Michael Brooks, host of the The Michael Brooks Show, a left-leaning political commentary show, said Tuesday on Hill.TV’s “Rising” that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is walking a “fine line” by praising aspects of Fidel Castro’s communist regime.
In a CNN town hall Monday, Sanders, the frontrunner in the presidential campaign, doubled down on his praise for Castro’s literacy program under his communist government. The comments immediately sparked backlash from the Democratic establishment and members of Congress who represent South Florida’s large Cuban-American population.
“It’s a really fine line he’s walking,” Brooks said, describing how Sanders seeks to balance appealing to his base on the left while courting Democratic voters closer to the center.
Brooks pointed out that Sanders praised a particular achievement by the socialist regime.
“Let’s be real, the U.S. waged economic warfare on (Cuba), and of course, the Castro and Cuban government have achieved extraordinary things, that’s an objective fact,” Brooks said. “I think what Bernie is doing is smart in trying to pivot to a broader conversation about authoritarianism at large. We can condemn particular policies and suppression wherever they may occur.”
He went on to critique former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a multibillionaire with close business interests in China who has criticized Sanders for his comments on Cuba.
“Mike Bloomberg’s relationship with China should concern anybody as any type of deep embedded business relationship should across the board,” Brooks said.
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