Ocasio-Cortez: Stand With the Cubans, But Remember, America Caused Their Suffering
“We also call for an end to the U.S. embargo and additional Trump-era restrictions that are profoundly contributing to the suffering of Cubans.”
The Democratic Socialists have started crawling out of their holes to speak about Cuba. Do they blame the communist regime, which has inflicted pain and suffering on Cubans for 62 years?
Nope.
Why would they condemn the communist regime? They preach communism under the name Democratic Socialism.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) finally released a statement regarding the Cuban uprising, which began on Sunday.
“We are seeing Cubans rise up and protest for their rights like never before,” she stated. “We stand in solidarity with them, and we condemn the anti-democratic actions led by President Diaz-Canel. The suppression of the media, speech and protest are all gross violations of civil rights.”
Yes, ma’am, the Cuban government is only suppressing media, speech, and protests.
We stand in solidarity with the Cuban people and condemn the suppression of the media, speech and protest.
We also call for an end to the U.S. embargo and additional Trump-era restrictions that are profoundly contributing to the suffering of Cubans. pic.twitter.com/Fw6Quv5TAN
— Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@RepAOC) July 16, 2021
America is to blame for the rest:
We also must name the U.S. contribution to Cuban suffering: our sixty-year-old embargo. Last month, once again, the U.N. voted overwhelmingly to call on the United States to lift its embargo on Cuba. The embargo is absurdly cruel and, like too many other U.S. policies targeting Latin Americans, the cruelty is the point. I outright reject the Biden administration’s defense of the embargo. It is never acceptable for us to use cruelty as a point of leverage against every day people.
You know, if the regime loosened its grip, Cubans would not have to rely on America and other countries for food, medicine, and other basic needs.
Just saying.
History lesson:
There is no blockade of food and vaccines. A good percentage of Miami is sending giant amounts of food and medicine over there every day. What happens when it gets there… that's where your answer lies. https://t.co/c12hqmD28b
— Frances Martel (@francesmartel) July 12, 2021
One more:
Something that as a Cuban has taken me years to fully grasp is how much our people have given to be free. We never accepted communism/socialism. Nobody voted for it. No Castro ever won an election in their lives.
This is why the whole "unprecedented" thing triggers me so much.
— Frances Martel (@francesmartel) July 12, 2021
Self-described socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) also blamed America:
All people have the right to protest and to live in a democratic society. I call on the Cuban government to respect opposition rights and refrain from violence. It’s also long past time to end the unilateral U.S. embargo on Cuba, which has only hurt, not helped, the Cuban people.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) July 13, 2021
Black Lives Matter blamed America and praised Cuba for protecting a convicted cop killer.
Black Lives Matter has released a statement on Cuba: pic.twitter.com/NgnT1o1oZE
— Sabrina Rodríguez (@sabrod123) July 15, 2021
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Comments
Notice how it’s always year zero for her kind. The fact of the matter is those sanctions have been in place longer than she’s been ignorant. After the fall of the USSR Castro gave every Cuban a rice cooker. No rice but a cooker.
We absolutely have to end Kennedy’s embargo. Damn Republican.
They never see a problem anywhere in the world that isn’t somehow America’s fault, do they?
There is no embargo on food and medicine
She’s a moron. What’s changed, other than she’s been around longer?
Reds have got to red. There is no rinsing these people off.
Its fascinating how these article always purposefully ignore the nuance in what people say. Seems like the article is the black and white fallacy writ large
I’ve been to Cuba. Its problems have nothing to do with the embargo.
I’ve studied Cuba, and its absolutely the case that some of its problems relate to an economic embargo from the wealthiest country in the world. how could it not have an impact?
Oh – you “studied” Cuba. From afar, perhaps? No doubt that trumps the experiences of those who actually lived through the nightmare.
I guess from now on we don’t have to listen to those who were sent to the gulags or tortured in the “interrogation”. We will just “study” it, amiright?
https://babylonbee.com/news/you-just-dont-understand-socialism-like-i-do-says-college-freshman-to-man-escaping-socialism-on-raft
From afar sure but my lecturer was Cuban. So I had both the advantage of academic study and personal perspective. It’s fair to say that the political regime is unjustifiable and that Castro and his successors were and are dickheads. It’s also fair to say that the US having an an economic blockage has caused serious harm to the Cuban economy that’s the entire purpose of the blockade to try and force change in the government. The rights and wrong of that can be debated what can’t be debated is that the blockade has done harm, it absolutely has.
Dear Lord.
Oh look everyone! He’s STUDIED it! Put down everything you’ve heard from people who’ve actually lived through an experience – our resident expert has STUDIED Cuba!
What a twit you are.
With respect the claim was he had been there. It was pretty vague as to whether that was for a long time or a short time. It’s also the case that the idea that claiming an embargo from the wealthiest country in the world wouldn’t have a substantive effect on a small country is pretty laughable.
The economies of all of the rest of the world can trade with Cuba. The embargo only deals with the USA. Canadian and English firms took over management of former USA businesses nationalized by Fidel. If the rest of the world can’t prop up Cuba, why blame the USA?? Unless you are a fellow traveler?
Or, perhaps some of the problems relate to the fact that the Castros have become billionaires while their people starve.
Mark,
It’s a restrained embargo not a blockade. The rest of the world trades with Cuba. If the Cuban communist dictatorship felt the US embargo was pinching too tightly they’d take concrete actions to meet the conditions necessary to end the embargo.
Those concrete actions would necessarily be free and fair elections which wouldn’t be in there self interest. No one is claiming Cubans type of government is good. That includes AOC. The claim is that Cuba has a decent health care system given its wealth which is true.
Communism can only thrive in Cuba if it’s helped by its big capitalist neighbor, the U.S.
LOL, no thanks. We have no obligation to help those commie thugs stay in power.
No one is arguing that claim
Why would our embargo hurt? Cuba can import from any other country in the world. Mexico is nearby. Canada is nearby. Europe could contribute if it wanted. If Cuba had something to trade and sell, these other countries would trade and sell. If Cuba respected human rights other countries would be willing to help.
And the U.S. embargo would then be irrelevant.
But none of the other countries, nearby or far, want to work with Cuba any more. Doesn’t that tell you something?
Becuase the US is the largest economy in the world and right next to Cuba. Seriously
There is no embargo on food and medicine.
Maybe but that doesn’t address the central claim which is the economic impact. Which indirectly affects Cuba’s ability to provide food and medicine to its own people
Sure. No doubt they didn’t trade with other countries. Obama didn’t see fit to end it even though he was hugging their leader.
Why not ask Cubans what they think. That beats your “study” experience.
Perfect example of what the squad is pushing.
I did my lecturer was Cuban. There are several threads to the discussion what I’m taking issue with is as follows 1) that AOC etc are making a blanket support statement for Cuba’s government which is clearly absurd , 2) that the US hasn’t had a negative impact on Cuba through the use of sanctions/embargo
There should be an embargo on everything.
You don’t get rid of bad behavior by enabling it.
That’s a separate and distinct claim relating to how you get rid of a government.
If there’s nuance, point it out.
By explicitly condemning the negative whilst pointing out the positive. You know a reasoned balanced argument.
Well, Mussolini did clean up the trains and make them run on time. And that Schicklgruber fellow did restore much of Germany’s industrial power after the Great Depression. Maybe you think the Allies over-reacted with that whole WWII thingy.
Sure that adds nuance to the debate but the conclusion of getting rid of axis powers leadership still remains valid. You seem to be arguing that adding nuance automatically entails changing the conclusion. That’s not necessarily the case it might do but in the examples you cite it doesn’t.
In other words, you have no idea what you’re talking about. You’re just blowing smoke, as usual.
No, it means that evaluating arguments should include both sides which is an honest way of assessing a claim. By definition if you don’t it’s partisan and a poor way to reach a reasonable conclusion.
How about this?
There’s your nuance, same as the nuance our folks get.
There is zero nuance in that statement. It’s merely an expression of ignorance.
If these articles are so bad, why are you coming here to read them? As long as you’ve been posting here I’ve never seen you post one positive thing. But of course we must be civil. ha ha. Doesn’t apply to you though.
That would be an example of confirmation bias. You’ve looked at the posts being critical of an article and assumed that applies to all articles. This isn’t the case, since I don’t comment on an article (usually) to say it’s good. Thus you’ve a flawed conclusion. It’s also the case that it’s useful to read bad articles when gaining insight in the alternative viewpoint. Being aware of what’s being argued from the otherside even if it is a poor arguement is still worth while.
The important point:
Their “support” for the Cuban serfs amounts only to ineffectual noise, but the one call to action that they’ve made is to demand a course that will only enrich Cuba’s tyrants.
“It is never acceptable for us to use cruelty as a point of leverage against every day people.”
Yet the Cuban regime does it all the time and has for decades.
And the whole “strong medical care” is absurd on its face. You think the average Cuban is getting the same medical care as what is available to top government officials and tourists staying in the resorts?
Speaking of tourists, I’m reminded of when the Obama administration started allowing Americans to go there directly. It didn’t take long for people to figure out that they were visiting a 3rd-world country, and it didn’t take much longer for U.S.-based airlines to start cutting back on the flights they had added to their schedules because after the initial burst of passengers the demand started drying up.
Actually in Cuba health is a constitutional right, its health outcomes perform equally or better on a number of metrics and for a third of the price
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/why-cant-us-provide-healthcare-for-poor#The-fight-against-obesity
https://havanatimes.org/diaries/osmelramirez/a-look-at-cubas-healthcare-system-firsthand-examples/
http://cuba.miami.edu/business-economy/a-close-look-at-cubas-health-care-system/
https://fee.org/articles/the-myth-of-cubas-glorious-health-care-system/
Sure cubas health care system is struggling at the moment in Covid conditions. That’s related to economics and Covid since it’s a poor country with limited resources and the economy isn’t doing as well. That relates to many factors including the type of government and the US embargo. The article explicitly states the system is actually good so you have to look deeper at why there are issues. It’s also fair to say there is data manipulation, but even then the articles you cite state that Cuba performs pretty well when compared to the US which isn’t surprising given how bad the US health care system is.
Because metrics can’t be manipulated.
Take infant mortality rates, for example. It’s well-known that US rates are higher because other countries will wait to record a live birth so if a baby dies during that waiting period it won’t be counted as an infant mortality.
Oh, and how much are Cuban doctors and nurses being paid? Not a whole lot. Helps keep the costs down.
I worked with a refugee from Cuba who was a math professor before coming to the US. He made roughly $20 per month. His best friend was a cardiologist that made roughly $27 per month. It’s probably not very different 20 years later.
That’s an economic argument not a health care argument
I’m not clear that a universal truth though and even taking that the metrics for US health care outcomes are generally bad. It’s expensive and inefficient. Health care outcomes are very much related to wealth
My God you are such a tool. Hope sophomore year goes as well as freshman obviously did.
Just like in Russia, where everybody was entitled to food. When you could find any available.
I understand medical care in GB and Canada is a right, too. Now, just get them to admit you.
Very subtle, implying that I’m mental doesn’t improve your argument. As hominems if you hadn’t figured out only tell me you are out of arguments not that you are good at them
“Health care” and “literacy”… so… enjoy being a healthy literate slave. The healthcare isn’t that great and literacy allows reading communist propaganda but not the truth.
lol….nothing like famine to fight against obesity!
Health care may be a “right” but its health care is awful. You should see the conditions in their hospitals and clinics. The ordinary citizens get virtual nothing while the communist elites get near Western level care. Why is that?
You’ve “studied” Cuba — have you seen the photos, testimonials, and reports on the awful health care there?
The claim that’s it’s aweful is related to resources thus that could be linked to several other factors such as the system of government and the US embargo. The central claim is twofold how efficient is the system and how effective is the system in terms of health care outcomes. On both those points Cuba performs well it would appear. When comparing the US Vs Cuba you could fairly say that Cuba is a far more efficient health care system far less expensive and the results are comparable. Thus if Cuba was a democracy with no embargo you could see a situation where the resource issue is alleviated and therefore the outcomes would be better than as current
therealcuba.com would disagree
There are quite a few anecdotal stories on the site but I’ve only briefly looked. When I get a chance I’ll explore more deeply. Thanks for the link
Advocating for unclean spirits? Mark 3:11
Wasn’t it a demorat president who first order the Cuban embargo ? … Wasn’t it demorats who supported the mafia corruption and control of Cuba’s political environment prior to Castro’s revolution ? … Wasn’t Castro a communist with close ties to the USSR ? Together didn’t Castro and USSR threaten the USA by importing and attempting to assemble nuclear missiles targeting the USA ? … Didn’t demorats obama and clinton both attempt to normalize relations but were not able to make enough money off the deal ? … Are not most demorats actually wannabe “communist oligarchs” ? … Who controls the puppet aoc ?
Very spot on! Aoc doesn’t even know what an embargo is. She just knows she’s important and can solve all our problems. Shows what college education represent. Makes stupid people even stupider.
Her voting base needs to be redistributed so sane people can vote against her. Look up term limits and her photo will be there as a reason for its necessity
Look up term limits and a photo will be there of Ted Cruz as a reason against it.
It’s worth noting that her college degree still only got her a job as a waitress.
Old and cold: “Defund the police” is necessary for “social justice” and opposition is white supremacy.
New and bold: “Defund the police” is a sinister RethugiKKKan plot.
Old and cold: the Communist Party opposes the racist requirement to show a valid ID in order to vote.
New and bold: the Communist party has ALWAYS supported the requirement to show a valid ID in order to vote.
Old and cold: the Cuban people are protesting for more Wuflu vaccines.
New and bold: the Cuban people are protesting the injustice of the US sanctions.
Every day AOC’s deck is lighter by more than just a few cards…
Considering her deck is nothing more than a pair of jokers.
She doesn’t have a deck. She has a rack.
Very true. And, she will hold that seat for as long as she wants it.
I would not be surprised if she primaries Gillibrand in 2024 (Schumer’s up for re-election next year).
Watch this and then tell me that we’re to believe that Cuba has a great medical system. Ain’t happenin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz6VJK3mS08
How much do I have to pay to please get her ugly mug off of LI?
The US embargo has little to do with Cuba’s problems. Other places, such as Mexico, Canada, and Europe can trade openly with Cuba. Cuba’s problems have been inflicted by the Communist regime.
And China too. Don’t forget the fellow commies in the U.S.’ biggest trading partner (and Cuba’s #2).
I’ve long believed the embargo should be dropped, but bringing it up now is merely an attempt to deflect the conversation from the failures of socialism.
Absurd. They were embargoes because Castro stole billions in property from the citizens of the USA.
That having been said, Cuba can buy any American made goods, except weapons, from Canada and Mexico. It can bank internationally, enter the international bond market, and even hire international lawyers via Panama.
The embargo is meaningless.
Yeah, I’m sure the Mexican weapons embargo is water-tight.
You know, back in the old evil Basista days, Cuber’s average household income was higher than just about all European and Central and South American countries.
Education thanks to mark (and AOC) today:
-Having an unreliable and unsafe food supply is a boon to the healthcare industry of a nation because it fights obesity!
-3rd world dictatorships MUST be able to trade with the US or they can’t remain viable. Without the US accepting crappy exports from these dumpster fires, they are dumpster fires…nothing like circular reasoning to save the day.
-Everything that he doesn’t agree with lacks nuance or isn’t civil. However, explanations of such nuance are above his troll pay grade. The nuance is lacking here but its apparently so obvious that he shouldn’t have to explain it. He will be more than happy to provide a mother jones or vox link though to set you on the right path!
The best nuanced argument and logic is that Republicans defunded the police by not voting to possibly increase police budgets.
What is it with the vile Dhimmi-crats, that they are perpetually, pathologically, mentally unable to ever hold totalitarian regimes and ideologies — whether communism, the ideology of “Submission;” etc. — accountable? They always prefer to lay blame on the U.S., rather than where it properly belongs.
The US is such a convenient target. We’re #1 and that makes the commies mad. I like it when AOC gets mad and her eyes bug out.
I hope she replaces Gillibrand or Schummer. I really dislike those two. AOC is both interesting and amusing. I don’t agree with anything she says so don’t confuse me with a liberal.
It’s interesting that AOC admits a communist system doesn’t operate well without the help of a capitalist system. I wonder if she realizes how stupid she sounds.
That is what makes her such a good GOP fundraiser!