By Paul Bean
In a sobering conversation on the Flagrant Podcast, hosted by comedian Andrew Schulz, Senator Bernie Sanders called out the Democrat Party for its over-emphasis on identity politics and its disconnect from working-class voters. Here’s a sample:
“And you know, liberal Democrats talk about that all the time. And then you get to what we call “identity politics. You’re black?, ‘you’re wonderful, you’re tremendous.’ You’re gay? ‘You’re the greatest human being on earth…’ Rather than say ‘what do you stand for?’ You’re gay? That’s fine, who cares? But what do you stand for?… Is every gay person great and brilliant? No….”
Released on May 19, the 80-minute conversation included some of Sanders’s typical talking points such as socialized healthcare, student debt reform, working class struggles, and wealth inequality. But other comments – such as the one above – were pretty eye-opening, even for him.
Andrew Schultz’s Flagrant Podcast featured President Trump as a guest on their show prior to his election in November, which drew a lot of criticism from the mainstream press. As Schultz points out, big name podcasters that might have influenced the election were criticized in an eerily similar way to ‘Bernie Bros’ were back in 2016, when some media called Sanders supporters racist and misogynistic, and other names.
Co-Host Akaash Singh: “We have a question we wanted to ask you about what happened in 2016, with this Bernie Bro’s movement, where you’re, your followers are seen as, ‘they have a racism problem, a misogyny problem,’ do you think that was a super-pac thing behind that?
Bernie Sanders: “No it was the Democratic establishment…that was just, they were sitting there, we had a lot of young people, we had people of color, you know, they create this kind of myth with the help of the corporate media.. All that stuff.”.
Andrew Schultz: “You know what’s kind of interesting, to that note, during this election, the podcast space, which the democrats largely avoided, they feel had some influence in the election and they started to label us the ‘podcast bros,’ and said that we were sexist, and we were racist, and bigoted. It’s almost like the exact same strategy to get you out of there.”
Bernie Sanders: “Yeah that’s what the liberal elite try to do… I would hope that everyone watching the program would agree that we as a nation need to fight all forms of bigotry…and I start that off as a basic assumption… When it is racism, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, whatever it is. And you know, liberal Democrats talk about that all the time. And then you get to what we call “identity politics. You’re black?, ‘you’re wonderful, you’re tremendous.’ You’re gay? ‘You’re the greatest human being on earth…’ Rather than say ‘what do you stand for?’ You’re gay? That’s fine, who cares? But what do you stand for?… Is every gay person great and brilliant? No. Of course they aren’t, every person is a human being…We should instead be asking ‘which side are you on? Are you going to stand with working families? Are you going to raise the minimum wage to a living wage, or not? Are you going to fight to guarantee health care for all, or not? Are you going to demand that the wealthiest of people pay their fair share of taxes, or not?’ Those are the issues. No one cares what color you are, what your gender is, etcetera, etcetera.”
Schultz also questioned Bernie Sanders about his presidential election bid in 2016, drawing comparisons to the 2024 primary election where, as Schultz argues, it appears the candidate was selected rather than elected:
Schultz: “I feel like the ‘democratic’ party completely removed the democratic process from its constituents, and I think they need to have some accountability.”
Bernie Sanders: “No argument here.”
Andrew Schultz: “I donated for you.. I mean I wanted you.. 2016, I was like, ‘this is gonna happen, this guy us going to do it. It felt like they stole it from you, and I will be honest with you, it broke my heart when you supported her.”
Bernie Sanders: “Look but you have, in the world that I live in, you have a choice. A lot of people, including my wife, agree with you. But it came down to a choice. Is it going to be Hilary Clinton or Donald Trump, not a great choice.”
Andrew Schultz: “You might have ended up being him anyway, so why didn’t we burn it down?”
Bernie Sanders: “Well it’s easy to say that– burning it down means that children are not going to have food to eat, that the schools will deteriorate, people will not have healthcare. I am an elected official, I represent the people of Vermont I can’t turn my back on.”
Co-Host Akaash Singh: “But then could we not also say if ostensibly there hasn’t been a fair primary for the Democrats since 2008 are they not also a threat to democracy?”
Bernie Sanders: “Fair enough. Yeah, I am not going to argue with that point. And that’s why I am proudly and Independent…”
In one segment he responded to questions on Israel, criticizing U.S. policy, condemning what he calls the “horrific” situation in Gaza. He highlighted an intentional starvation of children and massive malnutrition, blaming a corrupt campaign finance system for enabling groups like AIPAC to intimidate politicians. Sen. Sanders increasingly has been critical of unchecked U.S. support for Israel under Netanyahu. He recently gave remarks on the Senate floor claiming that it has been 68 days since Israel allowed humanitarian aid into Gaza and calling on the U.S. to end its complicity in the destruction of the Palestinian people.
Sanders called out the political cost of speaking against Israel, stating, “If you speak up about Gaza, you’ll have super PACs like AIPAC going after you.” He described the Gaza crisis as “horrific,” noting, “What’s going on in Gaza… seeing children starving to death, massive malnutrition.”
Israel maintains it has brought 91,000 tractor-trailer loads of food and other aid into Gaza, and that Hamas takes the food to use in its war effort.
Sanders also did not hesitate to criticize President Donald Trump’s influence on American culture, arguing it has shifted focus from collective progress to individual wealth. Discussing Trump’s recent healthcare executive order on price transparency, Sanders expressed skepticism: “It’s a step, but it doesn’t fix the core issue– our healthcare system is still a profit-driven mess.”
On the American Dream, Sanders said “The American Dream used to mean a decent job, healthcare, and a home; now it’s rigged for the billionaires.” Schulz pushed back, asking if Trump’s policies could restore opportunity for Americans, to which Sanders replied, “His policies help the top 1%; the working class gets crumbs.”
Watch the full episode of Flagrant: Bernie Sanders Rips DC Corruption, The Israel Lobby, & Reveals How Billionaires Buy Politicians.