An old trope becomes a useful conspiracy again
Brooklyn: Univision Radio, a large Spanish-language broadcaster, recently sold 18 of its radio stations to a group headed by Stephanie Valencia and Jess Morales Rocketto, two Democratic activists. The purchase was funded by an affiliate of George Soros (photo). In Miami, the transaction has caused outrage among a large number of Cuban listeners because one of the stations, WAQI, known to listeners as Radio Mambí, is a station known for its hard-right, Republican-oriented programming. It was sold to Latino Media Network. Its Cuban listeners fear that its far-right programming will be converted to a more moderate, Democratic-leaning format and that they will lose their hard-right megaphone.
What is so concerning that it prompts me to write is that in their daily broadcasts, the stations’ commentators have taken the position that the purchase is a leftist conspiracy in which a wealthy Jew, Soros — who many Cubans view as a far-left liberal or worse, a communist — will turn the station into a platform dedicated to bringing socialism to South Florida. Keep in mind, most Cubans became exiles because of Communist dictator Fidel Castro, whose policies they fled. Democratic progressives are equated with socialists or communists on Radio Mambí. For them, the paymaster for this socialist takeover is Soros. The antisemitic implication of the on-air rhetoric is clear.
The Florida Republican Party stands to benefit most by placing the blame for their loss of the platform on liberal Democrats and the Jewish funder of the Latino Media Network’s purchase. This undemocratic, antisemitic attack needs to be exposed and publicly condemned.