As the Cuban protests have been mobilized from the streets of Havana to communities in South Florida, the protests in Cuba have been at the very center of Florida Politics, which has sadly become another partisan issue. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has been very active in supporting Cuba, even pressing President Joe Biden to provide the island's internet. However, not everyone has been so adamant about opposing the Communist regime, as state Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith (D-49), like many other Democrats like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, has partially assigned the US to blame for the disarray in Cuba.
For the most part, progressive groups such as Black Lives Matter have already concluded that the United States should be held accountable for the actions taken by the communist Cuban government. The vast majority of these activists have blamed the US-imposed embargo on Cuba for the reason why the Cuban people were oppressed, and not regime on the island, inciting mass protests all over the nation.
Rep. Smith, who is a self-described "Latinx" state representative, has gotten himself into some trouble for making light of Socialism, claiming it hasn't killed anybody. Smith was summarily denounced for defending Socialism on the floor of the Florida House of Representatives.
.@CarlosGSmith said the embargo, which has been backed by both parties for decades, "has of course been totally ineffective. It’s morally wrong."
But, he added, “placing all of the blame squarely on the foreign policy of the U.S. is [also] wrong.https://t.co/MLxlGSo64x
— Rep. Carlos G Smith (@CarlosGSmith) July 15, 2021
Smith described the embargo as "totally ineffective" and "morally wrong," while at the same time calling out his political allies for "placing all the blame squarely on the foreign policy of the U.S. is [also] wrong."
Smith then tweeted again his on the fence stance, encouraging the United States to act on the embargo:
"The embargo has hurt the Cuban people and needs to be lifted. But the blame for how the people of Cuba have been treated in this socialist-communist dictatorship is squarely on the leaders in Cuba’s government who have totally FAILED them, period," stated Smith.
Smith's stance on the Cuban protests highlights the Democratic Party's cringe-worthy divide on the Cuba issue. This embargo has been in place for decades and only blocks the Cuban government from commerce with America, not the entire world.
US Representative Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) one of the self-described "Blue Dog Democrats" on Capitol Hill, has already taken action to fend off Communism in places like Cuba, attributing their struggles to the "repressive authoritarian regime" that is the Cuban government.
Who are we going to find guilty for these atrocities, Communism or us? A fairly simple answer much of the U.S. leadership hasn't seemed to arrive at just yet.
