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Corporate Democrats are weaponizing identity politics to smear progressives | Arwa Mahdawi
Arwa Mahdawi argues that some Democratic leaders are using accusations of sexism or racial insensitivity to deflect criticism from progressives. She says this risks repeating the “Bernie bros” episode, when criticism of Bernie Sanders supporters was framed around identity, and portrays the tactic as damaging to debate within the party.
Mahdawi cites Representative Haley Stevens’s response to being excluded from an Abdul El-Sayed campaign event and criticism of Hakeem Jeffries, who is expected to become House speaker. Progressives object to Jeffries’s ties to AIPAC, his opposition to Medicare for All and his dealings with the Trump family; Jeffries has suggested that opposition to his speakership could be racially insensitive. The article counters his remarks about diversity among Democratic Socialists of America supporters by naming several DSA-affiliated elected officials.
In short
- Mahdawi says Democratic leaders use identity arguments to deflect criticism.
- Stevens framed her exclusion from a campaign event as sexism.
- Progressives question Jeffries’s record and his ties to corporate interests.