Never Bernie

[tijd]

#BernieSanders lavishes praise on Communist Russia, preferring the Soviet Union to the American way of life #NevadaCaucus pic.twitter.com/1YdMFtQuzI
- Lindy Li (@lindyli) February 15, 2020

Берни Сандерс вышел в лидеры демократических праймериз. Сайт fivethirtyeight оценивает его шансы на номинацию в 40%, но они могут вырасти еще больше после голосования в следующих штатах, где он ныне лидирует по опросам https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2020-primary-forecast/

В качестве эха 2016 кандидатура Сандерса активно раздувается невнятными троллями в социальных сетях.

Между тем из прошлого Сандерса всплывает не только восхищение московском метро, но и более проблематичные взгляды.

The documents from the Sanders archives include a letter from Soviet Embassy First Secretary Vadim Kuznetsov in March 1983, congratulating Sanders on his reelection as mayor and thanking Sanders for receiving him in Sanders’s office. Kuznetsov had been in Burlington to attend a conference on nuclear disarmament at the University of Vermont a few days earlier. Neither Sanders nor conference organizers appear to have read a 1976 Time magazine article that identified Kuznetsov as a member of a “Soviet intelligence squad” posing as diplomats to infiltrate U.S. politics.
In 1988, Sanders traveled to the Soviet Union on his honeymoon and forged a “sister city” cooperation program there. Many believe he gave a rosy depiction of conditions there just a few years before the communist system collapsed.
Another potential area of vulnerability concerns Sanders’s relationship with socialist governments in Latin America. In 1985, Sanders, as mayor of Burlington, traveled to Nicaragua to meet with then-President Daniel Ortega, the leader of the Sandinista movement, which was aligned with the Soviet-backed Cuban regime of Fidel Castro. The Sandinista government was accused of widespread human rights abuses.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/02/03/bernie-sanderss-foreign-policy-is-risk-democrats-against-trump/

Bernie Sanders voted w Republicans against Russian sanctions:

2012 Magnitsky Act- Nay
2014 Russia Sanctions- Nay
2017 Russia Sanctions- Nay (twice)

Today, Bernie Sanders did not show up to vote on sanctions.

Sanders should sit out 2020pic.twitter.com/Hx1EaMXART
- ☇RiotWomenn☇ (@riotwomennn) January 16, 2019

Поддержку Фиделя Кастро и Даниэля Ортеги, как и московские люстры, можно списать на наивный идеализм. Можно найти и оправдание тому, почему Сандерс голосовал против антипутинских санкций, от Акта Магнитского в 2012 (в числе четырех сенаторов) до CAATSA в 2017 (в числе двух сенаторов, на пару с Рэндом Полом). Но есть и эпизоды, которым оправдание придумать еще сложнее.



В апреле 1999 Сандерс оказался в составе неформальной делегации конгрессменов, которые отправились в Вену на встречу с представителями Милошевича и его российской крыши. Делегация была примечательной.

Led by Rep. Curt Weldon, a Pennsylvania Republican, the mission is described as an effort to find common ground with members of the Russian Duma, the lower house of parliament. Russia is a traditional ally of Serbia.
Weldon, who was previously tapped by House leaders to be a liaison to the Duma, began to receive e-mail and phone calls on the matter from Russian legislators about two weeks ago.
"He doesn't speak for the U.S. government or NATO," Michael Barbera, Weldon's chief of staff, said of his boss. "But he wants to see where there's some common ground with the Russians, and they'll take whatever ideas that come out of it back to their government."
The White House, which has signaled that it does not want any free-lance diplomatic missions, has neither approved of nor objected to Weldon's efforts.
House Speaker Dennis Hastert also withheld his approval of the mission. But he allowed it to be sanctioned by the House Armed Services Committee as an official congressional delegation. House aides say the talks are to be observed by a State Department official and a personal envoy of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.
An earlier proposal by Weldon to go to Belgrade, the Yugoslav capital, was flatly rejected by Clinton administration officials.
Weldon's group includes some of the most outspoken congressional critics of President Clinton's leadership in the crisis, such as Rep. Dennis Kucinich, an Ohio Democrat of Croatian descent, and Bartlett, a conservative Republican who has called for an end to the U.S. role in the bombardment.
Also scheduled to attend are Reps. Jim Gibbons of Nevada, H. James Saxton of New Jersey and Joseph R. Pitts and Donald L. Sherwood of Pennsylvania, all Republicans; Corinne Brown of Florida, Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii and Maurice D. Hinchey of New York, all Democrats; and the House's lone independent, Bernard Sanders of Vermont.
https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1999-04-30-9904300101-story.html



Глава делегации Курт Велдон - глубоко коррумпированный конгрессмен, запутанный с ног до головы в российских связях. Он проработал в Конгрессе 20 лет, с 1987 по 2007, вылетел из-за расследования его связей и снова всплыл в 2016 на связях с Майклом Коэном и Виктором Вексельбергом. В качестве путинских марионеток известны и другие члены делегации, вроде Денниса Куцинича. Время было трудное, операция НАТО набирала обороты, а российская крыша рушилась, приходилось мобилизовать всех законспирированных агентов влияния. За месяц до встречи в Вене премьер-министр Примаков совершил знаменитую "петлю" и отменил поездку в Вашингтон, распорядившись развернуть самолёт над океаном.

Вернувшись со встречи с российскими друзьями,  Сандерс докладывал о ней в Конгрессе (возможны погрешности в стенограмме):

"Some of us have recognized for a long time that it was terribly important that Russia become increasingly involved in the crisis in Yugoslavia. Russia, I think everybody knows, is Yugoslavia's major ally and major supporter and fresh air could be brought into the process, supporting the humanitarian goals of the stopping of ethnic cleansing. It would be a major step forward in solving what is increasingly becoming a very horrible situation in the Balkans. Within that light, I was very delighted to learn about a trip to Vienna, Austria, that was being organized by Curt Weldon, who has done an excellent job in trying to improve relations between the United States Congress and the Russian Duma. And he was organizing a trip, which would involve eleven members of the United States Congress to meet with the leaders of the Russian Duma. And on that trip, in addition to Mr. Weldon, Maurice Hinchey, Dennis Kucinich, Corrine Brown, Don Sherwood, Roscoe Bartlett, Jim Saxton, Jim Gibbons, and Joseph Pitts. And there were six Republicans, four Democrats, and myself, who is an independent. And in arriving in Vienna and meeting with the Russians, I think we are all were delighted that the Russians shared our strong concerns about bringing peace to Yugoslavia. And we were able after a lot of discussion to come up with an agreement. And, as others have said, we were not there to negotiate the fine points of a treaty, that was not our job. But we would like to see if we can bring with we can come together on broad outlines of what a peace process would mean for the Balkan area. And I think we did that, and let me just touch on some of the important points that the Russians and our delegation agreed upon. We call on all of the interested parties to find practical measures for a power level solution to three tasks without regard to sequence. In other words, to do it in a simultaneous matter. And that is the stopping of the NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the withdrawal of Serbian forces from and the sation of the military activities of the K.L.A.. And what we said is that these steps should be accomplished there were a series of confidence building measurs. Measures which include but should not be limited to the following: The release of all prisoners of war and when we stated that three or of course still being held by Yugoslavia and, a few hours after this agreement was reached, It turns out released. My own view is that consistent with this agreement and, an act of good faith on our part, we should release the two Serbian P.O.W. 's that we are holding. But our agreement called for the release of all prisoners of war. Second of all, what we said is the voluntary repatriation of all refugees in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia . And on handed access to them by humanitarian aid organizations. In other words, what we were agreeing to is that the people who have been driven out of their homes, whose villages were burned by Yugoslavia, should be allowed to return to their homes and be allowed all of the amount of help that they can receive. Thirdly, and on a very important point, there was agreement on the composition in the international forces which would administer the cost of oil after the Serbian withdrawal. The composition of the group should be decided by a consensus agreement of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council in consultation with Macedonia, Albania, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the recognized leadership of costs of and this is a very important step forward. Because what this means is the Russians are saying very clearly that there should be international forces. Something that many of us understand as absolutely necessary if the people of costs of all ought to return safely and with protection to their homes and I think increasingly within our own administration . And all over the world there was an understanding that International force need not strictly be NATO. And that's what we are saying here, and that's what the Russians have agreed so. And then we said that the above group would be supplemented by the monitoring activities of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe . In conclusion, Mr Speaker, I think that this trip was a significant step forward in bringing the Russians into the peace process. And I was very proud and delighted to be there with my fellow Representatives from the United States Congress."
https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4548188/user-clip-rep-bernie-sanders-resolving-kosovo-conflict&start=19989

One thing I was told by former Bosnian Serb militiamen in Višegrad was the presence of hundreds of Russian and Greek foreign fighters who volunteered with the VRS in Eastern Bosnia during the war. One of them was a man named Igor Girkin, pictured (C) below in Visegrad in 1992. pic.twitter.com/2mqPSgoF5X
- Murtaza M. Hussain (@MazMHussain) September 5, 2019

Ни режим Слободана Милошевича, ни режим Бориса Ельцина образца 1999 года не были примерами стран победившего пролетариата подобно Кубе или Никарагуа. Поэтому пророссийские взгляды Берни Сандерса и компанию, в которой он оказался, трудно объяснить наивными социалистическими симпатиями.

Click to view

Роль путинской пропаганды, включая троллей и ботов, в раскручивании Сандерса в 2016 хорошо известна.

A pair of Clemson University researchers, at the request of The Washington Post, examined English-language tweets identified as coming from Russia, many of which were designed to influence the election. It is impossible to say how many were targeted at Sanders supporters because many don’t include his name. Some 9,000 of the Russian tweets used the word “Bernie,” and those were “liked” 59,281 times and retweeted 61,804 times.
But that was only one element of the Russian effort to target Sanders supporters, the researchers said. Many thousands of other tweets, with no direct reference to Sanders, were also designed to appeal to his backers, urging them to do anything but vote for Clinton in the general election.
“I think there is no question that Sanders was central to their strategy. He was clearly used as a mechanism to decrease voter turnout for Hillary Clinton,” said one of the Clemson researchers, Darren Linvill, an associate professor of communications. The tweets examined in the new analysis “give us a much clearer understanding of the tactics they were using. It was certainly a higher volume than people thought.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-the-russian-effort-to-target-sanders-supporters--and-help-elect-trump/2019/04/11/741d7308-5576-11e9-8ef3-fbd41a2ce4d5_story.html



По опросам в июле 2016 избиратели отдавали Клинтон преимущество по многим вопросом. Но одним из основных вопросов, по которым у Трампа было безусловное преимущество, был вопрос о противостоянии лоббистам и другим "специальным интересам".

Trump holds a wide edge over Clinton as the candidate seen as better able to reduce the influence of lobbyists and special interest groups in Washington: 50% think Trump would do the better job, while just 30% say Clinton would.
https://www.people-press.org/2016/07/07/4-top-voting-issues-in-2016-election/

Трампу удалось убедить достаточно большее число избирателей, что, как необыкновенно богатый человек, он не собирается брать ничьих денег и поэтому не будет ни в чем зависеть от лоббистов.

“Their lobbyists, their special interests and their donors will start calling President Bush, President Clinton,” he said in July 2015. “Pretty much whoever is president other than me. . . . And they’ll say: ‘You have to do it. They gave you a million dollars to your campaign.’”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-scheduled-to-headline-fundraisers-in-the-hamptons-where-tickets-run-as-high-as-250000/2019/08/06/47698530-b855-11e9-a091-6a96e67d9cce_story.html

Смехотворность подобного вранья хорошо видна сегодня на примере Парнаса и Фрумана, успешно пролоббировавших снятие посла в Украине. Практика встреч с богатыми прохиндеями не только для сбора пожертвований на избирательную кампанию, но и для поощрения их коррупционного влияния на президента, продолжается.



President Trump will be the guest of honor at a Saturday fundraiser at the palatial Palm Beach estate of billionaire Nelson Peltz. Trump’s fellow guests: donors who gave $580,600 per couple to support the president’s reelection, making it the most expensive such fundraising event since Trump took office.
The dinner, taking place just a few miles from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club, shows how enthusiastically Trump has embraced big-dollar fundraising in his bid for a second term - a dramatic about-face from 2016, when he criticized the influence of wealthy donors on the politicians who court them.
It also shows the special access enjoyed by many of Trump’s wealthiest donors, including business executives and lobbyists, who get the chance to air their grievances with the president’s tariffs or promote their pet projects, often while dining on Trump’s favorite foods. <...>
Interviews with people who have attended these fundraisers say the president is highly engaged, conversational and charming. Trump often asks the guests what they need from the administration - but not before ticking off dozens of accomplishments in extended opening remarks.
The conversations are often held over a meal of the president’s favorite dishes, such as New York strip steak with a dessert of two scoops of vanilla ice cream, served on ornate place settings. Unlike many politicians who leave their food untouched, attendees say Trump usually eats.
The roundtables are typically side events to less expensive fundraisers involving a larger group of people. The president often arrives through a side door reserved for him, greets the crowd leisurely, takes photos and then veers off to a smaller room for an intimate roundtable with the top-tiered donors, said one donor who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private settings.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-to-headline-a-580600-per-couple-fundraiser-the-most-expensive-of-his-reelection-bid/2020/02/13/144b75b2-4e7a-11ea-a4ab-9f389ce8ad30_story.html



В том, что касается вранья про продажность Клинтон, то сильную поддержку Трампу оказал Сандерс во время праймериз. Примеров этой продажности он привести не смог, но они были и не нужны.

CLINTON: You know, Senator Sanders has said he wants to run a positive campaign. I’ve tried to keep my disagreements over issues, as it should be.
But time and time again, by innuendo, by insinuation, there is this attack that he is putting forth, which really comes down to - you know, anybody who ever took donations or speaking fees from any interest group has to be bought.
And I just absolutely reject that, Senator. And I really don’t think these kinds of attacks by insinuation are worthy of you. And enough is enough. If you’ve got something to say, say it directly.
But you will not find that I ever changed a view or a vote because of any donation that I ever received.
And I have stood up and I have represented my constituents to the best of my abilities, and I’m very proud of that.
So I think it’s time to end the very artful smear that you and your campaign have been carrying out in recent weeks, and let’s talk about about the issues. Let’s talk about the issues that divide us.
SANDERS: Let’s talk - let’s talk about issues, all right? Let’s talk about why, in the 1990s, Wall Street got deregulated. Did it have anything to do with the fact that Wall Street provided - spent billions of dollars on lobbying and campaign contributions?
Well, some people might think, yeah, that had some influence. (LAUGHTER)
Let’s ask why it is that we pay, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs, and your medicine can be doubled tomorrow, and there’s nothing that the government can do to stop it.
You think it has anything to do with the huge amounts of campaign contributions and lobbying from the fossil fuel industry? Let’s talk about climate change.
Do you think there’s a reason why not one Republican has the guts to recognize that climate change is real, and that we need to transform our energy system? Do you think it has anything to do with the Koch brothers and ExxonMobil pouring huge amounts of money into the political system?
That is what goes on in America. (APPLAUSE)
You know, there is a reason why these people are putting huge amounts of money into our political system. And in my view, it is undermining American democracy and it is allowing Congress to represent wealthy campaign contributors and not the working families of this country.
CLINTON: Well, you know, Senator, I don’t think you could find any person in political life today who has been subjected to more attacks and had more money spent against her by special interests, among whom you have named a few, than I.
And I’m proud of that. You know, when I took on the drug companies and the insurance companies for universal health care coverage, they went after me with a vengeance.
Today, you’ve got hedge fund billionaires aligned with Karl Rove, running ads against me to try to get Democrats to vote for you. I know this game. I’m going to stop this game.
But while we’re talking about votes, you’re the one who voted to deregulate swaps and derivatives in 2000, which contributed to the over-leveraging of Lehman Brothers, which was one of the culprits that brought down the economy.
So I don’t know - I’m not impugning your motive because you voted to deregulate swaps and derivatives. People make mistakes and I’m certainly not saying you did it for any kind of financial advantage. What we’ve got to do as Democrats - what we’ve got to do as Democrats is to be united to actually solve these problems. And what I believe is that I have a better track record and a better opportunity to actually get that job done.
That’s what this election should be about.
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/05/us/politics/transcript-of-the-democratic-presidential-debate.html

Right populism will always beat left populism.

Right populism will always beat left populism.

Right populism will always beat left populism.

Right populism will always beat left populism.

Right populism will always beat left populism.

Right populism will always beat left p..
- Yascha Mounk (@Yascha_Mounk) December 12, 2019

Если демократы выдвинут Сандерса в качестве своего кандидата в президенты, это приведет к одному из двух печальных сценариев:

1. Катастрофичному поражению на основных выборах, подобно поражению лейбористов с Корбином в Великобритании.
2. Созданию сообщества puppet_bs.