He grew up in soviet Russia, and they honed this rhetorical tactic to perfection. He knows what it's like to live in the aftermath of its "success" and has seen the end result as well.
I wish there was more education about what happened after 1917 in Russia. I've read the gulag archipelago and while that is an amazing work not many will endeavor to read it. My education on the topic in school did not do a good job describing how the culture was manipulated or how fear was used to divide the population. There are important lessons learned that should never be forgotten.