In channeling Picasso earlier today–you see, he comes to me at critical moments–the old man wanted to make sure I get the word out. My Spanish is better than my French, so he usually speaks to me in his mother tongue. My lack of fluency engenders misunderstanding at times, but today there was nothing lost in translation–his meaning was clear: Picasso has officially endorsed Bernie Sanders!
Picasso was of course a capitalist, not to mention the wealthiest artist in history. He was also a member of the Communist Party, though that should be viewed in its historical context. As a member of the French intelligentsia back then, there was a clear dichotomy: you were either a fascist or you were a communist. Though he was not a communist in any meaningful sense of the term, he certainly believed in a “chicken in every pot.” He was also most definitely anti-authoritarian. All things considered, it seems to me the philosophy of democratic socialism is one he would unquestionably espouse today. And though he would not stoop to the high school level of the current Republican discourse, I will provide illustrations of his oversized hands on my own responsibility. I trust that at least “Little” Marco, if not Pablo, would approve…..
