Socialism is trendy. In Latin America, it goes under the name socialism of the 21st century, and in the USA, democratic socialism. Both trends have rebranded socialism. They claim that their version has nothing to do with the massacres and atrocities of the socialism of the previous century. However, history, theory, and practice stand in contrast to what they say. Republican Senator, Marco Rubio, son of exiled Cubans stresses this message.
Answering the question of why socialism is in fashion, the senator said that the term, “democratic socialism,” allows the far left to ignore the “incredibly destructive history of socialism.”
According to the figures provided in The Black Book of Communism, published by Harvard University, at least 120 million people died as a result of policies of internationalist socialism or communism.
“What we are saying is we must tread on the path to liberation, even at the cost of millions of atomic victims,” said Che Guevara. He was willing to use massive arsenal to impose his vision of the world.
These regimes acted against the right to life and the right to liberty. Persecuted political prisoners died because of hunger and cold. They suffered from exhaustion and heart attacks due to forced labor. The prisons had firing squads for summary executions. There was no due process as proponents of socialism think it is an unnecessary legal guarantee.
“To send men to the firing squad, a fair trial is unnecessary. These procedures are archaic bourgeois gestures. This is a revolution. And a revolutionary must become a cold killing machine motivated by pure hatred,” Che Guevara said.
Our current economy isn’t working for many Americans which is why I have offered some important policy changes we need to make.
But “Democratic Socialism” isn’t the answer.
It might be trendy with its false promises, but it doesn’t work.
Never has & never will. pic.twitter.com/g4PnbA1fkL
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 12, 2019
Senator Marco Rubio stresses that the danger of today’s democratic socialism is not far from that of yesterday. “The promises are familiar: a universal basic income, free university, government-administered healthcare, a government job guarantee for all,” he insisted in his speech.
Sanders defends “democratic socialism.”
Although Rubio did not mention the name, he was alluding to the campaign promises of potential presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders.
Sanders did not take long to reply. He alleged that while Trump and “other multi-millionaires” criticize democratic socialism, they benefit from “corporate socialism.”
What Sanders does not mention is that while Trump enriched the private sector and donates most of his salary, Sanders has become wealthy as a public servant, and gives just 2.26% of his earnings. As a senator, his annual salary is about 176,280 USD.
Sanders’ wealth was quantified when he announced his presidential campaign. While he promises socialism, he receives contributions from corporations and has even created his own corporation. The sales of his book, Our Revolution, generated profits of 880,000 USD in 2017 alone, and an equivalent amount in 2016.
For Sanders, Cuba is an example of a democracy
Sanders does not restrict himself to criticizing American politics. In front of cameras, he upheld Cuba as an example of democracy. He ignores the fact the only the Communist Party is legal on the island (Article 5 of the constitution). Persecuting the opposition, confiscating their property, and taking their lives are valid strategies to maintain the control of communism.
For example, Article 3 of the new constitution of Cuba establishes that “citizens have the right to fight by all means, including armed struggle, when no other recourse is possible, against anyone who attempts to overthrow the political, social and economic order established by this Constitution.” The order in Cuba is socialism that is seemingly irrevocable like the Magna Carta.
Millions had to flee socialism
Regarding the consequence of these totalitarian policies, Marco Rubio said, “democratic socialism has never worked anywhere in the world. People are living in the United States today because democratic socialism destroyed the economies of their countries.”
For example, since Cuba’s declaration as a Marxist-Leninist regime, more than two million citizens, or one-sixth of the population, have emigrated.
It is still happening. In the first week of June, 57 bodies were buried in a mass grave in Panama as a result of the Cuban and Haitian migration and the adverse circumstances the migrants face on the way.
Thanks to the rise of socialism in the U.S., the situation of Cuban opposition members has worsened, particularly those trying to go into exile.
Former president of the USA, Barack Obama, revoked the policy that enabled Cubans to naturalize if they set foot on North American soil, thus highlighting the problem. Obama’s policy shift was a part of an agreement with Raul Castro. Now, Cubans escaping their country have to take the risk of crossing all of Central America and pass through Mexico before reaching the USA. They are at the mercy of the coyotes and the mafia gangs. The Mexican government of president AMLO is complicit with these mercenaries. According to Cubans-in-exile, the AMLO administration acts in cooperation with their ideological allies in Havana.
Democratic socialism is incompatible with American values
Many who flee socialism end up in the U.S. in search of freedom and opportunity. On the contrary, proponents of democratic socialism propose making the USA into one of those places from where people escape on foot and rafts.
Addressing the Venezuelan, Nicaraguan, and Cuban community in the south of Florida in February this year, Donald Trump said, “The United States will never be a socialist country.”
About the cities with the most significant number of migrants who had to escape socialist dictatorships, he stressed, “We know what freedom can do in Venezuela because we have seen that future here in Dora. We know what freedom can do in Cuba because we have seen it here in Miami. We know what freedom can do in Nicaragua because we have seen it in Sweetwater. And one day, soon, with God’s help, we will see what people will do in Caracas, in Managua, and Havana.”
Presidential elections are due next year. Trump’s opponents accuse him of using socialism to create fear among those in exile and garner votes for himself.
Meanwhile, however, his adversaries use “democratic socialism” as their publicity, denying the suffering it has caused millions.
Well if socialism is indeed so “popular” in Florida then why do democratic candidates (and their unavoidable cheerleaders in the commentary class) always get so angry & offended when you accuse them of being socialists? https://t.co/fxVSgINfn5
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 12, 2019
The state of Florida is a swing state. Votes recorded in the state can have a significant impact on the outcome of the election.
Thus, Florida is one of the most sought after states among politicians. As the state receives many of the Hispanic migrants, there is a dispute among Democrats, who claim to be the heroes of the minorities, and the Republicans, who denounce the regimes that push their citizens into exile.
For the republic senator whose parents are Cuban, “democratic socialism will never be the answer.” On the contrary, the public policies of the administration must better reflect values such as decent work, the family, and prosperity. In other words, more decentralization of state power and more control in the hands of individuals regarding decisions about their lives.