Cuba is a short boat ride away from the Florida Coast. It’s so close that Fidel Castro’s cigar smoke would sometimes perfume Little Havana in Miami. The Cuban exiles living in Florida were beached in the land of freedom, but they had still been affected by Fidel’s looming presence in their homeland. Fidel, a dictator, ruled Cuba for 47 years until 2006 when control was handed down to his younger brother, Raul. The Cuban dissidents rejoiced over Fidel’s recent death, while many on the left mourned his passing.

Liberals the world over are not mourning his death like a beloved personality who passed away too soon, but rather like a revered grandfather whose time had finally come. They’re reflecting on his life as a charismatic revolutionary who upended a world class civilization to create an anti-American society that had equality for its masses. A cause Progressives believe in.