The Blubber

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Wednesday accused the Democratic Party of neglecting the priorities of the working class, calling it the primary reason for their loss of the White House and Senate.

“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,” Sanders said in a statement addressing Tuesday’s election results.

“While the Democratic leadership defends the status quo, the American people are angry and want change. And they’re right,” he added.

Sanders’s statement marks the most direct and critical rebuke of Democratic leadership following the election. Vice President Harris appears to have lost the popular vote by nearly 5 million, while Democrats lost Senate seats in key states such as West Virginia, Montana, and Ohio.

As an independent who caucuses with Democrats, Sanders called for “serious political discussions” among those committed to grassroots democracy and economic justice.

He highlighted the growing economic inequality in the U.S., job displacement due to advanced technologies, the high cost of healthcare, and U.S. involvement in the war in Gaza, which has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths.

“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 on how we can take on the increasingly powerful oligarchy that dominates our economy?” Sanders asked.

He answered his own question bluntly: “Probably not.”

As chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Sanders has pushed for progressive reforms. However, he was unable to secure a vote this year on his proposal to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $17 an hour by 2028.