Presidential candidate Andrew Yang told Bill Maher on Friday evening that embracing “identity politics” is a “very poor way” for Democrats to try to win national elections.
At a time when the party seems intent on doubling down on every single type of identity politics and embrace “salad bowl” politics and separatism, Yang said that, as the son of immigrants, he understands “the impulse behind identity politics.”
But he said that “Democrats have to know that identity politics is a very poor way to approach winning national elections, and it’s a very poor way to bring our country together.”
Massachusetts city imposes curfew ahead of historic World Cup match
Fitness influencer pleads guilty in violent gym attack after beating man with weightlifting belt
One Day After Cancelling July 4 Fireworks, Buffalo, NY, Celebrates Somali Independence Day
‘Young Washington’ Delivers Revolutionary Hit for Angel Studios Honoring America’s 250th Birthday
Ex-Obama advisor mocked after questioning Chicago’s response to unconscious man: ‘Own a mirror?’
Secret Service missed ‘multiple opportunities’ to prevent Trump assassination attempt: watchdog
Watch: Young Americans Turn National Mall Into Wild Celebration of Patriotism as US Scores Big World Cup Win
Before 1776: Rediscovering America’s first chapter at Jamestown
Watch: Pete Hegseth Skewers ‘Blinded by Ideology’ Protesters Who Interrupted Moment of Silence for Fallen Soldier
Sanctuary county refused 615 ICE transfer requests, turned over just 11 illegal immigrants, records show
Secret Service debuts new badge for all personnel: ‘Represents unity’
Thunderbirds to race cars: Inside Horsepower of America at the Great American State Fair
Video shows moments before Army veteran was fatally shot in Walmart parking lot dispute
WWII pilot missing after secret spy mission finally accounted for more than 80 years later
Letitia James hammered after NY Medicaid fraud unit funding frozen over ineffective enforcement
“We have to enact solutions that will help all americans. And when Martin Luther King championed a guaranteed minimum income in the ’60s, which is almost exactly like my and freedom dividend, he didn’t do it for any subset of Americans. He did it for all Americans and that’s again how we move our country forward,” Yang said on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher.
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) started the 2020 discussion about “identity politics” when she claimed the term is used to “shut you up” about issues dealing with race, sexual orientation and religion.
Massachusetts city imposes curfew ahead of historic World Cup match
Fitness influencer pleads guilty in violent gym attack after beating man with weightlifting belt
One Day After Cancelling July 4 Fireworks, Buffalo, NY, Celebrates Somali Independence Day
‘Young Washington’ Delivers Revolutionary Hit for Angel Studios Honoring America’s 250th Birthday
Ex-Obama advisor mocked after questioning Chicago’s response to unconscious man: ‘Own a mirror?’
Secret Service missed ‘multiple opportunities’ to prevent Trump assassination attempt: watchdog
Watch: Young Americans Turn National Mall Into Wild Celebration of Patriotism as US Scores Big World Cup Win
Before 1776: Rediscovering America’s first chapter at Jamestown
Watch: Pete Hegseth Skewers ‘Blinded by Ideology’ Protesters Who Interrupted Moment of Silence for Fallen Soldier
Sanctuary county refused 615 ICE transfer requests, turned over just 11 illegal immigrants, records show
Secret Service debuts new badge for all personnel: ‘Represents unity’
Thunderbirds to race cars: Inside Horsepower of America at the Great American State Fair
Video shows moments before Army veteran was fatally shot in Walmart parking lot dispute
WWII pilot missing after secret spy mission finally accounted for more than 80 years later
Letitia James hammered after NY Medicaid fraud unit funding frozen over ineffective enforcement
“This term identity politics, people will use that term— it’s like people used to talk about the race card. They bring this term up when you talk about issues that are about race, about sexual orientation, religion,” Harris said. “They bring it up when we are talking about civil rights issues as a way to marginalize the issue, as a way frankly to try to silence you or shut you up.”
Failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams in recent months has also urged Democrats to triple down on identity politics, saying that identity politics is the way to win for Democrats.
“The notion of identity politics has been peddled for the past 10 years and it’s been used as a dog whistle to say we shouldn’t pay too much attention to the voices coming into progress,” Abrams recently said. “I would argue that identity politics is exactly who we are and exactly how we won.”
Yang credited President Donald Trump for realizing how much working-class Americans were hurting and said Democrats need to stop “condescending” to regular Americans who do not live in so-called “super zips” and other well-to-do liberal enclaves that have disproportionately benefited from the high-tech economy.
“When I was growing up, the Democratic party was the party of the working class, the little guy or gal. We need to get back to that. I can’t tell you how much credit Donald Trump got just for calling out the pain that many of these communities are in,” Yang added. “And so if the Democratic party stops condescending and says, ‘look, we’re here to actually work on solving your problems,’ we can go very very far with many of the people who voted for Donald Trump.”
Story cited here.
