How many excess deaths did Russia have during the 90s due to the breakneck transition to capitalism?

Answer: About 2.5-3 million.

My takeaway is that free-market extremism can be nearly as harmful as communist extremism

Sanders isn’t calling for Stalinist Marxist-Leninism. He’s calling for basic social democratic reforms that have been standard in the United Kingdom, Germany and Scandinavia for half a century now.

If you want to talk about the merits of social democracy, fine.

But spare me the hyperbole.