Wednesday's debate moderators forced Bernie Sanders to address remarks he made more than 30 years ago praising Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, which Sanders said he made in the larger context of denouncing President Ronald Reagan's foreign policy of intervention.
“What that was about was saying that the United States was wrong to try to invade Cuba, that the United States was wrong trying to support people to overthrow the Nicaraguan government, that the United States was wrong trying to overthrow in 1954 the democratically elected government of Guatemala," Sanders said. There is video of him speaking highly of both Castro and Daniel Ortega's Sandinista movement in Nicaragua, where Sanders traveled in 1985.
BuzzFeed News posted the video, which originally aired on Channel 17/Town Meeting Television, in June 2015. Sanders remarked that people "forgot that [Castro] educated their kids, gave their kids healthcare, totally transformed the society.”
Hillary Clinton dismissed Sanders' explanation and noted that in an unaired portion of the same interview, Sanders remarked upon the "revolution of values" occurring in those countries.
"I think in that same interview he praised what he called the revolution of values in Cuba and talked about how people were working for the common good, not for themselves. I just couldn't disagree more," Clinton said. "You know, if the values are that you oppress people, you disappear people, imprison people or even kill people for expressing their opinions, for expressing freedom of speech, that is not the kind of revolution of values that I ever want to see anywhere."
Sanders acknowledged that Cuba is undemocratic and authoritarian and expressed hope that the country would change. But "it would be wrong not to state in Cuba they have made some good advances in health care," he said.
"They are sending doctors all over the world. They have made some progress in education. I think by restoring full diplomatic relations with Cuba, it will result in significant improvements to the lives of Cubans and it will help the United States," Sanders said.
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