On Wednesday’s broadcast of “CNN News Central,” Democratic Socialists of America Co-Chair Ashik Siddique defended the organization praising Fidel Castro by saying that “Many people, especially younger Americans, now, are looking at the history of what happened in Cuba and what it was like before the Cuban Revolution, where it was one of the most unequal societies in the Western Hemisphere, people lived under very brutal conditions under a power structure where U.S. corporations were profiting off the labor of the Cuban people.” And while Cuba does have repression now, “the revolution in Cuba led to an expansion of things like universal healthcare.” He also blamed America’s blockading and sanctioning of the country.
Co-host Boris Sanchez asked, “Last week, the DSA commemorated 100 years of Fidel Castro with a statement describing him as ‘an organizer’ and ‘a fighter’. How do you think that plays with Florida voters?” Siddique responded, “I think you’re seeing the results, you’re seeing that play out in these elections, where our candidates are campaigning on addressing the cost of living crises that so many people are struggling with in the U.S., and especially in Florida. More and more people are not happy with a government that spends, now, over $1 trillion on a military budget, on expanding the ICE budget to tear communities apart, kidnapping our neighbors. People want our taxpayer dollars to be used on things like Medicare for All, raising a living wage, providing childcare for everybody. So, if we want to expand democracy across the world, and especially in the United States, the policies we’re talking about are the way to do it.”
