It is going to be some time before we learn the big lessons of the current pandemic: what we could have done earlier, whether we over-reacted, whether Nancy Pelosi needs to be caged or merely sedated. But there’s one thing that’s clear already: anyone who panics over a computer model is an idiot or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. But I repeat myself.
Britain was reacting cautiously to this virus until a computer model from the Imperial College London predicted the ChiCom Flu would kill up to half a million Brits and up to more than two million Americans. Lockdowns ensued in both countries.
Soon after, Professor Neil Ferguson, the scientist behind the Imperial model, issued a stunning Emily Litella-style Never Mind, reducing his British estimate to up to 20-thousand fatalities, most of whom were going to die this year anyway.
Now, I’m an older guy with a bum lung and have even older friends with even bummer lungs, so please don’t think I’m being unduly blithe when I say: What the hell?
Computer models are guesses. They are not made by computers. They are made by people. People put in the numbers. People put in the assumptions about what’s going to happen next. And as things change, the people change the input to reflect what really happened instead of what they said was going to happen. By the time the crisis is over, they have adjusted the input to reflect the final result. Then they say: “Look, we got it right.”
The key to understanding who these modelers are came in a phrase uttered by Dr. Anthony Fauci after he announced the latest guess. “I know my modeling colleagues are not going to be happy with me,” Fauci said, “but models are only as good as the assumptions you put into them.”
Stop and ponder the psychology of that for a minute. Why wouldn’t his colleagues be happy with him for saying what is so obviously true? Well, it’s because these guys live off the authority their guesses derive from having the word “computer” attached to them and by saying “Look, we got it right,” after they’ve adjusted their models to reflect the final outcome.
According to an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal by Benny Peiser and Andrew Montford — two men who do battle against climate hysteria — “Several researchers have apparently asked to see Imperial’s calculations,” but Ferguson “has said that the computer code is 13 years old and thousands of lines of it ‘undocumented,’ making it hard for anyone to work with.” Shouldn’t Ferguson have thought of this before he predicted millions would die?
Then there’s the process by which these guesses are translated into psychic terrorism by journalists, the most incompetent and corrupt people in the country not currently in prison or government.
Here’s Fauci talking about a new model with a worst case scenario of 200-thousand deaths: “Looking at what we’re seeing now, I would say between 100 and 200-thousand [deaths] but I don’t want to be held to that&#8230; I don’t think we really need to make a projection when it’s such a moving target that you could so easily be wrong.”
Here is Geoff Bennett on NBC Nightly News reporting the estimates: “The White House is now projecting that the country could see between 100,000 to 240,000 deaths resulting from this pandemic. That&#8217;s a best-case scenario. Underscoring the stark reality of this crisis.”
Can you spot the difference?
I am not someone who has screamed and yelled about the loss of civil rights during quarantine. Even in a free country, municipalities and states have extraordinary powers in a health emergency. Nor am I going on Twitter declaring that the government has over-reacted because I know I don’t know.
But I do think we should remember what is happening now. I think we should remember how easy it is for us to lose our freedom in an emergency. I think we should remember how easy it is for the government to spend our grandchildren’s money like water when everyone’s afraid. I think we should remember the virus of socialism that has infected the minds of our chattering classes, who are always so eager to manufacture a crisis like this in which they can, in the words of Democrat House Whip Jim Clyburn, “restructure things to fit our vision.”
And the next time some AOC-type knucklehead starts screaming about their computer models on the climate and how we need to destroy our way of life and our freedoms to accommodate their Green New Schemes and Dreams, and then tells us that we’re denying “science” if we refuse to panic and instead stand fast and defend our Constitution, I think we need to show them our model, which looks remarkably like a great big middle finger and comes with a caption: “Model this.”

Lab mask.

KLAVAN: On Computer Models, Socialism, And Other Garbage

Coronavirus

COVID-19

Socialism

The White House has announced a <a href="https://www.thehour.com/news/article/White-House-coronavirus-plan-aims-to-send-2-000-15140061.php">plan</a> to send stimulus payments to American workers who are suffering during the lockdowns and quarantines. It hasn&#8217;t all been worked out yet, but the idea, tentatively, is to send two checks of $1,000 a piece. These payments will only be sent to those who earn under a certain amount, though the amount hasn&#8217;t been decided.
The stimulus package will also provide relief to a number of industries that have been especially hurt by the outbreak and the response to it. There is little doubt that congress will try to stuff this bill – which is already looking to top $1 trillion – with untold millions of dollars in pork and other unrelated expenditures. We&#8217;ll have to fight over that when the time comes, but the basic idea to send relief to American families is good. Even as someone who is usually opposed to government handouts of nearly any kind, I would wholeheartedly support this initiative.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YlWl3O-zLhI?start=757" width="720" height="385" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">﻿</iframe>
A few general points need to be made here:
1. Some on the Left and the Right have argued that this would be &#8220;welfare,&#8221; or &#8220;socialism,&#8221; or that it would be tantamount to the Universal Basic Income proposed by Andrew Yang. None of these terms apply here. Yang&#8217;s plan was to give American $1,000 a month in perpetuity. Not in response to a pandemic, but as a new economic system. Socialism and welfare are, again, systems that go on without end and work to make citizens dependent upon the government.
The proposal from the White House is entirely different. It would be a measure taken in response to an unprecedented global crisis. Lots of extraordinary things are happening right now. Normal life and ways of doing things have been upended across the board. A person can support a stimulus under this circumstance without granting even an iota of credibility to UBI or socialism.
Also, Americans are losing money and jobs because the government has shut down their places of employment and told them to stay home. Whether these steps are justified or not, the result is that many people are being prevented, by the State, from working. It seems only fair the State would compensate them in that case. Besides, what other choice do we have? People need money. Something must be done for them. Perhaps it&#8217;s as simple as that.
2. Some Republicans have <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/trump-admin-considering-sending-2000-to-certain-americans-during-wuhan-coronavirus-pandemic-report/">pointed out</a> that families with children would need more than single people. Others have worried that the rich and people who are working from home will get checks even though they aren&#8217;t experiencing much financial hardship. We can all probably agree that ideally we shouldn&#8217;t be sending stimulus checks to people who have no need for them, but what&#8217;s the other option? It would be extremely difficult for the government even on a good day and under normal circumstances to figure out who needs the money and what amount they each need. These are not normal circumstances and this is not a good day. The government would have to make these determinations very quickly because the stimulus won&#8217;t be much good if they arrive after 6 months of bureaucratic deliberation.
There might be a better way. I liked the plan proposed by Josh Barro on <a href="https://twitter.com/jbarro/status/1239944756496654338?s=20">Twitter</a> that checks be sent to everyone (to exclude, perhaps, the very wealthy) while people who don&#8217;t need the money are asked to pass their checks along to people who do. This may seem enormously naive, and maybe it is, but I tend to think that a great many Americans will choose to be charitable in this way if given the chance. All you would probably need is a snappy hashtag – #PassTheBuck, perhaps? – and a campaign could be organized to encourage those of us who still have an income to help a neighbor in need. I would certainly be happy to Pass The Buck. I&#8217;m betting millions of Americans feel the same way. There may not be much unity on Twitter or in Washington, but on the local level, in our communities, Americans take care of each other. And we better. Because there are some very tough times ahead, no matter what happens.

$100 bills

WALSH: Trump’s Plan To Send American Workers $2,000 Checks Is Not ‘Welfare’ Or ‘Socialism.’ It’s The Right Thing To Do.

Donald Trump

stimulus

In the current WuFlu crisis, the problem for the Trump-is-an-idiot crowd is that when you step back a bit — and when you subtract his clumsy statements and the usual government missteps in any crisis — the guy has been right about almost everything. Uncontrolled migration, globalization, and the Chinese supply chain — everything Trump has tried to rectify — are precisely what make flus like this so dangerous.
Plus he’s been nice to the Jews so they’ll share the vaccine with us when they make it. Always be nice to the Jews!
The science writer Matt Ridley — a relentless debunker of panic narratives from peak oil to global warming — writes “It is now likely, though not inevitable, that [the virus] will kill hundreds of thousands of people.” Among the reasons the threat is real, he says, is globalization. “If we persist in creating conditions in which viruses can be easily transmitted and amplified, then we will persist in experiencing waves of new viral epidemics.”
So every time you hear a Democrat complain about Trump’s actions, ask yourself this: Do you really want to replace him with the party of open borders and world government? A party that worries we’ll insult our dear Chinese Communist friends by naming the virus improperly? A party that is about to be led by an empty suit who can’t remember the name of God? It would be insane.
Even with Trump at the helm, the Democrats have to be thwarted in this moment at every turn. They are the party of “Never let a crisis go to waste,” which translates into, “Always use people’s fears to extend the power of government.”
There’s a reason this works. Crises like this are exactly what government is good for. Barring the End of Days, a crisis is, by definition, a limited event demanding the rapid acquirement of factual information that can be quickly translated into specific actions. As an example: inventing a vaccine and getting it out to the people. So it’s a time when you can make a specious argument like: “Look how well government is doing! Wouldn’t it be great if it did this all the time?”
That’s why the Democrats are always declaring a crisis where none exists. The climate is a crisis. A Trump phone call is a crisis. Thursday is a crisis. It’s their opportunity to spread the fears of their hysterical base to the rest of us in the hope of cramming their agenda through.
Just watch them.
Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats are already holding up action against the virus by stuffing their proposed bills with unnecessary gifts to useless bureaucracies and attempts to expand the welfare state permanently.
Alexandria Ocasio Cortez tweeted: &#8220;Right about now would be a great time to weigh emergency measures like: Extending Medicare/Medicaid coverage to all; Eviction freezes; No-strings UBI programs; Eliminating work requirements for SNAP &amp;other assistance; Humanitarian provisions in prisons &amp; decarceral policies.”
Sure, that’ll help!
In the leftist New York Times, leftist writer Farhad Manjoo wrote an op-ed headlined, “Everyone’s a Socialist in a Pandemic.” With the subhead: “Companies and lawmakers are suddenly realizing the value of a strong social safety net. Let’s hope they don’t forget when the crisis passes.”
But no, let’s hope they do forget. A crisis taps into the skills of experts and authorities in the same way a toothache taps into the skills of dentists. But just because you need a filling, doesn’t mean the dentist should run your life.
In normal times, experts and authorities can be the biggest buffoons of all. They don’t know what they don’t know and they can’t do what they think they can. They gum up the works with an excess of caution. “Wash your hands every time you pet your dog.” “Wear a helmet when you jog.” They drastically underestimate the extent and use of their expertise.
In normal times, individual creators driven by normal human motives like curiosity, greed, decency, and glory — people like the Wright Brothers and Bill Gates — are more likely to change the world for the better than massive sclerotic bureaucracies with their five year plans to steal your money and produce nothing.
One of the reasons Trump’s America First agenda has worked so well is because it’s simple enough for the government to put into practice. Guys like Obama who think they can play three&#8211;dimensional chess with the whole planet make a mess out of everything — as indeed he did. Guys like Trump who just want to clean up the neighborhood have taken on as much as government can handle.
So let’s let this crisis go to waste. Let the government have its day. And when this is over, put that power-hungry sucker right back in the Constitutional box where it belongs.

Pelosi and Schumer

KLAVAN: Let This Crisis Go To Waste

Democrats

Nancy Pelosi

On Sunday, 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) appeared on “Fox News Sunday” with host Chris Wallace.
During the segment, Wallace asked Sanders about his rhetoric around billionaires.
<blockquote>You talked in your last answer about income inequality, and I want to press down on that with you. Here&#8217;s something that you said last fall: “I don&#8217;t think billionaires should exist.”
First of all, a few billionaires let&#8217;s talk about – Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos – have created more than a million jobs, probably more than a million extra in terms of fallout as it goes from their companies, and created trillions of dollars of wealth. Why shouldn’t they share in the wealth that they create, which is helping not just them, but has helped a lot of Americans?</blockquote>
Sanders replied that he has “nothing personal against any billionaire,” then went on to talk about the 1% versus the “bottom 92%.”
<blockquote>[When] you are looking at an economy and an economy today where the top 1% owns more wealth than the bottom 92%, where over the last 30 years, the top 1% has seen a $21 trillion increase in their wealth while the bottom half of America has actually seen a decline, where real wages have essentially been stagnant for the last 45 years, workers in America not making a nickel more in real dollars than they did 45 years ago, when you got a half a million people sleeping out on the streets of America tonight homeless, when the very, very rich are getting richer, when you&#8217;ve got half of our people living paycheck to paycheck, 87 million people uninsured or underinsured, 45 million people dealing with student debt, young people can&#8217;t afford to go to college&#8230;</blockquote>
Wallace pushed back, saying that Bill Gates “created a whole new way for people to get information, to discuss, to communicate with each other,” and that a world without Microsoft is “unimaginable.”
Sanders noted that Gates “deserves great credit” for his accomplishments.
Wallace continued:
<blockquote>One, he&#8217;s created a great economy. He&#8217;s giving away billions of dollars. Some could argue that he&#8217;s done a lot more with his wealth than any politician would, which is one question. And the other is, how far would you go as a Democratic Socialist in terms of worker control of businesses?</blockquote>
Sanders responded, saying that “no one is denigrating the achievements of Bill Gates or anybody else, but we have to look at culturally what&#8217;s going on.”
The senator then spoke about the Walton family being “worth well over $100 billion” while Walmart employees make approximately “$11 or $12 an hour,” adding that “enough really is enough.” He continued railing against the wealthy, saying, “Does Mike Bloomberg really need $65 billion? To see his wealth increase by $15 billion in the last three years?”
Sander also spoke about his idea “to put workers on the boards of directors of major corporations,” which, he claims, would allow workers to feel like their “ideas matter,” and make it less likely that corporations would move overseas for cheap labor.
“Democracy to me means not just voting every four years, having a bit of a say in the job that you&#8217;re working at,” Sanders added. 
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gHhB71P2BPQ?start=337" width="720" height="385" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

Sanders When Challenged On His Anti-Billionaire Rhetoric: ‘Enough Really Is Enough’

Bernie Sanders

Chris Wallace

Sen. Bernie Sanders really would be an easier candidate for President Donald Trump to campaign against in November. Sanders is so far left, with a history of burning bridges, that Trump and the Republican Party could easily and deservedly vilify him.
The American public got a taste of Sanders, the true believer in communist revolution, when he sat for an interview with Anderson Cooper on &#8220;60 Minutes.&#8221; Sanders praised Cuban dictator Fidel Castro for a literacy program after the Cuban revolution. Never mind that Castro also rounded up dissidents, engaged in mass murder and pulled his people into unending poverty. At least they could read how poor they were.
On Tuesday night, across the country, it appeared Democrats mostly rejected Sanders. In states Sanders won, former Vice President Joe Biden came close. In states like Virginia, where Sanders had been ahead in recent polling, Biden decisively crushed him. Sanders got a few good wins, including California. However, even California was closer than it should have been, and in Sanders&#8217; home state of Vermont, Biden drew closer than anyone expected he could.
Believe no pundit who said they saw the Super Tuesday results coming. On the morning of Super Tuesday, some polls showed Sanders winning 10 of the 14 states. While some votes are even now outstanding, it looks like Biden won 10 of the 14. In fact, Biden won Oklahoma, Minnesota and Massachusetts with very little campaigning in those states.
Massachusetts was really the most remarkable race. Polling and Democratic strategists predicted Sanders would beat Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Polling had consistently shown this; contrary to media advocacy for Warren, she is not very popular in her home state. Biden, however, was not a factor. Well, he was not a factor until he won the state.
Given Biden&#8217;s amazing rebound in South Carolina, a lot of knowledgeable pundits calculated he could get ahead of Sanders in delegates in the next two weeks. After Florida, Biden could dominate the race. No one saw Biden jumping ahead this past Tuesday. He now looks set to be the Democrats&#8217; nominee, barring an unforeseen event.
That is a good thing for the country. Super Tuesday was formalized by Southern Democrats in 1980 to stop the advance of Sen. Ted Kennedy against incumbent President Jimmy Carter, and Democrats have used it ever since to blunt the momentum of the far left in their party. They did it again this year.
While the Democratic Party continues to drift toward an eventual split between secular, rich, white voters and voters who are black or Hispanic, enough of their voters overall rejected a radical candidate. That is a good thing for the country. It is a recognition that the far-left socialist policies of Sanders and Warren are being rejected by minority voters within the Democratic Party. It is a recognition of the fact that a full government takeover of health care and other parts of the private sector are nonstarters. It is a recognition that &#8220;Medicare for All&#8221; will go nowhere. It is a recognition that the &#8220;Bernie Bros&#8221; are marginalized. It is the death of the Green New Deal.
The nation needs two mostly-sane political parties. While the Democrats will never acknowledge the GOP is sane under Trump, those of us who know better know it is and should be thankful the Democrats appear to be rejecting their insane fringe. That makes November a more difficult fight for the President. But at least it ensures, even if by accident, the country is spared a radical communist as a major party leader.
As a bonus, this will undoubtedly exacerbate the divisions within the Democratic Party between the radical left and the establishment. Lastly, if you cannot bring yourselves to applaud Democrats for rejecting a radical communist as their presidential nominee, at least applaud them for exposing their own lie. Democrats have told us Russians spent a few million dollars and stole the 2016 election for Donald Trump. If Mike Bloomberg could not buy the election with $500 million, it is even less plausible today to presume the Russians could steal it with far less.
To find out more about Erick Erickson and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Sen. Bernie Sanders

ERICKSON: Applaud The Democrats

Democratic Party

Joe Biden

Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) may have been the biggest loser on Super Tuesday as all of the candidates that she backed, including socialist Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), did not live up to her hype of them.
Ocasio-Cortez recently started her own far-left group called &#8220;Courage to Change&#8221; to take on establishment Democrats, and none of the candidates she backed ended up performing very well.
Among the candidates was 26-year-0ld immigration lawyer Jessica Cisnerous, who Ocasio-Cortez went out of her way to boost in her race in Texas&#8217; 28th Congressional District against Henry Cuellar.
&#8220;I am so incredibly proud of Jessica Cisneros,&#8221; Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. &#8220;At 26 years old, she ran for office for the first time to offer TX28 new leadership that fights for workers, gender rights, &amp; a climate agenda. She stood up to Koch brother money &amp; incumbency, &amp; she came closer than anyone imagined.&#8221;
Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/aoc-aligned-progressive-candidates-fall-flat-in-super-tuesday-contests">reported</a> on two other candidates who were backed by Ocasio-Cortez:
<blockquote>Meanwhile, Christina Tzintzún Ramirez, the progressive-backed candidate for a Texas Senate seat, is struggling to <a href="https://elections.ap.org/dailykos/results/2020-03-03/state/TX/race/S/raceid/48145">make it into a runoff</a> with MJ Hegar, the Democratic establishment&#8217;s favored pick to face longtime Republican Sen. John Cornyn in November. While no candidate won more than 50 percent of the vote in the race, returns show Ramirez locked in a battle with Texas State Sen. Royce West for a place in the runoff with Hegar.
Another AOC-backed candidate, Georgette Gomez, did <a href="https://elections.ap.org/dailykos/results/2020-03-03/state/CA/race/H/raceid/6237">make</a> the initial cut and qualified for the general election for California&#8217;s 53rd district, located in San Diego county. However, she came in second with 19 percent percent of the vote against the establishment candidate Sara Jacobs, who received 28 percent. In California, as one of the top two primary vote-getters, Gomez automatically qualifies for the November general election.</blockquote>
Most notably, Sanders did not perform well on Super Tuesday, despite Ocasio-Cortez&#8217;s aggressive campaigning for him this year.
&#8220;It was a bloodbath for Sanders and a bonanza for Biden,&#8221; The Week <a href="https://theweek.com/articles/899855/how-bernie-blew">reported</a>. &#8220;States where Sanders had the inside track just days ago, particularly Maine, Minnesota, Texas, and Massachusetts, went for Biden, who also won Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Alabama. His margin in Virginia alone provided him with enough ballast to survive Sanders&#8217; numbers out West. Sanders got obliterated so badly in Alabama that he likely will get close to zero delegates, just a worst case scenario performance.&#8221;
Even far-left Vox was forced to concede how disastrous Sanders&#8217; performance was, <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/3/4/21164383/texas-primary-sanders-biden-old-voters-turnout">writing</a>, &#8220;It’s really hard to overstate how bad this is for Sanders.&#8221;
Political pollster Dave Wasserman further highlighted Sanders&#8217; disastrous night, writing, &#8220;Sanders&#8217;s pledge to bring new voters into his movement seems fairly empty in the results we&#8217;re seeing so far. His coalition has shrunk since 2016, not grown.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Sanders&#39;s pledge to bring new voters into his movement seems fairly empty in the results we&#39;re seeing so far. His coalition has shrunk since 2016, not grown.
&mdash; Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) <a href="https://twitter.com/Redistrict/status/1235002030378422272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Ocasio-Cortez&#8217;s latest failure comes after she backed far-left British Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn in the British elections, who went on to get blown out in the election.
The congresswoman even struggles to carry weight in her own district as Tiffany Cabán, the district attorney backed by Ocasio-Cortez last year, was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/06/nyregion/tiffany-caban-queens-da-concedes.html">forced</a> to concede a loss to the Democratic establishment.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ocasio-cortez-devastated-new-poll-inside-her-ryan-saavedra">Numerous</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ocasio-cortez-explodes-after-learning-her-ryan-saavedra">polls</a> have shown that Ocasio-Cortez is not well liked across the country or even in her own district as she is seen by many as being too extreme.

IowaSanders

The Biggest Loser: Ocasio-Cortez Blown Out All Over The Map On Super Tuesday

2020 Election

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Super Tuesday

On Friday, YouTube channel We The Internet TV released a mini-documentary (approximately 17 minutes long) titled, “5 Reasons Why We Need Sweden’s Democratic Socialism.”
Don’t worry – the title is somewhat ironic, and the documentary is not pro-socialism. Instead, it features host Lou Perez traveling to Sweden and speaking with a variety of individuals about the Swedish system of government, both the way it operates currently and how there was a period of time in which the country dabbled in socialist ideology.
During the introduction, Perez shows clips of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) comparing their policies to those of the Nordic countries.
“My policies most closely resemble what we see in the U.K., in Norway, in Finland, in Sweden,” Ocasio-Cortez states in a clip from CBS.
A clip then shows Sanders speaking during a debate: “I think we should look to countries like Denmark, like Sweden, and Norway, and learn from what they have accomplished for their working people.”
Perez first speaks with Johan Norberg, a Swedish author and historian of ideas, who replies firmly when asked if Sweden is socialist or even democratically socialist.
“No,” he says.
“I’d say it’s a free market, capitalist economy based on open trade, and with a fair amount of government redistribution of the proceeds,” Norberg states.
Norberg then explains the history behind the “Nordic model” mythos used by Democratic politicians in the United States, noting that there was a “20-year period when we experimented with the socialism to see whether it worked or not, and it didn’t. It ended in spectacular failure.”
“But for some reason, this is the 20-year period that all of you remember,” Norberg adds, going on to explain what really happened when the nation dabbled in socialistic policies.
Perez then speaks with Andreas Bergh, an economist and associate professor at the department of economics at Lund University, who explains to Perez that Sweden’s welfare state isn’t a “system that taxes the rich and gives to the poor,” rather, it’s a system that redistributes “most of your [own] taxes &#8230; over your lifecycle,” and the money is “not handed to the lazy or the poor.”
Bergh then speaks about the incredibly high marginal income taxes that were in place around 1980, and the “tax planning” problems that came with such a system.
Next, Perez talk about Sweden’s contribution to high-value startups, as well as the way in which the nation’s health care system works.
“Public health care had problems. It didn’t function as good as it should have,” states Anders Manell, press chief for the Association of Private Care Providers. “We had long queues, we had waiting time to get access to health care, patients didn’t get their operations on time, and you couldn’t reach your doctor.”
After pressure from Swedes, politicians “opened up the entire sector,” says Manell, meaning one can now choose private or public care.
The documentary goes on to address allegedly “free” college in Sweden, as well as climate change and how the country has embraced nuclear energy.
The end of the documentary returns to Norberg. When Perez asks the historian of ideas what his message would be to “American politicians who continue to call Sweden the beacon of Democratic socialism,” Norberg lays it all out in clear terms – deregulation, free trade, reformation of social security, implementation of school choice, etc.
This min-documentary from We The Internet TV is an excellent briefing for anyone interested in the claims that self-proclaimed “Democratic socialists” in America make about supposedly “socialist” Nordic nations.
Check it out below:
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QcX6BUZlEw4" width="720" height="385" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

Lou Perez

WATCH: We The Internet TV Releases Mini-Documentary About The Myth Of Modern Swedish ‘Socialism’

Nordic model

Sweden

It was February 7, 1956 when the Vera Cruz Vessel sailed from the port of Vigo in northern Spain. Among its 800 passengers was my grandfather, Vicente Novo. Like everyone on that ship, he left everything behind in his homeland to pursue his dreams in a more prosperous country. In this land of opportunity, he and the other passengers found jobs, started businesses and raised families – all while sending money back to their hungry families in Europe.
But this newfound land of opportunity wasn’t the United States of America. It was my home country: Venezuela. 
It’s hard to believe now, but in 1950, Venezuela was the<a href="https://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/stats/Economy/GDP-per-capita-in-1950"> fourth-richest</a> country on earth. Tragically, over the course of the next six decades, Venezuela was transformed from a prosperous nation of immigrants to a devastated and poor land full of people in need of refuge. 
Vicente hadn’t even finished elementary school when he immigrated to Venezuela. Yet, in that thriving nation, he found a job in a car garage that allowed him to save and send money back to his five siblings in Spain. And after years of diligently saving, he opened his own small parking garage, where he washed and parked cars.
My grandfather and the other voyagers on the Vera Cruz were <a href="https://eprints.ucm.es/2342/1/AH0012101.pdf">not alone</a>. From the 1940s through the 1970s, Venezuela was the destination of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Venezuela/Immigration-and-ethnic-composition">millions</a> of immigrants from <a href="https://eprints.ucm.es/2342/">Spain</a>, <a href="https://www.caracaschronicles.com/2017/06/10/the-portuguese-community-gives-up-on-the-venezuelan-dream/">Portugal</a>,<a href="http://wlcui.com/es/2013/12/10/llegada-de-los-libaneses-a-venezuela-prof-daniel-lahoud-uclv/"> Lebanon</a>,<a href="https://www.aljadid.com/content/arabs-making-their-mark-latin-america-generations-immigrants-colombia-venezuela-and-mexico"> Syria</a>, and a host of other nations. Just like America, Venezuela became a thriving melting pot, and middle-class status was achievable for those who worked hard for it – even if they had no education.
This prosperity was possible thanks to free markets. Venezuela protected private property, had low taxation, and little regulation. Venezuela’s borders were open for immigrants who came to work, and foreign investment was welcomed, leading to a booming economy. All of this happened under an otherwise authoritarian dictator, Marcos Pérez Jiménez.
However, after Venezuela became democratic in 1958, the people elected leaders who put the country on the path of socialism.
In 1976, then-President Carlos Andres Perez nationalized the oil industry, and Venezuela’s oil production plummeted by more than<a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/venezuela/crude-oil-production"> 40%</a> over the next decade. Oil nationalization led to the expansion of welfare programs funded by the new volatile oil revenue. Despite this additional government revenue, the government kept getting in debt and started printing more money to pay for more welfare. This led to inflation and the establishment of price and currency controls, as well as the nationalization of key industries. That, in turn, led to joblessness and misery. Venezuela’s real wages declined and <a href="https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/c554/bf92c278562e46e52c0550d492089200a727.pdf">GDP per capita</a>, which had been soaring since the 1950s, plateaued in the 1980s and 1990s.
My grandfather was a victim of these policies. His parking garage wasn’t profitable anymore because the government capped parking prices. Thankfully, though, he had been saving. With that money, he built a small four-apartment building where he lived and rented the other three units. But the government had to ruin this for him, too. It used eminent domain to expropriate his building under the excuse that it needed to build a hospital. Not only did the government give my grandfather a below-market rate, it never even built the hospital.
In the late 1990s, politicians were <a href="https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2015/09/14/01/49/pr9638">forced</a> to apply free-market policies by the International Monetary Fund. They welcomed private investment in the oil industry, re-privatized some industries they’d taken away, demolished price and currency controls, and even <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/venezuela/government-budget">balanced</a> the budget. As a result, the economy improved, unemployment <a href="https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/VEN/venezuela/unemployment-rate">stabilized</a>, inflation <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/venezuela/inflation-cpi">slowed rapidly,</a> and oil production <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/venezuela/crude-oil-production">surged</a>. But this proved to be too little too late. 
By the time election season rolled around, two years after these reforms, jobs were still scarce – and the Venezuelan people were outraged at the <a href="http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.551.6879&amp;rep=rep1&amp;type=pdf">rampant corruption</a> among establishment politicians. So, in 1998, Venezuelans elected Hugo Chávez, a radical socialist candidate who promised to crush the wealthy and redistribute oil and wealth to the poor by giving “free” housing, healthcare, education, and food.
My grandfather remembers folks saying that “Venezuela isn’t Cuba,” as they dismissed warnings from wise citizens who said that Chavez’s socialist policies would usher in destruction.
Indeed, Chavez <a href="https://economics21.org/how-socialism-destroyed-venezuela">doubled down</a> on crushing business through regulation, price and currency controls, and nationalizing companies. His policies, and those of the current dictator Nicolas Maduro, have caused the greatest <a href="https://time.com/5789570/venezuelans-struggling-hunger-un/">humanitarian crisis</a> in the history of the Western Hemisphere. Nearly <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7604881/Venezuela-exodus-set-5-million-long-term-needs-grow-officials-say.html">5 million</a> Venezuelans have fled the country already, including my family.
There’s a saying in Venezuela that before socialism took hold of our country, “We were rich but we didn’t know it.” Many Venezuelans who initially supported socialism and those who didn’t vote at all have now recognized that truth the hard way.
My family’s story, and that of millions of other Venezuelans, should serve as a warning to all those who believe America is too prosperous and powerful to fail. Socialism can and will destroy this country – unless voters curb the recent wave of popularity it’s gained in the United States and prevent radical leaders from getting elected. 
The next time someone tells you that “America isn’t Venezuela,” remind them that we Venezuelans once said something all-too similar.
Daniel Di Martino<a href="http://www.twitter.com/danieldimartino"> (@DanielDiMartino</a>) is a research associate at the Institute for the Study of Free Enterprise at the University of Kentucky, a Young Voices contributor, and a Dissident contributor.

The Sabana Grande

DIMARTINO: How Venezuela Went From A Rich Nation Of Immigrants, To A Hungry Nation Of Refugees

Hugo Chavez

Nicolas Maduro

Venezuela

Communist Cuba praised socialist Bernie Sanders, the front-runner in the race for the Democratic nomination for president, for his recent praise of the communist nation.
&#8220;Granma, the Communist Party newspaper, prominently displayed a report about Sanders and his praise of &#8216;some of the social programs implemented by the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution Fidel Castro,'&#8221; The Miami Herald <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article240626672.html">reported</a>. &#8220;Adding its own analysis of the Democratic race, the newspaper said Sanders seemed &#8216;unstoppable&#8217; in his move towards the nomination.&#8221;
&#8220;Granma and several state media outlets reported the comments made by Sanders in an interview with Anderson Cooper for &#8217;60 minutes&#8217; on Sunday, in which the senator said it was &#8216;unfair&#8217; to say that &#8216;everything is bad&#8217; in Cuba, and praised the literacy campaign implemented by Fidel Castro shortly after he rose to power in 1959,&#8221; the Herald added. &#8220;The report also mentions that Sanders had recognized the role of Cuba in sending &#8216;doctors all over the world,&#8217; another Castro initiative, but incorrectly attributed these comments, made during a debate in the 2016 elections, to the interview with Cooper.&#8221;
The newspaper then attacked Cuban Americans who had escaped the communist nation, writing that Sanders&#8217; “comments sparked the anger of the most extremist sector of Cuban-Americans in South Florida, who oppose any rapprochement with the Caribbean island.”
Sanders&#8217; remarks were widely condemned by Cuban Americans, Republicans, and Democrats who found his praise of a brutal, dictatorial regime appalling.
&#8220;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,&#8221; Michael Bloomberg said in a tweet. &#8220;But sure, Bernie, let’s talk about his literacy program.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
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.
But sure, Bernie, let’s talk about his literacy program. <a href="https://t.co/3Xqu435uoA">pic.twitter.com/3Xqu435uoA</a>
&mdash; Mike Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeBloomberg/status/1231999095214084098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Pete Buttigieg tweeted a link asking for donations, writing, &#8220;Chip in if you don’t want to have to defend Fidel Castro.&#8221;
Tom Steyer tore into Sanders during a CNN town hall, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tom-steyer-unloads-on-bernie-sanders-socialism-never-worked-we-stand-for-freedom">saying</a>, “I don’t think it’s appropriate to look at a dictator in Cuba who’s been there for 60 years, who has really done a terrible job for the Cuban people, who’s an autocrat who’s never allowed dissent or elections and who has done exactly — he’s had the government own the economy and people are hungry and he’s been a cruel controller of the country.  don’t think it’s appropriate to be giving him a lot of compliments.”
“If you’re asking me, will I ever compliment a regime that’s unelected, that rules without the rule of law, that is — that dominates its country without the kind of democracy and — that we have?” Steyer later added. “No, I’m never going to compliment that system. I don’t approve of it. I don’t think it works. I think we stand up for who we are around the country because we’re trying to be the best value driven country in the world. That’s who we are. We should be proud of it and we should never give in to somebody else’s view.”
Left-wing CNN commentator Ana Navarro tweeted: &#8220;I was born in Nicaragua. My parents live there. My husband was born in Cuba. Castros &amp; Ortega are corrupt, anti-American, murderous thugs. They jail, kill, torture, starve, beat, persecute political dissidents while enriching themselves. There is no f***ing bright side. Period.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I was born in Nicaragua. My parents live there. My husband was born in Cuba. Castros &amp; Ortega are corrupt, anti-American, murderous thugs. They jail, kill, torture, starve, beat, persecute political dissidents while enriching themselves.
There is no fucking bright side.
Period.
&mdash; Ana Navarro-Cárdenas (@ananavarro) <a href="https://twitter.com/ananavarro/status/1232496056048291841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Bernie Sanders Returns To The Campaign Trail With A Rally In New York City

Communist Cuba Praises Bernie Sanders On Front Page Of State-Run Newspaper

Communism

Left-wing CNN political commentator Ana Navarro ripped socialist Bernie Sanders following the Democrats&#8217; debate on Tuesday over his continued praise of communist dictators, saying that there is &#8220;no f***ing bright side.&#8221;
Navarro&#8217;s remarks came after Sanders has repeatedly defended his praise of murderous Cuban communist dictator Fidel Castro this week by falsely claiming that he made the Cuban people literate – they already had a high literacy rate.
&#8220;I was born in Nicaragua. My parents live there. My husband was born in Cuba,&#8221; Navarro tweeted. &#8220;Castros &amp; Ortega are corrupt, anti-American, murderous thugs. They jail, kill, torture, starve, beat, persecute political dissidents while enriching themselves. There is no f***ing bright side. Period.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I was born in Nicaragua. My parents live there. My husband was born in Cuba. Castros &amp; Ortega are corrupt, anti-American, murderous thugs. They jail, kill, torture, starve, beat, persecute political dissidents while enriching themselves.
There is no fucking bright side.
Period.
&mdash; Ana Navarro-Cárdenas (@ananavarro) <a href="https://twitter.com/ananavarro/status/1232496056048291841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Sanders reignited controversy over his fringe views this week during an interview on CBS News&#8217; &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; with Anderson Cooper that aired on Sunday night.
“Back in the 1980s, Sanders had some positive things to say about the former Soviet Union and the Sandinistas in Nicaragua,” Cooper <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bernie-praises-murderous-communist-dictator-fidel-castro-had-massive-literacy-program">said</a> while narrating during the segment. “Here he is explaining why the Cuban people didn’t rise up and help the U.S. overthrow Cuban leader Fidel Castro: ‘…he educated their kids, gave them health care, totally transformed the society, you know?&#8217;”
“We’re very opposed to the authoritarian nature of Cuba but you know, it’s unfair to simply say everything is bad,” Sanders responded. “You know? When Fidel Castro came into office, you know what he did? He had a massive literacy program. Is that a bad thing? Even though Fidel Castro did it?”
“A lot of dissidents imprisoned in Cuba,” Cooper responded.
During the debate on Tuesday, Sanders again doubled down on his support for Castro, saying, “Of course you have a dictatorship in Cuba. What I said is what Barack Obama said in terms of Cuba, that Cuba made progress on education.”
The crowd booed.
Sanders yelled back, “Really?!”
The crowd booed even louder.
“Really? Literacy programs are bad?” Sanders fired back, again parroting debunked communist talking points.
Following the debate, Sanders again continued to defend his remarks during an interview with CBS News.
“On this issue of the potential political peril you and Democrats could suffer in Florida, Congresswoman Donna Shalala said come on down to Miami and meet with the people who have been affected by his regime,” CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe said. “Would you be willing to do that?”
“Cuba is a dictatorship, I’ve said that 8 million times,” Sanders <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bernie-continues-defending-communism-good-things-can-happen-under-a-dictatorship">said</a>. “But that does not mean to say, as Obama pointed out, that even under a dictatorship, you can teach people to read and to write, that you can provide health care to all people.”
Sanders&#8217; remarks were deemed so offensive that the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-dnc-spokeswoman-goes-on-fox-news-and-bashes-bernie-sanders">Democratic Party</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bernies-pro-castro-remarks-backfire-sound-of-bernies-latino-voter-wave-crashing">numerous politicians</a> from the party condemned Sanders&#8217; remarks.
The City of Miami, which has a large Cuban population, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/city-of-miami-announces-big-event-after-bernie-makes-pro-communist-remarks">responded</a> by announcing that it was holding an anti-communism concert.
“Sadly, even now, we see individuals defend and even promote communism and socialism,” Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said. “Just yesterday, presidential candidate Bernie Sanders glorified socialism in a 60 Minutes interview by defending elements of Castro’s regime.”
Suarez continued, “What Senator Sanders conveniently omitted from his colorful characterization of communist Cuba was Castro’s forceful and violent imposition of power, attacking human rights and freedom of speech, thereby minimizing the sacrifice of those who fought to break free from his suffocating hand.”

Bernie Sanders Rallies Supporters Across South Carolina Ahead Of Primary

CNN Commentator Who Escaped Socialism Torches Bernie: ‘There Is No F***ing Bright Side’

Ana Navarro

This week, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) the socialist Democratic presidential front-runner, made waves when he merely reiterated his lifelong warmth toward the viciously evil Cuban communist regime.
Brushing off the human rights violations of Fidel Castro — a man whose revolution ended with the murder or imprisonment of tens of thousands of his countrymen, and decades of impoverishment and repression for millions — Sanders explained: &#8220;We&#8217;re very opposed to the authoritarian nature of Cuba, but you know, it&#8217;s unfair to simply say everything is bad. &#8230; When Fidel Castro came into office, you know what he did? He had a massive literacy program. Is that a bad thing, even though Fidel Castro did it?&#8221;
But, of course, Sanders hasn&#8217;t merely praised Castro&#8217;s literacy programs (which, by the way, were propagandistic exploits. Cuba had an 80% literacy rate before Castro&#8217;s coup). Back in the 1980s, Sanders explained that he was &#8220;physically nauseated&#8221; by former President John F. Kennedy&#8217;s &#8220;hatred for the Cuban revolution.&#8221; In 1989, Sanders stated after visiting Cuba: &#8220;I did not see a hungry child. I did not see any homeless people.&#8221; He said that the Cuban people &#8220;had an almost religious affection&#8221; for Castro.
As it turns out, there is hardly a single communist regime of the past half-century for which Sanders has not expressed some level of moral support. This week, Sanders went out of his way to praise China, explaining: &#8220;It&#8217;s is an authoritarian country. &#8230; But can anyone deny — I mean, the facts are clear — that they have taken more people out of extreme poverty than any country in history?&#8221; Naturally, Sanders neglects to mention that China&#8217;s embrace of free trade and profit margin in the 1990s was responsible for that rise from poverty. That would cut against his socialist worldview.
Then there&#8217;s the Nicaraguan communist regime of Daniel Ortega, which murdered thousands. Sanders celebrated the Sandinista revolution in the 1980s (he attended a rally at which protesters chanted, &#8220;the Yankee will die&#8221;), visited Nicaragua and returned to tut-tut Ortega&#8217;s human rights abuses by citing Abraham Lincoln&#8217;s suspension of habeas corpus. It&#8217;s no wonder Ortega has endorsed Sanders for the presidency.
Or how about the Venezuelan regime? Sanders refused to call socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro a dictator as late as last year, and refused to call opposition Juan Guaido the legitimate leader of the country. The Sanders Senate website carried an editorial for years that favorably compared the regime of Hugo Chavez with the poverty record of the United States.
And, of course, there&#8217;s Sanders&#8217; long record of propagandizing on behalf of the Soviet regime. Not only did Sanders visit the Soviet Union for a honeymoon/business trip with his new wife in 1988; he returned and declared that Moscow had &#8220;the most effective mass transit system&#8221; he had ever seen. He then celebrated that the Soviets were moving &#8220;forward into some of the early visions of their revolution, what their revolution was about in 1917.&#8221;
Sanders isn&#8217;t a European social democrat, warm toward Denmark and Norway. He&#8217;s a lifelong communist — a man who declared himself fully on board with the nationalization of nearly every major American industry in the 1970s — and an advocate for anti-Americanism abroad. The fact that it has taken until the verge of his nomination as the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee for members of the media and fellow Democrats to take note of this rather important truth demonstrates that the left&#8217;s gatekeeping function has been irrevocably broken.

SHAPIRO: The Worship of Dictators

Fidel Castro

Speaking with Fox News on Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell laid down the law with a tough, forceful statement asserting that he will not permit the Democrats to turn America into a socialist country, making it doubly clear by gleefully reiterating that he is the “Grim Reaper.”
McConnell stated:
<blockquote>Whether it’s Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, the nominee for president on the Democratic side is going to be on a path to try to turn America into a socialist country. We’re not going to let that happen. Donald Trump is still in the White House, and as long as I am Majority Leader of the Senate I get to set the agenda. That’s why I call myself the Grim Reaper. We will not have the Green New Deal and we will not have Medicare-For-None as long as I am Majority Leader of the Senate.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Democrats are on a path to try and turn America into a socialist country. 
&quot;We are not going to let that happen…We will not have the Green New Deal and we will not have Medicare-For-None as long as I am Majority Leader of the Senate.&quot; <a href="https://twitter.com/senatemajldr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@senatemajldr</a> <a href="https://t.co/FlAFAUFcO9">pic.twitter.com/FlAFAUFcO9</a>
&mdash; Senate Republican Communications Center (@SRCC) <a href="https://twitter.com/SRCC/status/1232714206174236672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In 2019, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) <a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2019/06/14/mitch-mcconnell-grim-reaper-socialist-agenda-serfaty-dnt-lead-vpx.cnn">stated</a>, “Leader McConnell, the Grim Reaper, is creating this graveyard.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi echoed, “Leader McConnell seems to take great pride in calling himself the Grim Reaper … it’s part of the pride he takes as leader of the Senate.”
McConnell replied, &#8220;She&#8217;s got it right. For the first time in my memory, I&#8217;m going to agree with Nancy Pelosi. I am indeed the grim reaper when it comes to the socialist agenda that they&#8217;ve been ginning up over in the House with overwhelming Democratic support and sending it over to America, things that would turn us into a country we&#8217;ve never been.&#8221;
McConnell did relish the nickname; he even sold T-shirts on his campaign website with the moniker. The T-shirts were emblazoned, “So think of me as the Grim Reaper, the guy who is going to make sure that socialism doesn’t land on the president’s desk.” The website stated, “Get Your Official Grim Reaper for $35 and join Team Mitch today!”
In April 2019, during his reelection campaign, McConnell <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/video/mcconnell-says-he-will-be-grim-reaper-to-democrats-legislation-63796293974">told an audience in Kentucky</a>, “Are we still gonna be a competitive place? Are we still gonna be the kind of place where you realize your ambitions and your energy but if you aren’t able to do that there are still ways to lead a rewarding life? Or are we going to turn this into a socialist country? Don’t assume it cannot happen. It’ll all be in the hands, I think, of the voters of this country next year. If you share my view, and I hope you do, that that’s not what we want America to be like in the future, let me tell you this: If I’m still the Majority Leader of the Senate, think of me as the Grim Reaper. None of that stuff is gonna pass. None of it.”
He continued, “So, we have a big job to do next year. Obviously if we get the House back that takes care of it; if the president gets reelected that takes care of it; but I guarantee you: if I’m the last man standing and I’m still the Majority Leader; it ain’t happening. I promise you it ain’t happening.”

Senate Votes On Final Verdict In Impeachment Trial Of President Donald Trump

WATCH: McConnell Lays Down The Law On Stopping Socialism: ‘That’s Why I Call Myself The Grim Reaper’

Mitch McConnell

Far-left Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA) falsely claimed during a MSNBC interview on Monday that no one likes their private insurance plans when, in reality, the overwhelming majority of Americans do.
Washington Post columnist Karen Tumulty asked Jayapal, “So what do you say to people who say, ‘hey, I like my private insurance plan. I work for a large employer. It’s relatively inexpensive. It’s relatively a simple system.’ What do you say to people who don’t want to give up their private insurance plans?”
“I would just say, first of all, nobody likes their private insurance plan,&#8221; Jayapal falsely claimed. &#8220;What they like is their doctor. If you look at all the polling, when people are asked if they want to give up their private insurance, the support goes down a little. If you take them to the next question, which is, ‘if you could keep your doctor, but you were going to have to give up your private insurance plan, the support goes up even higher, including among independents and Republicans.&#8221;
The Daily Wire highlighted the following polling statistics yesterday:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://thehill.com/hilltv/what-americas-thinking/428958-poll-voters-want-the-government-to-provide-healthcare-for">The Hill</a>: “A new poll finds that about only one in 10 registered voters want the equivalent of Medicare for all if it means abolishing private health insurance plans.”</li>
<li><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/05/03/sorry-bernie-most-americans-like-their-health-insurance-way-it-is/">The Washington Post</a>: “You wouldn’t know it to read most of the news coverage, or to listen to politicians, but that is one of the more consistent results in health-care polling: Over and over again, roughly 7 out of every 10 Americans report that they’re fairly satisfied with the quality of their personal coverage.”</li>
<li><a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/245195/americans-rate-healthcare-quite-positively.aspx">Gallup</a>: “As the incoming Congress prepares to debate further changes to the U.S. healthcare system, solid majorities of Americans rate the coverage (69%) and quality (80%) of the healthcare they personally receive as ‘excellent’ or ‘good.&#8217;”</li>
</ul>
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/RepJayapal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepJayapal</a> on people who don’t want to give up private insurance for government insurance: &quot;I would just say, first of all, nobody likes their private insurance plan.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/ZCx1nqa9MY">pic.twitter.com/ZCx1nqa9MY</a>
&mdash; Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) <a href="https://twitter.com/tomselliott/status/1231998277341589505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
TRANSCRIPT:
<blockquote>TUMULTY: “So what do you say to people who say, ‘hey, I like my private insurance plan. I work for a large employer. It’s relatively inexpensive. It’s relatively a simple system.’ What do you say to people who don’t want to give up their private insurance plans?”
JAYAPAL: “I would just say, first of all, nobody likes their private insurance plan. What they like is their doctor. If you look at all the polling, when people are asked if they want to give up their private insurance, the support goes down a little. If you take them to the next question, which is, ‘if you could keep your doctor, but you were going to have to give up your private insurance plan, the support goes up even higher, including among independents and Republicans. So what people want is health care. And the current plans, the employer-provided health care, even if you’re lucky enough to have that, you are seeing costs increase dramatically. It is why unions have come on board to Medicare for all, because they see the direct connection between wage stagnation and rising health care costs, and what choice do you really have if you have an employer-covered plan? Your employer chooses the plan. Your insurance provider decides what benefits and what doctors and hospitals you get to see, why we have horrible surprise billing that is happening across the country, and if you lose your job or if you’re too sick to go to work, you’ve got no health care at all. I think this is a red herring to say these plans provide choice. What really provides choice is to guarantee insurance for all Americans so that whether you’re in one job or the next you keep the same plan, the same doctors and you actually get to have lower costs and not be providing — not be in that situation where you’re dieing. One more thing I want to say here. A fabulous study just came out published in the ‘Lancit a respected medical journal done by director of infection diseases as Yale university. She estimates, these researchers estimate, that Medicare for all would save over 68,000 lives and save $450 billion annually. Medicare for all who want it actually costs us more and not cover everybody.”</blockquote>

TRUMP IMPEACHMENT

Democrat Pramila Jayapal Promotes Debunked Talking Point On Private Insurance

health insurance

As socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) continued to build momentum over the weekend by grabbing up yet more Democratic delegates, this time in Nevada, self-styled &#8220;center-left&#8221; political think tank Third Way posted an urgent open memo to the more moderate Democratic candidates still vying for the nomination. The memo, co-authored by the organization&#8217;s president, details Sanders&#8217; &#8220;stunningly radical political history,&#8221; his &#8220;outrageous support for our enemies,&#8221; &#8220;hopelessly out of touch views on taxes,&#8221; &#8220;preposterous spending plans,&#8221; and willingness to burn down the party for his own agenda.
The <a href="https://www.thirdway.org/memo/stand-up-to-bernie-or-you-and-we-all-lose">memo</a> which was posted on Third Way&#8217;s website and written by Third Way President Jonathan Cowan and Executive VP for Public Affairs Matt Bennett, warns the Democratic candidates that they must &#8220;stand up to Bernie&#8221; or find not only that they have lost the race but the country has lost in the process. The warning begins:
<blockquote>Memo to Vice President Biden; Mayor Bloomberg; Mayor Buttigieg; Senator Klobuchar; and Senator Warren
At the Las Vegas debate, each of you took aim at one another, often to withering effect. But with few exceptions, you declined to really challenge Senator Sanders. If you repeat this strategy at the South Carolina debate this week, you could hand the nomination to Sanders, likely dooming the Democratic Party – and the nation – to Trump and sweeping down-ballot Republican victories in November.</blockquote>
Why the &#8220;dire prediction&#8221;? Because, Cowan and Bennett explain, &#8220;Bernie Sanders is a socialist, and the political toxicity of his self-selected brand cannot be overstated.&#8221;
&#8220;As <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/285563/socialism-atheism-political-liabilities.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">recent polling from Gallup</a> shows, 53% of voters, including 51% of Independents, say they would not vote for &#8216;an otherwise well-qualified candidate for president&#8217; if that candidate is a socialist,&#8221; they write. &#8220;That’s game over.&#8221;
The memo goes on to highlight why Sanders is such a &#8220;toxic&#8221; candidate, including &#8220;His Stunningly Radical Political History&#8221;:
In the early 1980s, Sanders campaigned for <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/bernie-sanders-campaigned-for-marxist-party-in-reagan-era" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">candidates from the Socialist Workers Party</a>.
<ul>
<li>The <a href="https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/642/1357/2398821/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">stated goal</a> of the SWP was &#8220;the abolition of capitalism.”</li>
<li>That party called for “the destruction of the bourgeois state,” arguing such an act ‘is a necessary prerequisite for the conquest of state power by the working class.”</li>
<li>Sanders was twice an elector for an SWP candidate for president who <a href="https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/642/1357/2398821/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">once said that</a> American soldiers should “take up their guns and shoot their officers.”</li>
<li>That candidate <a href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2016/02/bernie-sanders-radical-past-would-haunt-him-in-a-general-election.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">called for</a> the abolition of the US military.</li>
<li><a href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2016/02/bernie-sanders-radical-past-would-haunt-him-in-a-general-election.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Even in Congress</a>, Sanders proposed slashing the military budget by half.</li>
</ul>
And &#8220;His Outrageous Support for our Enemies,&#8221;: &#8220;In <a href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2016/02/bernie-sanders-radical-past-would-haunt-him-in-a-general-election.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the middle of the Iran hostage crisis</a>, Sanders’ party &#8216;called for…’solidarity’ with the revolutionary regimes in Iran&#8230;&#8217; How is such an attack in the hands of Trump not disqualifying for many voters?&#8221;
&#8220;His Hopelessly Out of Touch Views on Taxes&#8220;: &#8220;<a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/06/12/bernie_sanders_on_socialism_people_would_be_delighted_to_pay_more_in_taxes.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">On CNN last year</a>, Sanders said that Americans would be &#8216;delighted to pay more in taxes&#8217; to fund his huge new programs. How can he propose a huge new tax increase without saying how much it would be?&#8221;
And &#8220;His Preposterous Spending Plans&#8220;: &#8220;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/14/politics/bernie-sanders-proposals-cost/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Experts estimate</a> that Sanders’ major proposals would cost a staggering $60 trillion and would <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/14/politics/bernie-sanders-proposals-cost/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">double</a> the size of the government (while his tax plans fall $27 trillion short of paying for it). There’s a reason that, when <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhwAqSSE8pA" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pressed on the cost of his plans</a>, Sanders simply refuses to answer, saying he actually has no idea and &#8216;no one does.'&#8221;
Cowan and Bennett conclude by warning that for Sanders, &#8220;his party is himself&#8221;:
<ul>
<li>Sanders has <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7088909/Sanders-campaigned-radical-Socialist-Workers-Party-investigated-FBI.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">called the Democratic Party</a> “intellectually and spiritually bankrupt,” so it is no surprise that he routinely has declined the Democratic endorsement for Senate in VT.</li>
<li>In 2011, he suggested it might be a “<a href="https://thinkprogress.org/bernie-sanders-says-it-would-be-a-good-idea-to-primary-president-obama-313b4f05f3c1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">good idea</a>” to primary President Obama in 2012. He had brought up a potential primary challenge to Obama <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/bernie-sanders-talks-primary-challenge-obama-good-idea-our-democracy-and-democratic-part/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">several times that summer</a>.</li>
<li>After 2016, he worked on the committee to change the DNC rules and now has said (in Las Vegas) that he won’t follow those rules.</li>
</ul>
<a href="https://www.thirdway.org/memo/stand-up-to-bernie-or-you-and-we-all-lose">Read Third Way&#8217;s full memo to the remaining Democratic candidates here</a>.

READ IT: Memo To Democrats Details Bernie’s ‘Stunningly Radical Political History,’ ‘Outrageous Support Of Our Enemies’

Democratic Socialism

Elizabeth Warren

Michael Bloomberg

Pete Buttigieg

Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has changed his tune about millionaires, since becoming one himself.
On Sunday night, when pressed by CNN anchor and &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; host Anderson Cooper about potential hypocrisy, considering Sanders is a millionaire who pushes socialist policies, the presidential candidate insisted that he pays his &#8220;fair share&#8221; in taxes.
In other words, now that Sanders is a millionaire himself, millionaires are no longer to be vilified or apparently taxed at higher rates.
&#8220;Though he&#8217;s campaigning as a champion of the poor, Bernie Sanders became a millionaire four years ago, thanks largely to royalties from his bestselling book &#8216;Our Revolution,'&#8221; explained Cooper, interviewing Sanders on &#8220;60 Minutes.&#8221;
&#8220;His Democratic rivals have given him some grief about it during the debates,&#8221; Cooper stated.
&#8220;You know what they&#8217;re getting at,&#8221; the host said to Sanders, &#8220;they&#8217;re suggesting that it&#8217;s hypocritical.&#8221;
&#8220;We pay our fair share in taxes,&#8221; Sanders responded, apparently speaking up on behalf of all millionaires.
Cooper did not press further on the issue.
Before Sanders was known as a millionaire, however, the open socialist ripped apart millionaires in the same breath he ripped apart billionaires.
For example, in 2016, Sanders complained to a campaign crowd that there was &#8220;something profoundly wrong&#8221; with the the creation of &#8220;millionaires and billionaires,&#8221; as shown in a clip archived by <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4584813/user-clip-bernie-sanders-millionaires-billionaires">C-SPAN</a>.
&#8220;There is something profoundly wrong, when in recent years, we have seen a proliferation of millionaires and billionaire at the same time as millions of Americans are working longer hours for lower wages and we have shamefully the highest rate of childhood poverty of any major country,&#8221; the Vermont senator  yelled to the crowd.
As hit on by Cooper, Democratic challengers, such as presidential candidate former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, have highlighted the apparent hypocrisy.
Last week, during a debate in Nevada, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bloomberg-nails-socialist-bernie-youre-a-millionaire-with-3-houses">Bloomberg ripped the socialist</a>: “What a wonderful country we have. The best known socialist happens to be a millionaire with three houses. What’d I miss here?”
During the same &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; interview, Cooper noted that under a Sanders administration, folks who make $29,000 would see a tax hike to pay for all of Sanders&#8217; proposed policy plans. Cooper also noted that Sanders has repeatedly admitted that he has yet to put a price tag on his plans.
However, Sanders reiterated time and again that taxes would go up on &#8220;billionaires,&#8221; seemingly misleading the American people about potential tax hikes on the working class:
<blockquote>&#8220;It&#8217;s taxes on billionaires. You know? You know, I get a little bit tired of hearing my opponents saying&#8211; &#8216;Gee, how you going to pay for a program that impacts and helps children or working-class families or middle-class families? How you going to pay for that?&#8217; And yet, where are people saying, &#8216;How are you going to pay for over $750 billion on military spending?&#8217; How you going to pay for a trillion dollars in tax breaks to the 1% in large corporations which was what Trump did? When you help the billionaires and you help Wall Street, &#8216;Hey! Of course we can pay for it. That&#8217;s what America&#8217;s supposed to be about.&#8217; Well, I disagree.&#8221;</blockquote>
(Partial transcript via <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bernie-sanders-democratic-presidential-candidate-anderson-cooper-60-minutes-2020-02-23/">CBS News</a>)
WATCH:
<iframe title="Bernie Sanders Confronted For Making Millions Pushing Socialist Ideology" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6NSxWid0sQY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
&nbsp;

WATCH: Cooper Presses Sanders For Being ‘Millionaire’ Socialist; His Response Clashes With Past Statements

Anderson Cooper

Socialist Bernie Sanders, the frontrunner in the race for the Democratic nomination for president, faced widespread backlash late on Sunday night over positive remarks that he made about murderous Cuban communist dictator Fidel Castro.
Sanders made the disturbing remarks on CBS News&#8217; &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; with host Anderson Cooper when Cooper pressed him about positive remarks that he had made about brutal communist regimes in the past.
&#8220;You know? When Fidel Castro came into office, you know what he did?&#8221; Sanders said. &#8220;He had a massive literacy program. Is that a bad thing? Even though Fidel Castro did it?&#8221;
Sanders&#8217; claim that Castro &#8220;came into office&#8221; lacks the historical context that Castro was essentially a terrorist who attacked Cuba&#8217;s government; he did not win in an election. Sanders&#8217; claim that Castro had a &#8220;massive literacy program&#8221; is communist propaganda, a point that many critics hit Sanders on in response to his pro-communist remarks.
Among those who fired back at Sanders were people on the political left &#8212; including politicians and people who appear on CNN and MSNBC &#8212; as well as Republican senators and conservative political commentators.
Left-wing CNN commentator Ana Navarro tweeted: &#8220;Castro regime’s been in power in Cuba for +60 yrs w/o free elections. They’ve killed, jailed, tortured thousands. They confiscated assets, expelled priests &amp; nuns&#8230; And let’s be clear, Cubans weren’t exactly communicating by grunts. Most knew how to read.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Castro regime’s been in power in Cuba for +60 yrs w/o free elections. They’ve killed, jailed, tortured thousands. They confiscated assets, expelled priests &amp; nuns&#8230; And let’s be clear, Cubans weren’t exactly communicating by grunts. Most knew how to read. <a href="https://t.co/kKGM66a8ci">pic.twitter.com/kKGM66a8ci</a>
&mdash; Ana Navarro-Cárdenas (@ananavarro) <a href="https://twitter.com/ananavarro/status/1231766703115325441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Navarro added, &#8220;I was in 2nd Grade when Sandinistas came to power in Nicaragua. They adopted Cuban education model. The books/curriculum taught ideological indoctrination. Children had to recite communist, revolutionary, anti-American slogans. That’s how communist teach people to read and write.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I was in 2nd Grade when Sandinistas came to power in Nicaragua. They adopted Cuban education model. The books/curriculum taught ideological indoctrination. Children had to recite communist, revolutionary, anti-American slogans. That’s how communist teach people to read and write.
&mdash; Ana Navarro-Cárdenas (@ananavarro) <a href="https://twitter.com/ananavarro/status/1231797010820403200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Left-wing MSNBC frequent guest Fernand Amandi tweeted out a series of videos showing Sanders&#8217; repeated praise for communist leaders.
Amandi tweeted, &#8220;Here’s avowed socialist @BernieSanders talking about how President Kennedy made him &#8216;want to puke&#8217; because JFK stood up to and condemned Fidel Castro’s tyrannical totalitarian regime in Cuba&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Here’s avowed socialist <a href="https://twitter.com/BernieSanders?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BernieSanders</a> talking about how President Kennedy made him “want to puke” because JFK stood up to and condemned Fidel Castro’s tyrannical totalitarian regime in Cuba👇🏼<a href="https://t.co/qHXTea08Zp">pic.twitter.com/qHXTea08Zp</a>
&mdash; Fernand R. Amandi (@AmandiOnAir) <a href="https://twitter.com/AmandiOnAir/status/1231796430345510912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Amandi continued, &#8220;Here is @BernieSanders TONIGHT defending Fidel Castro’s murderous totalitarian Communist regime in Cuba. Democrats, nominating this man will absolutely re-elect @realDonaldTrump and end our Constitutional republic.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Here is <a href="https://twitter.com/BernieSanders?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BernieSanders</a> TONIGHT defending Fidel Castro’s murderous totalitarian Communist regime in Cuba
Democrats, nominating this man will absolutely re-elect <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> and end our Constitutional republic. <a href="https://t.co/vAJX2ffbSQ">pic.twitter.com/vAJX2ffbSQ</a>
&mdash; Fernand R. Amandi (@AmandiOnAir) <a href="https://twitter.com/AmandiOnAir/status/1231738392603451392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Amandi added, &#8220;Here’s a compilation clip of avowed socialist @BernieSanders talking about &#8216;how impressed he is,&#8217; with Fidel Castro’s murderous, communist totalitarian regime in Cuba&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Here’s a compilation clip of avowed socialist <a href="https://twitter.com/BernieSanders?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BernieSanders</a> talking about “how impressed he is,” with Fidel Castro’s murderous, communist totalitarian regime in Cuba👇🏼<a href="https://t.co/5xXsXqpeEW">pic.twitter.com/5xXsXqpeEW</a>
&mdash; Fernand R. Amandi (@AmandiOnAir) <a href="https://twitter.com/AmandiOnAir/status/1231787068914884608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Miami Herald reporter David Smiley wrote: &#8220;That’s the sound of Bernie’s Latino voter wave crashing on the shores of Miami&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
That’s the sound of Bernie’s Latino voter wave crashing on the shores of Miami <a href="https://t.co/FwN64IOlY7">https://t.co/FwN64IOlY7</a>
&mdash; David Smiley (@NewsbySmiley) <a href="https://twitter.com/NewsbySmiley/status/1231747588271067136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Former Obama White House staffer Christopher Hale wrote: &#8220;Fidel Castro was a dictator and a tyrant. He spent his regime murdering dissidents, imprisoning gay people, separating families from each other, banning the free and open practice of religion, and bringing the world to the brink of nuclear war. He’s not worthy of praise.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Fidel Castro was a dictator and a tyrant. He spent his regime murdering dissidents, imprisoning gay people, separating families from each other, banning the free and open practice of religion, and bringing the world to the brink of nuclear war.
He’s not worthy of praise.
&mdash; Christopher J. Hale (@chrisjollyhale) <a href="https://twitter.com/chrisjollyhale/status/1231764029590376448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Statistician Josh Jordan responded: &#8220;On the same day that Bernie Sanders welcomed an endorsement from anti-Vaxxer Marianne Williamson, he&#8217;s got a 60 Minutes interview where he praises Castro&#8217;s indoctrination&#8230; I mean &#8216;literacy program.&#8217; I can&#8217;t wait to see how this plays with swing voters come November.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
On the same day that Bernie Sanders welcomed an endorsement from anti-Vaxxer Marianne Williamson, he&#39;s got a 60 Minutes interview where he praises Castro&#39;s indoctrination&#8230; I mean &quot;literacy program.&quot;
I can&#39;t wait to see how this plays with swing voters come November. <a href="https://t.co/aABSiAspDo">https://t.co/aABSiAspDo</a>
&mdash; Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) <a href="https://twitter.com/NumbersMuncher/status/1231751874530988032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Leftist Democrat Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, who is highly political and hates the Second Amendment, responded, &#8220;For the record @BernieSanders, Fidel &amp; Raul Castro, their murdering regime, &amp; co-conspirators have never had a redeeming quality, ZERO. They worked on literacy programs in a State that controls everything available for reading, in essence, literacy was a path to indoctrination.&#8221;
&#8220;I remember my high school history teacher trying to feed us the literacy achievement line,&#8221; Acevedo continued. &#8220;My response to him was I would rather be unread than to spend a lifetime reading the communist/socialists propaganda the Cuban government provided.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I remember my high school history teacher trying to feed us the literacy achievement line. My response to him was I would rather be unread than to spend a lifetime reading the communist/socialists propaganda the Cuban government provided.
&mdash; Chief Art Acevedo (@ArtAcevedo) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArtAcevedo/status/1231789783195832320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), whose father is from Cuba, responded, &#8220;It really makes a difference when those you murder at the firing squad can read &amp; write.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
It really makes a difference when those you murder at the firing squad can read &amp; write. <a href="https://t.co/4DKbSKpI6t">https://t.co/4DKbSKpI6t</a>
&mdash; Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1231762113141649408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Political strategist Rory Cooper responded, &#8220;Say goodbye to Florida. And prepare to spend money in New Jersey. If he’s the nominee.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Say goodbye to Florida. And prepare to spend money in New Jersey. If he’s the nominee. <a href="https://t.co/SgGActS5L7">https://t.co/SgGActS5L7</a>
&mdash; Rory Cooper (@rorycooper) <a href="https://twitter.com/rorycooper/status/1231735754633732097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Democrat Rep. Donna Shalala (FL) tweeted: &#8220;I&#8217;m hoping that in the future, Senator Sanders will take time to speak to some of my constituents before he decides to sing the praises of a murderous tyrant like Fidel Castro.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I&#39;m hoping that in the future, Senator Sanders will take time to speak to some of my constituents before he decides to sing the praises of a murderous tyrant like Fidel Castro. <a href="https://t.co/Iwvmay9LOH">https://t.co/Iwvmay9LOH</a> <a href="https://t.co/KT9sQ0pfkh">pic.twitter.com/KT9sQ0pfkh</a>
&mdash; Donna E. Shalala (@DonnaShalala) <a href="https://twitter.com/DonnaShalala/status/1231760466776657923?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) tweeted: &#8220;Likely Dem nominee praised the supposed &#8216;achievements&#8217; Castro regime. 
And he’s wrong about why people didn’t overthrow Castro. It’s not because &#8216;he educated their kids,gave them health care&#8217; it‘s because his opponents were jailed, murdered or exiled.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Likely Dem nominee praised the supposed “achievements” Castro regime
And he’s wrong about why people didn’t overthrow Castro. It’s not because “he educated their kids,gave them health care” it‘s because his opponents were jailed,murdered or exiled <a href="https://t.co/6i41w7zcDe">https://t.co/6i41w7zcDe</a>
&mdash; Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) <a href="https://twitter.com/marcorubio/status/1231779260911800320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) tweeted: &#8220;Shameful ignorance from @SenSanders. The Castro regime has killed &amp; imprisoned dissidents, oppressed its people and propped up murderous dictators like Maduro and Ortega.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Shameful ignorance from <a href="https://twitter.com/SenSanders?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenSanders</a>.
The Castro regime has killed &amp; imprisoned dissidents, oppressed its people and propped up murderous dictators like Maduro and Ortega. <a href="https://t.co/ROnmWT9oka">https://t.co/ROnmWT9oka</a>
&mdash; Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenRickScott/status/1231767757345230849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&nbsp;

Bernie’s Pro-Castro Remarks Backfire: ‘Sound Of Bernie’s Latino Voter Wave Crashing’

Now that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has picked up victories in Iowa (coming in a close second), New Hampshire, and now Nevada, the Democratic divide has quickly begun to show itself as party members decide if their hatred for President Trump is worth voting for an avowed socialist who speaks fondly of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bernie-praises-murderous-communist-dictator-fidel-castro-had-massive-literacy-program">communist dictators</a>. Former Obama National Finance Committee Member Don Peebles says that a Sanders candidacy is a bridge too far for him and partly blamed the former president for the Democratic debacle.
Speaking to Lisa Boothe on <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/don-peebles-bernie-sanders-socialist">&#8220;Fox &amp; Friends&#8221; on Sunday</a>, Peebles urged Sanders&#8217; opponents to recalibrate their campaigns in order to sink his candidacy, asserting that he could not support him in the general election.
&#8220;There&#8217;s no way I could vote for Bernie Sanders as a socialist,&#8221; Peebles said Sunday. &#8220;I believe things need to be shaken up, and voters on the Republican side as well thought they did, and that&#8217;s how Trump got the nomination, and that&#8217;s why he&#8217;s president. I think these centrist Democrats need to articulate a much more aggressive vision to moving the nation forward and bringing everybody else into the prosperity that we&#8217;re seeing right now.&#8221;
&#8220;But to attack Trump and attack each other, that is a losing combination, and they will end up with Sanders as the nominee,&#8221; he added.
Regarding Sanders winning the Nevada primary on Saturday, Peebles said that the socialist only has an &#8220;insurmountable lead&#8221; due to the failure of Democratic Party elites.
&#8220;They sat on the sidelines. President Obama sat on the sidelines, Hillary Clinton&#8230;  John Kerry&#8230; Al Gore&#8230; on the sidelines,&#8221; exclaimed Peebles. &#8220;If they want to stop Bernie Sanders, they should have learned what happened in 2016 with Donald Trump and the Republican Party.&#8221;
Peebles begged former Vice President Joe Biden and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to &#8220;offer an alternative&#8221; to some of Sanders&#8217; proposals while urging them to stop sniping at each other.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t believe that Biden is positioned to win the nomination, but I think he should be able to give it a better fight than he&#8217;s given so far,&#8221; Peebles said. &#8220;I don’t think Mike Bloomberg is in a position to win it either. I believe that they are killing each other off and have left Bernie Sanders kind of all to himself., and if they don&#8217;t go at Bernie Sanders right now and start calling him out on many of these issues that are motivating voters and offering an alternative, this nomination&#8217;s going to get away from them, and the Democratic Party&#8217;s going to have Sanders.&#8221;
Establishment figures in the Democratic Party have been steadily panicking in the wake of Bernie&#8217;s major victories. Shortly after Nevada, former Clinton adviser James Carville said the move is &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/james-carville-explodes-over-bernie-sanderss-nevada-win-political-suicide-putin-is-ecstatic">political suicide</a>.&#8221;
“The happiest person right now is Vladimir Putin,” Carville said on Saturday. “I don’t think Sanders wants Putin to help. I think they don’t like this story. But the story is a fact. This thing is going very well for Vladimir Putin. I promise you. He’s probably staying up watching this right now. How you doing, Vlad?”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bernie-praises-murderous-communist-dictator-fidel-castro-had-massive-literacy-program">Bernie Praises Murderous Communist Dictator Fidel Castro: ‘Had Massive Literacy Program’</a>

Bernie Sanders Campaigns In Las Vegas In Week Leading Up To Caucus

Former Obama Adviser: Obama ‘Sitting On The Sidelines’ Helped Give Us Socialist Sanders

Barack Obama

Socialist Bernie Sanders, the current front runner in the race for the Democratic nomination for president, praised murderous Cuban communist dictator Fidel Castro during an interview on Sunday, arguing that he wasn&#8217;t that bad because he had a &#8220;massive literacy program.&#8221;
Sanders, who faced widespread backlash over his remarks, made the comments on CBS News&#8217; &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; with host Anderson Cooper when asked about his past support for tyrannical communist dictators.
&#8220;Back in the 1980s, Sanders had some positive things to say about the former Soviet Union and the Sandinistas in Nicaragua,&#8221; Cooper said while narrating during the segment. &#8220;Here he is explaining why the Cuban people didn&#8217;t rise up and help the U.S. overthrow Cuban leader Fidel Castro: &#8216;…he educated their kids, gave them health care, totally transformed the society, you know?'&#8221;
&#8220;We&#8217;re very opposed to the authoritarian nature of Cuba but you know, it&#8217;s unfair to simply say everything is bad,&#8221; Sanders responded. &#8220;You know? When Fidel Castro came into office, you know what he did? He had a massive literacy program. Is that a bad thing? Even though Fidel Castro did it?&#8221;
&#8220;A lot of dissidents imprisoned in Cuba,&#8221; Cooper responded.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Bernie Sanders defends his 1980s comments about Fidel Castro in an interview on 60 Minutes. <a href="https://t.co/ySqvQKoiBU">https://t.co/ySqvQKoiBU</a> <a href="https://t.co/lTwuXWp9sA">pic.twitter.com/lTwuXWp9sA</a>
&mdash; 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) <a href="https://twitter.com/60Minutes/status/1231732950540132355?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Blaze <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/bernie-sanders-doubles-down-on-his-support-for-communist-fidel-castro-in-60-minutes-interview">reported</a> that Sanders was promoting communist propaganda with his misleading claims:
<blockquote>While it is true that Castro implemented a reading program on the island after seizing power in a bloody revolution in 1959, Cuba&#8217;s literacy rate was already high for a Latin American nation at the time and its educational gains have been comparable to those of its peers in the years since.
As attorney Hans Bader noted in an August 2016 article, nearly eight out of 10 Cubans already knew how to read by 1950. This figure was similar to that of Costa Rica, which also achieved 100 percent literacy over the following decades — except Costa Rica and other countries did so without the kind of authoritarian dictatorship that Cubans have endured under the Castro regime for over 61 years.</blockquote>
Dr. Andy Gomez, a retired University of Miami professor who led the school&#8217;s Cuban Studies department for decades, told The Blaze: &#8220;Contrary to what Senator Bernie Sanders said, the literacy campaign used by the Castro regime was part of their strategic plan to indoctrinate the Cuban people by using education at all levels in support of a Marxist ideology.&#8221;
The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB113590852154334404">reported</a> that Castro was a murderous communist dictator:
<blockquote>The Cuba Archive project has already begun the heavy lifting by attempting to document the loss of life attributable to revolutionary zealotry. The project, based in Chatham, N.J., covers the period from May 1952 &#8212; when the constitutional government fell to Gen. Fulgencio Batista &#8212; to the present. It has so far verified the names of 9,240 victims of the Castro regime and the circumstances of their deaths. Archive researchers meticulously insist on confirming stories of official murder from two independent sources.
Cuba Archive President Maria Werlau says the total number of victims could be higher by a factor of 10. Project Vice President Armando Lago, a Harvard-trained economist, has spent years studying the cost of the revolution and he estimates that almost 78,000 innocents may have died trying to flee the dictatorship. Another 5,300 are known to have lost their lives fighting communism in the Escambray Mountains (mostly peasant farmers and their children) and at the Bay of Pigs. An estimated 14,000 Cubans were killed in Fidel&#8217;s revolutionary adventures abroad, most notably his dispatch of 50,000 soldiers to Angola in the 1980s to help the Soviet-backed regime fight off the Unita insurgency.
The archive project can be likened to the 1999 &#8220;Black Book of Communism,&#8221; which documented the world-wide cost of communism, noting that &#8220;wherever the millenarian ideology of Communism was established it quickly led to crime, terror and repression.&#8221; The Castro methodology, Cuba Archive finds, was much like that used in Poland and East Germany, less lethal than Stalin&#8217;s purges, but equally effective in suppressing opposition. &#8230;
Cuba Archive finds that some 5,600 Cubans have died in front of firing squads and another 1,200 in &#8220;extrajudicial assassinations.&#8221; &#8230;
The heftiest death toll is among those trying to flee. Many have been killed by state security.</blockquote>

Democratic Presidential Candidates Attend Clark County Democrats Rally At The Tropicana In Las Vegas

Bernie Praises Murderous Communist Dictator Fidel Castro: ‘Had Massive Literacy Program’

Socialist Bernie Sanders, the current front runner in the race for the Democratic nomination for president, was grilled on Sunday during an interview for not knowing the cost of his multi-trillion dollar big government programs.
Anderson Cooper, normally a host on CNN, hosted CBS News&#8217; &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; on Sunday, where he pressed Sanders over the cost of his programs and over how he intends to pay for them.
Cooper noted that the number of big government programs for which Sanders is advocating, including everything from government-run health care to the far-left &#8220;Green New Deal,&#8221; will cost well into the tens of trillions of dollars, with some top experts attaching a <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/bernie-sanders-expensive-spending-proposals">nearly $100 trillion</a> price tag to his proposals.
&#8220;How much will that cost?&#8221; Cooper asked.
&#8220;Obviously, those are expensive propositions, but we have done our best on issue after issue – in paying for them,&#8221; Sanders responded.
&#8220;Do you know how all – how much though?&#8221; Cooper pressed. &#8220;I mean, do you have a price tag for all of this?&#8221;
&#8220;We do. I mean, you know, and, and, the price tag is – it will be substantially less than letting the current system go,&#8221; Sanders responded. &#8220;I think it&#8217;s about $30 trillion.&#8221;
&#8220;That&#8217;s just for Medicare for All, you&#8217;re talking about?&#8221; Cooper continued. &#8220;Do you have a price tag for all of these things?&#8221;
&#8220;No, I don&#8217;t,&#8221; Sanders responded. &#8220;We try to – no, you mentioned making public colleges and universities tuition free and cancelling all student debt, that&#8217;s correct. That&#8217;s what I want to do. We pay for that through a modest tax on Wall Street speculation.&#8221;
&#8220;But you say you don&#8217;t know what the total price is, but you know how it&#8217;s gonna be paid for. How do you know it&#8217;s gonna be paid for if you don&#8217;t know how much the price is?&#8221; Cooper pressed.
&#8220;Well, I can&#8217;t, you know, I can&#8217;t rattle off to you every nickel and every dime,&#8221; Sanders responded. &#8220;But we have accounted for, you – you talked about Medicare for All. We have options out there that will pay for it.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Anderson Cooper grills Bernie Sanders for not knowing how much his multi-trillion-dollar socialist programs are going to cost and over Sanders’ absurd claim that he knows how he is going to pay for them, despite not knowing how much they’ll cost.<a href="https://t.co/6WCxVD8zp1">pic.twitter.com/6WCxVD8zp1</a>
&mdash; Nathan Brand (@NathanBrandWA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NathanBrandWA/status/1231772990112780289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Last month, Sanders was questioned by CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell over the very same issue and again had no answer over how much his programs cost and O&#8217;Donnell gave him the benefit of using the low-end estimates for the projected costs.
“You are a self-proclaimed socialist,” CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell began.
“‘Democratic,’ put in there please,” Sanders shot back.
“Thank you. Your agenda has promised free health care for everybody, free college tuition, and to pay off people’s college loans,” O’Donnell continued. “The price tag for that is estimated to be $60 trillion over ten years, correct?”
“Well look, we have political opponents who come up –” Sanders responded.
“You don’t know? You don’t know how much your plan costs?” O’Donnell pressed.
“You don’t know; nobody knows,” Sanders responded. “This is impossible to predict.”
“You’re going to propose a plan to the American people, and you’re not going to tell them how much it costs?” O’Donnell persisted.
“Of course I will,” Sanders responded. “Do you know exactly what health care costs will be – one minute – in the next ten years if we do nothing? It will be a lot more expensive than a Medicare for All single payer system.”
WATCH:
<iframe title="Bernie Sanders: “Nobody Knows” How Much My Plans Will Cost" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6QqYQW7ivWI?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Bernie Sanders Anderson Cooper

Cooper Grills Sanders For Not Knowing Cost Of His Plans. Sanders Responds With Nonsense.

Socialist Bernie Sanders, the current front runner in the Democratic nomination race, told CBS News on Sunday night that his government-run health care system would not be &#8220;run by the government,&#8221; and that it just gets &#8220;rid of the private insurance companies.&#8221;
Sanders, whose proposal would force all Americans off of their private insurance plans and onto a government-run system, made the contradictory remarks during an interview with Anderson Cooper on &#8220;60 Minutes.&#8221;
&#8220;Isn&#8217;t that a dangerous message for Democrats to say, &#8216;You know what? We&#8217;re gonna take away your private insurance. We&#8217;re gonna give you something better run by the government,'&#8221; Cooper said. &#8220;A lot of people don&#8217;t trust that.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s not run by the government,&#8221; Sanders falsely claimed. &#8220;Medicare allows you to go to any doctor you want for better or worse, this is not socialized medicine. This is keeping the same system intact, but getting rid of the private insurance companies, giving people another card, which allows them complete freedom.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Bernie on his government-run health care system: &quot;It&#39;s not run by the government. Medicare allows you to go to any doctor you want for better or worse, this is not socialized medicine. This is keeping the same system intact, but getting rid of the private insurance companies&#8230;&quot; <a href="https://t.co/bTkISJTASp">pic.twitter.com/bTkISJTASp</a>
&mdash; (((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) <a href="https://twitter.com/jasonrantz/status/1231766919042068480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Sanders is a longtime support of single-payer socialized medicine, and in many ways is the intellectual progenitor for the current Democratic Party candidate trend of favoring &#8216;Medicare for All,'&#8221; The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/where-does-bernie-sanders-stand-issues-heres-josh-hammer">reported</a> last year. &#8220;He has often been critical of Obamacare for not going far enough with respect to health care coverage for all uncovered Americans. Sanders has never indicated any willingness to structurally reform fiscally ruinous health care-related entitlement programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid.&#8221;
There is no denying that Sanders is lying with his false claim that his government-run health care system is not &#8220;run by the government&#8221; and that it is not &#8220;socialized medicine.&#8221;
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/23/health/private-health-insurance-medicare-for-all-bernie-sanders.html">reported</a> last March:
<blockquote>At the heart of the “Medicare for all” proposals championed by Senator Bernie Sanders and many Democrats is a revolutionary idea: Abolish private health insurance.
Proponents want to sweep away our complex, confusing, profit-driven mess of a health care system and start fresh with a single government-run insurer that would cover everyone.
But doing away with an entire industry would also be profoundly disruptive. The private health insurance business employs at least a half a million people, covers about 250 million Americans, and generates roughly a trillion dollars in revenues. Its companies’ stocks are a staple of the mutual funds that make up millions of Americans’ retirement savings.
Such a change would shake the entire health care system, which makes up a fifth of the United States economy, as hospitals, doctors, nursing homes and pharmaceutical companies would have to adapt to a new set of rules. Most Americans would have a new insurer — the federal government — and many would find the health insurance stocks in their retirement portfolios much less valuable.</blockquote>
While some view health care as a winning issue for Sanders, the opposite could very easily be true as the overwhelming majority like their private health insurance and are not willing to give up their private insurance.
The Hill <a href="https://thehill.com/hilltv/what-americas-thinking/428958-poll-voters-want-the-government-to-provide-healthcare-for">reported</a> last year, &#8220;A new poll finds that about only one in 10 registered voters want the equivalent of Medicare for all if it means abolishing private health insurance plans.&#8221;
The Washington Post reported last year, &#8220;You wouldn’t know it to read most of the news coverage, or to listen to politicians, but that is one of the more consistent results in health-care polling: Over and over again, roughly 7 out of every 10 Americans <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/245195/americans-rate-healthcare-quite-positively.aspx">report</a> that they’re fairly satisfied with the quality of their personal coverage.&#8221;
Gallup <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/245195/americans-rate-healthcare-quite-positively.aspx">reported</a> at the end of 2018, &#8220;As the incoming Congress prepares to debate further changes to the U.S. healthcare system, solid majorities of Americans rate the coverage (69%) and quality (80%) of the healthcare they personally receive as &#8216;excellent&#8217; or &#8216;good.'&#8221;

Menu