Bernie Sanders calls out Hillary Clinton for using 'a racist term' in 1996


During the CNN Democratic debate, Bernie Sanders said he called out former President Bill Clinton for defending his wife's use of the term "superpredator" during a speech in the 1990s because it was "a racist term and everyone knew it was a racist term."
Hillary Clinton made the remark during an address in 1996 in support of the 1994 Violent Crime Control Act, and said "superpredators" had "no conscience, no empathy." Sanders said he voted for the crime bill because it "had the Violence Against Women Act in it," and he worked to "eliminate domestic violence" while mayor of Burlington, Vermont. The United States has a "broken criminal justice system," he added, and "we have to rethink the system from the bottom on up."
In February, Hillary Clinton told The Washington Post she was talking about "the impact violent crime and vicious drug cartels were having on communities across the country and the particular danger they posed to children and families. Looking back, I shouldn't have used those words, and I wouldn't use them today."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Andrea Long Chu's 6 favorite books for people who crave new ideas
Feature The book critic recommends works by Rachel Cusk, Sigmund Freud, and more
-
Book reviews: 'Apple in China: The Capture of the World's Greatest Company' and 'Wild Thing: A Life of Paul Gauguin'
Feature The China-Apple alliance and the life of French painter Paul Gauguin
-
AI: Will it soon take your job?
Feature AI developers warn that artificial intelligence could eliminate half of all entry-level jobs within five years
-
Smithsonian asserts its autonomy from Trump
speed read The DC institution defied Trump's firing of National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet
-
Trump sends Marines to LA, backs Newsom arrest
speed read California Gov. Gavin Newsom is filing lawsuits in response to Trump's escalation of the federal response to ICE protests
-
Trump foists National Guard on unwilling California
speed read Protests erupted over ICE immigration raids in LA county
-
Supreme Court lowers bar in discrimination cases
speed read The court ruled in favor of a white woman who claimed she lost two deserved promotions to gay employees
-
Trump-Musk relationship implodes in taunts, threats
speed read Musk said Trump's multitrillion bill would cause a recession and accused the president of involvement with Jeffrey Epstein
-
Trump hits Africa, Middle East with new travel ban
Speed Read The travel ban bars visitors from 12 countries and restricts entry from seven
-
Elon Musk slams Trump's 'pork-filled' signature bill
speed read 'Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong,' Musk posted on X
-
Depleted FEMA struggling as hurricane season begins
speed read FEMA has lost a third of its workforce amid DOGE cuts enforced by President Donald Trump