There's a big gap between praising their education system and praising Castro
Cuba's medical system is beyond reproach as well.
you can praise one thing about one person and it not be all-encompassing. just because harvey weinstein is a rapist doesn't mean I am pro-rape if I say he's a good movie producer.
This should be true, but unfortunately, it isn’t the case these days. Too many people today seem to have an “all or none” mentality with that sort of thing. To them, it IS all-encompassing.
Look at Trump. If you say anything positive about something he does, or if there’s an aspect of his presidency that actually you like, a lot of people will call you racist or whatever other extreme insult you can call a Trump supporter. Even if your positive comment is inconsequential. Say, for example, someone on this board said that they liked his speech in India the other day. Some of the people around here would assume that person loves Trump and lump them in with Maga-hat wearers. That isn’t fair.
I agree with you 100%. I was called a trump supporter (HAHA) because I didn't draw and quarter him on an issue some time back. it's ludicrous.
Ronald Reagan — 'If you're explaining, you're losing.'
This is exactly right and the sum of Bernie's problem from Sunday night. It leaves him vulnerable to attacks and really, honestly, a rookie mistake for a seasoned pol.
There's a big gap between praising their education system and praising Castro
Cuba's medical system is beyond reproach as well.
you can praise one thing about one person and it not be all-encompassing. just because harvey weinstein is a rapist doesn't mean I am pro-rape if I say he's a good movie producer.
This should be true, but unfortunately, it isn’t the case these days. Too many people today seem to have an “all or none” mentality with that sort of thing. To them, it IS all-encompassing.
Look at Trump. If you say anything positive about something he does, or if there’s an aspect of his presidency that actually you like, a lot of people will call you racist or whatever other extreme insult you can call a Trump supporter. Even if your positive comment is inconsequential. Say, for example, someone on this board said that they liked his speech in India the other day. Some of the people around here would assume that person loves Trump and lump them in with Maga-hat wearers. That isn’t fair.
Name an inconsequential positive things one could say about Trumps presidency without it being a far fetched "Say, for example"-example like him having a good speech.
Well I didn’t see the speech so I can’t speak to whether it was good or not. Typical of you to focus on that and ignore the point though. The point is that Hugh’s “all-encompassing” argument goes tenfold for Trump.
I know. It just made me curious about Trump and him having positives.
there actually was something he did a while back that was praised on both sides. I wish I could recall what it was. there has been so much shit it's hard to wade through.
Criminal reform.
Yup I was going to say that but I couldn't remember the exact reform!
Why Bernie Sanders’s repeating Cuban propaganda rankles so many Latinos By Francisco Toro February 25 at 2:08 PM EST Come along with me on a little thought experiment. Imagine that, horrified by the creeping authoritarianism in Donald Trump’s America, you decided you could take no more and you moved to New Zealand, say, for a fresh start.
Now imagine that, as an immigrant to New Zealand, you saw a radical right-wing politician rise to national prominence. Naturally, some enterprising local journalist would eventually ask that politico about his views on President Trump. Now imagine the response sounded something like, “Well, while we certainly wouldn’t want Donald Trump’s divisiveness and authoritarianism here in New Zealand, it is a fact that he presided over the greatest economy in U.S. history and he certainly made America great again.”
This, I suspect, would drive you crazy. And it would drive you crazy for a good reason: not so much because it’s wrong, specifically, but because it’s propaganda.
Like all good propaganda, our New Zealand politician’s response blends a pinch of truth (the unemployment rate really is very low and the stock market has performed very well) with a willful ignorance of history (the economy was doing well long before Trump reached power) and a determined effort to obscure a deeper, much more pernicious dynamic (no amount of economic health is worth sacrificing the basics of democracy and the separation of powers).
Hearing it, you’d instantly see as hollow the politician’s assertion that he didn’t want Trumpian divisiveness in his country. How could you trust a person so ready to swallow and repeat a propaganda whopper like that?
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
If you can imagine your reaction to this right-winger, you can begin to glimpse the enormous concern Venezuelans and Cubans feel when we hear Bernie Sanders praise Fidel Castro’s education system.
The first thing to grasp is that Cuba’s global reputation for having an excellent education system isn’t a result of the quality of its education system. As scholars have long known, Cuba’s overall educational performance is middling for the region: roughly similar to that of many other Latin American countries that brought their literacy rates from round-about 75 percent in the 1950s to not-far-from 100 percent today.
Yes, Cuba made education available free to everyone through the university level. But so did countries such as Argentina, Ecuador, Uruguay and Mexico. There was never any need to build a police state to bring people to school — an insight so obvious, it’s ludicrous to even have to write it.
In reality, Cuba’s reputation for educational prowess is mostly a product of a relentless, multi-decade propaganda campaign. Virtually every speech by every Cuban diplomat and regime admirer for the past seven decades has made a point of praising Cuba’s supposed literacy miracle. Cubans who have left know the propaganda only too well, and understand why a government desperate to establish its legitimacy in the face of the mass impoverishment of its population would turn to it again and again.
To Cubans and Venezuelans — who have witnessed much the same kind of propaganda — talk of Cuban educational prowess grates not because it’s wrong, exactly, but because it serves as a simple way to identify who’s ready to be duped by regime apologists. We know propaganda doesn’t need to be entirely false to be profoundly damaging. So we despair when we hear it parroted by those who ought to know better.
The bottom line is that when you associate yourself with an ideology whose past contains some of history’s worst crimes, you take on a special duty to denounce. When those denunciations come hedged with qualifiers that rest on propaganda lines, they ring entirely hollow.
Germans get this. Angela Merkel’s party, the conservative Christian Democratic Union, always understood that if you’re going to stand even half an inch to the right of center in the country that Hitler once ran, you must go to very great lengths to put distance between yourself and anything even vaguely reminiscent of Nazism. Which is one reason the center-right in Germany is one of the most doggedly pro-democracy forces in Europe.
Sanders needs to understand he’s in a similar position. He has chosen to describe himself using the same word that totalitarian leaders have chosen to describe themselves. He must take on a special responsibility to make it entirely unambiguous that he’s wise to the propaganda games authoritarian socialists use to bolster their power. Holding him to that standard is in no way unreasonable.
When Sanders parrots Fidel’s propaganda, he fails the test. And many Latinos and people in Latin America notice. We have a hyper-developed nose for propaganda. It sends us reeling. Because we know this game from the inside.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Ronald Reagan — 'If you're explaining, you're losing.'
This is exactly right and the sum of Bernie's problem from Sunday night. It leaves him vulnerable to attacks and really, honestly, a rookie mistake for a seasoned pol.
Looks like a mistake out of complete hubris. Like he doesn't feel like he needs to read the room (read: country) because it's going his way (for the time being) and he is so sure of being "right".
"Mostly I think that people react sensitively because they know you’ve got a point"
If you can imagine your reaction to this right-winger, you can begin to glimpse the enormous concern Venezuelans and Cubans feel when we hear Bernie Sanders praise Fidel Castro’s education system.
The first thing to grasp is that Cuba’s global reputation for having an excellent education system isn’t a result of the quality of its education system. As scholars have long known, Cuba’s overall educational performance is middling for the region: roughly similar to that of many other Latin American countries that brought their literacy rates from round-about 75 percent in the 1950s to not-far-from 100 percent today.
Yes, Cuba made education available free to everyone through the university level. But so did countries such as Argentina, Ecuador, Uruguay and Mexico. There was never any need to build a police state to bring people to school — an insight so obvious, it’s ludicrous to even have to write it.
In reality, Cuba’s reputation for educational prowess is mostly a product of a relentless, multi-decade propaganda campaign. Virtually every speech by every Cuban diplomat and regime admirer for the past seven decades has made a point of praising Cuba’s supposed literacy miracle. Cubans who have left know the propaganda only too well, and understand why a government desperate to establish its legitimacy in the face of the mass impoverishment of its population would turn to it again and again.
To Cubans and Venezuelans — who have witnessed much the same kind of propaganda — talk of Cuban educational prowess grates not because it’s wrong, exactly, but because it serves as a simple way to identify who’s ready to be duped by regime apologists. We know propaganda doesn’t need to be entirely false to be profoundly damaging. So we despair when we hear it parroted by those who ought to know better.
The bottom line is that when you associate yourself with an ideology whose past contains some of history’s worst crimes, you take on a special duty to denounce. When those denunciations come hedged with qualifiers that rest on propaganda lines, they ring entirely hollow.
Germans get this. Angela Merkel’s party, the conservative Christian Democratic Union, always understood that if you’re going to stand even half an inch to the right of center in the country that Hitler once ran, you must go to very great lengths to put distance between yourself and anything even vaguely reminiscent of Nazism. Which is one reason the center-right in Germany is one of the most doggedly pro-democracy forces in Europe.
Sanders needs to understand he’s in a similar position. He has chosen to describe himself using the same word that totalitarian leaders have chosen to describe themselves. He must take on a special responsibility to make it entirely unambiguous that he’s wise to the propaganda games authoritarian socialists use to bolster their power. Holding him to that standard is in no way unreasonable.
When Sanders parrots Fidel’s propaganda, he fails the test. And many Latinos and people in Latin America notice. We have a hyper-developed nose for propaganda. It sends us reeling. Because we know this game from the inside.
Ronald Reagan — 'If you're explaining, you're losing.'
This is exactly right and the sum of Bernie's problem from Sunday night. It leaves him vulnerable to attacks and really, honestly, a rookie mistake for a seasoned pol.
Looks like a mistake out of complete hubris. Like he doesn't feel like he needs to read the room (read: country) because it's going his way (for the time being) and he is so sure of being "right".
Don't you think it's just that he doesn't have as much of a filter as a typical politician? Even though I disagree with a lot of his platform, I've always respected him for shooting pretty straight. Maybe we're kinda saying the same thing, but I've never known him to be adverse to letting it all hang out.
Ronald Reagan — 'If you're explaining, you're losing.'
This is exactly right and the sum of Bernie's problem from Sunday night. It leaves him vulnerable to attacks and really, honestly, a rookie mistake for a seasoned pol.
Looks like a mistake out of complete hubris. Like he doesn't feel like he needs to read the room (read: country) because it's going his way (for the time being) and he is so sure of being "right".
Don't you think it's just that he doesn't have as much of a filter as a typical politician? Even though I disagree with a lot of his platform, I've always respected him for shooting pretty straight. Maybe we're kinda saying the same thing, but I've never known him to be adverse to letting it all hang out.
seems like he's trying to use the trump playbook to be honest. no one ever held trump to account on any of his promises or claims. maybe he's hoping for the same.
"every society honours its live conformists and its dead troublemakers"
Bloomberg's & Bernie's only function in this race is to alienate moderate voters. And to keep pushing 'the both sides are bad' narrative. This only benefits the GOP.
The purpose of a canvass is in fact to determine support. A candidate's volunteer comes to your door, or calls you, to gauge how many voters are out there.
There are also messaging pollsters hired by candidates to determine how to frame their campaign.
It is not unusual for people to get these calls/polls if there name is on a mailing list somewhere because they donated or they are registered with a party.
I don't understand why these twats think it's media bias because they've been contacted by a campaign that they've already supported. The campaign is just keeping track, as all campaigns do.
I get three texts a week. This week from Joe, Amy, and Liz. "Are you with us?"
Ronald Reagan — 'If you're explaining, you're losing.'
This is exactly right and the sum of Bernie's problem from Sunday night. It leaves him vulnerable to attacks and really, honestly, a rookie mistake for a seasoned pol.
Looks like a mistake out of complete hubris. Like he doesn't feel like he needs to read the room (read: country) because it's going his way (for the time being) and he is so sure of being "right".
Don't you think it's just that he doesn't have as much of a filter as a typical politician? Even though I disagree with a lot of his platform, I've always respected him for shooting pretty straight. Maybe we're kinda saying the same thing, but I've never known him to be adverse to letting it all hang out.
seems like he's trying to use the trump playbook to be honest. no one ever held trump to account on any of his promises or claims. maybe he's hoping for the same.
I don't know that's it's hubris (that's a very strong word) or just that it's central to his belief. While that's admirable I suppose, today there's simply no reason to find a bright side in Castro. I could find a bright side in Mengele's research, but I wouldn't say it as a politician.
Ronald Reagan — 'If you're explaining, you're losing.'
This is exactly right and the sum of Bernie's problem from Sunday night. It leaves him vulnerable to attacks and really, honestly, a rookie mistake for a seasoned pol.
Looks like a mistake out of complete hubris. Like he doesn't feel like he needs to read the room (read: country) because it's going his way (for the time being) and he is so sure of being "right".
Don't you think it's just that he doesn't have as much of a filter as a typical politician? Even though I disagree with a lot of his platform, I've always respected him for shooting pretty straight. Maybe we're kinda saying the same thing, but I've never known him to be adverse to letting it all hang out.
seems like he's trying to use the trump playbook to be honest. no one ever held trump to account on any of his promises or claims. maybe he's hoping for the same.
I'm tellin ya'....I think he's just being himself. It doesn't seem calculated. For better or worse.
Ronald Reagan — 'If you're explaining, you're losing.'
This is exactly right and the sum of Bernie's problem from Sunday night. It leaves him vulnerable to attacks and really, honestly, a rookie mistake for a seasoned pol.
Looks like a mistake out of complete hubris. Like he doesn't feel like he needs to read the room (read: country) because it's going his way (for the time being) and he is so sure of being "right".
Don't you think it's just that he doesn't have as much of a filter as a typical politician? Even though I disagree with a lot of his platform, I've always respected him for shooting pretty straight. Maybe we're kinda saying the same thing, but I've never known him to be adverse to letting it all hang out.
seems like he's trying to use the trump playbook to be honest. no one ever held trump to account on any of his promises or claims. maybe he's hoping for the same.
I don't know that's it's hubris (that's a very strong word) or just that it's central to his belief. While that's admirable I suppose, today there's simply no reason to find a bright side in Castro. I could find a bright side in Mengele's research, but I wouldn't say it as a politician.
Don't you think he's likely pretty sympathetic to Castro? I had an uncle a little older than Bernie who was a dyed in the wool socialist. He left the US and lived in Costa Rica for about 20 years. I got to know him once he came back and he was very supportive of Castro and Chavez, even many years later. That was definitely a thing for people in that movement around that time.
Ronald Reagan — 'If you're explaining, you're losing.'
This is exactly right and the sum of Bernie's problem from Sunday night. It leaves him vulnerable to attacks and really, honestly, a rookie mistake for a seasoned pol.
Looks like a mistake out of complete hubris. Like he doesn't feel like he needs to read the room (read: country) because it's going his way (for the time being) and he is so sure of being "right".
Don't you think it's just that he doesn't have as much of a filter as a typical politician? Even though I disagree with a lot of his platform, I've always respected him for shooting pretty straight. Maybe we're kinda saying the same thing, but I've never known him to be adverse to letting it all hang out.
seems like he's trying to use the trump playbook to be honest. no one ever held trump to account on any of his promises or claims. maybe he's hoping for the same.
I don't know that's it's hubris (that's a very strong word) or just that it's central to his belief. While that's admirable I suppose, today there's simply no reason to find a bright side in Castro. I could find a bright side in Mengele's research, but I wouldn't say it as a politician.
Don't you think he's likely pretty sympathetic to Castro? I had an uncle a little older than Bernie who was a dyed in the wool socialist. He left the US and lived in Costa Rica for about 20 years. I got to know him once he came back and he was very supportive of Castro and Chavez, even many years later. That was definitely a thing for people in that movement around that time.
Im sure he is. And there's no political upside. Sanders isn't having a good week. The only reason it isn't worse is because the Dow lossy 1800 points, dominating headlines.
There's a big gap between praising their education system and praising Castro
Cuba's medical system is beyond reproach as well.
you can praise one thing about one person and it not be all-encompassing. just because harvey weinstein is a rapist doesn't mean I am pro-rape if I say he's a good movie producer.
This should be true, but unfortunately, it isn’t the case these days. Too many people today seem to have an “all or none” mentality with that sort of thing. To them, it IS all-encompassing.
Look at Trump. If you say anything positive about something he does, or if there’s an aspect of his presidency that actually you like, a lot of people will call you racist or whatever other extreme insult you can call a Trump supporter. Even if your positive comment is inconsequential. Say, for example, someone on this board said that they liked his speech in India the other day. Some of the people around here would assume that person loves Trump and lump them in with Maga-hat wearers. That isn’t fair.
I agree with you 100%. I was called a trump supporter (HAHA) because I didn't draw and quarter him on an issue some time back. it's ludicrous.
Ronald Reagan — 'If you're explaining, you're losing.'
This is exactly right and the sum of Bernie's problem from Sunday night. It leaves him vulnerable to attacks and really, honestly, a rookie mistake for a seasoned pol.
Looks like a mistake out of complete hubris. Like he doesn't feel like he needs to read the room (read: country) because it's going his way (for the time being) and he is so sure of being "right".
Don't you think it's just that he doesn't have as much of a filter as a typical politician? Even though I disagree with a lot of his platform, I've always respected him for shooting pretty straight. Maybe we're kinda saying the same thing, but I've never known him to be adverse to letting it all hang out.
seems like he's trying to use the trump playbook to be honest. no one ever held trump to account on any of his promises or claims. maybe he's hoping for the same.
I'm tellin ya'....I think he's just being himself. It doesn't seem calculated. For better or worse.
which is also out of the trump playbook. LOL
"every society honours its live conformists and its dead troublemakers"
Ronald Reagan — 'If you're explaining, you're losing.'
This is exactly right and the sum of Bernie's problem from Sunday night. It leaves him vulnerable to attacks and really, honestly, a rookie mistake for a seasoned pol.
Looks like a mistake out of complete hubris. Like he doesn't feel like he needs to read the room (read: country) because it's going his way (for the time being) and he is so sure of being "right".
Don't you think it's just that he doesn't have as much of a filter as a typical politician? Even though I disagree with a lot of his platform, I've always respected him for shooting pretty straight. Maybe we're kinda saying the same thing, but I've never known him to be adverse to letting it all hang out.
seems like he's trying to use the trump playbook to be honest. no one ever held trump to account on any of his promises or claims. maybe he's hoping for the same.
I don't know that's it's hubris (that's a very strong word) or just that it's central to his belief. While that's admirable I suppose, today there's simply no reason to find a bright side in Castro. I could find a bright side in Mengele's research, but I wouldn't say it as a politician.
Don't you think he's likely pretty sympathetic to Castro? I had an uncle a little older than Bernie who was a dyed in the wool socialist. He left the US and lived in Costa Rica for about 20 years. I got to know him once he came back and he was very supportive of Castro and Chavez, even many years later. That was definitely a thing for people in that movement around that time.
Im sure he is. And there's no political upside. Sanders isn't having a good week. The only reason it isn't worse is because the Dow lossy 1800 points, dominating headlines.
That and the specter of the debates this summer being held in remote locations with everyone wearing surgical masks
Ronald Reagan — 'If you're explaining, you're losing.'
This is exactly right and the sum of Bernie's problem from Sunday night. It leaves him vulnerable to attacks and really, honestly, a rookie mistake for a seasoned pol.
Looks like a mistake out of complete hubris. Like he doesn't feel like he needs to read the room (read: country) because it's going his way (for the time being) and he is so sure of being "right".
Don't you think it's just that he doesn't have as much of a filter as a typical politician? Even though I disagree with a lot of his platform, I've always respected him for shooting pretty straight. Maybe we're kinda saying the same thing, but I've never known him to be adverse to letting it all hang out.
seems like he's trying to use the trump playbook to be honest. no one ever held trump to account on any of his promises or claims. maybe he's hoping for the same.
I'm tellin ya'....I think he's just being himself. It doesn't seem calculated. For better or worse.
which is also out of the trump playbook. LOL
If we get a legit old man fist fight on a debate stage in August, the last 5 years will all be worth it
Ronald Reagan — 'If you're explaining, you're losing.'
This is exactly right and the sum of Bernie's problem from Sunday night. It leaves him vulnerable to attacks and really, honestly, a rookie mistake for a seasoned pol.
Looks like a mistake out of complete hubris. Like he doesn't feel like he needs to read the room (read: country) because it's going his way (for the time being) and he is so sure of being "right".
Don't you think it's just that he doesn't have as much of a filter as a typical politician? Even though I disagree with a lot of his platform, I've always respected him for shooting pretty straight. Maybe we're kinda saying the same thing, but I've never known him to be adverse to letting it all hang out.
seems like he's trying to use the trump playbook to be honest. no one ever held trump to account on any of his promises or claims. maybe he's hoping for the same.
I'm tellin ya'....I think he's just being himself. It doesn't seem calculated. For better or worse.
which is also out of the trump playbook. LOL
If we get a legit old man fist fight on a debate stage in August, the last 5 years will all be worth it
Trump can just fall on him. Dude has to weigh north of three bills.
Ronald Reagan — 'If you're explaining, you're losing.'
This is exactly right and the sum of Bernie's problem from Sunday night. It leaves him vulnerable to attacks and really, honestly, a rookie mistake for a seasoned pol.
Looks like a mistake out of complete hubris. Like he doesn't feel like he needs to read the room (read: country) because it's going his way (for the time being) and he is so sure of being "right".
Don't you think it's just that he doesn't have as much of a filter as a typical politician? Even though I disagree with a lot of his platform, I've always respected him for shooting pretty straight. Maybe we're kinda saying the same thing, but I've never known him to be adverse to letting it all hang out.
seems like he's trying to use the trump playbook to be honest. no one ever held trump to account on any of his promises or claims. maybe he's hoping for the same.
I don't know that's it's hubris (that's a very strong word) or just that it's central to his belief. While that's admirable I suppose, today there's simply no reason to find a bright side in Castro. I could find a bright side in Mengele's research, but I wouldn't say it as a politician.
Don't you think he's likely pretty sympathetic to Castro? I had an uncle a little older than Bernie who was a dyed in the wool socialist. He left the US and lived in Costa Rica for about 20 years. I got to know him once he came back and he was very supportive of Castro and Chavez, even many years later. That was definitely a thing for people in that movement around that time.
Im sure he is. And there's no political upside. Sanders isn't having a good week. The only reason it isn't worse is because the Dow lossy 1800 points, dominating headlines.
The problem I have is why is having this bad week right now? We've known about all of these deficiencies with his views/policies for YEARS. Why does the media start vetting him now, when it's almost too late? Very frustrating.
Ronald Reagan — 'If you're explaining, you're losing.'
This is exactly right and the sum of Bernie's problem from Sunday night. It leaves him vulnerable to attacks and really, honestly, a rookie mistake for a seasoned pol.
Looks like a mistake out of complete hubris. Like he doesn't feel like he needs to read the room (read: country) because it's going his way (for the time being) and he is so sure of being "right".
Don't you think it's just that he doesn't have as much of a filter as a typical politician? Even though I disagree with a lot of his platform, I've always respected him for shooting pretty straight. Maybe we're kinda saying the same thing, but I've never known him to be adverse to letting it all hang out.
seems like he's trying to use the trump playbook to be honest. no one ever held trump to account on any of his promises or claims. maybe he's hoping for the same.
I don't know that's it's hubris (that's a very strong word) or just that it's central to his belief. While that's admirable I suppose, today there's simply no reason to find a bright side in Castro. I could find a bright side in Mengele's research, but I wouldn't say it as a politician.
Don't you think he's likely pretty sympathetic to Castro? I had an uncle a little older than Bernie who was a dyed in the wool socialist. He left the US and lived in Costa Rica for about 20 years. I got to know him once he came back and he was very supportive of Castro and Chavez, even many years later. That was definitely a thing for people in that movement around that time.
Im sure he is. And there's no political upside. Sanders isn't having a good week. The only reason it isn't worse is because the Dow lossy 1800 points, dominating headlines.
The problem I have is why is having this bad week right now? We've known about all of these deficiencies with his views/policies for YEARS. Why does the media start vetting him now, when it's almost too late? Very frustrating.
if you’ve known them for years. shouldnt your frustation lie in the media draghing out old shit.
"Mostly I think that people react sensitively because they know you’ve got a point"
Ronald Reagan — 'If you're explaining, you're losing.'
This is exactly right and the sum of Bernie's problem from Sunday night. It leaves him vulnerable to attacks and really, honestly, a rookie mistake for a seasoned pol.
Looks like a mistake out of complete hubris. Like he doesn't feel like he needs to read the room (read: country) because it's going his way (for the time being) and he is so sure of being "right".
Don't you think it's just that he doesn't have as much of a filter as a typical politician? Even though I disagree with a lot of his platform, I've always respected him for shooting pretty straight. Maybe we're kinda saying the same thing, but I've never known him to be adverse to letting it all hang out.
seems like he's trying to use the trump playbook to be honest. no one ever held trump to account on any of his promises or claims. maybe he's hoping for the same.
I don't know that's it's hubris (that's a very strong word) or just that it's central to his belief. While that's admirable I suppose, today there's simply no reason to find a bright side in Castro. I could find a bright side in Mengele's research, but I wouldn't say it as a politician.
Don't you think he's likely pretty sympathetic to Castro? I had an uncle a little older than Bernie who was a dyed in the wool socialist. He left the US and lived in Costa Rica for about 20 years. I got to know him once he came back and he was very supportive of Castro and Chavez, even many years later. That was definitely a thing for people in that movement around that time.
Im sure he is. And there's no political upside. Sanders isn't having a good week. The only reason it isn't worse is because the Dow lossy 1800 points, dominating headlines.
The problem I have is why is having this bad week right now? We've known about all of these deficiencies with his views/policies for YEARS. Why does the media start vetting him now, when it's almost too late? Very frustrating.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Comments
By Francisco Toro
February 25 at 2:08 PM EST
Come along with me on a little thought experiment. Imagine that, horrified by the creeping authoritarianism in Donald Trump’s America, you decided you could take no more and you moved to New Zealand, say, for a fresh start.
Now imagine that, as an immigrant to New Zealand, you saw a radical right-wing politician rise to national prominence. Naturally, some enterprising local journalist would eventually ask that politico about his views on President Trump. Now imagine the response sounded something like, “Well, while we certainly wouldn’t want Donald Trump’s divisiveness and authoritarianism here in New Zealand, it is a fact that he presided over the greatest economy in U.S. history and he certainly made America great again.”
This, I suspect, would drive you crazy. And it would drive you crazy for a good reason: not so much because it’s wrong, specifically, but because it’s propaganda.
Like all good propaganda, our New Zealand politician’s response blends a pinch of truth (the unemployment rate really is very low and the stock market has performed very well) with a willful ignorance of history (the economy was doing well long before Trump reached power) and a determined effort to obscure a deeper, much more pernicious dynamic (no amount of economic health is worth sacrificing the basics of democracy and the separation of powers).
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
The first thing to grasp is that Cuba’s global reputation for having an excellent education system isn’t a result of the quality of its education system. As scholars have long known, Cuba’s overall educational performance is middling for the region: roughly similar to that of many other Latin American countries that brought their literacy rates from round-about 75 percent in the 1950s to not-far-from 100 percent today.
Yes, Cuba made education available free to everyone through the university level. But so did countries such as Argentina, Ecuador, Uruguay and Mexico. There was never any need to build a police state to bring people to school — an insight so obvious, it’s ludicrous to even have to write it.
In reality, Cuba’s reputation for educational prowess is mostly a product of a relentless, multi-decade propaganda campaign. Virtually every speech by every Cuban diplomat and regime admirer for the past seven decades has made a point of praising Cuba’s supposed literacy miracle. Cubans who have left know the propaganda only too well, and understand why a government desperate to establish its legitimacy in the face of the mass impoverishment of its population would turn to it again and again.
To Cubans and Venezuelans — who have witnessed much the same kind of propaganda — talk of Cuban educational prowess grates not because it’s wrong, exactly, but because it serves as a simple way to identify who’s ready to be duped by regime apologists. We know propaganda doesn’t need to be entirely false to be profoundly damaging. So we despair when we hear it parroted by those who ought to know better.
The bottom line is that when you associate yourself with an ideology whose past contains some of history’s worst crimes, you take on a special duty to denounce. When those denunciations come hedged with qualifiers that rest on propaganda lines, they ring entirely hollow.
Germans get this. Angela Merkel’s party, the conservative Christian Democratic Union, always understood that if you’re going to stand even half an inch to the right of center in the country that Hitler once ran, you must go to very great lengths to put distance between yourself and anything even vaguely reminiscent of Nazism. Which is one reason the center-right in Germany is one of the most doggedly pro-democracy forces in Europe.
Sanders needs to understand he’s in a similar position. He has chosen to describe himself using the same word that totalitarian leaders have chosen to describe themselves. He must take on a special responsibility to make it entirely unambiguous that he’s wise to the propaganda games authoritarian socialists use to bolster their power. Holding him to that standard is in no way unreasonable.
When Sanders parrots Fidel’s propaganda, he fails the test. And many Latinos and people in Latin America notice. We have a hyper-developed nose for propaganda. It sends us reeling. Because we know this game from the inside.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
There are also messaging pollsters hired by candidates to determine how to frame their campaign.
It is not unusual for people to get these calls/polls if there name is on a mailing list somewhere because they donated or they are registered with a party.
I don't understand why these twats think it's media bias because they've been contacted by a campaign that they've already supported. The campaign is just keeping track, as all campaigns do.
I get three texts a week. This week from Joe, Amy, and Liz. "Are you with us?"
Pearl Jam bootlegs:
http://wegotshit.blogspot.com
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
will be fun listen to the debate tomorrow. Sanders is gonna be attacked like hell.