And, yes:
A. It was a coup; Wikipedia calls it that, among others.
B. It was helped, contra Clintonistas, "independents," and anti-Sanders mouth-foamers (I've met all) by Obama and Clinton.
But, my wonderment was unfulfilled. Not even close to being fulfilled.
Reality? Per my Twitter feed:
#DemDebate @BernieSanders had at least 5 chances to mention #Honduras coup that Clinton helped start & passed every time. @VoteGreen2016— SocraticDiogenes (@SocraticGadfly) March 10, 2016
Again, since I was wondering, not hoping, this doesn't surprise me.
After passing on chances starting within the first half hour of the debate, CNN, near the end, played an old, mid-1980s video clip of Sanders praising both the Sandinistas and Fidel Castro. Hillary Clinton then jumped on him for praising leaders who "disappeared people," which led to this Tweet from me:
(Update, May 28: Per the Book of Proverbs, Clinton is now fleeing when nobody is pursuing, deleting Honduras references from her memoir. Per that Common Dreams link, it appears to be part of a larger whitewashing of her backing the rougher edges of neoliberalism and American imperialism throughout Latin America.)
After passing on chances starting within the first half hour of the debate, CNN, near the end, played an old, mid-1980s video clip of Sanders praising both the Sandinistas and Fidel Castro. Hillary Clinton then jumped on him for praising leaders who "disappeared people," which led to this Tweet from me:
Because, if not being disappeared, people in Honduras are outrightly being killed today.OK, #FailTheBern, you've got a #Honduras coup chance on a golden platter with the "disappearing people" ... and again @BernieSanders fails— SocraticDiogenes (@SocraticGadfly) March 10, 2016
(Update, May 28: Per the Book of Proverbs, Clinton is now fleeing when nobody is pursuing, deleting Honduras references from her memoir. Per that Common Dreams link, it appears to be part of a larger whitewashing of her backing the rougher edges of neoliberalism and American imperialism throughout Latin America.)
For you Sandernistas, this is why, even if Sanders can pull off the shock of shocks and get the Democratic nomination, I expect to vote Green for president again, as I have in every election this century.
If Sanders' critique of foreign policy adventurism can't extend into the current administration and, other than an oblique reference to the Bay of Pigs, generally only covers Republican misadventures of the past (don't forget JFK's overthrowing Diem in Vietnam and Trujillo in the Dominican Republic, which was also part of Latin America, last I checked), then his foreign policy stances remain problematic.
Did he support the coup himself? I doubt that, but why won't he speak out? Afraid of giving Republicans ammunition? Well, if that's the case, then he's not so revolutionary after all.
Surely, Sanders knows both about the Honduras coup, or even semi-coup, if he wants to tone it down a bit, as well as the 2014 semi-coup in Ukraine, or semi-demi coup, if he wants to soften that; I mentioned a month ago my lament that neither was being covered in the Democratic debates, multiple times. Israel/Palestine got nothing more than perfunctory coverage, and when it and related issues did, Bernie had bipartisan foreign policy establishment answers.
I'm going to have a more in-depth wrap later, but, this debate got to the heart of not just what I have said, but what others have, about Sanders' foreign policy stances, to the degree that people who don't know a lot of them have heard about them besides his no vote on the Iraq War.
(Update: Bernie also avoided Libya.)
Jeet Heer at The New Republic frames it similarly, and more broadly, noting that Sanders critiques Hillary Clinton as part of a system, not as Hillary Clinton, and in a way to stay inside the Democratic Party's coloring circles. It's all part of making nice and being a good Democrat, which, the nuttery of some Clintonistas aside, he really is and has been. Jeff St. Clair was saying the same nine months ago.
Also speaking of foreign policy #fails, Sanders has yet to repudiate the endorsement of Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, an arguably Islamophobic supporter of India's BJP, which is also enabling by silence the persecution of Christians in India.
==
But, Bernie's "too good a Dem" to raise this.
Or to sue Iowa Democrats over caucus issues.
It's also why he won't mention Clinton's emails. He's "too good a Dem."
Hey, Bernie ... voters in Democratic primaries have repeatedly said "trust" is a huge factor. This issue was handed to you on a plate, and it was NOT manufactured by Trey Gowdy.
This is also why Clintonistas and Democratic establishment hacks who claim he's "not a real Democrat"? Eff off.
(Update: Bernie also avoided Libya.)
Jeet Heer at The New Republic frames it similarly, and more broadly, noting that Sanders critiques Hillary Clinton as part of a system, not as Hillary Clinton, and in a way to stay inside the Democratic Party's coloring circles. It's all part of making nice and being a good Democrat, which, the nuttery of some Clintonistas aside, he really is and has been. Jeff St. Clair was saying the same nine months ago.
Also speaking of foreign policy #fails, Sanders has yet to repudiate the endorsement of Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, an arguably Islamophobic supporter of India's BJP, which is also enabling by silence the persecution of Christians in India.
Refusing to repudiate current coups is bad enough, as the lack of a foreign policy revolution; continuing to accept the endorsement of an Islamophobe is even worse..@BernieSanders: "@TulsiGabbard is a champion in making sure we don't get involved militarily where we don't need to be." #BernieSanders— UCF News (@UCFnews) March 10, 2016
==
But, Bernie's "too good a Dem" to raise this.
Or to sue Iowa Democrats over caucus issues.
It's also why he won't mention Clinton's emails. He's "too good a Dem."
Hey, Bernie ... voters in Democratic primaries have repeatedly said "trust" is a huge factor. This issue was handed to you on a plate, and it was NOT manufactured by Trey Gowdy.
This is also why Clintonistas and Democratic establishment hacks who claim he's "not a real Democrat"? Eff off.
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