Live
Audio Only
It seems United States Republicans are still hung up on the Cold War era as they use misinformed propaganda tactics to attack presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist.
The National Republican Congressional Committee released a fundraising note aimed at Sanders featuring a large hammer and sickle image on the page, with the pitch urging Republicans to “take a stand against socialism” by donating.
Newsletter
also lol @ this contribution page. good luck @nrcc getting people to donate with a hammer and sickle. pic.twitter.com/nzbGapGM2S
— Michael ⭐️ Whitney (@michaelwhitney)
January 31, 201
“It’s a real possibility that the Democrats may actually nominate a socialist,” the fundraising letter said. “Self-proclaimed socialist Bernie Sanders is catching fire in the Democrat primary. He’s smashing online fundraising records and has even reported over two million online donations.”
It continued: “We have to stop this! Pitch in today to keep America free from socialism.”
OPINION: Bernie Sanders in Iowa, and Beyond
While Sanders is a left leaning politician, who is far more left than other Democratic politicians in the U.S., he is not a communist or even a true socialist by any measure, including his own. Sanders has never claimed he was a communist and has made it clear that he would not try to bring a socialist system to the U.S..
Well, Republicans have clearly missed the memo. The hammer and sickle is a Communist symbol that was conceived during the Russian Revolution.
It is by no stretch of the imagination a symbol for democratic socialism, a political and economic system associated with Scandinavian countries in Europe like Sweden or Norway, which also happen to be major U.S. allies.
OPINION: Why Are Liberals Bashing Sanders in Favor of Clinton?
But the Republicans have been using these lines of comparison of the Soviet era to district from Sanders and his political and economic agenda, which is the main driver behind his campaign's success.
During last week’s Republican presidential debate, Sen. Marco Rubio received a big applause by targeting Sanders’ democratic-socialist identification.
“Bernie Sanders is a socialist. I think Bernie Sanders is a good candidate for president — of Sweden,” Rubio said. “We don’t want to be Sweden, we want to be the United States of America.”
RELATED: Sanders Calls for 'Political Revolution' in Last Iowa Town Hall
Even Democratic frontrunner seemed to use the ad in order to make a point that Sanders was dangerous for the Democratic party because of how Republicans would capitalize on misinformed voters.
But Sanders and his team have repeatedly rejected concerns about his identification, arguing that his message is in line with a commitment of presidents including Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Lyndon Baines Johnson to expand social programs for the least fortunate.
WATCH: Days of Revolt - The Death of Electoral Politics
