Posted on 07/25/2026 9:16:02 AM PDT by DFG
A leftist Democrat sparked fierce backlash after he appeared to insist that Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s views on Cuba carried less weight because he has not visited the island.
Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., made the striking claim during a heated exchange with U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz on Wednesday at a committee hearing.
Pocan, who has compared Cuba to a "silent Gaza," visited the communist island earlier in July, where he called for the U.S. to relent on its pressure campaign against the Cuban government, blaming U.S. sanctions for the island's economic devastation and fuel shortages.
During his questioning of Waltz, he did not address the Cuban government's likely hoarding of resources as it maintains a firm grip over the economy or its continued access to luxuries amid economic turmoil.
"During your visit, did you visit the private island from the Castro regime?" Waltz asked Pocan. "Did you visit their private jet which seems to have fuel to get back and forth?"
Pocan dodged the question and fired back, "Considering you've never been to Cuba, I'm not going to take your advice on where to go."
"Marco Rubio has never been to Cuba, so many others who have strong opinions," the Wisconsin lawmaker added later.
"His entire family is from Cuba and fled the regime," Waltz replied.
"They left before the revolution," Pocan responded. "That is decades ago. That’s a ridiculous answer. It’s worth going there if you’re going to have such strong opinions and I think you’d maybe look at it a little differently."
The exchange drew swift criticism on social media, with several conservative commentators accusing Pocan of parroting the Cuban government's talking points.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
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Democrats have not met a tyrant they don’t love or a freedom fighter they don’t hate. Cuba is their model for America. When Cuba is free, so many issues we have with subversion and that sort of thing will be corrected.
This coming from a dolt deeply under control of the Chinese.
Ooops. Strike Comment 3. I confused this guy with Tim Walz.
If only FR had decent 21st century technologies, I would be able to delete it myself.
The public has been dumbed down to the point where they will vote for people who are stupid beyond words.
I often wonder about the difficulties and hardships of communist regimes.
According to the communist theories, communism is the preferred way of organizing your economy and society.
According to communist theories , capitalism is evil.
We see Cuba having major economic problems. Yet communism is supposedly the best way to run their economy.
And so we are being told that the US is the bad guy, causing Cuba’s problems. But the US is an evil imperialistic capitalist country. I know their icon Fidel Castro had said a lot about this during his lifetime.
Sorry to be long-winded here. But my question is, why is it somehow the fault of the United States, that Cuba has such problems, if communism is supposedly the best way to run your country?
Why would they need any aid from an evil capitalist regime, such as ours, in order for them to take care of their people? Why is an allegedly evil capitalist country supposed to solve the problems inherent in communism?
Maybe so but nobody has been allowed to leave since. Am I right, Elian Gonzalez? Up high!
I'm reading Pezzullo's book, Stolen Elections. It has background on the Venezuelan/Cuban machinations over the last 60 years that are most instructive. Missing from it (so far, I'm only 100pp into it) is discussion of the role of the CIA in all of this. I hope he gets there. I really want to know what makes that claque of Yalies tick.
These commie foot soldiers never realize they will be the first to be killed if real communism takes hold. Stalin called them useful idiots and then killed them.
Pocan, who has compared Cuba to a “silent Gaza,”? I would say they are everybit as bloodthirsty and animalistic as the Gaza Murderer-torturers-rapists..They have done the same, perhaps as not visibly as the thousands of innocent Jews that the ‘Gazans’ have.
Stalin called them useful idiots and then killed them.
Especially the Jewish ones.
except all the crims they got rid of in the Mariel boat lift
Big time.
👍
That’s the sad truth.
These fools actually think they’ll be given positions of importance and power because they think they’re special and entitled.
Exactly.
FR posts are Fine...
Etched in Granite for All
To See and Time can’t erase!
.
Yes
IT’S Old School.
This guy is the perfect reflection of the insanity that has infected so many people in Madison. He is so devoted to the perks and privileges of his office that he is willing to say whatever ridiculous thing he thinks he needs to say to hold on to his job. He is, in other words, selling his soul to keep his (rice)bowl.
I took a couple of (language) classes at UW-Madison nearly 40 years ago, and remember seeing signs advertising a speech by Daniel Ortega on campus. What a blessing he has been to Nicaragua.
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