A senior advisor to Michael Bloomberg’s campaign used a live TV interview to bring up bizarre writings by Bernie Sanders from the 1960s about women and cancer and said the leading candidate has not been properly ‘vetted.’
The advisor, Tim O’Brien, brought up essays Sanders penned for the Vermont Freeman in the 1960s and 70s, where the future lawmaker mused about a possible connection between sexuality and cancer as he took on a capitalist society leading to ‘dazed humanity’ and ‘sexual deadness.’
‘We have a candidate who has risen in the polls because of this track record,’ said O’Brien, appearing on CNN’s ‘New Day.’
Michael Bloomberg senior advisor Timothy O’Brien brought up Bernie Sanders’ 1960s writings about sexuality and cancer
‘Bernie has loopy stuff in his background, saying women get cancer from having too many orgasms or toddlers should run around naked and touch each other’s genitals to insulate themselves from porn?’ O’Brien said.
Host Alisyn Camerota appeared gobsmacked. ‘What?’ she asked.
O’Brien continued. ‘He has written about women’s rape fantasies, that hasn’t been surfaced.’ He called it the ‘looney side of Bernie.
‘The policy side of Bernie is he has not been good on immigration, he has not been good on criminal justice reform, he was an avid backer of the ’94 crime bill, he is bad on guns, bad on immigration and as a legislator, as a member of the Senate, I think he’s only sponsored seven pieces of legislation, two for post offices in Vermont,’ he continued.
O’Brien was referencing Sanders’ writings, including a 1969 essay titled: ‘Cancer, Disease and Society.’
Mike Bloomberg is back on the debate stage in South Carolina Tuesday, after getting pummeled during the Las Vegas debate
In an essay dug up by Mother Jones during Sanders’ battle against Hillary Clinton, he wrote: ‘Now, if children go around naked, they are liable to see each others sexual organs, and maybe even touch them. Terrible thing! If we [raise] children up like this it will probably ruin the whole pornography business, not to mention the large segment of the general economy which makes its money by playing on people’s sexual frustrations.’
He also cited academic research linking sexual frustration to cancer in women.
‘What do you think it really means when 3 doctors, after intense study, write that ‘of the 26 patients (who developed breast cancer) below 51 (years of age), one was sexually adjusted.’ It means, very bluntly, that the manner in which you bring up your daughter with regard to sexual attitudes may very well determine whether or not she will develop breast cancer, among other things.’
Sanders cites research about ‘sexual adjustment’ in one of his essays
Sanders makes an argument that allowing children to see each other without clothes on despite ‘Authority’ guidelines might ‘ruin the whole pornography business’ by fighting taboos
Sanders in his essays quotes Austrian psychologist Wilhelm Reich as writing about a ‘very definite about the link between emotional and sexual health, and cancer.’
The Mediaite website captured video of Bloomberg’s aid bringing up the articles.
Sanders penned another essay titled ‘The Revolution is Live Versus Death.’ In it, Sanders takes a dark view of capitalist society crushing its workers. ‘The years come and go, suicide nervous breakdown, cancer, sexual deadness, heart attack, alcoholism, senility at 50. Slow, death, fast death. DEATH,’ he writes
O’Brien brought up the potentially inflammatory material as Sanders prepared to face rivals on the debate stage in Charleston.
Bernie Sanders pictured in 1972 during a failed run for governor
When Sadners’ ‘ 1972 essay describing a woman’s rape fantasy came up during the 2016 capaign, Sanders described it as a ‘piece of fiction’ on gender stereotypes, calling it ‘something like Fifty Shades of Grey.”
His 2016 campaign spokesman Mike Briggs told Mother Jones at the time: ‘These articles were written more than 40 years ago’ and that, ‘Like most people, Bernie’s views on many issues have changed over time.’
Sanders studied psychology at the University of Chicago, and wove some of this theories about sexual repression into his critique of a a capitalist society he considered oppressive.
The his on Sanders comes as the independent PAC Priorities USA gears up new online and TV ads attacking Trump. Amid some vocal panic about the prospect of Sanders on top the Democratic ticket, executive director Guy Cecil said the group’s survey data showed Sanders has a path to victory.
‘Our data shows that any of the top contenders can win the general election,’ he told reporters at a briefing in Charleston. ‘It shows that we can win, it doesn’t’ show that we will win,’ he added. He said the election will be ‘close, no matter what.’