By Louis Chan
AsAmNews National Correspondent
Less than two weeks ago, the Bernie Sanders campaign was sending out a statement from oncologist and healthcare activist Paul Song entitled Why I support Bernie Sanders for President.
Today they are apologizing for remarks Song made at a New York rally for Sanders using the phrase “corporate Democratic whores.”
Song said:
“Secretary Clinton has said Medicare for all will never happen. Well, I agree with Secretary Clinton that Medicare for all will never happen if we have a president who never aspires for something greater than the status quo. Medicare for all will never happen, if we continue to elect corporate democratic whores who are beholden to Big Pharma and the private insurance industry instead of us.”
On Thursday, Sanders apologized tweeting “Dr. Song’s comment was inappropriate and insensitive. There’s no room for language like that in our political discourse.”
Song, the husband of journalist Lisa Ling and executive chairman of the Courage Campaign, also apologized writing a mea culpa on the Huffington Post.
In it he wrote:
“There is no excuse for my poor judgment in using this word. The backlash has been swift and harsh, and rightfully so. To all fellow Americans who I have offended, I apologize to each of you too.
“Above all, I want to apologize to Secretary Clinton for my insensitive use of the word “whores” and to adamantly profess that this was never intended nor directed at her, as some have incorrectly interpreted. I have always had a deep respect for Secretary Clinton.”
Sanders has polled well among Asian Americans. A recent USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll released in late March shows Sanders leading Clinton among Asian Americans in California 43% – 35%. Sanders also beat Clinton in Hawaii, an Asian American majority state.
Will Song’s blunder hurt Sanders among Asian Americans? It’ll be interesting to see. My gut is it will hurt Sanders more among women. Song is a surrogate for Sanders, but until his blunder, has attracted little attention. Sanders can hope this will blow over as just one of many stories churned out about his campaign on a daily basis.
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RE: Bernie Sanders apologizes for Paul Song’s “corporate whore remark”: I was there and while that one word was a mistake – everything else he said was great and on point – and even the statement that word was in was on point – nothing’s going to change until we get corporate money out of politics – and he really got the crowd going because he’s an excellent speaker. I just wish any of the media would print / play everything else he said!
Re: Bernie Sanders apologizes for Paul Song’s corporate whore remark:I was there too. I’m a female and I don’t think he should’ve apologized, starting with the tweet just after his speech. It kinda made it seem bad, when the way he used whore is exactly how the dictionary defines whore–debasing oneself and doing something for a lower motive, typically in exchange for money. Nothing about sexual favors in the most basic definition of whore. It’s only regressive to think that a whore has to be a sex worker because it’s implying that sex is a “bad” thing. We live in 2016, not 16 ce. Sex workers cause less intended suffering in a year than a corporate whore does in a day. Get over it and stop twisting his message. I first saw Paul Song in an interview by Annabel Park–it showed up on my fb feed. Hearing his speech in person in NYC only reinforced his views on healthcare in the interview. He made it very clear at the beginning of his speech in NYC and in his interview that he is very grateful for the help that the Clintons provided in rescuing his sister in law, and that this isn’t about her. I wish he talked a bit more about his grandfather’s political activism against a tyrannical government, so that he could’ve conveyed stronger that he, Paul Song, really is one of the “good guys”. He shouldn’t have to apologize for trying to emphasize the severity and seriousness of the corruption that hijacked the democratic process. This wasn’t the first time someone used the term and nor will it be the last. I mean, for Godssake, I’m one of those Sanders supporters, who got disenfranchised. My democratic voter registration of 5 years “mysteriously disappeared”, conveniently just this year. I think we’re gonna need language that captures exactly how dire our country’s situation, not regressive, chaste views of women and being duped over and over again by Hillary playing the “damsel in distress” card, while she sneaks behind people’s backs and acts like the dictator that she likes to be. At the end of the day, my voter registration of 5 years is no longer in the system BECAUSE I’m a Sanders supporter.