SHAH ALAM - Following the 2024 United States (US) Presidential Election, Senator Bernie Sanders criticised the Democratic Party for neglecting working-class concerns, suggesting Vice President Kamala Harris's loss was predictable.
Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with the Democrats and won reelection on Tuesday, delivered a sharp critique of the party's performance in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.
He highlighted the party’s abandonment of the working class, emphasising the consequences of ignoring critical issues like healthcare and the ongoing genocide in Palestine.
"Despite strong opposition from a majority of Americans, we continue to spend billions funding the extremist Netanyahu Government's all out war against the Palestinian people which has led to the horrific humanitarian disaster of mass malnutrition and the starvation of thousands of children.
"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. First, it was the white working class, and now it is Latino and Black workers as well.
"While the Democratic leadership defends the status quo, the American people are angry and want change; and they are right,” he said.
Sanders pointed out that while the wealthy thrive, 60 per cent of Americans are struggling to get by, living paycheck to paycheck, with income and wealth inequality at an all-time high.
He added that, astonishingly, inflation-adjusted weekly wages for the average American worker are lower now than they were 50 years ago.
Sanders also voiced concern for the future of young Americans, who, despite technological advancements, may face a lower standard of living than previous generations.
"Today, despite an explosion in technology and worker productivity, many young people will have a worse standard of living than their parents. Many of them worry that artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics will make a bad situation even worse.
"We remain the only wealthy nation not to guarantee health care to all as a human right and we pay, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs," he added.
The senator raised doubts about whether the Democratic Party would learn from the defeat, questioning whether party leaders and consultants would truly understand the pain and alienation felt by millions of Americans.
"Will the big money interests and well-paid consultants who control the Democratic Party learn any real lessons from this disastrous campaign? Will they understand the pain and political alienation that tens of millions of Americans are experiencing?
"Do they have any ideas as to how we can take on the increasingly powerful Oligarchy which has so much economic and political power? Probably not.
"In the coming weeks and months, those of us concerned about grassroots democracy and economic justice need to have some very serious political discussions. Stay tuned,” he said.
Harris conceded the election in a speech on Wednesday at her alma mater, Howard University, in Washington, DC.
"While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign.
"The fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness and the dignity of all people -- a fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation -- the ideals that reflect America at our best," she said.
Harris' concession speech came after Trump was projected to win the swing states of Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.