Sanders doubles down on Bolivia 'coup,' few follow suit

[Judi Lynn]

BY RAFAEL BERNAL - 11/19/19 08:20 PM EST

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has doubled down this week on calling the recent ouster of Bolivia’s now-former President Evo Morales a “coup,” but few other U.S. lawmakers or candidates followed suit.

The ongoing debate on whether constitutional order was maintained during and after the transition has echoed a larger divide in global politics. Sanders’s view is shared among the global left, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who granted asylum to Morales upon his exit from Bolivia.

But the Trump administration — and opponents of the Latin American populist left embodied by Morales and López Obrador — saw the end of the Morales government as a boon to democracy in the region.

"I oppose the intervention of Bolivia's security forces in the democratic process and their repression of Indigenous protesters. When the military intervened and asked President Evo Morales to leave, in my view, that’s called a coup," wrote Sanders on Twitter Monday evening.

More:
https://thehill.com/policy/international/americas/471180-sanders-doubles-down-on-bolivia-coup-few-follow-suit

[roody]

1. Most are afraid to tell the truth.

Bernie never has been.

[TexasTowelie]

2. There are some Americans that couldn't find Bolivia on a map.

Is it any wonder that most Americans aren't discussing it when there are more important things going on in their lives? If people are paying attention to the news, it is about the impeachment inquiry.

Most Americans will come to the conclusion that there was a coup in Bolivia and most will also note that coups are somewhat typical in Latin American countries. I don't see how this is an issue that is going to benefit Bernie by getting him a significant amount of votes.

[roody]

3. Bernie is a truth teller.

[TexasTowelie]

4. I agree that Bernie is telling the truth about the coup in Bolivia.

The question is what can the average American do about it? The Democrats don't control the Executive Branch and we also don't control one branch of Congress. I doubt that a large number of people are going to get involved in any rallies.

The coup in Bolivia is a nothing-burger as far as how it will affect the Democratic primaries or general election. I doubt that the other candidates are going to focus on the coup since it is largely irrelevant in the lives of most Americans and there are other issues that are more important and relevant to the average voter.