Cuban exile-turned-congressman unloads on Dem Senate hopeful over Cuba remarks
Florida Republican congressman Carlos Gimenez criticised Democratic Senate candidate Angie Nixon over her response when asked whether Cuba is a dictatorship. The dispute has drawn attention to Nixon’s views on Cuba and to how CBS News initially presented her answer.
In a televised interview, Nixon said she had never visited Cuba and would take others’ word that it is a dictatorship; she later objected to CBS describing her as refusing to answer, and the network apologised for its wording. Gimenez said Cuba is a communist dictatorship and accused Nixon of failing to condemn it unequivocally. Nixon has criticised the US embargo and backed a return to policies from Barack Obama’s diplomatic thaw, which restored relations in 2014 and eased some restrictions; Cuba has been under communist rule since 1959.
In short
- Carlos Gimenez criticised Angie Nixon’s remarks about Cuba.
- CBS apologised for initially describing Nixon as refusing to answer.
- Nixon opposes the US embargo and supports renewed engagement with Cuba.
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The case for
A candidate for national office should be clear in condemning authoritarian rule and political repression, particularly when discussing a government that has been in power for decades. Gimenez’s criticism reflects concern that Nixon’s initial answer sounded hesitant, and that her criticism of the embargo and support for renewed engagement could soften pressure on Cuba’s government.
The case against
Nixon’s answer acknowledged Cuba is a dictatorship while explaining that she had not visited the country, and CBS later apologised for characterising her as refusing to answer. Her position can be understood as distinguishing opposition to Cuba’s political system from opposition to an embargo she considers ineffective, while favouring diplomacy that could restore relations and ease restrictions.
Explained simply
Cuba has been governed by a communist government since Fidel Castro’s revolution in 1959. The United States has maintained a trade and financial embargo for decades, though Barack Obama’s administration restored diplomatic relations in 2014 and eased some restrictions.
Carlos Gimenez is a Republican congressman from Florida whose family left Cuba. Angie Nixon is a Florida Democrat seeking a US Senate seat; she has criticised the embargo and supported returning to the more open approach pursued under Obama. Their disagreement concerns how to describe Cuba’s government and what US policy towards the island should be.