In a 1985 interview, then-mayor of Burlington, Vermont Bernie Sanders praised Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega, bragged “the word socialism does not frighten me,” and attacked President Reagan, calling him a liar.
Asked what he thought of the sincerity of Nicaraguan Sandinista leaders, Sanders replied, “I was impressed. Now obviously, I will be attacked by every editorial writer in the free press for being a dumb dupe; maybe I am. I was impressed by their intelligence and their sincerity; these are not political hacks, you know? You don’t fight and lose your family and get tortured and go to jail for years to be a hack. They have very deep convictions, which people can disagree with and I think what is understood is even within the Sandinista government they’re not monolithic … Ortega is an impressive guy.”
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