Bernie Sanders denounced “cheap political talk” following the attacks by the Islamic State in Paris and criticized Republicans for refusing to accept Syrian refugees.
“As Americans we are appalled, we are disgusted by the attacks from the terrorist organization called ISIS,” Sanders said early in his Cleveland, Ohio rally on Monday night. “In my view now is the time for developing a serious and effective strategy to destroy ISIS, now is not the time for cheap political talk or taking political advantage of this difficult moment.”
The Vermont senator advocated an international coalition with Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait and Turkey and warned that it would become increasingly difficult to form if “demagoguery and fear-mongering” get in the way, pointing a finger at the Republicans. He also asked the American people “not to turn our back on the refugees of Syria and Afghanistan.”
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“I have to tell you I am disturbed by what I’m hearing from some of my Republican colleagues,” Sanders said. “We will not succumb to racism, we will not succumb to Islamaphobia.”
After the terrorist attacks in Paris, many Republicans have called for stepped up military action against the Islamic State and for blocking refugees from entering the United States without stronger background checks.
The democratic socialist, who once protested the war in Vietnam and voted against the war in Iraq, countered “the USA must not be involved in perpetual warfare in the Middle East.”
“Back in 2002 … we had a president who was very, very tough, but not very smart,” Sanders continued. “He and Dick Cheney and the whole lot of them, they were tough and they said we should invade Iraq. The crowd booed loudly as Sanders added, “We are paying the price today for that instability and that chaos.”
“So, I say to my Republican colleagues yeah we have to be tough but not stupid,” the Vermont senator concluded.
Sanders then turned toward his usual economic stump speech. He also boasted he now had 800,00 individual contributions, which “is more contributions than any campaign in the history of America” and that “none of [those] donations come from Wall Street.”
He also joked, “I’m not going to tell you about my beautiful grandchild or tell you jokes, because frankly I don’t have much of a sense of humor.”
