DemDebate: Bernie Sanders Stumbles On Fidel Castro Question In Miami

[riversedge]

X-posted

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511460536#post2


Democratic Debate: Bernie Sanders Stumbles On Fidel Castro Question In Miami




http://www.latintimes.com/democratic-debate-bernie-sanders-stumbles-fidel-castro-question-miami-374005


By Cedar Attanasio | Mar 10 2016, 12:08AM EST


http://www.latintimes.com/democratic-debate-bernie-sanders-stumbles-fidel-castro-question-miami-374005
bernie sanders hillary clinton miami debate
Democratic U.S. presidential candidates Senator Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton wave before the start of the Univision News and Washington Post Democratic U.S. presidential candidates debate in Kendall, Florida, March 9, 2016. Sanders earned ire on twitter after showing sympathy for Fidel Castro’s health care and education policies during the debate. REUTERS/Javier Galeano



Is this Bernie Sander’s “David Duke” moment? When asked to differentiate his brand of social from the communist leader Fidel Castro, Sanders had little to say. The Univision/CNN/Facebook debate featured video of then Mayor Sanders explaining why he believed the Cuban people had not staged an insurrection against Cuba, and why then President Ronald Reagan was wrong to think that Nicaraguans would do the same against the leftist government there. “They had forgotten that he educated their kids, gave them health care,” he said in the video, adding that the Castros had “totally transformed their society” but also qualifying his statement “You know, not to say that Fidel Castro or Cuba are perfect, they are certainly not.”

“In South Florida there are still open wounds among some exiles regarding socialism and communism. So please explain what is the difference between the socialism that you profess and the socialism in Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela,” Univision anchor María Elena Salinas asked.

Sanders got two chances to divorce his “democratic socialist” label from 1960s Cuban communism. At first he focused on the failures of U.S. intervention in Latin America, and historical support for regime change towards brutal dictatorships. But he didn’t really answer the question. Then the moderator gave him another shot.


Sanders got two chances to divorce his “democratic socialist” label from 1960s Cuban communism. At first he focused on the failures of U.S. intervention in Latin America, and historical support for regime change towards brutal dictatorships. But he didn’t really answer the question. Then the moderator gave him another shot.................. ...........

[Tanuki]

1. From what I have heard, he was quite a fan when he was at the Harvard Kennedy School's

Institute of Politics circa 1989. Maybe some of his colleagues or others who were there at the time could shed some light on this.

[pandr32]

4. Glad to see the lid finally lifted off this barrel, and not by HC or Republicans

It is past time to start examining Sander's fascination with Castro and Daniel Ortega and their "revolutions" which both involved authoritarianism. Sanders wasn't even in the Congress yet, but still a mayor from a small state, when he made excursions to meet with these men. He was rebuffed as a nobody by Castro, but did meet with Ortega and later referred to the dictator as "an impressive guy."

This will no doubt be exploded into a major issue by Republicans who have likely been sitting on it in the unlikely case Sanders was to win the nomination. Sanders meeting with Ortega put him squarely against the U.S. at the time, and the type of "socialism" was hardly of the democratic variety.

The fact that this barrel has been opened by the media, the Hispanic media at that, without Hillary Clinton bringing it up is a good thing. It would have been brought up by Republicans for political reasons, but having people with Latin American ties bring it up makes it about policy and not a political smear.

[Tanuki]

6. Daniel Ortega has take quite a turn. I wonder what Bernie thinks of his "impressive guy" now?

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2011/11/2011117173951437487.html

...."The elite, however, are quite happy with the present tax structure. The government collects 80 per cent of its tax revenue through indirect taxation, such as value added tax (VAT), according to a London School of Economics report. This form of revenue generation disproportionately affects the poor, as they pay a greater percentage of their income for basic goods. Inequality has also risen during Ortega’s tenure, the report said.

.....As part of his campaign to appease sections of the elite, Ortega has courted the Catholic Church by outlawing all abortions, even when a woman's life is in danger. The women's movement, once an important backer of the FSLN, has been completely alienated from Ortega, Kampwirth said."

(more at link)

[pandr32]

7. Bad as revolutionary leader ('79-'90) and bad as president (2007-now)

Two sides of a bad coin.

[mcar]

2. K&R

[KitSileya]

3. He was also a huge Sandinista fan in Nicaragua

He visited Nicaragua, was the guest of the regime, and supported their policies, including their decision to censor newspapers and others "because they were at war". Bread lines were a sign of good economic health in the country, according to Sanders.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/02/28/when-bernie-sanders-thought-castro-and-the-sandinistas-could-teach-america-a-lesson.html

[pandr32]

9. Thanks for posting this link!

[KitSileya]

10. There's a more positive article in the Vermont paper Seven Days

"Sanders Siempre: What Bernie Learned in Nicaragua"

On the whole, it is not negative towards what Sanders did with regards to Nicaragua, but the interesting part is the end:

Now, as Sanders takes the national stage as a presidential candidate, his praise for Ortega and willingness to stand with communist dignitaries to celebrate a revolution could become a political liability — or at least the stuff of negative ads. (So could his "honeymoon" trip to Yaroslavl in the Soviet Union to finalize another sister-city relationship in 1988.)

"In the Democratic presidential primary, I would not think so," Schumacher predicted. "Many Democratic voters would see it as a positive that Bernie was open in his opposition to Reagan's Central American foreign policy, back when it was not so popular to do so.

"That said," Schumacher added, "I am sure that if Bernie is on the ballot as the Democratic candidate in November, Republicans will try to red-bait him."

Truman, who today works in communications at the Vermont Department of Health, didn't think the Nicaragua trip would become a political liability because Sanders was simply saying, "I am standing with the people." And, he pointed out, that same message is resonating with voters today.

While I think they're right about the Democratic primary voters, I think they are wrong about the Nicaragua trip not being a political liability. It most certainly will be a liability if Sanders should magically get the nomination. The republicans will tear him apart in a way that will completely shock the SBS supporters. Right now the republicans are treating Senator Sanders with silk gloves precisely because they want the Senator to be their opposing candidate. They want that because they know there are heaps of stuff they can throw at him in the GE that will absolutely destroy him. Pretty much his entire past will be a smørgåsbord of smears and scare quotes they can put in the worst light. ANd all of it will be new and fresh - nobody'll have heard it before, except perhaps a tiny state they'll write off immediately anyway.

No, too many SBS supporters are woefully naive if they think that the republicans like Senator Sanders, and that is why they haven't attacked him. Truth is, they don't want to attack him now, and if they get their wish, they'll have tons of ammunition stored to tear him to shreds. In addition, Hillary has shown that she can survive all their attacks, while Sanders and his supporters have shown that they can't take criticism, let alone a full out barrage of republican smear bombardment.

[pandr32]

15. I absolutely agree with this

The Republicans are sitting on this and would have a field day with it--scaring the pants off voters.
On a side note, I have always found his campaign's goal of "political revolution" interesting, considering his fascination with revolutionary leaders in the past. I think on some level this impressed Bernie so much that it stayed with him as a type of fantasy. I think he really wants to lead a revolution like those he has admired, perhaps with less bloodshed (of course).

[kjones]

11. The more you know...

pretty hypocritical.

I guess he's cool with international meddling - so long
as it originated from the Kremlin apparently.

What a naive man...

[KitSileya]

12. Yes, he was hypocritical in his stance on censorship, too.

It was just fine that the Ortega regime cracked down on critical voices "because they were at war", but was a huge opponent of the US doing the same in 1991. Now, you can debate whether censorship during war is ok or not, but there's no denying that Sanders is hypocritical on the issue.

Another piece of evidence of his naïveté is the fact that he bought the propaganda of the Sandinistas. He bought their Potemkin village shows, their hyping of increased literacy, health care, and equal rights for women. (Never mind that Nicaragua has banned all abortions, even save the life of the mother.)

He is also out of touch with reality - he thinks grief can cause cancer, like that of Nora Astorga, famous Nicaraguan Mata Hari who participated in murder. "I have my own feelings about what causes cancer, and the psychosomatic aspects of cancer,” he said. “One wonders if the war didn’t claim another victim; a person who couldn’t deal with the tremendous grief and suffering in her own country.”

[kjones]

14. He's a weird one. Wonder if he still holds all these beliefs. Doesn't seem like he'll tell us. nt

[pandr32]

16. Add that to his "weird" ideas of women and their fantasies

...and his obviously stereotypical views of minorities. He is an odd guy who has done little all these years to develop his perspective or expand his world. People credit him (and they shouldn't) for being the same as he always was--this is not progressive. He is a walking rut.

[kjones]

17. Yeah, hasn't made a lot of progress for a progressive. nt

[Thinkingabout]

5. Wow, I had read about some of the connections, in his own words, makes a difference.

[William769]

8. Not a good place to stumblle on that question.

[SunSeeker]

13. Here's the Castros he should be supporting:

[still_one]

18. It is because of this, why if Sanders somehow won the nomination he would never get elected in a

general election.

[calguy]

19. If Bernie should get the nomination....

and I doubt that he will......
he wouldn't even get a chance to run on his ideas or platform because the GOP will have him defending his "communist" past.
There are volumes upon volumes of Bernie's past comments and positions available from his perceived admiration of communist dictators to his avoiding military service due to conscientious objector status during the Viet Nam era.
If Bernie is our nominee the GOP could win al 50 states.
I love Bernie the Senator but Bernie the Presidential candidate? Not so much.

[calguy]

20. I saw a couple montrhs ago an ad by Trump attacking Bernie

I saw it on one of the MSNBC shows, the ad was run on the internet, not on TV.

It starts with with the usual "threats America is facing" showing with everything from ISIS, Mexicans flooding the borders, nuclear attacks from Russia, Iran, etc. scaring the viewer and making the point that the president needs to be strong to "defend" America.
Then they show a clip of Bernie a few months ago when some BLM activists stormed the stage where he was speaking and took over the stage. The narrator then says, "This guy?? He can't even defend a microphone".

[Her Sister]

21. What about the kibbutz he went to

the story there is also interesting

[great white snark]

22. I'd like to see "Castro's cohort" used in rebuttal of their idiotic "Goldwater girl"

BS should thank his lucky stars that Hillary and the MSM hasn't dug deeper into his career.