MIAMI — Denounced by fellow Democrats, presidential candidate and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio apologized Thursday for what he said was an inadvertent quoting of Marxist Revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara in Miami, home to hundreds of thousands of exiles who had fled the bloody Cuban Revolution he led.
"I did not know the phrase I used in Miami today was associated with Che Guevara & I did not mean to offend anyone who heard it that way. I certainly apologize for not understanding that history," de Blasio wrote on Twitter after Democrats joined with Republicans in condemning him for
The phrase, which means “until victory, always!”, was essentially trademarked by Guevara in 1959 and has been a catchphrase for the Cuban Revolution ever since..
The apology was publicly accepted by Florida Democrats, who were nevertheless upset that the mayor, after a Wednesday night debate appearance in Miami, had helped Republicans brand them as the party of socialism.
The Democratic condemnation of de Blasio underscored the political stakes in the nation’s biggest swing state. President Trump has focused on wooing Florida Hispanics who have had roots in nations characterized by economic troubles, such as Cuba, Venezuela, Colombia and Nicaragua.
“Mayor Bill De Blasio does not speak for Floridians or the Florida Democratic Party and he would be wise to apologize,” Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Terrie Rizzo said on Twitter hours before the apology.
Two top state senators from Miami, Jose Javier Rodriguez and Annette Taddeo, also spoke out against de Blasio, with Taddeo saying she was “utterly disgusted.”
“Delete Your Campaign,” she wrote in a Twitter
“Quoting a murderer responsible for death & oppression in communist Cuba and throughout Latin America is not acceptable. Please apologize. Many on strike are Cuban btw,” Rodriguez
De Blasio’s remarks ricocheted through Miami political circles as hometown Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), son of Cuban refugees, mocked de Blasio and Democrats in general.
“Bill De Blasio went to a rally at the #Miami airport today & ended his speech by quoting from the murderous Che Guevara’s farewell letter to Fidel Castro,” Rubio wrote sarcastically on Twitter. “But how dare anyone call him or any democrat candidate a socialist.”
De Blasio, who appeared at Wednesday night’s presidential debate in Miami, isn’t the only candidate in the race who has made remarks that have jibed with Republican criticisms of Democrats. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has a long history of making favorable remarks about Cuba, the Soviet Union and Nicaragua’s leftist leader, Daniel Ortega.
In February, Sanders was criticized by Florida Democrats and Republicans for refusing to call Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro a dictator.
While pleading ignorance to knowing he was quoting Che Guevara, de Blasio has fondly recalled his involvement in Latin American politics more broadly over the years.
He studied the subject at Columbia and supported Nicaragua's ruling Sandinista party, which was denounced by the Reagan administration. He helped raise money for the group in New York and subscribed to its newspaper, though he did criticize the Sandinista's tough stance on dissenters.
Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine