Party learn any real lessons? Will they address the pain and political alienation of tens of millions of Americans? Probably not,” he stated.
Calling for “very serious political discussions” on the future of grassroots democracy and economic justice, Sanders ended his statement with, “Stay tuned.”
