GOP Groups Now Targeting Bernie Sanders, Too

The attacks focus on the fact that Mr. Sanders is a democratic socialist, though they generally leave out the “democratic” part. That would be a significant vulnerability for Mr. Sanders in a general election, but competing for liberal voters in a Democratic primary, Mrs. Clinton hasn’t touched it. A Boston Globe poll last weekend found that nearly a third of Democratic voters in New Hampshire said the term “socialist” applied to them.

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That’s downright quaint compared with a digital ad  released Thursday from the Republican group America Rising Squared, a nonprofit organization that does not have to disclose its donors. It repeatedly uses the word “socialist” and uses ominous images of war, Soviet flags and terrorists to paint a frightening picture of America under Mr. Sanders. It shows a younger (and even wilder-haired) Mr. Sanders praising Cuba’s Fidel Castro and airs recent footage of him saying, “We will raise taxes, yes we will.”

And on Friday, the super PAC Future45 is releasing an ad to run on cable television nationally and in Nevada. The ad actually advertises some of the ideas that Mr. Sanders is proud of: a $15 minimum wage, a higher taxes on banks and corporations and free (the ad puts “free” into quotes) college and health care. It ends with Mr. Sanders being asked, “Just to be clear, you are going to raise taxes to do this?” and the senator replied, “Yes, we will raise taxes, yes we will.”

This article was excerpted from The Wall Street Journal. Click here to read the full article online.