Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter
twitter.com
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

Her tweet isn't aimed at us. It's aimed at the people replying to her:

Considering the Cubans are being oppressed by an authoritarian regime, an embargo is the best option. Sure, it hurts the people but it hurts the government more. It’s a easier way to bring them to the table.

The embargo doesn’t restrict food & medical supplies.

The sixty years of suffering in Cuba has been caused by socialism a system that promises utopia and delivers violent repression. Also you fail to voice support for accepting the Cubans trying to flee the Cuban regime.

I agree that the US embargo WAS a mistake, it remains a mistake, but you don't want to end it right now when it's so close to achieve its goal, it WAS the wrong policy, but right now the regime is almost finished, lifting the embargo would give them a speed boost. PLEASE, DON'T

What you're not seeming to piece together is that the regime will simply steal whatever comes in. Ending the embargo would only benefit the party. This is a feature of the communist system. Furthermore, the embargo doesn't restrict food and medical aid and hasn't since 2000.

The problem is not the embargo but the brutality of the regime which needs to go.

The embargo is not the author of the cruelty, the authoritarian regime is. But there is one solution to both problems. Free, open, fair elections in Cuba will also result in the end of the embargo.

I love you for your heart @RepAOC @AOC I will always support you but I’m afraid the embargo is the smallest tip of the iceberg and ultimately is not phasing the Cuban people as much as it is their oppressive tyrannical govt.

You do understand that Cuba can trade with any other country in the world right? Each and every one of them. China, Europe, Russia of course… all of them. They can’t pay their bills but they CAN trade w them.

Sorry, deeply sorry, but you're wrong. There's no other way to say it to you. US embargo is not the main reason and will never be. Cuban people lives under a dictatorship, and we, the Cuban people, claim for FREEDOM. Spread the word!!!

Cubans know about the embargo but can you hear them asking for the embargo to finish or they begging for freedom and help from the U.S government? My people ask for freedom!!!

  • DetroitLolcat [he/him]
    ·
    3 years ago

    How is this any different than the MSNBC "Bernie only passed three bills" argument? Progressives just passed the covid relief bill which is probably the largest downward transfer of wealth in the US in 40 years. They're about to do it again with infrastructure. She doesn't dodge left wing media, she might just not go on your favorite podcast but she literally did an interview with DSA magazine a couple months ago. And it's not like any other lefty in Congress is spending their time on the left podcast circuit, why don't they get the same criticism?

    I don't get why there's so much lazy criticism of AOC out there. The "progressives don't get anything done" one is literally a false Hilary Clinton talking point with "its ok cause im a communist" at the end. There are a million places like China/Tibet, this Cuba tweet, a couple bad endorsements, etc where AOC can and should be criticized. Those criticisms should be elevated. But why is there so much lazy shit like this out there?

      • DetroitLolcat [he/him]
        ·
        3 years ago

        Bernie leveraged his votes to change bills and get real concessions from the Democratic party. AOC falls in line with either minor or non-binding concessions.

        Examples of Bernie doing this (I'm going to assume you're in good faith and not doing FTV crap), please?

        And it's not like House progressives always fall in line. The squad railed against Biden on the refugee cap and won. The squad railed against Manchin on numerous cuts to covid relief and won.

        The Dems were going to do that anyway, same with the infrastructure bill. Guess what, the bills still stuck. Progressives weren’t able to extract meaningful changes from either bill. Even if they did, it means nothing because we aren’t talking about Progressives as a caucus, we’re talking about AOC.

        What? House progressives literally stopped Manchin from cutting nearly half the stimulus checks and making unemployment insurance taxable. Progressives didn't need to "change" the bill because they wrote it. That's billions of dollars directly taken from capital and put in people's hands. Saying "every good thing that happens is neoliberal consensus and every bad things that happen is because progressives didn't fight" is a meaningless self-fulfilling prophecy. And heck, if you think the $1.9T covid bill and $3.5T infrastructure bill are mainstream Democrat consensus, then you have a much higher view of the Democratic Party than I do.

        If you're looking for a moment where AOC single-handedly delivered a huge win for the working class without any help, that's hard to find because life isn't Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

        • thrwdwnaway [none/use name]
          ·
          3 years ago

          That wasn't the squad. The pressure on Manchin to ease up on the cuts and restore the checks was from Kamala and Biden. Kamala who I'm sure people remember, went to west virginia to force his hand. The pressure on refugees also didn't come from the squad. It was from refugee orgs who threatened to break with Biden because he lied to them.

          Same with the relief bills. Those are Janet Yellen's baby and unless you think she is a progressive then it's also not the squad at work there. What we have is not a leftist insurgency into the democratic party, what we have is the same old where party leadership deals out scraps for individual politicians to market themselves with in their home districts.