Shortly after the 1959 Cuban Revolution, Castro implemented indoctrination schemes in which children were forced to learn to read only through Marxist teachings that glorified mass murderers like Ernesto “Che” Guevara. Cuba had an extremely high literacy rate, and quality of life generally, prior to Castro’s undemocratic seizure of power.
Sanders has defended Castro on three separate occasions this week: in a Sunday interview with 60 Minutes, in remarks to CNN the next day, and on the debate stage in South Carolina last night.
The Granma article, titled “Bernie Sanders Recognized the Achievements of Cuba in Education and Health,” referenced the 60 Minutes interview.
Sanders, “today one of the strongest aspirants to the Democrat Party nomination to November’s presidential elections, recognized Cuba’s role in sending doctors all over the world,” the newspaper alleged. “While he made clear that his ‘socialism’ is not that of Venezuela or Cuba and underlined that the type of society he believes in is like what he believes exists in Denmark … the lawmaker affirmed that it is ‘unfair to simply say that everything is bad’ on the island.”
“As is to be expected, his comments provoked the ire of the most extremist Cuban-American sector in southern Florida, who oppose any proximity to the Caribbean island,” Granma concluded.
The newspaper republished some of his remarks in which he praised Cuba’s literacy rate and Castro’s slave doctor program.