MSNBC anchor Chris Matthews on Friday night after the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates debated in Manchester, NH attacked Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) for identifying as a socialist.
While praising Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Matthews said, “She had the guts to talk about the issue of this campaign, socialism. Some people like it. Those of us like me who grew up in the Cold War and saw some aspects of it after visiting places like Vietnam, Cuba, being there, I’ve seen what socialism is. I don’t like it. It’s not only not free. It doesn’t freaking work.”
He added, “I think the Democratic Party has to figure out its ideology. In Britain, we had a Liberal Party, and they were overtaken by the Socialist Party, and they became the main challenger to the Tories. Churchill went back to the Tories. And a lot of us know that history. A lot of us will be sorting things out if the Democratic Party runs a Socialist candidate. The Democratic Party’s been the left of the Republican Party on the issue of mixed capitalism. They push Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, enormously popular programs. ACA, Obamacare has also, I wished they will follow through with it and make the work. I think most Americans would be happy to have a public option and have Medicare followed through with.”
He continued, “I have my own views of the word socialist, and I’ll be glad to share them with you in private. They go back to the early 1950s. I have an attitude about them. I remember the Cold War. I have an attitude towards Castro. I believe if Castro and the Reds had won the Cold War, there would have been executions in Central Park. And I would have been one of the ones executed, and certain other people would be there cheering. So, I have a problem with people for the other side. I don’t know what Bernie means by socialism. One week it’s Denmark. We’re going to be like Denmark. I’m like that’s harmless, a capitalist program with a lot of good social programs.”
He concluded, “That’s a great question, what did you think of Castro? We all thought he was great at first. I was cheering like mad for him when he first came in, and then he became a Communist and started shooting every one of his enemies.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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