News

Susan Sarandon Attacked By Democrats For Refusing To Toe The Party Line

Published on: February 17, 2017 at 2:50 AM
By Rob Cotton

Susan Sarandon supported Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic primaries, and when Sanders lost the nomination to Hillary Clinton, Sarandon famously declared she would not be casting her vote for Clinton, choosing instead to vote for Green Party candidate, Jill Stein. According to Business Insider , Sarandon cited Clinton’s war record, specifically in Syria, her history of support for fracking, and the corruption of the DNC exposed by Wikileaks as her key reasons for not being able to support Clinton. She also said she believed it was important to try and build the Green Party as an alternative to the two major parties.

“I don’t vote with my vagina,” Sarandon said prior to the election. “This is bigger than that and I don’t want to spend a lot of time talking about Trump and Hillary because that’s not why I’m here. This is bigger than who wins this election. I am worried about the wars, I am worried about Syria, I am worried about all of these things that actually exist. I’m worried about fracking. I’m worrying about the environment. No matter who gets in they don’t address these things because money has taken over our system.”

Susan Sarandon appeared on Chris Hayes’s show on MSNBC Wednesday and the host asked her if, looking back, she has any regrets about her refusal to vote for Clinton, according to the Los Angeles Times .

“I think that analyzing and spending time and energy talking about blaming people who made mistakes or what should have happened is really wasting your time and energy,” Sarandon said. “Because what we have now is a populace that is awake. What we have to do now is spend our time and energy focusing on how to fight what’s going on. And so when people are attacking me or trying to say this could have happened… Really? That’s where we want to spend our time and energy?”

Sarandon also turned the tables on Chris Hayes during the interview, questioning why he failed to cover the Dakota Access Pipeline protests and never told his viewers that their money was being spent to build the pipeline. She said the press needs to focus on important topics like that rather than worrying about things like whether she imagined correctly what a Trump presidency might be like.

A number of Democrats on Twitter do not agree with Sarandon and eager to attack her for what they see as her role in electing Donald Trump.

Neera Tanden seems to think Susan Sarandon shouldn’t be allowed to say anything about the DNC or the Democratic Party since she voted for Jill Stein.

Peter Daou, a Hillary Clinton adviser, retweeted a comment basically alleging that Sarandon’s position is that a Trump win was needed to make people realize we need reform political, ignoring the substance behind her comments.

Peter Daou also attacked Sarandon for an exchange she had with Black Lives Matter leader, DeRay McKesson, regarding McKesson’s support for DNC chair candidate, Tom Perez. Susan Sarandon is not taking the criticism without firing back.

The common view is that Susan Sarandon is ignoring her “privilege” for daring to speak out against the Democratic Party. Democrats want her to stay on message and only attack Trump. When progressives like Sarandon and others on the left veer from the official groupthink of the Democratic Party establishment, they are often met with ridicule, scorn, and derision. No analysis of the possible failings of the Democratic Party is tolerated. When people like Susan Sarandon refuse to toe the liberal establishment line, they are treated as though they are committing political heresy.

[Featured Image by Richard Shotwell/AP Images]

TAGGED:
Share This Article