‘Sinking the Democratic Party’: Biden’s Cuba move spurs rare bipartisan condemnation in key electoral state
2025-01-16
Category: political

President Biden’s proclamation removing Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terror caused an uproar in Florida, notably among the president's fellow Democrats. The rare political unity in the Sunshine State was pronounced after Biden certified on Tuesday that Havana's Miguel Diaz-Canel regime has "not provided any support for international terrorism" during the preceding six-month period. Biden’s declaration also claimed Havana provided Washington with assurances it will not support terrorism in the future, and that the U.S. maintains its "core objective" of "more freedom and democracy" for the Cuban people. However, Democratic Floridians were up in arms at the development. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, in heavily-blue Broward County, told Axios on Tuesday that the outgoing president is doing lasting political damage. "This is Joe Biden literally sinking the Democratic Party in the state of Florida," he said. "Big time." CUBA'S REPORTED RETURN TO MEDDLING IN US ELECTIONS A ‘BADGE OF HONOR’ FOR TARGETED CRITICS  Once the most notable "swing state" — rife with ballot "hanging chads" and the "Brooks Brothers Riot" of the 2000 election — Florida has seen a major rightward lurch in recent years. State Gov. Ron DeSantis orchestrated an electoral blowout of Republican-turned-Democrat Charlie Crist in 2022, and President-elect Trump shocked the state by flipping Miami-Dade County red in 2024. Trump lost Miami-Dade by 30 points in 2020, but won by 11 points in November. The county has a sizable Latino and specifically Cuban-American population — highlighted by its famed "Little Havana" neighborhood along U.S. Highway 41. "Just as we try to patch the hole in the boat, Biden punches another hole in it," Moskowitz told the outlet.&nbsp; "Florida is a red state, and Biden just waved the white flag of surrender."  Meanwhile, Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried said she is "disappointed" at the decision. "We condemn in the strongest terms Cuba's removal from this list, as well as any possible lifting of economic sanctions, and call on the Biden Administration to reverse course immediately." Fried said in a statement that generations of Floridian Cuban-Americans have shared stories of the Castro regime’s oppression, and that Diaz-Canel is Raul Castro’s "hand-picked successor" as the first non-Castro to lead Cuba since Fulgencio Batista was overthrown by the Castro brothers in 1959. Following the terror-sponsored designation change, Havana officials reportedly pledged to release more than 500 political prisoners — for which the Catholic Church had been negotiating for some time. As the news fell just ahead of Cuban-American Sen. Marco Rubio’s confirmation hearing to be Trump’s secretary of state, a spokesperson for Biden told Axios the timing is strictly coincidental. Rubio is one of several lawmakers — and residents — of South Florida whose parents or grandparents fled the Communist nation. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla. — the only Cuban-born member of Congress — called Biden a "pathetic coward" for his decision to drop Cuba’s terror-sponsor designation. ‘BLOODIED’ LITTLE HAVANA DEMONSTRATOR SLAMS BIDEN: ‘CUBANS DON’T WANT VACCINES, THEY WANT FREEDOM'  Gimenez added that Rubio will "pulverize the [Castro/Diaz-Canel] regime once and for all." He told Fox News Digital that Biden’s decision is "morally bankrupt" and geopolitically "treacherous," for a malign regime that sits less than 90 miles from the edge of his own congressional district’s Monroe County boundary. Gimenez went on to warn that the decision ignores Cuba’s coziness with the Chinese Communist Party, and intelligence sharing with Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro and Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega. &nbsp; "The [Cuban] dictatorship must be confronted and isolated — never appeased." He praised Florida leaders from Biden’s side of the aisle for being willing to speak out at such an important time. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, a Republican whose Miami-Dade district abuts Gimenez', said he is "disgusted but not surprised" by what he called Biden's "final acts of betrayal to the security interests of the United States." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP  As Moskowitz and other Democrats warn of the damage being done to the Democratic Party by moves such as the removal of Cuba’s terror-sponsor designation, several Florida Democrats have fled the party and praised Trump in recent weeks. Maureen Porras, the vice-mayor of Doral, Florida — the tony Miami suburb where Trump owns a golf club and resort — told The Floridian her now-former party "prioritized minority opinions" and "neglected to… address the real issues affecting our community."&nbsp; Meanwhile, State Reps. Susan Valdes of Tampa and Hillary Cassel of Hallandale Beach, Florida, recently changed their affiliation from Democratic to Republican.