More Bernie gems for GE

[evertonfc]

Just consider, to begin with, one issue from Sanders’ political career, highlighted by the historian Ronald Radosh When Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and his minions seized dozens of American hostages in 1979 and held 52 of them for 444 days, Americans across the spectrum were united in outrage and in seeking their safe return. Sanders, at the time, was a backer of an obscure Marxist-Leninist political party that pledged support for the Iranian theocracy and defended the hostage-taking. In line with Iranian propaganda, the party alleged that the captured diplomats and other U.S. Embassy workers were likely CIA agents.

This at the very moment when those Americans were being abused and tortured for precisely that charge.

[HarlanPepper]

1. It will be a drip drip drip

If people think Hillary’s emails were problematic stay tuned for what’s ahead.

[relayerbob]

7. More likely a fire hose

[HarlanPepper]

13. Yes, you are right.

[DownriverDem]

24. Say hello to

trump's second term. Sanders is being defined by trump and the repubs. His supporters are politically naive.

[HarlanPepper]

25. Comically so in fact.

The $2 billion the GOP are going to drop on his head is going to be devastating.

[octoberlib]

2. JFC.

[Mister Ed]

3. Important to provide a source. n/t

[TheBlackAdder]

34. Right Wing Rags, OpEds and Snopes rated as FALSE

[Tarc]

4. The rise of Khomeini was the direct result of backlash at years of Western meddling in Iran

The US helped overthrow a democratically-elected government to install the thug Pahlavi, that kinda thing builds resentment over time.


Bernie was in the right on this.

[redstateblues]

8. When you're explaining your losing

[Tarc]

14. When some are unaware of basic historical facts, explanations are due

[delisen]

9. Bernie was wrong khomeini was a murderous tyrant

A woman hater and vicious theocrat who ushered in a hideous reign of terror and forced young girls out of educational opportunity into marriages with older men.

[msongs]

12. so was fidel castro but survivors got...free everything. nt

[Tarc]

16. So was Pahlavi

The only difference was one was a fried and one was not, and this was a tactic that was repeated throughout South and Central America in the 50s-80s.

It is rather interesting to see some here so desperate to thwart Sanders by any means necessary, that they are embracing neoconservative policies to do so.

[delisen]

19. Sad to see any whitewashing off khomeini. Binary thinking

Last edited Sun Feb 23, 2020, 12:35 AM - Edit history (1)

is logic-free. If you think think that because the shah was bad, khomeini was good- that is illogical,

The rights of women and girls are human rights-here and throughout the world including Russia, iran, pakistan.

The battle is now. I invite you to join it now. It is the truly revolutionary struggle.

[Tarc]

21. I didn't say Kohmeni was "good", that was you, buddy boy

I do have more sympathy for people determining their own fate and discarding the shackles of colonialism, though. Ho Chi Minh is a similar case; perhaps a bit of a bad egg, but doing it for the right reasons.

Can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs.

[delisen]

30. But we are not eggs we are women

We are paying the price whether its colonialism or old theocratic patriarchy.

Right now we have built ourselves a fighting chance in a number of countries-but it is going to be a struggle.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

18. Yeah and the Sha was a lovable lout with a heart of gold!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAVAK

SAVAK (Persian: ساواک?, short for سازمان اطلاعات و امنیت کشور Sāzemān-e Ettelā'āt va Amniyat-e Keshvar, literally "National Organization for Security and Intelligence was the secret police, domestic security and intelligence service in Iran during the reign of the Pahlavi dynasty. It was established by Mohammad Reza Shah with the help of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)[2] and the Israeli Mossad.[3] SAVAK operated from 1957 until the Iranian Revolution of 1979,


Writing at the time of the Shah's overthrow, Time magazine on February 19, 1979, described SAVAK as having "long been Iran's most hated and feared institution" which had "tortured and murdered thousands of the Shah's opponents."[26] The Federation of American Scientists also found it guilty of "the torture and execution of thousands of political prisoners" and symbolizing "the Shah's rule from 1963–79." The FAS list of SAVAK torture methods included "electric shock, whipping, beating, inserting broken glass and pouring boiling water into the rectum, tying weights to the testicles, and the extraction of teeth and nails."[27][28]

They were both assholes. You know ho wasn’t? The democratically elected President we overthrew.

[delisen]

20. We know the history. The battle for human rights continues

In Iran. Especially for women and girls . hope you will join us.0l

[HarlanPepper]

28. Yeah good luck explaining all of that.

I’m sure a disengaged American electorate will be willing to turn off the Masked Singer or the Kardashians to go on a deep dive into 70’s era Middle East geopolitical minutiae.

[krissey]

5. I remember hearing this CT.

[jmg257]

6. Here is some info on this...

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/bernie-sanders-iran-hostage-crisis/

"...

We did not find any public statements by Sanders on the subject of the Iran hostage crisis, so the claim that he expressed support for Khomeini was false, and a clear case of “guilt by association” with the utterances of Pulley and the SWP being transferred on to Sanders because of his links to both.

A spokesperson for Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign indicated he was opposed to SWP policy on Iran at that time, telling Snopes: “Senator Sanders did not think the hostages were spies nor did he support their captivity. Any suggestion otherwise is nonsense.”

However, Sanders’ disagreement with Pulley and the SWP on the Iran hostage crisis was demonstrably not strong enough to prompt him to sever ties with either, given that the future U.S. representative and senator continued to speak at SWP campaign events after the hostage crisis and supported the party’s presidential candidate four years later. "

[dem4decades]

10. Russia wants Trump to win, there's a reason they want Sanders as the opponent.

[JudyM]

22. Just maybe because folks who don't like him might divide the party if he's doing well.

Hillary and Carville are, unfortunately, playing right into Putin’s hands in this respect by abjectly maligning him. I hope we wise up.

[dalton99a]

11. Sanders has a bizarre radical past that Trump and Republicans would use to destroy him

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/02/10/bernie-sanders-radical-past-donald-trump-attack-fodder-column/4706779002/
Sanders has a bizarre radical past that Trump and Republicans would use to destroy him
Sanders has radical fringe skeletons dangling in closets without doors. He's destined to fail in a general election, perhaps in a 49-state rout.

The progressives pressing the senator's case may not care, but the general electorate will: Sanders has a bizarre radical past. It would not only set him back on his heels in a general election campaign, it would completely neutralize the potent charge that Trump cozies up to Russian President Vladimir Putin and other dictators.

Just consider, to begin with, one issue from Sanders’ political career, highlighted by the historian Ronald Radosh in The Daily Beast. When Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and his minions seized dozens of American hostages in 1979 and held 52 of them for 444 days, Americans across the spectrum were united in outrage and in seeking their safe return. Sanders, at the time, was a backer of an obscure Marxist-Leninist political party that pledged support for the Iranian theocracy and defended the hostage-taking. In line with Iranian propaganda, the party alleged that the captured diplomats and other U.S. Embassy workers were likely CIA agents.

This at the very moment when those Americans were being abused and tortured for precisely that charge.

Sanders, who was a Vermont elector for the party in 1980 and spoke at rallies for its candidates at least twice, in 1982 and 1984, has never had to answer either for these views or for his association with this radical fringe group.

[YOHABLO]

26. Sounds to me like some Dems want to destroy one of their own.

[DownriverDem]

27. trump and the repubs

have already started to define Sanders. His supporters are politically naive.

[renate]

15. I think the DNC needs to focus on the Senate... the presidency is not going to be in play

But with enough Democratic senators and a few honest GOPers (a girl can dream), Trump can be impeached for violating the emoluments clause and removed by the next Senate.

Maybe I’m just having a bad day, but if Sanders is our nominee, and to my horror I’m realizing that it really is probably going to be him, I give up all hope of beating Trump. I’d love to see him as President, so I’m not anti-Bernie, but it simply is not going to happen.

[aikoaiko]

17. This again? Bernie was right. Some of the hostages were CIA.

[pecosbob]

29. I don't support Sanders, but he was right in that case.

No good American can defend our government's regime change in Iran or it's extended cold war against the Iranian people. Our government supports the odious Sunni despots of the region to our shame.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

31. Bernie has been, and continues to be, right about pretty much EVERYTHING!!

Bernie/Elizabeth or Elizabeth/Bernie 2020!!
Either way, they're stronger together & can't be bought!!
Jump on the Bernie Bandwagon & join The Revolution!!

[TheBlackAdder]

32. JFC! This is RW/Russian Propaganda Folks. Snopes FALSE

.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/bernie-sanders-iran-hostage-crisis/

.

[HarlanPepper]

33. Lol

Be sure to get that memo to the Trump campaign so they won’t use it in November.

[TheBlackAdder]

35. Whomever the candidate, they'll be pulling similar tricks.