Journalist Ana Kasparian, host and producer of The Young Turks, revealed her decision to distance herself from the Democratic Party during an appearance on Jillian Michaels’ podcast earlier this week.
Kasparian, 38, described feeling “politically orphaned” after an experience in 2022 left her disillusioned with the party’s direction.
During the nearly two-hour podcast, Kasparian recounted a traumatic incident that occurred while walking her dog in Los Angeles.
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She described being molested by two homeless men who, she assumed, were under the influence of drugs.
The men grabbed her by the waist and thrust against her.
The experience left her shaken, but she said the turning point in her political views came after the incident when she faced backlash from liberal supporters.
After sharing her fear of leaving her house following the attack, Kasparian said she was scolded by some on the left, who accused her of painting an unfair picture of the homeless community.
Some critics even labeled her a racist, despite the fact that she never mentioned the race of her attackers.
“That woke me up,” Kasparian said, explaining how the reaction from those she once identified with politically made her reassess her beliefs. “Some of the people that I’ve associated myself with… are totally blind to the fact that they have stereotypes and go around accusing others of being bad actors when they themselves need to do the work.”
NEW: The Young Turks producer Ana Kasparian says she left the Democratic party after she was mol*sted by a homeless man with an er*ction in Los Angeles.
Kasparian said she was shamed by liberals for stating that she felt fearful to leave her house after the incident.
Kasparian… pic.twitter.com/R1Ds980urO
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Kasparian, who has since distanced herself from any political party, told Michaels she no longer wants to be pigeonholed into any political identity. “Everything has become dogmatic, and if you don’t buy into the entirety of the dogma, you open yourself up to backlash,” she said.
The journalist also criticized the divisiveness in today’s political climate, acknowledging that she once contributed to it. “I used to be a person who bought into the idea that if you disagree with someone politically, that means you can no longer be friendly to each other,” she admitted, attributing this attitude to the “Trump era” of politics.
Kasparian and Michaels discussed how many disillusioned Democrats, like themselves, now feel unwelcome in their former party.
Kasparian noted that raising concerns, particularly about how the left discusses crime, led to feelings of alienation. “I’m not pure enough, I’m not good enough,” she recalled, describing the moment she realized she no longer felt aligned with the leftist movement.
She also expressed her disagreement with what she called the “defeatist mentality” toward minorities, explaining that she believes in celebrating those who strive to improve their lives, a sentiment she feels is lacking in today’s polarized political landscape.
Kasparian, once a staunch Democrat, now advocates for rejecting political tribalism. “I want to feel free to think for myself,” she said, as she embarks on a new journey of political independence.
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