ABC and NBC’s morning shows Thursday completely ignored Bernie Sanders being confronted about his radical viewpoints during Wednesday night’s Democratic Debate hosted by Univision. In 1985, he praised Cuba’s communist regime and justified those remarks during the debate. Only CBS This Morning played the clip with Sanders’ response and this mild criticism ("A view many Cuban exiles here don't share.”) However, only CNN actually invited a member of the media who was an open critic of Fidel Castro, to hit Sanders hard on his extreme politics.
Miami radio host and journalist Ninoska Perez Castellon was invited to comment on Sander’s explanation on CNN Newsroom Thursday morning. Host Carol Costello began by playing the 1985 clip back to back with Sanders’ debate response.
In the 1985 clip, Sanders can be heard saying:
You may recall way back in, what was it, 1961 they invaded Cuba. Everyone was totally convinced that Castro was the worst guy in the world. All the Cuban people were going to rise up in rebellion against Fidel Castro. They’ve forgotten that he educated the kids, gave them health care, totally transformed the society.
During the debate Sanders justified his response saying:
What that was about was saying that the United States was wrong to try to invade Cuba.It would be wrong not to state that in Cuba they have made some good advances in health care. They are sending doctors all over the world. They have made some progress in education.
Host Carol Costello then asked Castellon to comment. “So Bernie Sanders wants to do well in Florida, “she asked. “He's not doing especially well among Hispanic voters. So what is that whole exchange?” Costello posed to Castellon.
Castellon replied, “This is like an old hippie from the sixties that hasn't woken up really.”
She continued:
Frankly it is funny but it is not. Because what's happened in Cuba for 56 years is a lot of political prisoners, killings, repression. And I find it, you know, so absurd that someone would speak like that. Yes there are doctors all over the world. It is a slave force that Castro uses for propaganda. And it is really not funny. And when I see students saying, "Oh no he's saying things I like" and "education will be free." Well, listen to whatever else he's saying. And he's supporting a dictatorial regime and that is not good in any way.
While two of the three networks found Sanders’ comments so tame they weren’t even worth reporting on, ABC and NBC's morning shows found the color of his suit the more controversial topic to report on.
