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On US-Cuba Relations

Speaking for me only. For the record, I am a Cuban-American, I think Castro's Cuba has been a 47 year totalitarian dictatorship.

I think I have been the most virulently anti-Castro "progressive" (I'm a centrist remember?) blogger you'll find. So, if you read Steve Clemons, you'd think I would favor Hillary Clinton's stance:

Hillary Clinton has stated quite clearly that she is content to stick with past policies -- those of President Bush -- when it comes to Cuba.

You'd be wrong. I oppose the embargo. I prefer Chris Dodd's approach; on the merits:

I want to see the peaceful transition to democracy occur on the Island of Cuba in my life time. That isn't going to happen if we continue the misguided policies of the last forty-six years. We must open the flood gates to contacts with the Cuban people. We must remove restrictions on the ability of Cuban Americans to provide financial assistance to their loved ones. Even small sums of money in the hands of ordinary Cuban families can serve as catalysts for private investment to gain a foothold in Cuba. . . . I have joined with twenty of my colleagues in a bi-partisan way to co-sponsor S.721 the Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act of 2007. It is simply un-American to bar American citizens from traveling to foreign countries. . . . For more than forty-six years, the United States has maintained an isolationist policy toward Cuba, which I believe has not achieved its intended objectives, namely to hasten a peaceful and democratic transition on the Island of Cuba. Rather, it has solidified the authoritarian control of Fidel Castro, and has adversely affected the already miserable living conditions of 11 million innocent men, women, and children on the Island. I have long opposed restrictions on the sale of food and medicine to the Cuban people.

To his credit, Barack Obama holds similar views:

It is a tragedy that, just 90 miles from our shores, there exists a society where such freedom and opportunity are kept out of reach by a government that clings to discredited ideology and authoritarian control. A democratic opening in Cuba is, and should be, the foremost objective of our policy. We need a clear strategy to achieve it -- one that takes some limited steps now to spread the message of freedom on the island, but preserves our ability to bargain on behalf of democracy with a post-Fidel government.

The primary means we have of encouraging positive change in Cuba today is to help the Cuban people become less dependent on the Castro regime in fundamental ways. U.S. policy must be built around empowering the Cuban people, who ultimately hold the destiny of Cuba in their hands. . . .

Advance political reform

These interests, and our support for the aspirations of the Cuban people, are ill served by the further entrenchment of the Castro regime, which is why we need to advance peaceful political and economic reform on the island. Castro's ill health and the potentially tumultuous changes looming ahead make the matter all the more urgent.

. . . U.S. policies -- especially the fact that Cuban Americans were allowed to maintain and deepen ties with family on the island -- were a key cause of that ''Cuban spring.'' Although cut off by the Castro regime's deplorable March 2003 jailing of 75 of Cuba's most prominent and courageous dissidents, the opening underscored what is possible with a sensible strategic approach.

We in the United States should do what we can to bring about another such opening, taking certain steps now-and pledging to take additional steps as temporary openings are solidified into lasting change.

Cuban-American connections to family in Cuba are not only a basic right in humanitarian terms, but also our best tool for helping to foster the beginnings of grass-roots democracy on the island. Accordingly, I will grant Cuban Americans unrestricted rights to visit family and send remittances to the island.

. . . We must not lose sight of our fundamental goal: freedom in Cuba. At the same time, we should be pragmatic in our approach and clear-sighted about the effects of our policies. We all know the power of the freedom and opportunity that America at its best has both embodied and advanced. If deployed wisely, those ideals will have as transformative effect on Cubans today as they did on my father more than 50 years ago.

Senators Dodd and Obama have the right ideas in my opinion. Senator Clinton has the wrong approach for Cuba's future and American interests regarding Cuba.

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  • Display: Sort:
    With Castro, with so many others... (none / 0) (#1)
    by Dadler on Mon Sep 03, 2007 at 05:46:10 PM EST
    ...our leadership seems to have no ability to read the psychology of these guys and learn from that how best to work with them.  Castro is not Saddam is not Assad is not Kim is not...

    With baseball alone we could've done amazing things.  Like rock music and blue jeans did in the old USSR.  But we're still too dumb to think out of the box, we can't even think IN it.  I mean, let's be serious, the way we've dealt with Cuba politically has been foolish, inexcusable and, as usual, highly unimaginative.

    Conversely, you have to accept the difficult irony that were it not for Castro's presence and persistence, Cuba long ago would've become nothing but an American colony of low wage hotel labor, lack of education, lack of medical care, and on and on.  The fact that a dictator can provide basic services more equitably to his people than can a giant capitalist machine like America, well, you realize clearly that life is much easier lived in convenient denial.

    We Need (none / 0) (#2)
    by squeaky on Mon Sep 03, 2007 at 05:58:38 PM EST
    Our enemies so our authoritarians can flourish. That must be why we have maintained such a hard stance toward Cuba. The Bushism you are either with us or ag'in us really means you are either us (a  colony)  or ag'in us. No middle ground.

    And Clinton, Bush, Reagan, Carter, Ford, Nixon, (none / 0) (#3)
    by Wile ECoyote on Mon Sep 03, 2007 at 06:04:04 PM EST
    Johnson, and Kennedy.  Not just Bushism.  I bet you vote for Mrs. Bill Clinton so she can have her authoritarian enemy.

    Parent
    Sorry (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by squeaky on Mon Sep 03, 2007 at 06:15:56 PM EST
    But I am not for the athoritarian approach you favor. But feel free to vote Clinton for her policy regarding Cuba.

    Parent
    Hillary the old math (none / 0) (#5)
    by koshembos on Mon Sep 03, 2007 at 07:00:38 PM EST
    Hillary's advisors are experts on retail math, hence they advise her to try to get the fanatic Cuban Americans vote. That, of course, seems to them a solid election strategy. What seems not to enter into their calculation is that picking votes here and there does make Hillary an haphazard, no principles and vague candidate. (Her last statements about war progress, Republicans power as terrorists fighter, etc.) As a result there is no there there.

    Excellent math.

    Will they even vote for her... (none / 0) (#7)
    by Demi Moaned on Mon Sep 03, 2007 at 09:03:29 PM EST
    those fanatic Cuban Americans?

    And how many votes do you lose gaining them? It reminds me of the whole Elian Gonzalez fiasco of Gore's campaign. He merely offended his own base without making any headway in the target audience.

    Parent

    Good point. She's in (none / 0) (#9)
    by oculus on Tue Sep 04, 2007 at 01:11:55 AM EST
    denial re the Reno raid.

    Parent
    You lost me (none / 0) (#11)
    by Demi Moaned on Tue Sep 04, 2007 at 03:05:43 AM EST
    What's the Reno raid?

    Parent
    Janet Reno, AG in Bill Clinton's (5.00 / 1) (#13)
    by oculus on Tue Sep 04, 2007 at 01:29:06 PM EST
    administration, authorized federal law enforcement officers removing Elian Gonzalez from the Little Havana home of his relatives so his father could take him back to Cuba.

    Parent
    Stop! (none / 0) (#6)
    by Al on Mon Sep 03, 2007 at 08:28:57 PM EST
    You're making too much sense!

    What the heck (none / 0) (#8)
    by chemoelectric on Mon Sep 03, 2007 at 09:41:50 PM EST
    You know, with the Soviet Union gone, and thus no nuclear explosives launching from Cuba, there isn't much point in the embargo even if there had been one. Even if our plan were to let Cuba remain totalitarian, so what? It would be less trouble to us than China, which can actually still hurt us.

    I favor anyone being able to travel (none / 0) (#10)
    by oculus on Tue Sep 04, 2007 at 01:13:27 AM EST
    to Cuba, not just Cuban ex pats.  I don't really think that would engender democracy in Cuba though.

    The Impact of Cuban Freedom (none / 0) (#12)
    by Aaron on Tue Sep 04, 2007 at 11:02:55 AM EST
    I'm glad to see the talkleft and Armando are coming down on the right side of this issue, the side of the Cuban people.  They are a fabulous people with a rich culture and a strong heritage of independence and freedom. The Cuban revolution was a statement of these ideals, which sadly got sidetracked in the era of Cold War politics.

      Normalization of relations is long overdue, and any candidate who wants my vote must propose progressive change on this issue.

    Cuba is perfectly positioned to become the new hub for economic growth and expansion in the Caribbean.  Instead of this enormous island being a continuing impediment, as trade relations move towards normalization Cuba will have the opportunity to issue in a new Renaissance in the Caribbean Sea region.  It's an area which has been largely ignored by US investment interests in recent years, leading to a stagnation in growth which can be seen in all the larger islands from Jamaica to Puerto Rico to Hispaniola (Dominican Republic/ Haiti).  A free democratic Cuba with an open economy will create a springboard for opportunity and investment throughout the Caribbean for both South American and North American interests, from which the peoples of our entire hemisphere will benefit.

    It's time that we pulled the entire Caribbean out of the Third World, and granted them a seat at the table of first world privilege, which is their rightful due.  A free Cuba will be the catalyst for this change.