Article: Defending Reason, Logic, and Tempered Judgement: Reply to Bernie Sanders Critics Tearing up His Venezuela Position

He is not going to be the nominee': Dems slam Sanders over Maduro stance
The just-announced 2020 contender declines to say whether the socialist Venezuelan dictator should go.

By MARC CAPUTO 02/21/2019 POLITICO

Florida Democrats are denouncing Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders for refusing to call Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro a dictator - a politically explosive issue in the nation's biggest swing state. Sanders would not say whether he considered Venezuela's assembly leader, Juan GuaidÃ �, as the nation's interim president, which is the position of the United States and a majority of Latin American countries European countries.

Both of Sanders' positions play into the hands of President Trump and the GOP, say Democrats. The president just held a rally in Miami on Monday to denounce Maduro and socialism, an appeal to the state's growing block of Venezuelan-American voters. Many Venezuelans have flocked to the state as the country's economy crashed and repression increased.

Democrats, already alarmed that Trump's inroads with Venezuelans could help him peel off an otherwise-reliable Democratic voting bloc in a toss-up state, were quick to denounce Sanders' comments.

"He is not going to be the nominee of the Democratic Party. He has demonstrated again that he does not understand this situation," Rep. Donna Shalala, a Miami Democrat who represents Venezuelan exiles and, told POLITICO: "I absolutely disagree with his imprecision in not saying Maduro must go." Shalala has filed legislation aimed at helping Venezuelan immigrants.

The emerging issue hasn't yet spilled into the broader Democratic primary for president. Most candidates haven't weighed in, some by choice. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and former Vice President Joe Biden, however, have clearly stated they consider Maduro a dictator and GuaidÃ � the legitimate leader of Venezuela. Sen. Elizabeth Warren told Pod Save America that she believed Maduro was a dictator and suggested she supported the "diplomatic part" of Trump's backing of GuaidÃ �, though she faulted him for too much "saber rattling."

Sanders did not embrace Maduro in his Tuesday interview with Univision's Jorge Ramos, who quickly touched on GuaidÃ � being declared the interim president of Venezuela by the nation's National Assembly following Maduro's questionable election. But when he was asked whether he recognized GuaidÃ � as the legitimate leader of the country, Sanders answered, "No. There are serious questions about the recent election. There are many people who feel it was a fraudulent election," Sanders added.

In a follow-up question, Ramos asked Sanders if he thought Maduro is a dictator who should step down. Sanders refused to say yes or no.

"I think clearly he has been very, very abusive," Sanders replied. "That is a decision of the Venezuelan people, so I think, Jorge, there's got to be a free and fair election. But what must not happen is that the United States must not use military force and intervene again as it has done in the past in Latin America, as you recall, whether it was Chile or Brazil or the Dominican Republic or Guatemala." Sanders also said that he believes "the United States has got to work with the international community to make sure that there is a free and fair election in Venezuela."

That comment puzzled Shalala. "I do agree the international community needs to come together and the U.S. needs to work with the international community, but that's been happening."

After Shalala posted her disagreement with Sanders on Twitter, the Vermont senator's deputy chief of staff, Ari Rabin-Havt, replied to her that "this view represents the long and horrific history of American politicians imposing their will on the people of Latin America. Bernie stands with the Venezuelan people to demand free and fair elections and for self-determination for all people around the world."