Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) congratulated GOP Sens. Tom Coburn (Okla.), Mike Crapo (Idaho) and Saxby Chambliss (Ga.) in a press release Wednesday that was in no way sarcastic.

“Congratulations,” the statement begins. “On their very significant victory in negotiating a deficit-reduction plan that achieves their long-term goal of dismantling every major social program relevant to working families.”

Yep. Sounds entirely genuine to us. Do go on.

“The so-called Gang of Six plan that the Republican senators negotiated calls for massive cuts in Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and virtually every program important to working families, the sick, the elderly, the children and the poor.”

“While I am sure that they did not get everything that they wanted, I think it’s fair to say they won about 80 percent to 90 percent of what they fought for,” Sanders says. “Despite President [Barack] Obama’s campaign promise not to cut Social Security benefits, the Gang of Six plan, which he apparently embraced, calls for massive cuts in that vitally important program.”

What is clear from this statement is that Sanders is angry with his Republican colleagues, furious at the president and can’t even look at Sens. Mark Warner (Va.), Dick Durbin (Ill.) and Kent Conrad (N.D.), the three Democratic members of the “gang of six,” who, like Lord Voldemort, must not be named.