Bernie Sanders bashes Scott Walker — and he fires back with some facts on socialism and Venezuela

Former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker reminded Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) of the failures of socialism after he encouraged socialist activists to protest at a Walker speaking engagement in Vermont.

"Scott Walker made his name busting unions, cutting health care, and gutting funding for public education," Sanders said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Scott Walker's brand of divide-and-conquer politics has no place in Burlington," he added, "the city that sparked our political revolution by electing Bernie Sanders as mayor in 1981."

Walker fired back by defending his record as governor, and reminding the self-proclaimed socialist democrat of the failures of socialism in Venezuela.

"Don't let the facts get in the way of your political rhetoric," Walker tweeted at Sanders.

"Under Democrat control of the state," Walker added, "WI had a waiting list for healthcare coverage under Medicaid."

"I eliminated the waiting list and everyone living in poverty is now covered," he added. "WI is a Top 10 state for healthcare coverage."

Walker went on to defend his record on jobs, work choice, publicly-funded education, employment and wages. Then he added one more about Venezuela.

"Venezuela is a real time ex of the failure of socialism," Walker tweeted. "They promise prosperity but too often deliver poverty."

"It puts power in the hands of the few instead of the many," he concluded.

Venezuela was one of the wealthiest countries in Latin America, but has fallen into economic, social and financial chaos after decades of socialist governance. Conservatives have used the example to warn against socialism, while many liberals blame U.S. sanctions for the failures in Venezuela.

Here's the latest on the chaos in Venezuela:

Juan Guaidó: Maduro is blocking most humanitarian aid to Venezuelawww.youtube.com