Bernie Sanders, AOC, and Mamdani cheer Lula — and China

Who won Brazil’s presidential election Sunday? One answer is Inacio Lula da Silva, though the cheating was so obvious that the polls may be annulled. But if results hold, another clear winner would be China. Which would leave two losers: his opponent, Flavio Bolsonaro, and the United States.You wouldn’t know it, of course, by looking at American politicians who took to social media to congratulate the man known worldwide as Lula. It was unseemly, as his victory clearly cuts against American interests, but that’s a second-order consideration, if it is considered at all.To the old Tip O’Neill adage that “all politics is local,” we must now add a corollary: To the Left in the 2020s, all politics is transnational. Yes, what the former speaker of the House said is still true: You must still win your elections locally. But a transnational network of Marxists has emerged with an interest in France, Brazil, Israel, the U.S., etc.New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). (Washington Examiner illustration; AP Photos) These may all be countries on different continents, yet instability in one affects the other. And instability in all helps China, Russia, Iran, and all the other enemies of the West.Which is precisely why Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), the de facto grand old man of Marxist politics in America, rushed out this exuberant Instagram post: “Congratulations to Lula on his extraordinary reelection victory in the Brazilian presidential election. Lula has stood up for Brazilian workers & democracy — and will continue to do so in the next four years.”Ditto for California Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA), who posted, “People all across the world are fighting back against extremism. With Lula in Brazil, they just won. … Trump must respect the results and not undermine Brazil’s elections.”And the same for New York congresswoman and likely 2028 presidential candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D), who wrote, “Yesterday, Brazil showed the world that the will of the people is stronger than the authoritarians who try to suppress it. Congratulations President @LulaOficial and congratulations Brazil.”New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who insists he’s no communist even as he employs commie lingo, celebrated with the slogan Chilean communists chanted back in the days of Salvador Allende, “The people united will never be defeated! Congratulations, President Lula.”These are all American officeholders who have all sworn an oath to the Constitution and supposedly care for American national interests. Yet a Lula victory would in no way benefit America.It does help. Lula has helped expand that country’s presence in Brazil, South America’s giant, economically, technologically, financially, and militarily.In November 2024, during a state visit by President Xi Jinping, for example, Lula gladly signed his country up to cooperate with his Belt and Road Initiative, a global infrastructure scheme that Xi uses to ensnare other countries into its plans. On that day, China and Brazil signed almost 40 bilateral treaties covering trade, investment, infrastructure development, energy, finance, mining, etc.China’s Development Bank also gave Brazil a $750 million loan denominated in yuan, promoting the use of the Chinese currency and giving him even greater say over Brazil’s infrastructure development. And in 2023, Lula paid a visit to China that culminated in agreements in satellite technology, cybersecurity, telecommunications, and other sensitive areas.And that year Brazil signed the largest energy contract in its history, worth $3.6 billion, with electricity giant China State Grid. “State Grid is also set to invest another $40 billion in Brazil over the course of the coming years, covering transmission, production, distribution and renewable sources,” according to Fundación Andrés Bello.Militarily, in 2024, Lula invited Chinese troops to take part in its exercises with its soldiers, another first. And last year, during yet another state visit to China, Lula met with the president of Norinco, a state-owned arms company.According to the Congressional Research Service, Lula then suggested that his government was open to Norinco acquiring a 49% stake in Brazilian defense firm Avibras Indústria Aeroespacial. Avibras manufactures systems for the Brazilian military.Ideologically, Lula has staunchly defended China. The Opening Declaration at the meeting of the Foro de São Paulo — a federation of Marxist parties and individuals in the Western Hemisphere — that Lula hosted in the summer of 2023 was clear:Cooperation between China and Latin America is not new, and will grow in the future. China represents a factor for stability and balance in the region. … There are no conflicts of interest between China and Latin America, as the People’s Republic of China has never attacked or illegally occupied any Latin American territory.Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the French communist leader whose France Insoumise party has been coordinating many of the demonstrations and riots in France, did not mince words in his X post last week: “Those of us in the struggle need Lula’s victory. His victory will be that of the people against the American empire.”It’s not that Mamdani, Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez, Khanna, and other American politicians celebrating the Lula victory overlook Lula’s anti-American and pro-Chinese biases in the interest of ideology, it’s that they agree with them.IRAN, CHINA, AND CUBA ARE DIRECTING PROTESTS INSIDE AMERICAOf course, Lula’s “win” on Sunday was marred by many problems, not least that a sole Supreme Court judge who had been his personal lawyer extended voting by two hours in sectors filled with Lula voters. This whole thing may be annulled.But in the meantime, China celebrates, and so do our lefties.