The Democratic Socialists Of America Stand Up For Cuba!

Word is that things are a little rough down in Cuba right now. In my post of February 23, I reported that Cuba had become the first nation in the world to achieve the climate activists’ Holy Grail of “Net Zero” carbon emissions. I had looked around for news of the big celebration of Cuba’s achievement, but I couldn’t find any mention of it. If I had understood things correctly — and I think I had — Net Zero was supposed to deliver abundant and much cheaper electricity from the free wind and sun, lowering everybody’s energy costs, creating jobs, and saving the planet in the process. And yet, in a February 20 piece, the New York Times had revealed that the process of achieving Net Zero had somehow brought Cuba “to its knees.” Are we missing something here?

And then two days ago, March 16, the BBC (and many other sources) reported that the entire island of Cuba had been plunged into a blackout. Apparently there has since been some partial restoration of power, but much or even most of the island remains in darkness, without much prospect of relief any time soon.

Of all groups that ought to be celebrating, at the top of the list would be the Democratic Socialists of America. They have been among the most forceful advocates for the rapid if not immediate elimination of fossil fuels from the energy system. Prominent members of the DSA include the Bronx/Queens it-girl Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York’s new Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, although apparently not formally a member of DSA, has both supported and been supported by the group.

So I went to the DSA website to find information about their celebration of Cuba’s achievement. It’s not there. Instead, I find this:

The Trump administration has escalated the decades-long embargo on Cuba, cutting off the island’s access to oil, choking its energy grid, and accelerating a humanitarian crisis. . . .

OK, that’s one take, but frankly it’s rather lame. Yes, the U.S. has boycotted Cuba for decades, not just under Trump, but during both Republican and Democratic presidencies. But the U.S. is just one country out of nearly 200 in the world, constituting around 25% of the world economy. That leaves the other 190+ countries and 75% of the world economy that is not boycotting Cuba. Europe is not boycotting Cuba. China is not boycotting Cuba. Brazil and Mexico are not boycotting Cuba. Canada is not boycotting Cuba.

And according to the DSA, Cuba has a superior economic system to the U.S., an economic system that the DSA would like to implement here. In particular, the fossil-fuel-free energy system recently implemented in Cuba has been exactly what the DSA has long been advocating for the U.S.

Here is a post from NPR in 2019 reporting on Congresspeople’s AOC’s and Edward Markey’s release of their proposal for the Green New Deal. A few excerpts:

In very broad strokes, the Green New Deal legislation laid out by Ocasio-Cortez and Markey sets goals for some drastic measures to cut carbon emissions across the economy, from electricity generation to transportation to agriculture. In the process, it aims to create jobs and boost the economy. . . . Among the most prominent, the deal calls for "meeting 100 percent of the power demand in the United States through clean, renewable, and zero-emission energy sources." The ultimate goal is to stop using fossil fuels entirely. . . .

In short, the Green New Deal proposal described exactly what Cuba has just done — “stop using fossil fuels entirely.” According to AOC and Markey, this would “create jobs and boost the economy.” Is there some reason that that is not occurring in Cuba?

The New York Sun has a piece from March 15 with the headline beginning “American Socialists To Join New Cuba Aid Flotilla . . .” (likely behind paywall). Excerpt:

The Democratic Socialists of America announced that 20 DSA members will join an international group of humanitarians, the so-called Nuestra América Convoy, which says it is delivering critical aid to Cuba amid an economic and energy crisis caused by America’s blockade of fuel, flights, and other essential supplies. . . . It has issued an open letter signed by celebrities like Jane Fonda, Mark Ruffalo, and Susan Sarandon, calling for the administration to “treat Cuba with equality and respect” and “let Cuba live.” . . . With 89 percent of Cubans reportedly living in poverty, the Communist regime has a chokehold on food and energy distribution.

What I’m not getting is why Cuba is in need of some kind of humanitarian aid. According to the DSA, Cuba has an economic system superior to ours, and which we should emulate. It has the ability to trade freely with countries representing 75% of the world economy in essentially all commodities other than oil which, as DSA has told us, is not needed and should be eliminated ASAP. If the Cubans are short of electricity at the moment, they have the complete ability to obtain wind turbines and solar panels from China to their hearts’ content. Won’t that solve the problem?

I guess it’s admirable of the DSA to stand up for their comrades in Cuba. But shouldn’t they have at least a little curiosity as to why Cuba can’t make carbon free electricity — let alone anything else in its economy — work? It’s hard to believe that morons at this level get elected to office in the U.S., but there you have it.