Two members of Florida’s congressional delegation, Sen. Marco Rubio and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen have gained reputations during their time in office for speaking out forcefully and frequently against communism, particularly the Fidel Castro regime in Cuba.
In February, Rubio delivered a speech on the Senate floor, lambasting his colleague, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, for praising the Cuban health care and education systems.
“I would suggest to my colleagues, the next time they go to Cuba,” Rubio said, “ask to meet…with the dissidents and the human rights activists that are jailed and repressed and exiled.”
In 2013, Ros-Lehtinen called communism “an abysmal failure,” referring specifically to Communist China.
The legislators’ criticism of communism is certainly warranted. Freedom of speech and other rights are violated and repressed in the world’s remaining communist countries.
That said, it was surprising to read a report from the Tampa Bay Times that aides from the offices of both Rubio and Ros-Lehtinen recently took an “all expenses paid” trip to China. Those expenses were paid directly by the communist Chinese government that both officials have so strongly criticized.
Alex Conant, a spokesperson for Rubio’s office, explained the trip by arguing that China is too important to ignore.
“Senator Rubio has consistently condemned the totalitarian nature of the Chinese government, its record of systematic human rights violations and its illegitimate territorial claims,” Conant wrote. “However, China is the most populous nation on earth, has the world’s second largest economy, has a significant nuclear weapons arsenal and is increasingly an economic competitor of the United States.”
There’s no doubt that China plays a vital role in the world economy. Attempting to isolate ourselves from one of the world’s most important global powers is not an ideal strategy.
However, Rubio has previously harshly criticized those who visit communist countries, especially Cuba.
“U.S. law clearly bans tourism to Cuba by American citizens because it provides money to a cruel, repressive and murderous regime,” Rubio said in a statement after American music icons Jay-Z and Beyoncé visited in 2013.
In a statement, Ros-Lehtinen offered a contrasting view to Rubio’s assertions about China’s economic importance.
“The world raves about the economic growth occurring in China but we all know that economic freedom cannot be a substitute for liberty and democracy,” she said.
Rubio and Ros-Lehtinen do not deserve condemnation. However, their insistence on condemning others who interact with a communist regime is certainly hypocritical.
Both of these legislators continue to oppose efforts to normalize relations with Cuba, such as lifting the trade embargo or allowing tourism. If they are so insistent on forbidding associations with a communist regime, they should hold members of their staff to the same standard.
[A version of this story ran on page 6 on 9/3/2014 under the headline "Republican staff’s China trip shows double standard"]
