The moderators of Univision’s Democratic presidential debate on Wednesday pressed Bernie Sanders to explain comments he made praising Cuba’s communist government when he was mayor of Burlington, Vermont.
“In 1961 they invaded Cuba. Everyone was totally convinced Castro was the worst guy in the world. They forgot that he educated their kids, gave them health care and totally transformed their society,” Sanders said in an 1985 video unearthed by Buzzfeed News last year.
Sanders explained to the audience in Miami, Florida—home to many Cuban exiles—that the comments were geared towards the United States’ failed attempt to invade Cuba.
“Throughout the history of our relationship with Latin America we’ve operated under the so-called Monroe Doctrine, and that said the United States had the right do anything they wanted do in Latin America,” Sanders said, pivoting towards his criticism of Henry Kissinger and the Reagan administration’s actions in the region.
He was asked one more time if he regretted how he characterized Communist leaders like Fidel Castro in the past.
“The key issue here was whether the United States should go around overthrowing small Latin American countries,” Sanders said.
He didn’t address the question head on, but said he hoped “authoritarian undemocratic” Cuba would become a democratic country. He added that Cuba has made “good advances” in healthcare and education.
“I think by restoring pull diplomatic relations with Cuba, it will result in significant improvements to the lives of Cubans and it will help the United States,” he said.
This was a horrible moment for Sanders, and absolutely killed him in Florida. I don’t think it will play well across rest of the country either, and it would be on endless loop in a General.
A self proclaimed socialist campaigning on wanting a revolution, on tape praising actual revolutions in Nicaragua and Cuba? Just no.
And it plays particularly bad with Hispanics that have experienced those revolutions up close and way too personally.
It will be much talked about coming weeks, no doubt. Quite honestly, I’m just relieved it happened at this point, not in the general with him being the nominee.
He’s right on the remarks quoted and on his explanation. Now if he said of Castro that he “loves his commitment to democratic freedoms,” as G.H.W. Bush once said of Ferdinand Marcos, prompting even the Wall Street Journal to balk, we would have something to complain about.
It’s one thing for angry White voters, filled with Clinton Hate, to turn to the only alternative which isn’t some insane Rethugs. But Sanders was advocating true revolution not some de facto political standby. For Joe and Jane Sixpack Democrat around the country, I can’t see how that plays well with them.
He’s right about Castro improving health care and education, but yeah, stuff like this would be deadly in a general election–Josh’s comments are absolutely right. I love Bernie, I ID as a democratic socialist myself, and I hope his run is pulling the party and some of the country to the left. But between quotes like these and his $15 trillion tax increase, he would get slaughtered, and we could well end up with President Trump. I wish a Sanders effect would take place at the state and local level instead, where Democrats are hurting the most these days.