Democrat Cherfilus-McCormick Warns of Socialism's Dangers [VIDEO]

When the Republican-led House of Representatives voted on and passed Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar’s anti-socialism legislative measure by a vote count of 386-86, both Republicans and Democrats were surprised to see 86 Democrats vote against the measure.

In Florida, freshman Rep. Maxwell Frost was the only member of the entire Democratic congressional caucus— Reps. Kathy Castor, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Lois Frankel, Jared Moskowitz, Darren Soto, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, and Frederica Wilson— to vote against Rep. Salazar’s measure.

“I didn’t feel in good conscious that we could vote against the people who are hurting, we have to vote in line with the people who are feeling every single day,” said Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick about her vote condemning socialism.

Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick, who is of Haitian descent, spoke to The Floridian about the dangers and horrors of socialism in her family’s native country of Haiti and expressed her belief that Floridians know better than anyone in the nation about surviving socialist and communist regimes.

“In Florida, we have a special connection,  especially in South Florida when it comes to socialism, and communism, and dictators,” said Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick. “Most of the people fleeing their countries in the  ‘60s, ‘70s, even the ‘80s, were dealing with persecution from socialist regimes, from communist regimes, even dictators.”

Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick told the story of when her mother told her of school children that were lined up and shot because they protested against the Jean-Claude Duvalier regime in the 1960s-1970s.

“They all kill people,” said Cherfilus-McCormick’s mother when asked about socialism.

Cherfilus-McCormick believes that both political parties need to educate “the masses” about socialism.

“We need to understand as we talk about socialism, even though we can well define it in the United States, in the United States we can look at other nations,” added Cherfilus-McCormick, who says “ a lot of people are seeing it (socialism) from a place of pain.”

“I think we have to make a clear stance for our community that we don’t support anyone that engages in those types of tactics.”— Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick

Democratic Socialism

Cherfilus-McCormick, who supports some social welfare programs, doesn’t believe that socialism and Democratic socialism are one and the same, even though it's one of the main lines of attacks for Republicans, who call Medicare and Medicaid socialist programs.

Republicans believe that “entitlement programs” that Democrats have championed and continue to defend every election cycle, are in fact socialist programs.

Watch the interview below: