Andres Alburquerque, senior member, MSI²
The Cuban Revolution is often perceived as a lightning bolt: Fidel Castro and his bearded guerillas descending from the mountains, overthrowing Fulgencio Batista in a blaze of glory. But the truth is much more grotesque and dangerous. Batista was not entirely Cain, and Castro was undoubtedly the antithesis of Abel. The revolution did not start with socialism up its sleeve. It began with vague promises of reform, of justice—if that were even possible—and of "restoring democracy"; whatever that means.
As we always denounce, the left presses all the right buttons; it mentions all the right causes while ensuring that nothing changes. Only after coming to power did Castro reveal his true face: an unrelenting march towards Marxism, the crushing of dissent, and the reconstruction of Cuban society, as well as the rewriting of the nation's history, under the banner of equality. The mask of moderation was always temporary until its moment arrived. Does that sound familiar?
The Democratic Party in the United States has followed its own revolution, quieter. For decades, it has disguised itself as the party of pragmatism: the big tent of working families, blue-collar voters, and cautious liberals. However, just like Castro, the Democrats discovered that gradualism is more effective than open confrontation until their moment arrives. Does that sound familiar? Especially considering their arrival, tied at the hip, to the KKK and the racist governors of the South. What was once presented as sensible reform has consolidated into an ideological project. From the New Deal to the Great Society and the current rhetoric of the Green New Deal, the trajectory is unmistakable: a constant and carefully directed radicalization, disguised with the language of compassion and progress until their moment arrives. Does that sound familiar?
The analogy is not in the weapons or the jungle, but in the pattern: camouflaging radicalism with moderation, controlling the institutions one by one, and shifting the center of gravity leftward until their moment arrives and the "new normal" bears no resemblance to the country it once was. Just as the “revolutionaries” of Cuba promised freedom only to deliver socialism, the Democratic Party promises moderation even while it accelerates the U.S. towards the abyss of a collectivist future.
The mask of moderation
Castro did not storm Havana brandishing the sickle and hammer. He spoke of democracy, justice, and liberation. Once again, hitting all the right keys and pressing all the right buttons until his moment arrived. Does that sound familiar? Socialism remained in the shadows until its power was secured. This was not honesty; it was the usual Fabian strategy.
The Democratic Party has mastered the same tactic. For decades, it presented itself as pragmatic: the party of working families and gradual progress. But moderation has always been a mask that concealed a steady march to the left. Economic redistribution, centralized climate planning, identity-based quotas, and even censorship are now presented as conventional Democratic positions, even though each of them was unthinkable not long ago. Just like Castro, the Democrats understand that moderation sells, until their moment arrives and it is no longer necessary. Does that sound familiar?
Gradualism as revolutionary strategy
Revolutions are rarely announced with fanfare. Castro did not burst into Havana proclaiming Marxism-Leninism as his banner. Instead, he spoke of restoring the republic, a chimera that the island was presumably close to for only 12 years, of cleaning up corruption, and of giving the people a fairer deal. Only once power was in his hands did "moderate" reforms transform into collectivization, censorship, and a permanent one-party regime.
The Democratic Party has perfected the same tactic. The New Deal was presented as emergency aid; a just cause, but institutionalized federal dependency. The Great Society was presented as compassion, another just cause, but entrenched a bureaucracy of social assistance. Obamacare was presented as modest reform and another just cause, but propelled the logic of government-managed healthcare. Although we must admit it at least provided the illusion of coverage to millions. It gave comfort to many until the moment came to go to the doctor and they realized their insurance was likely just paper with no real value. Today, the Green New Deal is presented as climate policy, but its implications affect every aspect of the economy.
Each measure is presented as a quick fix. Each one is declared “moderate.” Yet, step by step, decade after decade, the Party drags the political center left. This is not moderation. It is not pragmatism. It is a slow-motion revolution.
Redefining the enemy
Every revolution needs an enemy. For Castro, it began with Batista. But after Batista's fall, a new villain was needed: the United States, and then capitalism itself. One could argue that the upper echelons of American power conspired with the Soviet Communist Party to catapult Castro to leadership of the island, and that will be the subject of another article. For now, let’s simply say that the so-called Cuban Revolution is the embodiment of Animal Farm by Orwell in contemporary geopolitics. The revolution survived by fabricating an endless procession of enemies, increasingly larger and more abstract than the previous ones.
The Democratic Party has adopted the same tactic. Once, political opponents were merely rivals in debate. Today, Republicans are painted as existential threats to "our democracy." Critics are not dissenters; they are "extremists." The enemies are racists; regardless of the recent racist past of the Democrats. Even free enterprise itself is labeled oppressive and unfair.
A movement seeking radical transformation cannot survive without a perpetual crisis. Castro had the "Yankees" across the strait. The Democrats declare that the enemy is everywhere: in their rivals, in the economy, in those who hesitate within their own ranks; even in the founding principles of the United States.
Capturing institutions
The true triumph of Castro was not simply taking possession of Havana, but taking possession of Cuban institutions and much more. Schools became indoctrination camps, unions became enforcers, the press was silenced, and the military was reformed. The institutions ensured the permanence of the revolution.
The Democrats have pursued their own institutional conquest. Universities churn out ideological conformity. Hollywood and the media amplify partisan narratives. Corporate boards, once neutral, now submit to dogmas and ESG quotas. The unelected and extensive federal bureaucracy promotes progressive goals under the guise of "neutral" regulation.
Castro captured the institutions with rifles. The Democrats capture them with credentials, regulations, and cultural dominance. The result is the same: the organs of society beat to the rhythm of the revolution.
Youth as shock troops
No revolution endures without fanatics, and no fervor is more potent than that of the youth. Castro's early supporters were radicalized anti-communist students eager to exchange classrooms for rifles. Their energy stoked the fire of the revolution. Only to end up consolidating the foundations of the very system they detested.
The Democrats have their own vanguard in Generation Z and millennial activists. They march in protests, dominate social media, and demand open socialism. Ideas that were once confined to the margins of the campus—defund the police, cancel debt, open borders, climate emergency—now resonate in the halls of Congress.
A revolution does not need all the youth, just enough—angry, restless, and with a firm moral compass—to keep moving forward. Cuba had its guerrillas. The Democrats have their activists. The jungle has disappeared, but the fire remains the same.
The radical end disguised as compassion
Castro never presented tyranny as tyranny. He presented it as compassion. The confiscation of land was "just." Rationing was "solidarity." Censorship was "protection."
The Democrats use the same disguise. Redistribution is "justice." Bureaucratic control is "security." Quotas are "equity." Even censorship is justified as "public health." Policies that expand the state and contract freedom are never admitted as ideology, only as goodness.
This is the most dangerous weapon: resistance is presented as cruelty when coercion is disguised as compassion. The Cuban people learned too late what lay beneath the velvet glove. Americans risk learning the same lesson.
The American warning
The tragedy of Cuba was that its revolution was not declared until it was too late to resist. By the time the mask fell, the island was already chained.
The revolution of the Democratic Party is different in form but not in trajectory. Its weapons are reforms, institutions, youth, and rhetoric. Its banner is compassion. Its battlefield is culture. Its condition for victory is the silent transformation of the American soul.
The question is whether Americans will recognize the pattern in time, for revolutions that begin with moderation end in radicalism. Revolutions that disguise themselves as compassion end in control. This brings us to the role of us, the people: the right, the center, and the millions of sensible Democrats who feel an emptiness beneath their feet at a time when their leaders seem to believe that their moment has finally arrived and they have taken off the mask. Will we be able to discern between the hits the left presses for and their true objectives? Will we be able to unite forces in the struggle for our survival?
The Cuban people learned too late. The American people still have a choice.
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