Did Sanders Actually Defend Castro's Rule Of Cuba?

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is facing backlash over an interview he gave for “60 Minutes” in which he talked Cuba and the country under the late Fidel Castro.

Host Anderson Cooper questioned Sanders' remarks in the 1980s that there was not a popular uprising against Castro’s government thanks to quality health care and education.

Sanders responded by explaining that while he’s opposed to the Cuban government’s authoritarianism, “it’s unfair to simply say everything is bad. You know, when Fidel Castro came into office, you know what he did? He had a massive literacy program. Is that a bad thing? Even though Fidel Castro did it?”

Continuing, Sanders said that “unlike Donald Trump, let’s be clear, you want to – I do not think [North Korean leader] Kim Jong Un is a good friend. I don’t trade love letters with a murdering dictator. [Russian leader] Vladimir Putin, not a great friend of mine.”

Cuba has one of the highest literacy rates in the world; it also boasts one of the best health care systems, usually measured through infant mortality rate. Controversial though the Cuban government was and remains, Sanders’ remarks were clearly intended to point out these undeniable facts rather than praise Castro.

Despite this, Sanders has faced sharp criticism from both sides of the aisle since the interview aired Sunday night.

Rep. Donna Shalala, D-Fla., tweeted her disappointment about Sanders deciding “to sing the praises of a murderous tyrant like Fidel Castro.”

A rebuke also came from Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, D-Fla, on Twitter, where she called Sanders’ remarks “absolutely unacceptable.”

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., was also swift to condemn Sanders’ comments, tweeting that Cubans “didn’t overthrow Castro … because his opponents were jailed, murdered or exiled.”

As Sanders’ campaign for the Democratic nomination continues to surge forward, his opponents – including President Donald Trump and moderate Democrats – have been making more effort to link Sanders to socialism. No doubt the remarks from his recent interview will provide fuel to these attacks.