MILWAUKEE — Does a trip to the Soviet Union or praising communist dictators make Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders a communist?
PolitiFact Wisconsin checks that claim by former Governor Scott Walker.
Senator Bernie Sanders describes himself as a Democratic Socialist, but former Governor Scott Walker recently tweeted otherwise.
"We're looking at a claim today which he has made repeatedly in tweets, and more tweets and newspaper columns in which he says Bernie Sanders, one of the leading Democratic contenders for president is a communist," said Greg Borowski with the Milwaukee Business Journal.
PolitiFact Wisconsin says Sanders may support big government programs like Medicare for All, but there's a big difference between a Democratic Socialist and communism.
"A chief one is how under communism it is typically a one-party system with authoritarianism control and a case where the government owns the means of production," said Borowski.
PolitiFact Wisconsin also points out Sanders is not calling for government ownership of all private property or end to capitalism.
"His approach is much more in line with what some European countries face when they have free health care and things of that nature," said Borowski
PolitiFact Wisconsin rates Scott Walker's claim -- False.
