As Bernie Sanders enters the presidential race, he will have to answer some tough questions about his past endorsements of Latin American communist dictatorships.
In a series of resurfaced videos from the 1980s, the Democratic socialist praises the likes of Fidel Castro and Daniel Ortega, describes the United States as an evil imperial power, heaps praise on the Soviet Union, and treasonously admits to having traveled to Nicaragua to help the Sandinistas fight the influence of the United States.
Damning videos emerge
Sanders’ fondness for socialism is no secret, but his past comments about Latin American dictatorships may present a real threat to his presidential hopes. In the videos, shared by Reagan Battalion, Sanders says that he was “excited” about the Cuban revolution, talks about traveling to Nicaragua to help the communists there shake off American influence, and even describes Soviet breadlines as a “good thing.”
In 1986, Sanders told an audience at the University of Vermont that he was “excited” when Castro came to power and overthrew the “ugly rich people.” He continued, “I remember being very excited when Fidel Castro made the revolution in Cuba,” and added, “I remember reading that it seemed right and appropriate that poor people were rising up against rather ugly rich people.”
Sanders recalled his disgust that “liberal” John F. Kennedy opposed Castro, saying he almost “puked” when Kennedy and Richard Nixon discussed combating communism in Cuba in their 1960 presidential debate. Oddly enough, Sanders even bashed one of President Trump’s arch foes — The New York Times — for what he called misleading reporting on communism in Nicaragua and Cuba.
In another clip, Sanders proudly wore the label of “socialist,” stating: “As a socialist, the word socialism does not frighten me. You may recall back in 1961, they invaded Cuba, and everybody was totally convinced that Castro was the worst guy in the world. They forgot that he educated kids, gave them health care, and totally transformed society.”
Sanders went on to reminisce about his meeting with Sandinista leaders in Nicaragua, whom he described as “impressive.” Take a look:
Video: @BernieSanders, University of Vermont, 1986, recalls his excitement watching Castro’s revolution “rising up against the ugly rich people.” & his sick feeling watching JFK speak out against communism in Cuba.
Also bashes the @nytimes for lying about communism. pic.twitter.com/OUqzLFbsvz
— The Reagan Battalion (@ReaganBattalion) February 21, 2019
Praised USSR, trashed America
In the videos, Sanders criticized the United States for meddling with Latin American countries and simultaneously lavished praise on America’s arch-foe of nearly half a century, describing the USSR as “impressive.”
In a clip from 1985, Sanders criticized “150 years” of American imperialism and said that American involvement in countries like Nicaragua was motivated by corporate interests that thwarted the national sovereignty of the people living in those countries.
He explained:
The nature of the conflict that now exists is based on the fact that for the last 150 years or so, the United States government in its wisdom has decided that Latin America should be a colony of the United States government and that countries which attempt to stand up and do things for their own people, rather than for American corporations, are not to be tolerated.
While criticizing American foreign policy, Sanders was sanguine about his impression of the Soviet Union after a trip there with his wife Jane. Sanders said in another video from 1988 that he was “extremely impressed” by the USSR’s public transportation, culture and youth programs, and made light of bread lines.
“It’s funny 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, rich people get the food and poor people starve to death,” he said. “I was also impressed by the youth programs that they have, their palaces of culture for the young people, a whole variety of programs for young people, and cultural programs which go far beyond what we do in this country.”
Enduring support for dictators
Sanders entered the presidential race on Tuesday, entering a crowded field of progressive candidates that have largely embraced the radical, socialist ideas he helped make the standard of his party with his energetic but unsuccessful grassroots primary campaign in 2016. Meanwhile, Sanders’ support of Latin American dictators isn’t letting up. He has faced some pushback from Florida Democrats for failing to firmly condemn Venezuelan socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro as an autocrat.
But even Sanders’ extreme anti-American rhetoric over the years may not be enough to endear him to the Democrats. In rolling out his campaign, Sanders has embraced ambitious proposals from younger far-left progressives, like New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal, but his own ideas have become progressive boilerplate.
Sanders has been criticized for his emphasis on economics rather than identity politics over the years as his ideas have been taken up by a host of younger, more diverse candidates. Some on the left are apprehensive about choosing a white male septuagenarian whose underdog credentials have faded to lead their party.
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