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Equal time, let's laugh at the Democrats! - Printable Version

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Equal time, let's laugh at the Democrats! - Eric the Green - 12-31-2019

SNL Goes All Out for Democratic Debate With Larry David, Woody Harrelson, Maya Rudolph and More

https://www.thedailybeast.com/snl-goes-all-out-for-democratic-debate-with-larry-david-woody-harrelson-maya-rudolph-and-more?fbclid=IwAR2gZUAcUEZBIsfKFu2PKQYz2J1_qylcTUR-ziUgxAzeZnjX2nKUVW7wpks





Presidential candidates Andrew Yang (Bowen Yang), Pete Buttigieg (Colin Jost), Cory Booker (Chris Redd), Elizabeth Warren (Kate McKinnon), Amy Klobuchar (Rachel Dratch), Tom Steyer (Will Ferrell), Michael Bloomberg (Fred Armisen), Tulsi Gabbard (Cecily Strong) Bernie Sanders (Larry David), Joe Biden (Woody Harrelson) and Kamala Harris (Maya Rudolph) speak at MSNBC’s 2020 Democratic Debate.


Glen Cochrane
3 weeks ago
More people have seen this spoof of the debate than the actual debate.

Rchl Swtzr
3 weeks ago
This is only ever so slightly more absurd then real life.

FedralBI
1 week ago
Anyone else find Cecily Strong's Tulsi terrifyingly arousing.


RE: Equal time, let's laugh at the Democrats! - Ragnarök_62 - 12-31-2019

I'm laughing at everyone except Tulsi and Bernie after this, man.





Big Grin


RE: Equal time, let's laugh at the Democrats! - Eric the Green - 02-25-2020

Getting to know Bernie!





At the end he defines what "democratic socialism" means to him: economic rights are human rights. e.g. a right to health care, fair taxes, education, a decent job, affordable housing, and a clean habitable environment.


RE: Equal time, let's laugh at the Democrats! - David Horn - 02-25-2020

(02-25-2020, 01:20 AM)Eric the Green Wrote: Getting to know Bernie!





At the end he defines what "democratic socialism" means to him: economic rights are human rights. e.g. a right to health care, fair taxes, education, a decent job, affordable housing, and a clean habitable environment.

At the same time, he praised the early work of Fidel Castro (Florida now goes to Trump by default), and said a few pro-Soviet things as well -- things that have been in the public for years and are now just emerging from hiding.  Whether this has an impact or not, it's certainly dangerous to the entire Democratic Party and, more to the point, might create the collapse of the Progressive movement that's been decades being born.  He might stand for things, but are those things enough Americans can support to ignore the noise?


RE: Equal time, let's laugh at the Democrats! - Eric the Green - 02-25-2020

I dissent from the idea that Sanders has lost FL because he mentioned the obvious truth that everyone knows, just as Sanders said. Socialist and communist countries can improve the lot of some peoples' lives. I don't know why the focus by pundits on these comments when Sanders also explicitly rejected in them the authoritarian and brutal actions of these dictators. The only people in Florida who would object to a complete picture of Castro's regime are the anti-Castro Cuban exiles, fewer in number every year, who are Republicans anyway. They are even strongly opposed to ending the embargo, and Trump is doing their bidding. So we'll see how "damaging" it is. Sanders is good at explaining himself and at debating. Tonight will be a good test.

Date: Tuesday, February 25
Time: 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET.
Watch on TV: The debate will air on CBS stations.
Live stream online: Stream on CBSN via the video player in this article or across a number of devices, including Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV. You can also watch live on CBS All Access with a free trial. The debate will be live-streamed on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/democratic-debate-south-carolina-tonight-time-channel-stream-online-cbsn/


RE: Equal time, let's laugh at the Democrats! - David Horn - 02-25-2020

(02-25-2020, 05:10 PM)Eric the Green Wrote: I dissent from the idea that Sanders has lost FL because he mentioned the obvious truth that everyone knows, just as Sanders said. Socialist and communist countries can improve the lot of some peoples' lives. I don't know why the focus by pundits on these comments when Sanders also explicitly rejected in them the authoritarian and brutal actions of these dictators. The only people in Florida who would object to a complete picture of Castro's regime are the anti-Castro Cuban exiles, fewer in number every year, who are Republicans anyway. They are even strongly opposed to ending the embargo, and Trump is doing their bidding. So we'll see how "damaging" it is. Sanders is good at explaining himself and at debating. Tonight will be a good test.

Date: Tuesday, February 25
Time: 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET.
Watch on TV: The debate will air on CBS stations.
Live stream online: Stream on CBSN via the video player in this article or across a number of devices, including Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV. You can also watch live on CBS All Access with a free trial. The debate will be live-streamed on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/democratic-debate-south-carolina-tonight-time-channel-stream-online-cbsn/

Believe me, South Floridians know this cold.  Too many came from Cuba or Nicaragua or Venezuela, or their parents or grandparents did.  Hating Castro, and the other Communists from that era, is prevalent everywhere -- in all generations.  Add in the retirees, who love Trump anyway, and it's a done deal.

It was a stupid move.  Worse, there are hundreds of hours of public-access video from Vermont, where Bernie waxes on about the Sandinistas, Che Guevara, and a whole host of other Communist nations and leaders.  It's old, but there he is on tape.  The young may not care, but the older voters (starting probably in their late 40s) aren't gong to like it. If he brushes it off and manages to win it all, then that era is dead.  If!


RE: Equal time, let's laugh at the Democrats! - Eric the Green - 02-25-2020

(02-25-2020, 06:12 PM)David Horn Wrote:
(02-25-2020, 05:10 PM)Eric the Green Wrote: I dissent from the idea that Sanders has lost FL because he mentioned the obvious truth that everyone knows, just as Sanders said. Socialist and communist countries can improve the lot of some peoples' lives. I don't know why the focus by pundits on these comments when Sanders also explicitly rejected in them the authoritarian and brutal actions of these dictators. The only people in Florida who would object to a complete picture of Castro's regime are the anti-Castro Cuban exiles, fewer in number every year, who are Republicans anyway. They are even strongly opposed to ending the embargo, and Trump is doing their bidding. So we'll see how "damaging" it is. Sanders is good at explaining himself and at debating. Tonight will be a good test.

Date: Tuesday, February 25
Time: 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET.
Watch on TV: The debate will air on CBS stations.
Live stream online: Stream on CBSN via the video player in this article or across a number of devices, including Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV. You can also watch live on CBS All Access with a free trial. The debate will be live-streamed on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/democratic-debate-south-carolina-tonight-time-channel-stream-online-cbsn/

Believe me, South Floridians know this cold.  Too many came from Cuba or Nicaragua or Venezuela, or their parents or grandparents did.  Hating Castro, and the other Communists from that era, is prevalent everywhere -- in all generations.  Add in the retirees, who love Trump anyway, and it's a done deal.

It was a stupid move.  Worse, there are hundreds of hours of public-access video from Vermont, where Bernie waxes on about the Sandinistas, Che Guevara, and a whole host of other Communist nations and leaders.  It's old, but there he is on tape.  The young may not care, but the older voters (starting probably in their late 40s) aren't gong to like it.If he brushes it off and manages to win it all, then that era is dead.  If!

I don't see how that's possible, when most Castro haters are old and Republican? The younger ones and the non-Cubans there don't care so much, any more than other Americans. Florida is a very diverse state; Cubans are a small part of it. Most educated people know that socialism vs. capitalism is not a black and white issue. I don't see why common sense won't prevail here. And the retirees like social security too. Florida has been a razor's edge state and it will be again.

The Sandanista leader Ortega turned out to be rather conservative, and he still runs the country. What was wrong was Reagan's support of the contras, who were terrorists who we supported to crush a native revolution of people seeking a better life. Sanders was completely right on that one. 

What he said in the past is not as relevant as his clear denunciation of dictators, including socialist and communist ones. Why isn't that being played up?

A dumb move, maybe. But I don't think it was a move. Bernie just tells the truth; that's his style, and people like it. If people would rather have a perpetual liar instead of a truth teller, then that tells us our nation is doomed. It may be, but that's where we're at.


RE: Equal time, let's laugh at the Democrats! - David Horn - 02-26-2020

(02-25-2020, 07:15 PM)Eric the Green Wrote:
(02-25-2020, 06:12 PM)David Horn Wrote:
(02-25-2020, 05:10 PM)Eric the Green Wrote: I dissent from the idea that Sanders has lost FL because he mentioned the obvious truth that everyone knows, just as Sanders said. Socialist and communist countries can improve the lot of some peoples' lives. I don't know why the focus by pundits on these comments when Sanders also explicitly rejected in them the authoritarian and brutal actions of these dictators. The only people in Florida who would object to a complete picture of Castro's regime are the anti-Castro Cuban exiles, fewer in number every year, who are Republicans anyway. They are even strongly opposed to ending the embargo, and Trump is doing their bidding. So we'll see how "damaging" it is. Sanders is good at explaining himself and at debating. Tonight will be a good test.

Date: Tuesday, February 25
Time: 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET.
Watch on TV: The debate will air on CBS stations.
Live stream online: Stream on CBSN via the video player in this article or across a number of devices, including Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV. You can also watch live on CBS All Access with a free trial. The debate will be live-streamed on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/democratic-debate-south-carolina-tonight-time-channel-stream-online-cbsn/

Believe me, South Floridians know this cold.  Too many came from Cuba or Nicaragua or Venezuela, or their parents or grandparents did.  Hating Castro, and the other Communists from that era, is prevalent everywhere -- in all generations.  Add in the retirees, who love Trump anyway, and it's a done deal.

It was a stupid move.  Worse, there are hundreds of hours of public-access video from Vermont, where Bernie waxes on about the Sandinistas, Che Guevara, and a whole host of other Communist nations and leaders.  It's old, but there he is on tape.  The young may not care, but the older voters (starting probably in their late 40s) aren't gong to like it.If he brushes it off and manages to win it all, then that era is dead.  If!

I don't see how that's possible, when most Castro haters are old and Republican? The younger ones and the non-Cubans there don't care so much, any more than other Americans. Florida is a very diverse state; Cubans are a small part of it. Most educated people know that socialism vs. capitalism is not a black and white issue. I don't see why common sense won't prevail here. And the retirees like social security too. Florida has been a razor's edge state and it will be again.

The Sandinista leader Ortega turned out to be rather conservative, and he still runs the country. What was wrong was Reagan's support of the contras, who were terrorists who we supported to crush a native revolution of people seeking a better life. Sanders was completely right on that one. 

What he said in the past is not as relevant as his clear denunciation of dictators, including socialist and communist ones. Why isn't that being played up?

A dumb move, maybe. But I don't think it was a move. Bernie just tells the truth; that's his style, and people like it. If people would rather have a perpetual liar instead of a truth teller, then that tells us our nation is doomed. It may be, but that's where we're at.

Eric, I've spent a lot of time working in Florida, and I know these folks pretty well.  There are a lot of Catholics (some lapsed, but still bound on a cultural level). The young ones grew up hearing the stories.  After all, refugees, like those in the Mariel boatlift, may have included parents and grandparents … or fiends of their parents or grandparents.  I'm sure there's a lower cutoff age where that's less problematic, but remember: both Trump and Rubio won in 2016, and both DeSantis and Scott won in 2018, when the Dems were on a roll.

With Bernie, Florida goes Red for a few cycles .. until the Silents and older Boomers are gone.


RE: Equal time, let's laugh at the Democrats! - Eric the Green - 02-26-2020

(02-26-2020, 10:31 AM)David Horn Wrote:
(02-25-2020, 07:15 PM)Eric the Green Wrote:
(02-25-2020, 06:12 PM)David Horn Wrote:
(02-25-2020, 05:10 PM)Eric the Green Wrote: I dissent from the idea that Sanders has lost FL because he mentioned the obvious truth that everyone knows, just as Sanders said. Socialist and communist countries can improve the lot of some peoples' lives. I don't know why the focus by pundits on these comments when Sanders also explicitly rejected in them the authoritarian and brutal actions of these dictators. The only people in Florida who would object to a complete picture of Castro's regime are the anti-Castro Cuban exiles, fewer in number every year, who are Republicans anyway. They are even strongly opposed to ending the embargo, and Trump is doing their bidding. So we'll see how "damaging" it is. Sanders is good at explaining himself and at debating. Tonight will be a good test.

Date: Tuesday, February 25
Time: 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET.
Watch on TV: The debate will air on CBS stations.
Live stream online: Stream on CBSN via the video player in this article or across a number of devices, including Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV. You can also watch live on CBS All Access with a free trial. The debate will be live-streamed on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/democratic-debate-south-carolina-tonight-time-channel-stream-online-cbsn/

Believe me, South Floridians know this cold.  Too many came from Cuba or Nicaragua or Venezuela, or their parents or grandparents did.  Hating Castro, and the other Communists from that era, is prevalent everywhere -- in all generations.  Add in the retirees, who love Trump anyway, and it's a done deal.

It was a stupid move.  Worse, there are hundreds of hours of public-access video from Vermont, where Bernie waxes on about the Sandinistas, Che Guevara, and a whole host of other Communist nations and leaders.  It's old, but there he is on tape.  The young may not care, but the older voters (starting probably in their late 40s) aren't gong to like it.If he brushes it off and manages to win it all, then that era is dead.  If!

I don't see how that's possible, when most Castro haters are old and Republican? The younger ones and the non-Cubans there don't care so much, any more than other Americans. Florida is a very diverse state; Cubans are a small part of it. Most educated people know that socialism vs. capitalism is not a black and white issue. I don't see why common sense won't prevail here. And the retirees like social security too. Florida has been a razor's edge state and it will be again.

The Sandinista leader Ortega turned out to be rather conservative, and he still runs the country. What was wrong was Reagan's support of the contras, who were terrorists who we supported to crush a native revolution of people seeking a better life. Sanders was completely right on that one. 

What he said in the past is not as relevant as his clear denunciation of dictators, including socialist and communist ones. Why isn't that being played up?

A dumb move, maybe. But I don't think it was a move. Bernie just tells the truth; that's his style, and people like it. If people would rather have a perpetual liar instead of a truth teller, then that tells us our nation is doomed. It may be, but that's where we're at.

Eric, I've spent a lot of time working in Florida, and I know these folks pretty well.  There are a lot of Catholics (some lapsed, but still bound on a cultural level). The young ones grew up hearing the stories.  After all, refugees, like those in the Mariel boatlift, may have included parents and grandparents … or fiends of their parents or grandparents.  I'm sure there's a lower cutoff age where that's less problematic, but remember: both Trump and Rubio won in 2016, and both DeSantis and Scott won in 2018, when the Dems were on a roll.

With Bernie, Florida goes Red for a few cycles .. until the Silents and older Boomers are gone.

I won't believe it until I see some polls. I see no reason why Floridians, other than a few Republican fanatics who support the embargo, would pounce on a few of Bernie's remarks instead of hearing everything he said and knowing that is was all obviously the truth. But you may be right; we'll see.

But Bernie is obviously not a panderer. He says what he thinks and means what he says, tells the truth, and talks the same way to everybody, even to children (see the Trevor Noah piece above). That may get him into trouble at times, but it is his most appealing trait.


RE: Equal time, let's laugh at the Democrats! - Marypoza - 02-27-2020

(02-26-2020, 04:43 PM)Eric the Green Wrote:
(02-26-2020, 10:31 AM)David Horn Wrote:
(02-25-2020, 07:15 PM)Eric the Green Wrote:
(02-25-2020, 06:12 PM)David Horn Wrote:
(02-25-2020, 05:10 PM)Eric the Green Wrote: I dissent from the idea that Sanders has lost FL because he mentioned the obvious truth that everyone knows, just as Sanders said. Socialist and communist countries can improve the lot of some peoples' lives. I don't know why the focus by pundits on these comments when Sanders also explicitly rejected in them the authoritarian and brutal actions of these dictators. The only people in Florida who would object to a complete picture of Castro's regime are the anti-Castro Cuban exiles, fewer in number every year, who are Republicans anyway. They are even strongly opposed to ending the embargo, and Trump is doing their bidding. So we'll see how "damaging" it is. Sanders is good at explaining himself and at debating. Tonight will be a good test.

Date: Tuesday, February 25
Time: 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET.
Watch on TV: The debate will air on CBS stations.
Live stream online: Stream on CBSN via the video player in this article or across a number of devices, including Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV. You can also watch live on CBS All Access with a free trial. The debate will be live-streamed on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/democratic-debate-south-carolina-tonight-time-channel-stream-online-cbsn/

Believe me, South Floridians know this cold.  Too many came from Cuba or Nicaragua or Venezuela, or their parents or grandparents did.  Hating Castro, and the other Communists from that era, is prevalent everywhere -- in all generations.  Add in the retirees, who love Trump anyway, and it's a done deal.

It was a stupid move.  Worse, there are hundreds of hours of public-access video from Vermont, where Bernie waxes on about the Sandinistas, Che Guevara, and a whole host of other Communist nations and leaders.  It's old, but there he is on tape.  The young may not care, but the older voters (starting probably in their late 40s) aren't gong to like it.If he brushes it off and manages to win it all, then that era is dead.  If!

I don't see how that's possible, when most Castro haters are old and Republican? The younger ones and the non-Cubans there don't care so much, any more than other Americans. Florida is a very diverse state; Cubans are a small part of it. Most educated people know that socialism vs. capitalism is not a black and white issue. I don't see why common sense won't prevail here. And the retirees like social security too. Florida has been a razor's edge state and it will be again.

The Sandinista leader Ortega turned out to be rather conservative, and he still runs the country. What was wrong was Reagan's support of the contras, who were terrorists who we supported to crush a native revolution of people seeking a better life. Sanders was completely right on that one. 

What he said in the past is not as relevant as his clear denunciation of dictators, including socialist and communist ones. Why isn't that being played up?

A dumb move, maybe. But I don't think it was a move. Bernie just tells the truth; that's his style, and people like it. If people would rather have a perpetual liar instead of a truth teller, then that tells us our nation is doomed. It may be, but that's where we're at.

Eric, I've spent a lot of time working in Florida, and I know these folks pretty well.  There are a lot of Catholics (some lapsed, but still bound on a cultural level). The young ones grew up hearing the stories.  After all, refugees, like those in the Mariel boatlift, may have included parents and grandparents … or fiends of their parents or grandparents.  I'm sure there's a lower cutoff age where that's less problematic, but remember: both Trump and Rubio won in 2016, and both DeSantis and Scott won in 2018, when the Dems were on a roll.

With Bernie, Florida goes Red for a few cycles .. until the Silents and older Boomers are gone.

I won't believe it until I see some polls. I see no reason why Floridians, other than a few Republican fanatics who support the embargo, would pounce on a few of Bernie's remarks instead of hearing everything he said and knowing that is was all obviously the truth. But you may be right; we'll see.

But Bernie is obviously not a panderer. He says what he thinks and means what he says, tells the truth, and talks the same way to everybody, even to children (see the Trevor Noah piece above). That may get him into trouble at times, but it is his most appealing trait.

 -- l agree. The reason Bernie's campaign is so successful is bcuz he tells the truth. Making an observation about how Cuba's literacy rate improved under Castro is not an endorsement of Castro. His predecessor Batista was a monster, which is y there was a Cuban Revolution in The 1st place


RE: Equal time, let's laugh at the Democrats! - pbrower2a - 02-27-2020

If we get a market crash, then the most radical solutions will be the only ones that work. The most radical idea now is that workers be paid a fair wage -- enough to allow them to not work to exhaustion -- but especially to have savings that can underpin the lending to wise investors.


RE: Equal time, let's laugh at the Democrats! - Eric the Green - 02-27-2020

(02-27-2020, 02:13 PM)Marypoza Wrote:
(02-26-2020, 04:43 PM)Eric the Green Wrote:
(02-26-2020, 10:31 AM)David Horn Wrote:
(02-25-2020, 07:15 PM)Eric the Green Wrote:
(02-25-2020, 06:12 PM)David Horn Wrote: Believe me, South Floridians know this cold.  Too many came from Cuba or Nicaragua or Venezuela, or their parents or grandparents did.  Hating Castro, and the other Communists from that era, is prevalent everywhere -- in all generations.  Add in the retirees, who love Trump anyway, and it's a done deal.

It was a stupid move.  Worse, there are hundreds of hours of public-access video from Vermont, where Bernie waxes on about the Sandinistas, Che Guevara, and a whole host of other Communist nations and leaders.  It's old, but there he is on tape.  The young may not care, but the older voters (starting probably in their late 40s) aren't gong to like it.If he brushes it off and manages to win it all, then that era is dead.  If!

I don't see how that's possible, when most Castro haters are old and Republican? The younger ones and the non-Cubans there don't care so much, any more than other Americans. Florida is a very diverse state; Cubans are a small part of it. Most educated people know that socialism vs. capitalism is not a black and white issue. I don't see why common sense won't prevail here. And the retirees like social security too. Florida has been a razor's edge state and it will be again.

The Sandinista leader Ortega turned out to be rather conservative, and he still runs the country. What was wrong was Reagan's support of the contras, who were terrorists who we supported to crush a native revolution of people seeking a better life. Sanders was completely right on that one. 

What he said in the past is not as relevant as his clear denunciation of dictators, including socialist and communist ones. Why isn't that being played up?

A dumb move, maybe. But I don't think it was a move. Bernie just tells the truth; that's his style, and people like it. If people would rather have a perpetual liar instead of a truth teller, then that tells us our nation is doomed. It may be, but that's where we're at.

Eric, I've spent a lot of time working in Florida, and I know these folks pretty well.  There are a lot of Catholics (some lapsed, but still bound on a cultural level). The young ones grew up hearing the stories.  After all, refugees, like those in the Mariel boatlift, may have included parents and grandparents … or fiends of their parents or grandparents.  I'm sure there's a lower cutoff age where that's less problematic, but remember: both Trump and Rubio won in 2016, and both DeSantis and Scott won in 2018, when the Dems were on a roll.

With Bernie, Florida goes Red for a few cycles .. until the Silents and older Boomers are gone.

I won't believe it until I see some polls. I see no reason why Floridians, other than a few Republican fanatics who support the embargo, would pounce on a few of Bernie's remarks instead of hearing everything he said and knowing that is was all obviously the truth. But you may be right; we'll see.

But Bernie is obviously not a panderer. He says what he thinks and means what he says, tells the truth, and talks the same way to everybody, even to children (see the Trevor Noah piece above). That may get him into trouble at times, but it is his most appealing trait.

 -- l agree. The reason Bernie's campaign is so successful is bcuz he tells the truth. Making an observation about how Cuba's literacy rate improved under Castro is not an endorsement of Castro. His predecessor Batista was a monster, which is y there was a Cuban Revolution I. The 1st place

Right, and he said nothing different from what Obama said. The point is we don't want to demonize Cuba now. We established diplomatic relations and need to lift the embargo. Cuba now is not as bad as it once was, and seeing some positive traits in its government is useful now when we are engaging with them (or were until Trump disrupted things as usual). Even though his remarks may (or may not) have been the wrong thing to say in the campaign, it is the right approach for our president to take.

Of course, Obama did not make his move on Cuba until after he was safely re-elected. He won Florida twice, but Trump won it in 2016; maintaining its position as a swing state.


RE: Equal time, let's laugh at the Democrats! - Eric the Green - 02-06-2021

Bernie leads the budget committee: button up, folks!
https://youtu.be/DcbafWJt53U?t=159






RE: Equal time, let's laugh at the Democrats! - pbrower2a - 02-07-2021

(02-27-2020, 10:53 PM)Eric the Green Wrote:
(02-27-2020, 02:13 PM)Marypoza Wrote:
(02-26-2020, 04:43 PM)Eric the Green Wrote:
(02-26-2020, 10:31 AM)David Horn Wrote:
(02-25-2020, 07:15 PM)Eric the Green Wrote: I don't see how that's possible, when most Castro haters are old and Republican? The younger ones and the non-Cubans there don't care so much, any more than other Americans. Florida is a very diverse state; Cubans are a small part of it. Most educated people know that socialism vs. capitalism is not a black and white issue. I don't see why common sense won't prevail here. And the retirees like social security too. Florida has been a razor's edge state and it will be again.

The Sandinista leader Ortega turned out to be rather conservative, and he still runs the country. What was wrong was Reagan's support of the contras, who were terrorists who we supported to crush a native revolution of people seeking a better life. Sanders was completely right on that one. 

What he said in the past is not as relevant as his clear denunciation of dictators, including socialist and communist ones. Why isn't that being played up?

A dumb move, maybe. But I don't think it was a move. Bernie just tells the truth; that's his style, and people like it. If people would rather have a perpetual liar instead of a truth teller, then that tells us our nation is doomed. It may be, but that's where we're at.

Eric, I've spent a lot of time working in Florida, and I know these folks pretty well.  There are a lot of Catholics (some lapsed, but still bound on a cultural level). The young ones grew up hearing the stories.  After all, refugees, like those in the Mariel boatlift, may have included parents and grandparents … or fiends of their parents or grandparents.  I'm sure there's a lower cutoff age where that's less problematic, but remember: both Trump and Rubio won in 2016, and both DeSantis and Scott won in 2018, when the Dems were on a roll.

With Bernie, Florida goes Red for a few cycles .. until the Silents and older Boomers are gone.

I won't believe it until I see some polls. I see no reason why Floridians, other than a few Republican fanatics who support the embargo, would pounce on a few of Bernie's remarks instead of hearing everything he said and knowing that is was all obviously the truth. But you may be right; we'll see.

But Bernie is obviously not a panderer. He says what he thinks and means what he says, tells the truth, and talks the same way to everybody, even to children (see the Trevor Noah piece above). That may get him into trouble at times, but it is his most appealing trait.

 -- l agree. The reason Bernie's campaign is so successful is bcuz he tells the truth. Making an observation about how Cuba's literacy rate improved under Castro is not an endorsement of Castro. His predecessor Batista was a monster, which is y there was a Cuban Revolution I. The 1st place

Right, and he said nothing different from what Obama said. The point is we don't want to demonize Cuba now. We established diplomatic relations and need to lift the embargo. Cuba now is not as bad as it once was, and seeing some positive traits in its government is useful now when we are engaging with them (or were until Trump disrupted things as usual). Even though his remarks may (or may not) have been the wrong thing to say in the campaign, it is the right approach for our president to take.

Of course, Obama did not make his move on Cuba until after he was safely re-elected. He won Florida twice, but Trump won it in 2016; maintaining its position as a swing state.

Trade deals make demonization pointless for partisan politics. China gets away with much now because of American investments in China. The investments seem not to be where the Uighurs are. 

Is it clear that Cuba will remain Marxist-Leninist? Even if it did ditch M-L such would not satisfy those Cuban-Americans (probably their grandchildren) who believe that they could 'return' to Cuba and lord it over the common people of Cuba as they once did. If it were to do what Czechoslovakia did it would sell off state-owned productive enterprises to establish a social-market system.

Say what you want, but Cuba has missed out on the neoliberal fad.