In a series of tweets stemming from recent actions by white supremacists’, Minnesota attorney general candidate and former State Rep. Ryan Winkler appeared to defend communism late Monday night.
In light of white supremacists and Nazis being fired for their views, Twitter user ChadTheElder questioned whether the same standard would be applied to Communists, since that ideology is also responsible for horrific atrocities on the scale of Nazism.
Winkler felt the need to publicly take issue with that comparison.
“Nazism only stood for one thing,” Winkler wrote on Twitter. “Communism has meant different things in different place at different times, not just Stalin. Not the same.”
Nazism only stood for one thing. Communism has meant different things in different place at different times, not just Stalin. Not the same. https://t.co/4mtkg4OuHT
— Ryan Winkler (@_RyanWinkler) August 15, 2017
This drew sharp rebuke from other Twitter users, and Winkler attempted to clarify his position.
“I didn’t say ‘good Communism’ and you know it,” he replied to ChadTheElder. “Do you disagree that the Soviets were the lesser of two evils for us from 1940-45?”
I didn’t say “good Communism” and you know it. Do you disagree that the Soviets were the lesser of two evils for us from 1940-45?
— Ryan Winkler (@_RyanWinkler) August 16, 2017
In the 100 years since the Bolshevik Revolution took place in Russia, over 100 million people have lost their lives at the hands of Communist regimes, according to statistics from the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. In addition, currently one-fifth of the world’s population lives under communist single-party totalitarian regimes.
Winkler never answered the question of whether a communist can or should be fired during the eight tweets he exchanged with other users regarding communism and Nazism. He did make a statement calling communism “bad”, but he hedged that by continuing to take shots at other users, and Americans at large, for how much the United States imports from the People’s Republic of China.
“Communism was and is bad. I didn’t imply otherwise,” Winkler wrote. “Too bad so much of our products are made by a country run by a Communist party. Right?”
Communism was and is bad. I didn’t imply otherwise. Too bad so much of our products are made by a country run by a Communist party. Right?
— Ryan Winkler (@_RyanWinkler) August 16, 2017
He went on to condemn President Donald Trump for not condemning Nazis, and to condemn Republicans for sticking by Trump.
Winkler did not respond to a request for comment sent to his campaign site’s contact email.