Washington Post-Why Bernie Sanders's repeating Cuban propaganda rankles so many Latinos

[Cal Carpenter]

10. So frustrating. He got called out for stuff he said in 1985

and had to address it. He has addressed it, for better or worse.

CONTEXT MATTERS. But nearly every interview, every pundit, every talking head panel, and a lot of people here on this site, are making it seem like Sanders himself is deliberately bringing up Castro's policies, now, in 2020, as some great example or something. He is NOT. He wants to talk about today, in the US, what policies will improve our society. But he is damned if he does, damned if he doesn't - if he tries to brush off these questions he gets accused of deflection, and if he does answer he gives the questions legitimacy as if they have anything to do with the present.

As Rev Al said this morning in South Carolina at the NAN event, (my paraphrase, ftr) every civil rights activist has been a victim of red-baiting, whether it was MLK, Mandela, or Jesse Jackson. They've all been called communists by people who opposed their message of equality. And like Rev Al, offering opinions and analysis of something, like Cuba's programs, does NOT equal support of communist dictators. He reminded the audience not to fall for these red-baiting traps - they are the same traps people who have fought for equality have had to dodge forever. These traps are designed to divide us.

When MLK criticized the US Bay of Pigs debacle, he was called a communist. When he recognized the Cuban's forward-movement on racial equality, he was called a communist in efforts to discredit him. Everybody from Bayard Rustin to James Baldwin was smeared as commies during that time period. In the 80s, Jesse Jackson was smeared as a commie during his presidential runs.

Everything old is new again. This stuff is 30 to 50 years old. Bernie is not holding up Castro's literacy programs as an example for today. But headlines and talking head rants make it seem like he is.

Makes me want to pull my hair out.