Bernie Sanders calls on Trump to withdraw appointment of ‘racist’ Bannon
Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders called on President-elect Donald Trump to withdraw his appointment of Stephen Bannon to a major White House advisory post.
Sanders, an Independent senator from Vermont, in a statement issued Wednesday decried Bannon’s appointment earlier this week as chief strategist, calling him a “racist individual.” In urging Trump to cut Bannon loose, Sanders joins a number of Jewish organizations and other lawmakers.
Bannon is the former chairman of Breitbart News, a website that Bannon himself called “the platform for the alt-right,” a loose movement of the far right whose followers traffic variously in white nationalism, anti-immigration sentiment, anti-Semitism and a disdain for “political correctness.”
Sanders said in his statement: “This country, since its inception, has struggled to overcome discrimination of all forms: racism, sexism, xenophobia and homophobia. Over the years we have made progress in becoming a less discriminatory and more tolerant society – and we are not going backward.
“The appointment by President-elect Trump of a racist individual like Mr. Bannon to a position of authority is totally unacceptable. In a democratic society we can disagree all we want over issues, but racism and bigotry cannot be part of any public policy. The appointment of Mr. Bannon by Mr. Trump must be rescinded.”
Sanders lost in the Democratic presidential primary to Hillary Clinton and supported her during the campaign against Trump, including making several appearances for the former secretary of state just prior to Election Day. He was the first Jewish candidate to win major nominating contests.
Sanders announced on Thursday morning that he would not officially join Democratic Party, despite being appointed to a Senate Democratic caucus leadership position the previous day.
Sanders was named chair of outreach for the party, a newly created position, during a closed-door caucus session. In his new position, he will be in charge of reaching out to blue-collar voters who supported Trump, a Republican, in last week’s election, The Hill reported.
“I was elected as an Independent and I will finish this term as an Independent,” Sanders, who has long caucused with the Democrats, said at a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor, The Hill reported.
JJ Inside The Print
This is the column I was hoping to publish at the beginning of the year but which kept getting interrupted by news events: With 2019...
A phrase often attributed to nineteenth-century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli is: “There are three types of lies — lies, damn lies and statistics.” Many...
I love Los Angeles. It’s a great place to raise kids, a great place to be a Jew and a great place for a kosher burger....
“Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the Lord.” — Leviticus...
It’s an old trope: “Don’t get too comfortable, anti-Semitism is just around the corner.” My parents used to say it all the time. My dad...
Until recently, I didn’t know that there was a major, international auction house in Israel. Art and design are in fact a booming industry in...
As an undergraduate at the New School, a very liberal college, I would roll my eyes whenever my dad talked about Israel and its importance....
On Jan. 27, 1945, Renée Firestone, Jack Lewin, Eva Schloss and Paula Lebovics woke up to a world after Auschwitz. Not that they knew what...
Israeli Jews — like the majority of American Jews — say that remembering the Holocaust is essential to their Jewish identity (73% in the U.S.;...
Sarah Malka Eisen’s story as the director of Beit Daniella is one of tragedy and friendship. Beit Daniella is a rehabilitative day center for youth in...
Have the Jews paid a price for defending Israel? I am a lover and supporter of Israel. I dedicate much of my life and waking...
I’m gonna harden my heart I’m gonna swallow my tears I’m gonna turn and leave you here — Quarterflash If you like miracles tangible evidence...
One verse, five voices. Edited by Salvador Litvak, Accidental Talmudist But Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, “Behold, the children of Israel did not hearken to...
Ragù, in Italian, means meat sauce. When I was a kid, my family made ragù by dumping a jar of Ragú spaghetti sauce into a...
At de Toledo High School, most of the teachers encourage their students to use their voices to express themselves. But things are a bit different...
Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz has announced plans to run for city controller in March 2022. He officially declared his candidacy on Jan. 2....
A Friday night Shabbat service at Sinai Temple on Jan. 17 celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day through song, words and unity. The service was...
Bernard-Henri Lévy, the world-renowned author, philosopher, political activist and speaker, also is a filmmaker with a unique specialty. He makes cinema verité documentaries from the...
The degree to which any individual can observe Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27 will vary depending on his or her time, level of faith...
The Jewish Bluegrass of Nefesh Mountain, Syrian Jewish music from Asher Shasho Levy, a selection of show tunes that reflects the influence Jewish composers continue...
A certain buzz has attached itself to “Genius & Anxiety: How Jews Changed the World, 1847-1947” (Scribner), by London-based author, journalist and broadcaster Norman Lebrecht,...
Margaret Ruth Arinsberg died Nov. 30 at 80. Survived by husband Norman; daughter Rachel (Aaron) Sunday; son Mark; 3 grandchildren; brother Jerry (Aliza) Ben-Ner. Mount...
Yarn pom-poms. Where have you been all my life? I had no idea they could add so much pizazz to my style game. These little...
Israeli breast cancer survivor Efrat Roman has found a way to give back to those who are struggling with the disease with her new invention:...
The Jewish Federation of Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys (JFSGPV) held its 25th annual meeting on Jan. 12 at the Pasadena Jewish Temple and...
FRI JAN 24 Shabbat Farbrengen at VBS Longtime Valley Beth Shalom (VBS) Cantor Herschel Fox leads a unique Shabbat farbrengen featuring his legendary voice and...
