What Went Down At The First Biden vs. Sanders Debate

Sanders’s points about China and Cuba might help him score if he and Biden were in a real debating society. But they might not help as much in a setting where the goal is to win votes.

Sanders now gives a convoluted answer on something that came up during an earlier 60 Minutes interview, his support of Fidel Castro’s literacy program. Tonight he didn’t walk back from that stance either. He said he condemns authoritarianism “whether it’s in Cuba, whether it’s in Saudi Arabia, whether it’s in China, or whether it is in Russia.” But he refused to unilaterally disavow Castro, saying that it’s incorrect to say someone like Castro didn’t have some positive impact on their people. It’s a nuanced answer, and he extends the parallel to China now, but I’m not sure that nuance comes across in a debate like this.

Sanders doesn’t seem to get that praising China and Cuba on anything is just not smart, even if there are policy areas where they’ve made some sort of progress. Biden basically just said that, too.