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Michael Dukakis proved in his disastrous 1988 debate with then Vice President George H.W Bush that Americans have little sympathy for nuance. Defending his favorable comments about Fidel Castro with academic accuracy was not what this moment called for, and Sanders should know better. This was a moment when he needed to take a bold, oversimplified stand and distance himself as far as he could from anything that resembled Fidel Castro.  A majority of Americans can't reconsider socialism and its potential benefits if Fidel Castro is in the picture. I personally think he got a little cocky after his big victory in Nevada.