At the Democratic debate Tuesday night and in media appearances, Bernie Sanders has stressed again and again that while he is a socialist, he strictly opposes those countries that have declined into authoritarian regimes. He even criticized President Trump opening up diplomatic relations with North Korea and Kim Jong Un, saying the U.S. doesn’t need to be praising authoritarian leaders.
This seems odd, considering it was only Sunday night on “60 Minutes” that he had some kind words for Fidel Castro and his literacy programs, a topic on which he doubled down during a CNN town hall.
We also don’t need authoritarian leaders like Venezuela’s Nicholas Maduro praising U.S. presidential candidates, but Maduro in 2016 praised Sanders’ “revolutionary message” to a crowd gathered for “Anti-Imperialism Day.”
Whether or not you believe the mainstream media is out to torpedo a Bernie Sanders nomination (from what we’ve seen, we believe it), Washington Post video editor J.M. Rieger dug up some video of Sanders appearing to praise some authoritarian regimes.
A lot of these we’ve seen before, but after Sanders’ Castro comments, they seem worth revisiting.
A Washington Post review of more than 10 hours of Bernie Sanders appearances over the past three decades reveals how Sanders has often been quick to downplay abuses of authoritarian regimes, instead focusing on aspects and programs he admired.https://t.co/MkUkX1sWaw
— JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) February 26, 2020
No way.
At times, Sanders appeared to contradict his earlier views:
1989 on Cuba: “Model of what a society could be” for Latin America
2016 on Cuba: "I do not praise Fidel Castro”
2019 on Venezuela: Maduro not a dictator
2020 on Venezuela: Maduro a dictatorhttps://t.co/MkUkX1sWaw
— JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) February 26, 2020
Despite reports of abuses in 1985, Sanders praised the Sandinista party in Nicaragua for:
– Democratic rights
– Civil liberties
– Food lineshttps://t.co/MkUkX1sWawpic.twitter.com/ndTW7C7owU— JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) February 26, 2020
We’ve heard it before, but yes, Sanders has characterized those bread lines in socialist countries as a good thing.
Bernie Sanders in 1985:
“Sometimes American journalists talk about how bad a country is because people are lining up for food. That’s a good thing. In other countries, people don’t line up for food, the rich get the food and the poor starve to death.”https://t.co/MkUkX1sWaw
— JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) February 26, 2020
— David Harsanyi (@davidharsanyi) February 26, 2020
small reminder that sanders was a grown-ass adult when he said this galaxy brain’d dipshit nonsense. https://t.co/NKds55d4eu
— ?'? ? ??????? ???? (@BecketAdams) February 26, 2020
Wow. What's crazy is that Sanders said this in his forties. https://t.co/R4oVwx9ZfW
— Mat Vaillancourt (@MVLibertas) February 26, 2020
Bernie Sanders hated Journalists long before trump and it was because of their *checks notes* criticisms of horrible living conditions as a result of communism https://t.co/kYdo1nxVwE
— Jay Malak (@KobbeMalak) February 26, 2020
If they are lining up it's because there's not enough of it.
— Dominic Colonna (@DominicColonna1) February 26, 2020
I had cousins from Soviet Armenia come visit in 1989 whose eyeballs look like they drawn by Tex Avery when we took them to a grocery store. They were shocked at a whole aisle being dedicated to varieties of pet food.. https://t.co/SVFvZK1E6w
— Ted (@Tedgforce) February 26, 2020
Good God he’s a sophomore poli sci major who goes to class on acid and opens his mouth when the teachers ask questions.
— Sound the Dread Alarm (@_ThisJustin_) February 26, 2020
Too bad Bernie didn’t notice all the apparatchiks dining on caviar while the proles lined up for coarse bread.
— Cuppa Joe (@joecuppa) February 26, 2020
Right. And it’s going to be much better to wait months for health care instead of poor people having none. Can’t wait!
— Marie (@stumpingMAGAts) February 26, 2020
Sanders was and continues to be an absolute lunatic. https://t.co/3ycumbZ8Rd
— Doug Powers (@ThePowersThatBe) February 26, 2020
Thread. Shorter Bernie: Breadlines and media censorship are awesome, comrades! https://t.co/VfaZhgfjyh
— Pejman Yousefzadeh پژمان یوسف زاده (@Yousefzadeh) February 26, 2020
The other Democrats might not be hitting Sanders on his record, but Trump certainly will.
Related:
Self-awareness failure: Bernie Sanders says we don’t need to be praising authoritarian leaders https://t.co/tdS8mODPbL
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) May 28, 2019
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