Sen. Marco Rubio was hit by those on the Left for condemning Marxism.
Rubio, who is running for reelection in 2022 and has the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, criticized Marxism Saturday for “divid[ing] people into either oppressors or victims, call[ing] for the overthrow an ‘evil’ system & then seiz[ing] complete power in the name of ‘fairness.'”
“The old Marxism used class warfare to divide people. The new Marxism uses identity politics. But the goal is the same,” he continued.
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Rubio’s tweet was panned by the Left, many of whom questioned the senator’s understanding of Marxism.
Only someone ignorant as to what Marxism is would say that it “divides people into either oppressors or victims”. Marxist socialism is fundamentally about a society with no ruling class. That means no oppressors and no oppressed. You only get that with an economy like capitalism.
— The Socialist Party (@OfficialSPGB) June 19, 2021
Marxism is literally an economic political theory. What the hell are you talking about
— x – Harris Peskin (@HarrisPeskin) June 19, 2021
Just stop with this “Marxism” nonsense, Marco. You’re embarrassing yourself on a level that even we didn’t think was possible.
— Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) June 19, 2021
Marxism doesn’t divide people. Conservative disinformation about Marxism divides people.
— Jason Kishineff is a Rabid Anti-Imperialist. (@kishineff) June 19, 2021
Would you maybe call it… Cultural Marxism?
— Cody Johnston (@drmistercody) June 19, 2021
Is there anything that you actually know anything about?
— Benjamin Dreyer (@BCDreyer) June 19, 2021
marco you’re either an idiot or lying
— abdul ?⬛ (@Advil) June 19, 2021
I ask this with sincerity Senator Rubio, have you read any of Marx’s work? If yes, what texts? If yes, are you willing to have a real discussion of Marx’s critique of capital in a way that is intellectually honest and follows the actual texts/critique?
— Jim Keady (@JWKeady) June 19, 2021
Yeah, Marxism the biggest problem facing the American people since the marshmallow peeps shortage of 2020
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) June 20, 2021
Now do the new fascism you pathetic bootlicker.
— Fred Wellman (@FPWellman) June 19, 2021
“Marxism” is defined as “the political, economic, and social principles and policies advocated by Marx, [especially] a theory and practice of socialism, … including the labor theory of value, dialectical materialism, the class struggle, and dictatorship of the proletariat until the establishment of a classless society,” according to Merriam-Webster.
A Cuban American whose parents immigrated to Miami, Rubio has frequently criticized the Caribbean country, saying his family fled the oppression that resulted from the nation’s socialist economic system.
“The only people who are responsible for the Cuban people’s woes are their geriatric rulers, who insist on maintaining a socialist economy that almost all other countries — with the possible exception of North Korea — have realized is a failed relic of the past,” he said in a New York Times op-ed in 2015, referring to the leadership of Raul Castro and his brother Fidel.
Those on the Left have increasingly embraced the “socialist” label in some form, with some Democrats, such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, referring to themselves as “democratic socialists.”
“Democratic socialism is a government that reflects the interests of ordinary people, rather than is currently the case, the billionaire class,” he said in 2015, adding that the political philosophy is about “creating a government and policies that work for ordinary people rather [than] where our political system is dominated by large campaign donors who are working for the very wealthy.”
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A 2018 poll, which was conducted online by BuzzFeed from Sept. 21 to Sept. 24 with a random sample size of 1,006 individuals between the ages of 22 and 37, found almost half of Democratic and nearly a quarter of Republican millennials claimed they were socialists or democratic socialists. Only 17% reported they would never consider themselves either.
Rubio’s race is considered somewhat competitive, and several high-profile Democratic challengers, such as Reps. Val Demings and Alan Grayson, are hoping to oust him next year.
