Conservative commentator Silvio Canto Jr., himself a Cuban immigrant, is pushing back against the Democratic Party’s rebranding of socialism — and he’s warning that a key voting bloc is watching closely.
In a recent column for American Thinker, Canto takes aim at the rise of “democratic socialism” within Democratic politics, arguing that the party’s attempts to paint socialism as a matter of “fairness and cheap electricity” won’t fool Hispanic voters who have firsthand experience with socialist regimes.
Democrats face skepticism among Hispanic voters
Canto points to reporting from The Hill that Democrats are struggling to regain ground with Hispanic voters following the 2024 election. The report highlights a growing concern among party strategists that the rise of democratic socialism is a “turnoff” to some Hispanic voters — particularly older individuals who fled nations like Cuba and Venezuela.
Canto, who came to the United States from Cuba with his parents, says that older Hispanic voters “actually experienced the lie of socialism” and came to America to escape it.
“The bottom line is that it doesn’t work. It’s as simple as that,” he writes.
Younger Hispanic voters also skeptical
While much of the focus has been on older Hispanic voters, Canto argues that younger Hispanic voters are also skeptical of socialist promises. He points to recent elections across Latin America, where center-right candidates have won after voters rejected leaders in the mold of Hugo Chávez and Fidel Castro.
Canto suggests that young American liberals who are drawn to democratic socialism have been “sold a lie by their teachers,” and he warns they are now listening to candidates who promise what they cannot deliver.
‘We saw that movie’
Drawing on his own family’s history, Canto recalls the words of his late parents: “We saw that movie, and it doesn’t end well.” That phrase, he says, captures the sentiment of many Hispanic voters who are wary of socialist rhetoric.
Canto’s commentary comes at a time when Democrats are actively seeking to rebuild support among Hispanic voters, a group that shifted significantly toward Republicans in the 2024 cycle.
Whether the party’s embrace of progressive economic policies will help or hurt those efforts remains an open question, but Canto is clear about his own view: socialism “is toxic and evil” for those who have lived under it.
Source: www.americanthinker.com — https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/09/communism-we-saw-that-movie/