While there have been extensive comparisons of Bernie Sanders to Larry David—and there are undeniable similarities—some are now comparing the Jewish senator and presidential candidate to Pope Francis.
On Wednessday, CNN’s Chris Cuomo suggested the Pope is “hashtag feelingthebern.” Sanders seems to welcome comparisons. His own website highlights an article from ABC, “10 Times Bernie Sanders and Pope Francis Sounded Alike.” The comparisons are part positive, feel-good, empowering quotes nearly anyone could have said and part socialist-sounding statements. However, all the latter come from Sanders. The quotes from the Pope aren’t as much ideological as they are populist, and many of the pairings of Bernie and Pope quotes are somewhat tenuously related.
The first comparison is simply about young people being involved in politics.
Bernie Sanders: “We have to be engaged. We have to get involved… And millions of our friends and neighbors who don’t vote, who have given up on the political process, they have got to get involved.” (Seabrook, N.H., Sept. 20, 2015)
It wouldn’t be hard to find a similar quotation form nearly any politician.
Another is a call for justice and goodness in the economy from the Pope and an anti-capitalist one from Sanders.
Bernie Sanders: “The American people are saying, “Enough is enough. We need to create an economy that works for all of us and not just a handful of billionaires.” (Cochran, New Hampshire on ABC News’ ‘This Week,’ June 28, 2015)
The left’s obsession with saying the pope is on their side is not that new. Several months ago, Americans United for Change ran an ad titled “Pope or Kochs,” that seems more like a WWE wrestling promotion than a political ad. President Obama has also taken to invoking the pope when he talks policy.
As Irwin Stelzer notes, Democrats only demand church and state be separate when church disagrees with them. When there’s common ground, they welcome the church!
