Bernie Sanders endorses & un-endorses Young Turks’ Cenk Uygur for Congress in under 24hrs
Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders has retracted his endorsement of Young Turks founder Cenk Uygur for a California House seat, less than 24 hours after making it following a torrential backlash over Uygur’s “sexism.”
Sanders quietly withdrew his endorsement on Friday, referencing what appeared to be a face-saving move by the creator of the progressive news outlet on Friday.
.@cenkuygur has been a longtime fighter against corruption. However, our movement is bigger than any one person. I hear my supporters who were frustrated and understand their concerns. Cenk today said he is rejecting all endorsements for his campaign and I retract my endorsement.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) December 13, 2019
“Cenk today said he is rejecting all endorsements for his campaign and I retract my endorsement,” Sanders said in a somewhat cryptic tweet acknowledging the “concerns” of “frustrated” supporters.
As the rancor mounted, Uygur cannily opted to give his backers an escape hatch, declaring he was rejecting any and all endorsements – other than those of California voters – because he didn’t want to be “beholden to corporations, lobbyists, or special interest groups.”
of any influence other than the voters of CA-25. I will not be beholden to corporations, lobbyists, or special interest groups and I will not stand by while those groups attack my political allies. That’s why I have decided that I will not be accepting any endorsements.
— Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur) December 13, 2019
.@BernieSanders endorses Cenk Uygur for Congress in #CA25. Statement:"I’m endorsing Cenk because I know he will serve ordinary people, not powerful special interests. He is a voice that we desperately need in Congress & will be a great representative for CA-25 and the country."
— Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur) December 12, 2019
Uygur had only just announced Sanders’ endorsement Thursday evening, drawing intense scrutiny to his campaign to fill the California House seat left vacant when Democrat Katie Hill resigned in October under her own cloud of sexual impropriety.
In 2013 #Cenk2020 discusses what "score" a woman has to be if she asks to "suck your d*ck." Cenk says 99% of men would let a woman who is "hot" or a "9." But a "2" or "3"? Meh. Maybe 50%.Didn't Harvard men's soccer get in trouble for lewd rankings of women like this?#CA25pic.twitter.com/nv2XcIvFBF
— M. Mendoza Ferrer (@m_mendozaferrer) December 12, 2019
Everything #Cenk2020 says to defend the Harvard men's soccer team shows how he believes "locker-room" talk like this is 100% permissible. Kudos to Ana Kasparian for standing her groun4 as Cenk interrupts her in order to dominate the conversation. #CA252 of 3 pic.twitter.com/f0aWFZ9LjY
— M. Mendoza Ferrer (@m_mendozaferrer) December 12, 2019
Six years ago #Cenk2020 went on Joe Rogan and had a discussion about "dick pics" because according to Cenk Uygur there's nothing "more natural." "We have large penises than other primates... because that's how we attract women, we swing our dicks around." pic.twitter.com/1ij7Ddurm3
— M. Mendoza Ferrer (@m_mendozaferrer) December 12, 2019
A legion of offensive comments from Uygur’s lengthy on-air career (over the course of which he went from a Republican to a progressive Democrat) immediately surfaced on social media, where they were pounced upon by the mainstream press. During one episode of his show, Uygur had ranked women on a numerical scale for their appeal in a particular sex act; in another, he defended the Harvard University men’s soccer team sharing a “scouting report” that sexually ranked female students on a similar numerical scale, insisting that there was no problem with the existence of such scales and that the only problem with the Harvard list was that it had gone public.
Asked about these and other incidents by the Times, he defended his show’s “frank conversations about sex” and declared himself a champion of women’s rights.
Cenk Uygur is more concerned about racist white making "dumb" tweets than he is about what was actually said by them about Obama.Cenk goes as far as to say "I think you're allowed to be RACIST on your OFFTIME in school."Seriously? Racist on your off-time, Cenk? #CA25pic.twitter.com/hTqkPAbXDx
— M. Mendoza Ferrer (@m_mendozaferrer) December 12, 2019
While criticism largely focused on Uygur’s perceived sexism (and racism – several Young Turks episodes involved Uygur and co-host Ana Kasparian reading other people’s racist comments on air), Uygur has also repeatedly denied the Armenian genocide occurred, even while repeatedly excoriating others for not taking the Native American genocide seriously enough.
For Sanders and Uygur’s would-be colleague Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) to endorse him so soon after the Senate unanimously voted to recognize the Armenian genocide is odd, to say the least. But it is the stink of Uygur’s misogynist comments that posed the biggest threat to Sanders, whose campaign has struggled with accusations of sexism amplified by his Democratic primary rivals. Just last week, they fired a staffer after a conservative publication dredged up homophobic slurs he’d posted on Twitter in the past.
Several progressive political figures piled on, demanding Sanders withdraw his endorsement, including Mark Gonzalez, chairman of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, and Will Rodriguez-Kennedy, president of the California Young Democrats. Social media lit up with criticism of Uygur as a “fake progressive.”
What is more infuriating than enduring a sexist in the White HouseBernie Sanders endorsing a known misogynistic candidate and cloaking the endorsement as “progressive”You know what’s progressive? Endorsing the woman with actual qualifications @ChristyforCA25#Cenk
— Mara McEwin (@maramcewin) December 13, 2019
Dear progressives:Stop defending Cenk Uygur just because he claims to be also a "progressive". He's a misogynist, period. His apology about being a misogynist in 2002/03 because he was a "conservative at the time" is complete bullshit.
— Pé Resists (@4everNeverTrump) December 13, 2019
…and of Sanders for letting Uygur get away with his fakery.
1) Bernie is responsible for vetting everyone he endorses, unless you think he’s stupid, and the Cenk stuff has been very public for a very long time 2) Bernie is responsible for withdrawing endorsements and issuing unilateral condemnation when stuff like this emerges. https://t.co/4XXWJGMcq1
— Sady Doyle (@sadydoyle) December 13, 2019
I’m hoping Bernie Sanders rescinds his endorsement of Cenk Uygur. Using the n-word, ranking women’s attractiveness 1-10, and denying the veracity of the Armenian genocide aren’t qualities needed in a Member of the United States Congress.
— Christopher J. Hale (@chrisjollyhale) December 13, 2019
Sanders’ endorsement of the Young Turks founder was held up as proof of his own misogyny.
Bernie Sanders explicitly wrote in his thirties that young women need to ignore old bitch mothers and mentors and get fucked more to avoid getting cancer for one reason only. IT WAS A PRE-INCEL MANIFESTO. His views have not changed. Cenk & Bernie have shown us who they are.
— femalepersuasion.net (@femalep) December 13, 2019
Bernie Sanders endorses Brent Welder over Sharice Davids, El-Sayed against Gretchen Whitmer, and now Cenk Uygur against Christy Smith. This man is a proven misogynist and is unacceptable as the dem nominee
— Mia Brett (@QueenMab87) December 13, 2019
Others defended Uygur, insisting the Young Turks was, in fact, a progressive news network and that he’d learned from his mistakes.
What's amazing is @cenkuygur deleted those posts years ago and said he's embarrassed by who he was then; but more importantly, Cenk started the largest progressive online news network and co-founded Justice Democrats.I hate our media.Michael, how are you even a journalist? https://t.co/lPyDLdYvD7
— beth, bringing Bernie to the White House (@bourgeoisalien) December 13, 2019
Cenk & TYT gave a platform to thousands & amplified many important stories & causes that the corporate press doesn't. He doesn't operate from fear. He learns & admits mistakes. He has done what we as progressives should be aspiring to do - learn, convert and grow as a movement /2
— Nomiki Konst🌹 (@NomikiKonst) December 13, 2019
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