Cuban-American Vote Conundrum
On my 15 hour flight back to Hong Kong from America on the night of June 3rd, the historic day Senator Barack Obama clinched the Democratic Party nomination, I decided to compare his foreign policies to those of Senator John McCain, his Republican opponent for the White House.
I started with Cuba because Cuban Americans are the most politically active and wealthiest constituency in a critical State needed to get to the White House ─ Florida. It was the Cuban Americans who delivered Florida to George W. Bush in the 2000 presidential race. They were angry at the Democrats because the Clinton administration returned young Elian Gonzalez in 2000 to Cuba. Four years later, Bush won again because he tightened sanctions and obtained the release from a Panamanian prison of four exiles considered heroes for having plotted to kill Castro.
Obama and McCain have opposing views on how to deal with Cuba. McCain promises to maintain the sanctions and status quo. Obama has called for “direct diplomacy, with friend and foe alike” in a speech to the Cuban American Foundation. Obama said he would “turn the page” on half a century of policy that isolates Cuba. As a result, Cuban Americans face a vote conundrum.
Cuba is the longest running example of how and why embargoes don’t work. Cuba’s economy is unique. Over 90 percent of the entire Cuban economy is state owned and run by Castro’s brother Raul who is trying to bring about in Cuba a China style transformation. He has traveled a number of times to China to study first hand Beijing’s economic policies, and in 2003 invited the leading economic advisor to China’s then-premier, Zhu Rongji, who played a key role in opening China to foreign trade and investment, to Cuba to give a series of lectures. Lectures his brother Fidel boycotted.
He’s sent senior military officers trained in Russia’s most prestigious military academies to learn hotel management in Spain and accounting in Europe, Latin America, Asia and Canada. Cuba is opening and has been since Castro came to power in 1959. State of The Art Israeli farms and Chinese made bright-blue buses are right up there with the numerous joint ventures Cuba has established globally notwithstanding the embargo.
Cuba’s foreign exchange earnings have nearly doubled since an integration agreement with Venezuela was signed in 2004, due mainly to the export of medical and other services to Venezuela and record high nickel prices. Economic growth has been three times what it was at the start of the new millennium when Cuba began to recover from the post Soviet slump after it got dumped. Everyone is benefiting at the expense of America. The U.S. has slammed the door in its own face and is having a hell of a time getting on the right side.
The 40-plus year “el bloqueo,” the U.S. embargo on Cuba has been such a failure, that every kind of U.S. made product is available there. MasterCard, Visa and every consumer item from soft drinks to diapers can be found by the more than 200,000 plus American citizens who travel there in defiance of the embargo. Western Union has an office there to facilitate the wire transfer of dollars.
The tightening of sanctions not only perpetuates a failed foreign policy, but is cruel and unusual punishment for Cubans and those Cuban Americans who need or want to support relatives and friends in Cuba. Cuban Americans should be allowed to travel to Cuba and send unlimited financial aid. They can ensure they do on Election Day.
I started with Cuba because Cuban Americans are the most politically active and wealthiest constituency in a critical State needed to get to the White House ─ Florida. It was the Cuban Americans who delivered Florida to George W. Bush in the 2000 presidential race. They were angry at the Democrats because the Clinton administration returned young Elian Gonzalez in 2000 to Cuba. Four years later, Bush won again because he tightened sanctions and obtained the release from a Panamanian prison of four exiles considered heroes for having plotted to kill Castro.
Obama and McCain have opposing views on how to deal with Cuba. McCain promises to maintain the sanctions and status quo. Obama has called for “direct diplomacy, with friend and foe alike” in a speech to the Cuban American Foundation. Obama said he would “turn the page” on half a century of policy that isolates Cuba. As a result, Cuban Americans face a vote conundrum.
Cuba is the longest running example of how and why embargoes don’t work. Cuba’s economy is unique. Over 90 percent of the entire Cuban economy is state owned and run by Castro’s brother Raul who is trying to bring about in Cuba a China style transformation. He has traveled a number of times to China to study first hand Beijing’s economic policies, and in 2003 invited the leading economic advisor to China’s then-premier, Zhu Rongji, who played a key role in opening China to foreign trade and investment, to Cuba to give a series of lectures. Lectures his brother Fidel boycotted.
He’s sent senior military officers trained in Russia’s most prestigious military academies to learn hotel management in Spain and accounting in Europe, Latin America, Asia and Canada. Cuba is opening and has been since Castro came to power in 1959. State of The Art Israeli farms and Chinese made bright-blue buses are right up there with the numerous joint ventures Cuba has established globally notwithstanding the embargo.
Cuba’s foreign exchange earnings have nearly doubled since an integration agreement with Venezuela was signed in 2004, due mainly to the export of medical and other services to Venezuela and record high nickel prices. Economic growth has been three times what it was at the start of the new millennium when Cuba began to recover from the post Soviet slump after it got dumped. Everyone is benefiting at the expense of America. The U.S. has slammed the door in its own face and is having a hell of a time getting on the right side.
The 40-plus year “el bloqueo,” the U.S. embargo on Cuba has been such a failure, that every kind of U.S. made product is available there. MasterCard, Visa and every consumer item from soft drinks to diapers can be found by the more than 200,000 plus American citizens who travel there in defiance of the embargo. Western Union has an office there to facilitate the wire transfer of dollars.
The tightening of sanctions not only perpetuates a failed foreign policy, but is cruel and unusual punishment for Cubans and those Cuban Americans who need or want to support relatives and friends in Cuba. Cuban Americans should be allowed to travel to Cuba and send unlimited financial aid. They can ensure they do on Election Day.
posted by Peter de Krassel's Custom Maid Politics at 9:21 PM
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