WHY ARE THE RUSSIANS PROMOTING Bernie Sanders?
Because the Russians think – – accurately I believe-- that Sanders would be the easiest Democratic candidate for President Trump to defeat. And the Russians, of course, want another term for Donald Trump.
Why do I think all that?
First, because Sanders’ “Medicare for All” proposal is opposed by many Americans (it would force about 160 million Americans to lose their private health insurance).
Second, because many Americans do not want to pay taxes to offer free college for rich kids (Sanders supports that).
Three, because the word “socialist” is still negative to many Americans – – and Sanders proudly calls himself a socialist.
Four, because Bernie has said some pretty foolish things about Marxists and communists.
The Russians think Bernie would be the easiest person for Trump to defeat. That is why, according to American Intelligence Agencies, the Russians are supporting Sanders as the Democratic candidate (see the Washington Post, February 21). Sanders has acknowledged that American intelligence agencies have said the Russians are promoting his campaign!
Here is why Sanders would be the easiest Democrat for Trump to defeat.
1). 160 million Americans have private health insurance. They may not be too happy with parts of it, but they certainly do not want a President Sanders to tell them they must give up their private insurance for a government run program. Furthermore, Sanders has not given an adequate explanation for how to pay for his huge program. Much better is the proposal of Democrats like Biden who will offer Medicare for any American who wants it. That provides coverage for everyone without scaring half of the American people who prefer to stick with their private insurance.
2) We should not pay taxes to provide free college for kids of millionaires! By all means, we should vastly expand financial support so that all lower and middle class students can afford college. But we don’t need to provide free college for children from families making $200,000 or more a year. Furthermore, Sanders’ plan offers free college only at state schools. That would destroy Christian colleges and universities who could not compete with state schools offering free tuition.
3) Sanders proudly calls himself a “socialist. The Trump campaign will flood the airwaves with charges of “socialist- communist”. In fact, thy have already started. It is true that an increasing number of younger Americans do not object to the label socialist. But large numbers of Americans still associate the label “socialism” with communism.
4) Bernie has made a number of foolish positive statements about Soviet communism, Castro’s Cuban communism and Nicaragua’s Marxist Sandinistas—more than enough to make the attack on Sanders credible to many moderate Democrats and Independents.
Mother Jones (hardly a conservative paper) quoted Sanders in a February 26, 2020 article: “Cuba is a model of what a society could be”. Sanders said that in 1989! An editorial in a Vermont paper called Sanders a “long-time admirer of Fidel Castro.”
On February 21, 2020 NBC News did a lengthy story on Sanders’ “long-ago praise of socialist regimes.” In 1986, Sanders said: “I was very excited and impressed by the Cuban revolution.”
In 1985, Sanders visited Nicaragua. By that date, the Lawyers Committee for International Human Rights had already reported on the way the Sandinista government was using death threats and other human rights abuses. Sanders acknowledged that the “Sandinistas make their share of mistakes“ but he did not mention their human rights abuses, political prisoners, or the fact that the Sandinistas were allied with the Soviets. Sanders has refused to repudiate these statements.
I am not saying Sanders is a communist or that he does not treasure freedom. Politifact (one of the best places to check whether political statements are true) has evaluated the charge that Sanders has collaborated with Marxist regimes. They conclude that this charge is false.
But what I am saying is that Sanders has said enough foolish things about Marxist regimes to make the attack by the Trump campaign labeling Sanders a communist very effective. Imagine a Trump ad this fall quoting Sanders saying “I was very excited and impressed by the Cuban revolution.”
I am afraid Donald Trump will win if Sanders is the Democratic candidate. Sanders claims he will bring in lots of new people who otherwise would not vote and thus expand the Democratic base. But there is little to no evidence of that thus far in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. And Sanders would certainly scare away many Independents and the few Republicans who reject Trump – – precisely the people needed to retire Trump this November.
In his Op Ed in the New York Times today (February 28), David Brooks says “No, Not Sanders, Not ever.” When as thoughtful a moderate (and a vigorous critic of Trump) as Brooks announces that he could not vote for Sanders if Sanders is the Democratic candidate in November, you know Sanders would be a disaster.
I think the Democratic centrists must stop competing against each other. The effect of that is to allow Sanders to keep winning races (although with only a minority of all votes cast). Klobuchar, Buttigieg and Steyer have no chance of getting the nomination. They should drop out. Bloomberg should stop trying to buy the presidency.
Elizabeth Warren would be far more acceptable than Sanders. She says her first move on healthcare would be to allow anyone who wants to, to select Medicare – – that would provide insurance for everyone without forcing people to give up private insurance they like. She rightly wants to take huge steps to reduce the gross inequality between the top 1% and the rest. But she rejects the socialist label and calls herself a capitalist who wants vast corrections within our current market economy.
My hope is that tomorrow in South Carolina, next Tuesday on Super Tuesday, and then in subsequent primaries, the Democrats will refuse to select the candidate that will probably re-elect Donald Trump.
Encourage your friends to get my free blog at: https://ronsiderblog.substack.com/