Senator Bernie Sanders Claims Racism Played a Role in the Midterms

Why did Michigan hopeful, John James, lose his Senate bid to Senator Debbie Stabenow? Senator Bernie Sanders offered his opinion on Wednesday to the Daily Beast. “I think you know there are a lot of white folks out there who are not necessarily racist who felt uncomfortable for the first time in their lives about whether or not they wanted to vote for an African-American.”

Republicans were open-minded and embraced a black man running to represent them in the U.S. Senate. John James was by far the top Republican of the 2018 midterms in Michigan. It was the Democrats who, according to Bernie, found it too difficult to pull the lever for a black man.

Well, Bernie wasn’t exactly referring to Michigan’s race. For some odd reason, he was specifically referring to Andrew Gillum of Florida and Stacey Abrams of Georgia, both candidates that lost their bid for governor and have a difficult time accepting the will of the people.

It’s curious that only white people that don’t elect black Democrats are racist, but when Democrats don’t elect black Republicans, there’s a more reasonable explanation to it. Of course, Stabenow is a longtime incumbent with plenty of cash and name ID. There were ballot proposals that drove turnout, Democrats were flooding the state with cash, Trump—love him or hate him—drove out Resistance voters, and there were missed opportunities by Republicans. Even still, John James was originally expected to be down by double digits. Instead, he lost by less than seven points.

Imagine how much different the results would be if Hollywood and the media invested in a black veteran and business owner from Detroit, rather than a white Irishman that nearly sold out his constituents to his billionaire father-in-law while he was a city councilman. Robert “Beto” O’Rourke spent nearly sixty million dollars, only to lose to Senator Ted Cruz. I’m sure it was a lot closer than Senator Cruz would have liked, but it was a safe bet that O’Rourke was going to share the same fate as John James.

Now, I’m not suggesting that anyone votes based off race. Just because someone is your same race doesn’t mean they share your values. Just because someone is a minority doesn’t mean they’re inherently better. And—though this might be extremely controversial to say—just because you are white doesn’t mean you are anymore privileged than someone that isn’t. Being born with or without wealth doesn’t make you more or less moral. People of all races come from different economic situations, religions, educational backgrounds, and parental circumstances. Yeah, you can fit everyone in blocks of statistics and stereotypes, but candidates should be granted the opportunity to run on their platform and be judged by their qualifications and their plans.

How did Gillum lose in Florida? He wanted to raise taxes in a state where everyone goes to retire. He was simply far too progressive, and that was true of Stacey Abrams. It didn’t matter if Oprah knocked on a few doors. Abrams is still against civilians owning the most popular gun in America. If Democrats wanted to run more substantive and moderate candidates, the results might have been different.

The truth is, Democrats use identity politics to push a narrative instead of talking about ideas. Why? Because people don’t like when you raise their taxes, when politicians allude to gun bans or confiscations, or lawlessness at the border. There are voters that would support those stances, but America is a lot more moderate than either side of the aisle likes to admit. Beliefs range from different states, counties, and even cities. It takes time to get to know your voter and attend to their needs. It’s a lot easier for lazy politicians to accuse the people that don’t vote their way of being terrible human beings.

But don’t worry, racists, Bernie Sanders believes you’ll probably do the right thing next time. After all, he’s got two years of constant shaming to emotionally manipulate you.