Cenk Uygur, a Turkish-American political commentator and a candidate for the 2020 special election in California’s 25th congressional district, became the focus of criticism when an old video emerged in which he proposed a drastic solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict: “Bulldoze Jerusalem.”
On Sunday, The Blaze reported on a video from America Radio, a now defunct left-wing platform, filmed in 2006 featuring Uygur. In the video, Uygur said, “Jerusalem is a pain in the whole world’s a**. My god gave it to me. No, my God gave it to me. First of all, you all sound like total morons,” he said. “Look, bulldozer is my plan for Jerusalem. Bulldoze the whole damn thing so nobody goes back in.”
Cenk Uygur in 2006 “Jerusalem is a pain in the whole world’s ass. My God gave it to me. No my god gave it to me. First of all, you all sound like total morons….Second of all, all it has done is cause wars. Buldozer is my plan for Jerusalem. Bulldoze the whole damn thing.” #CA25 pic.twitter.com/ff4reK73tg
— M. Mendoza Ferrer (@m_mendozaferrer) December 15, 2019
As a young man, Uygur supported social conservative views, opposing abortion, affirmative action and feminism in the United States. Over time his views changed, and he now identifies as a left-wing progressive.
Uygur endorsed Bernie Sanders in the 2016 presidential election and endorsed the Sanders bid for the Democratic nomination for the 2020 presidential campaign but this political admiration was unrequited. On Friday. Bernie Sanders tweeted the retraction of his endorsement for Uygur.
.@cenkuygur has been a longtime fighter against corruption. However, our movement is bigger than any one person. I hear my supporters who were frustrated and understand their concerns. Cenk today said he is rejecting all endorsements for his campaign and I retract my endorsement.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) December 13, 2019
Several comments on the un-endorsement criticized Sanders for not rejecting Uygur’s offensive misogynist and racist comments.
In 2000, Uygur wrote that “obviously, the genes of women are flawed. They are poorly designed creatures who do not want to have sex nearly as often as needed for the human race to get along peaceably and fruitfully.”
In 2012, he said Orthodox Jews and Muslims are teaching their children things that are “Looney Tunes.”
TheBlaze reported last month, Uygur told a female co-host in 2013 that he would legalize bestiality if he had the power to do so. “I believe that if I were the benevolent dictator of the world, I would legalize bestiality,” he declared at the time. Uygur said he would only permit the practice if “you are pleasuring the animal. You see what I’m saying?”
His progressive news and opinion channel on YouTube is a strong proponent of the Democratic party. It has come under fire for its name, ‘The Young Turks’, which was a political reform movement in the early 20th century that favored the replacement of the Ottoman Empire’s absolute monarchy with a constitutional government. The Young Turks government systematically exterminated its Armenian subjects beginning in 1915.
Uygur is running in the California Congressional election to replace Katie Hill (Dem) who resigned after reports of alleged sexual indiscretions with a congressional staffer and an admission to a relationship with a campaign aide. in November Uygur is facing off against at least nine other candidates, four of whom are Democrats.
Three days after the inauguration of President Trump, Uygur co-founded the Justice Democrats. Eleven months later, he resigned from the organization after the discovery of blog posts he had written in the early 2000s, which were described as “disturbingly sexist and racist”.
Uygur supported the impeachment of President Trump and suggested that if Trump is not impeached, he would run against him in the 2020 elections.
Correct answer to impeachment question: I really wish that we didn’t have to impeach because I’m looking forward to kicking Donald Trump’s ass in the election but unfortunately he’s such an obvious criminal that we have legal and constitutional obligation to impeach. #DemDebate
— Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur) October 16, 2019
These recent developments do not bode well for any presidential aspirations Uygur still holds.
Uygur was born in Istanbul, immigrating to the U.S. with his family when he was he was eight years old. Raised a Muslim, he became agnostic in college.