Bernie Blows Up Gray Lady Red-baiting

For a quick gulp of the wretchedness of the prestige press one must read Sydney Ember's "‘I Did My Best to Stop American Foreign Policy’: Bernie Sanders on the 1980s," a follow-up interview the reporter conducted with Bernie Sanders after her article with Alexander Burns, "Mayor and ‘Foreign Minister’: How Bernie Sanders Brought the Cold War to Burlington," was published on Friday. That article was a hit piece designed to discredit Sanders as a Commie-loving flake who as mayor  of Burlington sought to align his city with the Sandinistas in Nicaragua; in order to accomplish their objective, Ember and Burns cavalierly equate the Reagan administration's illegal dirty wars in Central America with the conduct of the Sandinista government under Daniel Ortega:

Mr. Reagan regarded Mr. Ortega as an intolerable threat — a Marxist revolutionary with ties to the Soviet Union and Cuba. Even as the Contras faced mounting allegations of brutal killings and other atrocities, Mr. Reagan backed the anti-Communist forces with a determination that ultimately plunged him into legal scandal after his administration defied congressional restrictions on funding them.

Contra atrocities appalled the American left, but Mr. Ortega’s forces were also implicated in grave human rights abuses, including the killing and forced relocation of civilians.

Mr. Ortega, who lost power in 1990 and returned to the presidency in 2007, has been accused in recent years of carrying out crimes against humanity.

This is how history is re-written, something to bear in mind as you read the following exchange between Sanders as Ember:

Q. In the top of our story, we talk about the rally you attended in Managua and a wire report at the time said that there were anti-American chants from the crowd.

The United States at that time — I don’t know how much you know about this — was actively supporting the Contras to overthrow the government. So that there’s anti-American sentiment? I remember that, I remember that event very clearly.

You do recall hearing those chants? I think the wire report has them saying, “Here, there, everywhere, the Yankee will die.”

They were fighting against American —— Huh huh —— yes, what is your point?

I wanted to ——

Are you shocked to learn that there was anti-American sentiment?

My point was I wanted to know if you had heard that.

I don’t remember, no. Of course there was anti-American sentiment there. This was a war being funded by the United States against the people of Nicaragua. People were being killed in that war.

Do you think if you had heard that directly, you would have stayed at the rally?

I think Sydney, with all due respect, you don’t understand a word that I’m saying.

Do you believe you had an accurate view of President Ortega at the time? I’m wondering if you’re ——

This was not about Ortega. Do you understand? I don’t know if you do or not. Do you know that the United States overthrew the government of Chile way back? Do you happen to know that? Do you? I’m asking you a simple question.

What point do you want to make? [Obviously she doesn't understand. Sanders is exposing her as a totally empty bot.]

My point is that fascism developed in Chile as a result of that. The United States overthrew the government of Guatemala, a democratically elected government, overthrew the government of Brazil. I strongly oppose U.S. policy, which overthrows governments, especially democratically elected governments, around the world. So this issue is not so much Nicaragua or the government of Nicaragua.

The issue was, should the United States continue a policy of overthrowing governments in Latin America and Central America? I believed then that it was wrong, and I believe today it is wrong. That’s why I do not believe the United States should overthrow the government of Venezuela.

The interview continues on from there with Ember trying to tie Sanders to Ortega and the Soviet Union.

What's perplexing is why The New York Times feels the need at this point -- 532 days before the presidential election -- to go all-in with red-baiting. Red-baiting is going to be the GOP's main line of attack if Sanders somehow performs a miracle, overcomes the DNC and survives the primary.

This red-baiting by The Times also comes on the heels of Ilhan Omar being feted by rank'n'file Democrats for taking on Elliott Abrams and his role in El Salvador’s El Mozote massacre.

The conclusion, I believe, one must draw from this is that the architects of mainstream consciousness will do everything in their power to either elect a Democrat warmonger neoliberal or reelect Trump. That's the only choice we will be allowed to make.

It's early yet. All hope is not lost. Biden's poll numbers -- his 20-point lead -- are soft. A lot is still in play.