Sanders: Communism Light...

[demi-conservative]

He's more a candidate of being a Russian stooge than anyone else I've seen. In fact, if intelligence sources declared they had evidence of Sanders' campaign colluding with Russia, or Russian bots endorsing Sanders, I'd have no problem whatsoever believing that to be true based on his history and everything he represents.

100% agree.

Yet the MSM, that is quick to assign everything and everyone as an Russian asset they don't like, has made no accusations towards Sanders in that regard, even though they obviously hate the guy. It's really strange.

They need him to shill for Hillar- whoever the establishment candidate is this time.

[seanD]

100% agree.



They need him to shill for Hillar- whoever the establishment candidate is this time.

That's a good point.

[Starlight]

There's a hippie quasi-libertarian YouTuber named styxenhammer who lives in Vermont and has had close proximity to Sanders for years (previously being the mayor of Burlington). He complains about him quite a bit, that he's a proud lunatic socialist who creates more problems than he solves. More Vermonters should speak up about this guy.

Polling with regards to the popularity of US Senators in their home states tends to consistently report Bernie Sanders as the most-popular of the 100 US Senators.

e.g. Morning Consult's rankings of Senators by popularity. Bernie is currently number 1 in that list with a +36% approval minus disapproval rating.

The youtuber you mention seems to be an outlier.

[Starlight]

He's more a candidate of being a Russian stooge than anyone else I've seen. In fact, if intelligence sources declared they had evidence of Sanders' campaign colluding with Russia, or Russian bots endorsing Sanders, I'd have no problem whatsoever believing that to be true based on his history and everything he represents. Yet the MSM, that is quick to assign everything and everyone as an Russian asset they don't like, has made no accusations towards Sanders in that regard, even though they obviously hate the guy. It's really strange.

1. Given the intelligence community today briefed lawmakers that Russia is currently trying to help Trump win the 2020 election...
and
2. Given Dems aren't in any position currently to do anything to stop that happening (they've tried passing election security bills in the House, but McConnell just refuses to let the Senate vote on them)...
and
3. Given US elections tend to be reasonably close, so any amount of interference either way, even relatively small, can tip the outcome...

then maybe, it would be smart for Dems to choose a candidate Russia likes? Because that's the only way Dems have a chance of winning?

Not that I believe you in the least with regard to Russia liking Sanders. But it seems to me your argument is a really really good reason for Dems nominating Sanders.

[seanD]

1. Given the intelligence community today briefed lawmakers that Russia is currently trying to help Trump win the 2020 election...
and
2. Given Dems aren't in any position currently to do anything to stop that happening (they've tried passing election security bills in the House, but McConnell just refuses to let the Senate vote on them)...
and
3. Given US elections tend to be reasonably close, so any amount of interference either way, even relatively small, can tip the outcome...

then maybe, it would be smart for Dems to choose a candidate Russia likes? Because that's the only way Dems have a chance of winning?

Not that I believe you in the least with regard to Russia liking Sanders. But it seems to me your argument is a really really good reason for Dems nominating Sanders.

I'm not arguing Sanders is a Russian stooge, genius. I don't buy the Russia influence narrative AT ALL. I'm saying, since the media is quick to label any political individual a Russian asset they disagree with or don't like, why don't they do that to Sanders when it's more obvious than any other individual they've classified as a Russian asset that he's pro-Russian? Man, I can't believe I had to clarify that. It's like talking to a 7 year old.

[Starlight]

But he’s not even a socialist. He’s a communist.

That went from zero to crazy fast.

The list of 'evidence' given for his communism is bizarre... that he participated in a bunch of groups that sound totally benign, but the article author tells us were Secretly Totally Communist.
And Sanders likes a guy who wasn't a communist but who was sympathetic in some ways to parts of the communist movement?

When he ran for Governor of Vermont as a protest candidate for the socialist Liberty Union Party back in 1972, Sanders proclaimed "I don't mind people coming up and calling me a communist."

The bit of his quote you've cut off was "...at least they're still alive."
He didn't care that they were wrong about his politics, he was just glad they weren't apathetic about politics like so many people are/were.

Keep in mind, critics and supporters alike agree that Sanders has deviated very little over the years concerning his political beliefs.

Indeed, so given he regularly says he'd like the US to be more like Denmark, doesn't that make you pretty dishonest for making out like he wants it to be like the USSR and Venezuela?

And of course he picked Moscow as his choice of locations to Honeymoon in back during the Cold War.

It was primarily a work trip, as Mayor of Burlington he went there to make Yaroslavl a 'Sister city' as part of ongoing international efforts to foster friendship in the period.

Though someone who went there with him has commented that poor economic conditions they observed in the USSR at that time probably influenced Sanders' thinking on the subject and might be one reason why Sanders has never advocated for any kind of Soviet-style command-economy.

[Starlight]

why don't they do that to Sanders when it's more obvious than any other individual they've classified as a Russian asset that he's pro-Russian?

Why? What's he done that's pro-Russian.

It's like talking to a 7 year old.

Are you on drugs?

[seanD]

Why? What's he done that's pro-Russian.

Are you on drugs?

Now you're just

[Tassman]

Don’t be fooled by Bernie Sanders — he’s a diehard communist

No he's not Communist, he's a Democratic Socialist. Bernie himself rebuked Bloomberg when the latter called him Communist:

https://nypost.com/2020/02/19/bloomb...cratic-debate/

Democratic socialism is usually defined as having a socialist economy in which the means of production are socially controlled, alongside a democratic political system of government. The prosperous Scandinavian countries are examples. Australia, NZ and Canada et al have many aspects of socialism in terms of universal heath care and generous welfare programs. Democratic socialism rejects self-described socialist states just as it rejects Communism.

[Sparko]

When he ran for Governor of Vermont as a protest candidate for the socialist Liberty Union Party back in 1972, Sanders proclaimed "I don't mind people coming up and calling me a communist."

A decade later during his time as mayor of Burlington he supported and campaigned for the communist Socialist Workers Party (SWP) in the 1980 and 1984 presidential campaigns, maintaining a close relationship with its senior members and was even investigated by the FBI for his ties to the Marxist group.

Keep in mind, critics and supporters alike agree that Sanders has deviated very little over the years concerning his political beliefs.

And of course he picked Moscow as his choice of locations to Honeymoon in back during the Cold War.

It boggles the mind that a rumor about Trump colluding with Russia (which isn't even communist any more) has the Democrats trying to impeach him, yet Sanders openly embraces SOVIET Russia and communism and they consider it a "good thing"

[Sparko]

1. Given the intelligence community today briefed lawmakers that Russia is currently trying to help Trump win the 2020 election...
and
2. Given Dems aren't in any position currently to do anything to stop that happening (they've tried passing election security bills in the House, but McConnell just refuses to let the Senate vote on them)...
and
3. Given US elections tend to be reasonably close, so any amount of interference either way, even relatively small, can tip the outcome...

then maybe, it would be smart for Dems to choose a candidate Russia likes? Because that's the only way Dems have a chance of winning?

Not that I believe you in the least with regard to Russia liking Sanders. But it seems to me your argument is a really really good reason for Dems nominating Sanders.

Russia isn't communist anymore. Maybe that's why they like Trump.

[Sparko]

That went from zero to crazy fast.

The list of 'evidence' given for his communism is bizarre... that he participated in a bunch of groups that sound totally benign, but the article author tells us were Secretly Totally Communist.
And Sanders likes a guy who wasn't a communist but who was sympathetic in some ways to parts of the communist movement?

The bit of his quote you've cut off was "...at least they're still alive."
He didn't care that they were wrong about his politics, he was just glad they weren't apathetic about politics like so many people are/were.

Indeed, so given he regularly says he'd like the US to be more like Denmark, doesn't that make you pretty dishonest for making out like he wants it to be like the USSR and Venezuela?

It was primarily a work trip, as Mayor of Burlington he went there to make Yaroslavl a 'Sister city' as part of ongoing international efforts to foster friendship in the period.

Though someone who went there with him has commented that poor economic conditions they observed in the USSR at that time probably influenced Sanders' thinking on the subject and might be one reason why Sanders has never advocated for any kind of Soviet-style command-economy.

So Trump makes a joke on TV about Russia reading Hillary's emails and all of a sudden he is totally a Russian puppet of Putin's. Bernie Sanders spends 40 years drooling and fawning over communist dictators and "socialist" regimes and says he doesn't mind being called a communist, and we are completely exaggerating when we call him a communist?



Go on, pull the other one.

[JimL]

Russia isn't communist anymore. Maybe that's why they like Trump.

Russia isn't democratic either, it's a corrupt oligarchy with Putin at its head, which is what Trump is aiming for in the U.S.

[JimL]

So Trump makes a joke on TV about Russia reading Hillary's emails and all of a sudden he is totally a Russian puppet of Putin's. Bernie Sanders spends 40 years drooling and fawning over communist dictators and "socialist" regimes and says he doesn't mind being called a communist, and we are completely exaggerating when we call him a communist?

Yes, you're completely exagerating on both accounts. First off if you believe Trump was making a joke after Russia went to work within hours of Trump asking them to, and when you so naively accept A.G. Barrs spin of the Mueller report, exonerating the Trump Administration from colluding with Russia, then you're obviously very naive and easily duped. Either that, or you know better, and that's even worse! Sanders makes no bones about his social policy agenda, he's not hiding anything, and socialist policies have nothing to do with the political system that adopts them. Case in point, the U.S.

[Sparko]

Yes, you're completely exagerating on both accounts. First off if you believe Trump was making a joke after Russia went to work within hours of Trump asking them to, and when you so naively accept A.G. Barrs spin of the Mueller report, exonerating the Trump Administration from colluding with Russia, then you're obviously very naive and easily duped. Either that, or you know better, and that's even worse! Sanders makes no bones about his social policy agenda, he's not hiding anything, and socialist policies have nothing to do with the political system that adopts them. Case in point, the U.S.

Thanks for confirming my POV that you and the dems are a pack of hypocritical nutjobs.