Bernie Sanders does not need to denounce Rogan’s endorsement

There has been a major backlash from liberal groups and the media since controversial podcast host Joe Rogan endorsed Bernie Sanders, which was subsequently promoted on twitter by the Sanders campaign.

Rogan, who hosts “The Joe Rogan Experience,” one of the most popular podcasts in the country, has a history of making transphobic, homophobic, xenophobic, and racist comments on his podcast. By accepting Rogan’s endorsement, people are concerned that Sanders is also tacitly endorsing his views.

Many compared Sanders accepting and promoting this endorsement to when Trump refused to denounce support from known white supremacists. There is, however, a notable distinction between the two situations.

Trump has often espoused views and spoken in rhetoric that align him with white supremacists. Sanders, on the other hand, has been a prominent supporter of LGBTQ rights for decades, far longer than any of his opponents. He is currently a co-sponsor of the Equal Rights Act which, among other things, forbids discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community.

Sanders also has a longer record of fighting racism than his Democratic opponents. In the 1960s he participated in the Civil Rights Movement, while Joe Biden was fighting mandatory school busing in the 1970s. In the 1990s, Biden worked to expand the War on Drugs while Sanders warned against mass incarceration. Meanwhile Elizabeth Warren was a registered Republican.

Those looking to protect minority communities from discrimination should be focused more on defeating Trump than worrying about one of their strongest allies being corrupted by a supporter. Unlike with Trump, where there are genuine fears of those supporters influencing him, Sanders is not suddenly going to become an opponent of LGBTQ rights because one of his endorceres is. Given that Rogan’s core demographic likely includes many Trump supporters, this endorsement could prove useful in defeating Trump.

Given that it could help him defeat Trump, pressuring Sanders to denounce the enforcement is counterproductive for the interests of oppressed minorities. Sanders has long been one of the staunchest allies for members of the LGBQT community and other minority groups, and this endorsement does nothing to change that.