Much of the criticism Sanders gets from Russian sources seems to stem from his support for President Barack Obama's use of sanctions to "punish" Russia for its alleged misbehavior in the Ukrainian crisis.
Recalling Sanders' statements for Fox, a heavily-cited article by US journalist Caleb Maupin for Russian politics journal New Eastern Outlook concluded that the candidate was "an anti-Russia, Israel-supporting" "sewer socialist."
However, while Sanders has not retracted his comments, which were still a far cry from the 'Putin-Hitler' comments made by Secretary Clinton during the same period, he did clarify that the United States should refrain from taking unilateral action.
"There are a number of things you could do," Sanders noted, "but this is what you don't do: You don't go to war, you don't sacrifice the lives of young people in this country like we did in Iraq and Afghanistan."
In an interview for National Public Radio earlier this summer, Sanders reiterated that he gets "very, very nervous" when he hears "Republicans who just can't get enough of war –whether it's going to war in Syria, going to war in Iraq, going to war in Iran, going to war with Russia."
And even in the original interview for Fox, Sanders hinted that the US has plenty of sins of its own in terms of militarism and aggressive foreign policy, noting that the US "alone spends almost as much money on defense as the rest of the world," while it "doesn't have enough money to take care of our veterans, or infrastructure is crumbling and kids can't afford to go to college."
Sanders Takes the Sheen Off the Idea of American Exceptionalism
If Donald Trump's campaign has, in Sputnik contributor Finian Cunningham's words, served "to totally expose just how farcical and degenerate American politics have become," Sanders rhetoric has exposed some of the real economic and social problems faced by tens of millions of Americans, taking some of the sheen off lofty arguments about American exceptionalism and the ideal of exporting 'American values' around the world.
Commenting on the Sanders phenomenon, Moscow Higher School of Economics Professor Alexander Domrin told Russian business newspaper Kommersant that "the Sanders phenomenon, like that of Trump, reveals a unique characteristic of the current election cycle, which has given a unique opportunity to [candidates on] the political periphery. The desire among voters to avoid a 'game of thrones' between Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush gives rise to a demand to see the political alternative's most prominent representatives."
Pointing out the differences between the two candidates, Kommersant noted that even if "like Trump for the Republicans, Sanders plays the role of mischief-maker in the Democratic camp," his campaign "has revealed the fundamental differences between the two candidates. While Donald Trump made a bet on colorful, politically incorrect statements and personal attacks against the most recognizable figures of the Republican camp, Sanders has avoided scandals and prefers not to get personal. In his speech in Los Angeles, he made no mention of Hillary Clinton, his main rival for the nomination, or of President Obama. At the same time however, he directed all his accusatory pathos at the system which Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama represent."
What Makes Sanders Exceptional in Russian Eyes
"It's worth remembering that not long ago, communists in the US were hunted like witches, and the word 'socialism' was seen as being synonymous with concepts like 'terrorism' and the 'red menace'," Nevskoe Vremya explained. The paper noted that in a country with "a cult of private enterprise," Sanders rise may portend "the ideas of the left becoming ever-more popular in the United States."
As far as relations with Russia are concerned, the paper joked that "after coming to power, Sanders could introduce sanctions on Russia for the excessive presence of the invisible hand of the free market," a topsy-turvy turnaround from the world which existed just 25 years ago.
