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The new Republican majority in the House of Representatives decided to introduce last Thursday a resolution to condemn the horrors of socialism. Although they thought it would not bring much inconvenience, the truth is that it divided the Democratic caucus and there were 86 votes against it.
The resolution was sponsored by Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), who briefly explained the reasons why she believed the Lower House should pass the resolution. “Because young people in America are being brainwashed by the news media and academia into believing that socialism is an economic model for the greater good of all Americans,” she asserted.
She further stated that a strong approval by the House would send a clear signal that “the House of the People unequivocally denounces this cruel and unjust ideology.” On the other hand, she clarified that “the resolution outlines several historical examples of the greatest crimes and tragedies of socialism, and why such a system goes against the founding principles of our great nation.”
The text itself is three pages long, and points out that “many of the greatest crimes in history were committed by socialist ideologues”, explicitly alluding to Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro, Pol Pot, Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-un, Daniel Ortega, Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro.
Therefore, “Congress denounces socialism in all its forms and opposes the implementation of socialist policies in the United States of America,” concludes the resolution presented by Salazar, who was elected to Congress in 2021 and re-elected in 2022.
When it came to the vote, all the Republicans were united in condemning socialism, while the Democrats experienced an interesting debate. 86 of them explicitly refused to condemn the aforementioned ideology. Of course, this group consisted of all members of The Squad – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, Summer Lee, Greg Casar, and Delia Ramirez.
A total of 86 Democrats voted against condemning socialism, while 14 of them voted “present.”
In justifying their refusal, many Democrats noted their concern for the future of Social Security and Medicare. One of them was Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-NY), who lamented the “failure today to consider a resolution that would reflect the overwhelming consensus of this House: that capitalism, not socialism, has proven to be the best economic system.”
“Such a resolution would have united us. It would give confidence to our fellow citizens that we are united in our support for our democratic capitalist system. The resolution before us today, however, does not do that. On the contrary, it is an intellectually bankrupt display of political demagoguery,” the veteran legislator argued.
Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, a ranking member of the House Rules Committee, joined Hoyer’s complaints and expressed his displeasure with the resolution. “The resolution on socialism is useless. It serves no purpose. It doesn’t matter. Are we talking about public schools? Are we talking about roads? Are we talking about Social Security? Please,” he declared after the vote.
Democrats who refused to condemn socialism
- Adams
- Balint
- Barragán
- Beatty
- Beyer
- Blumenauer
- Bonamici
- Bowman
- Bush
- Cárdenas
- Carson
- Casar
- Castro (TX)
- Chu
- Clarke (NY)
- Cleaver
- Connolly
- Courtney
- Davis (IL)
- DeGette
- DeLauro
- DeSaulnier
- Doggett
- Espaillat
- Evans
- Fletcher
- Foushee
- Frost
- Garamendi
- García (IL)
- Garcia (TX)
- Garcia, Robert
- Goldman (NY)
- Gomez
- Green, Al (TX)
- Grijalva
- Hayes
- Higgins (NY)
- Himes
- Hoyer
- Huffman
- Jayapal
- Johnson (GA)
- Kamlager-Dove
- Kelly (IL)
- Larson (CT)
- Lee (CA)
- Lee (PA)
- McCollum
- McGarvey
- McGovern
- Mfume
- Moore (WI)
- Mullin
- Nadler
- Napolitano
- Neal
- Ocasio-Cortez
- Omar
- Pallone
- Pascrell
- Payne
- Pingree
- Pocan
- Porter
- Pressley
- Ramirez
- Raskin
- Sánchez
- Sarbanes
- Schakowsky
- Scott (VA)
- Scott, David
- Sherman
- Smith (WA)
- Takano
- Thanedar
- Tlaib
- Tokuda
- Tonko
- Torres (CA)
- Vargas
- Velázquez
- Waters
- Watson Coleman
- Williams (GA)
Joaquín Núñez es licenciado en comunicación periodística por la Universidad Católica Argentina. Se especializa en el escenario internacional y en la política nacional norteamericana. Confeso hincha de Racing Club de Avellaneda. Contacto: [email protected] // Joaquín Núñez has a degree in journalistic communication from the Universidad Católica Argentina. He specializes in the international scene and national American politics. Confessed fan of Racing Club of Avellaneda. Contact: [email protected]