To be fair, Bernie Sanders went to the USSR as part of an official trip as mayor of Burlington, Vermont.  He really did not go there for a honeymoon, as some of us have joked on social media.  Nevertheless, he did set up close city-to-city ties with the Sandinistas in Nicaragua and was very fond of their brand of socialism.  In other words, Bernie Sanders has always been fond of socialists, especially the ones who hate the U.S.

Bernie Sanders has gotten a free ride from the media and the GOP so far.  I guess most of us just think Bernie will fizzle out after Hillary Clinton clinches the nomination.  We shouldn't be so optimistic.  No, Sanders won't get the nomination, but he has lit up a left-wing movement that we will see the next time the Democrats choose a president.  Add to this what we are seeing in colleges, and these anti-American lefties will be around for a while.

We can say Trump is tapping into frustration, from free trade deals to illegal immigration to a sense that that we don't recognize the country anymore.

On the other hand, Sanders also is tapping into ignorance.  He is misleading masses with promises that we can't afford and promoting a sense of entitlement that will frustrate his supporters the morning after they finally grow up.

We need to start calling out Sanders, and more specifically his crazy ideas.

I saw this editorial, and I wish more of us would take its message seriously:

Let's face it. 

Sanders isn't a Democrat in the traditional sense. 

He is a socialist who has based his entire run on a four letter word, "free."

And that's what irritates me more than anything else...free stuff, free stuff, and more free stuff!

It's one thing to promote socialism and the taxes or loss of personal freedom that come with it.  It is utterly disingenuous to sell socialism by saying we will raise taxes on the rich.

Memo to the GOP: Sanders won't be around by Labor Day.  His movement will, and it may even push Hillary Clinton to the left.  We need to win this ideological debate, or we won't recognize the country for sure.

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.