Democratic presidential candidates went after front-runner Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Monday for comments he made about the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro in a “60 Minutes” interview.
Sanders, speaking in an interview that aired Sunday evening, said it’s “unfair to simply say everything is bad” with Castro’s Cuba. He highlighted the authoritarian leader’s “massive literacy program” as one of the bright spots.
Former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign criticized Sanders, arguing his comments illustrate “a larger pattern throughout his life to embrace autocratic leaders and governments across the globe.”
Biden adviser Cristóbal Alex said Sanders’s remarks are “deeply offensive” to people across the country that have fled political persecution.
“Bernie’s comments indicate he either fails to understand the pain and suffering that Fidel Castro, Nicolas Maduro, and Daniel Ortega have caused to so many people, including Americans now living here, or worse, that his ideology blinds him to the realities of life in these countries,” Alex said.
Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg sought to tie Sanders’s comments to President Trump.
“After four years of looking on in horror as Trump cozied up to dictators, we need a president who will be extremely clear in standing against regimes that violate human rights abroad. We can’t risk nominating someone who doesn’t recognize this,” Buttigieg tweeted in Spanish.
Tras cuatro años de ver con horror cómo Trump se acerca a dictadores, necesitamos un presidente que sea extremadamente claro al oponerse a los regímenes que violan los derechos humanos en el extranjero. No podemos arriesgarnos nominando a alguien que no lo reconozca.
— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) February 24, 2020
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg also called out Sanders with a tweet in Spanish.
“Fidel Castro left a dark legacy of forced labor camps, religious repression, widespread poverty, firing squads, and the murder of thousands of his own people,” Bloomberg tweeted. “But sure, Bernie, let’s talk about his literacy program.”
Fidel Castro dejó un oscuro legado de campos de trabajo forzado, represión religiosa, pobreza extensa, ejecuciones por fusilamiento y el asesinato de miles de sus compatriotas.
¿Y Bernie quiere hablar de programas de alfabetización?
— Mike Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) February 24, 2020
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NEW: Sanders faces massive backlash from Democrats over Castro comments https://t.co/i9pE80p3Y6 pic.twitter.com/xJaJGzvNSq
— The Hill (@thehill) February 24, 2020Last time I polled Fidel Castro’s fav in Florida was in the early 2000’s, but back then it was 92% unfavorable https://t.co/pQmfTvvdWE
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) February 24, 2020
Wanna bet Dade on that? https://t.co/9mFS16s8GA
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) February 24, 2020
Hey @BernieSanders, FYI everything is, was and will be bad about the Cuban revolution. Saying anything else, is un-American. https://t.co/WNMYe3SorX
— Carlos Lopez-Cantera (@LopezCantera) February 24, 2020
Sad thing is that many young people have been taught that Castro and other evil men were heroes, and now that they are of voting age, they are going to believe what Sanders has to say. Just too bad that these young people can’t meet those who escaped Cuba so they can learn the real story about life under Castro.
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