Maxine’s Epic Fail: Once Boisterous, Now Suddenly Silent

Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters recently found herself in a difficult situation when her own words were used against her during a House Rules Committee meeting.

Texas Rep. Chip Roy had read an op-ed from a Democrat from Cuba pointing out the similarities between democratic socialism and the system his family fled from, and Waters was unable to defend herself against it. Let’s dive deeper into this interesting exchange and what it reveals about socialism in America today.

“We can go around and around in circles about trying to talk about and defining socialism, but at its core I was intrigued by an op-ed that I saw not too long ago by a Democrat from Cuba commenting on one of our colleagues, an avowed socialist, and essentially pointing out the extent to which democratic socialism is a lot like the system my family fled except its proponents promised to be nicer when seizing your business. That’s the truth,” Texas Rep. Chip Roy said during the House Rules Committee meeting.

“I’ve got one question for… ranking member Waters in a 2008 hearing you said quote ‘and guess what, this liberal will be all about … this liberal will be all about socializing … would be about basically taking over the government and the government running all of your companies’ end quote,” Roy continued. “Simple question: Do you stand by that statement?”

“I’m not a socialist, I’m a capitalist and I commit to you that I am here to save Social Security, to save Medicare, to save seniors and Veterans and for some of you who have adopted certain kind of ways that you support what you now claim is socialism, I’m here to say to you, come on,” Waters said.

Roy then inquired as to why she was pushing so hard a decade ago about the government taking over the oil industry to which she could only say… “I am not a socialist.”

The Incident in Question

The incident occurred during a House Rules Committee meeting discussing H. Con. Res 9, which is a resolution made by Florida Congresswoman Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar denouncing socialism. Rep. Roy made the statement that democratic socialism is similar to the type of system his family had fled from, citing an op-ed as his source of information on the matter. When asked if she had anything to say against the comment, Waters simply replied “No I don’t have any comment on that” and quickly changed the topic to another pressing issue.

What Does This Say About Socialism?

This incident raises some interesting questions about the state of socialism in America today, particularly among Democrats who are often accused of practicing socialist policies without acknowledging them as such.

The fact that Waters was unable to respond when challenged on her beliefs demonstrates how difficult it can be for socialists to defend their beliefs under scrutiny, which could mean that there is more uncertainty about what socialism truly means than many people realize—and that there may not be unanimous agreement in America about how best to define it at all times.

featured image: Gage Skidmore