Hell In Nicaragua, Venezuela, And Cuba Puts Democrats And Their Beloved S-Word On The Spot In Florida

American Thinker
Monica Showalter 7/21/18

Democrats have been feeling their oats with socialism these days, basking in the wins they've gotten. The ascent of Democratic Socialists of America member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, in a Democratic congressional primary in New York, has given them a new battery. Ocasio's their new "it" girl.

But it might not play the way they think it will play beyond New York. Sure, Bernie Sanders and Ocasio herself are out campaigning in Kansas (which has a "progressive" tradition that even the white half of President Obama's family was part of).

But let them try that in Florida now.

That's the thinking of longtime Miami Herald columnist Andres Oppenheimer (who is center-leftish) in a column warning that Democrats had better start blasting socialist hell-holes Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua to the south of our border in Florida, or else. He writes:


If Democrats want to win the Hispanic vote in Florida – a key swing state – in upcoming elections, it won't be enough for them to say that President Trump locks up immigrant infants in cages, sides with Russia's President Vladimir Putin against U.S. intelligence agencies and heads one of the most corruption-ridden administrations in recent U.S. history.

Democratic candidates will need to speak out much louder about the crimes against humanity that are taking place in Nicaragua and Venezuela, and denounce Trump's refusal to consider asylum petitions from large numbers of people fleeing the horrors of Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba.

Apparently, the counteracting influence of the Florida's Puerto Ricans, some of whom blame President Trump for the locally corrupt response to Hurricane Maria instead of the socialists they voted for back home, isn't enough. And it may be that some are putting the blame where it belongs anyway.

Two countries, which are closely watched by Florida's immigrant population, are getting absolutely hellish as a result of socialism: Venezuela and Nicaragua. Cuba already is an awful place.

Venezuela, which was so praised by Sanders in the past, is already well known, and no, we have not seen anything negative about it from either Bernie or Alexandria.

Don't even imagine that either will bring up the horrors of Cuba – we already know they'll be touting Cuban relations.

The other festering boil of socialism is Nicaragua.

It's getting really bad there now; it looks as though an all-out civil war is getting underway; and yes, the news is starting to cover it.

Here are a few headlines, and man, I had my choice of them when I hit Google:

Student protesters say Nicaraguan forces "shooting to kill"

Nearly 300 dead in Nicaragua protests since April: UN

Costa Rica installs shelters for Nicaraguan migrants

Nicaragua's bishops to pray for exorcism amid Ortega crackdown

'Pack Up and Get Out': Nicaraguan Unrest Shakes U.S. Expat Community

Hiding in Nicaragua, Ortega's battered opponents plan comeback

Crazy. The violent final call of socialism in that region. It happened during the Reagan era, too, but there was a Soviet and Cuban element of support at the time. With that less of an element now (I'm not sure about Russia), the socialists are simply fighting like cornered rats, and it's vicious and bloody.

That presents a problem for Democrats, who are all in for socialism, and saying nothing, as Oppenheimer suggests. After all, other stories have headlines like this one that ran today: "Democratic socialism surging in the age of Trump."

Yet Oppenheimer has a poll showing that Republican Gov. Rick Scott is beating Democrat Sen. Bill Nelson handily in the Senate race, and Nelson is a moderate Democrat, the kind who are winning races around the country in isolated special elections.

His problem is that Democrats as a whole just keep keeping it silent, hoping no one will notice the socialist meltdowns in those countries, while Bernie and Alexandria continue to tout openly the wonders of socialism and all its free stuff.

Oppenheimer doesn't get to the half of it as he warns:


If Democrats don't pay more attention to Florida's Cuban, Venezuelan and Nicaraguan voters, and make a bigger effort to win them over, they will risk losing key congressional and Senate races. They might even lose the state – and, perhaps, national – elections in 2020.

And Florida is a key, key, key critical swing state indeed for Democrats. So will they speak out about socialism, or keep succoring it and coddling it as Florida's denizens look on? Democrats know it's a problem, which is why they keep silent. Watch Democrats let this roll right out of their hands as their love for socialism trumps their need for Florida votes. They've got a choice: Florida, or socialism, and they can't seem to bring themselves to extricate themselves from this tar baby other than through an uncomfortable silence. In Florida, that's not going to cut it.

Thank You Ms Showalter and American Thinker.