The media should stop asking Bernie Sanders ridiculous questions about Venezuela. If he’s going to keep getting them, though, he should start giving more fleshed-out and strategic answers.

The premise that his brand of democratic socialism would involve anything like the kind of repressive crackdowns that have happened recently in Venezuela is absurd. But he should take the opportunity of being asked “what about Venezuela?” questions to educate Americans about the complexities of politics in the region — and the profoundly damaging role that’s been played there by the United States.

In 2016, some people, supporters and critics alike thought that foreign policy was Sanders’s weak point. In 2020, it’s clear this is not the case. In our view, Sanders is not getting nearly enough credit for the way he’s matched his bold and uniquely transformational domestic policies with some strong moves towards a genuinely creative and smart foreign policy. That’s exactly why we believe that he can and should use this opportunity to speak about Venezuela to his advantage.