It was in the cards, with last week's "appeasement" flap and both candidates scheduled to campaign in Florida this week -- Senators McCain and Obama have started their Cuba debate.
Today's McCain speech is here. Then there's a long document prepared by the Democratic National Committee, that seems to contain everything Senator McCain has ever said about Cuba. And here's a link to some Obama comments in an interview today; his jab at Senator McCain for "flip-flopping" is based on some of the comments in the DNC document.
And the McCain flip flop would be where? Talk about nuance.
ReplyDeletethe miami mafia got a hold of him (mccain)... the helped him "see the light". (twisting and pulling his arm in a back room mind you)
ReplyDelete...and why would McCain pay attention to them if Cuban American voters were so dead-set against the travel restrictions....hmmm.
ReplyDeleteThe whole election is such an interesting thing! There is no better thermometer of the maturity of the American people. A maturimeter. I do believe that the alternatives offered are pretty different. The positioning on the Cuba issue is very ilustrative. Albeit this is much influenced by the Cuban community. Could Obama movilise to his side a majority of Cubans with the right to vote? Could he trigger a masive enrollment as he has managed to do with other groups? Is the young Cuban of the racist type? What role will the domestic issues play in the balance for this population? What about the Americans in Florida?
ReplyDeleteUseless to say that I'm for Obama.
Go, Barack, go!
Obama rocks.
ReplyDeleteanynom..you write:
"and why would McCain pay attention to them if Cuban American voters were so dead-set against the travel restrictions....hmmm."
The "historic exilo" are indeed for the travel restrictions - of course, they have no family left!!
All real cubans (those still living on the island) including dissdident Yoani and the ladies in white are AGAINST family travel restrictions.
So are recent immigrants from Cuba - i.e those that still have a sense of what reality is like in cuba - and how travel restricgtions only hurt families not CASTRO...
why is the mafia such idiot ...i mean seesm like both castro and mafia are idiots..
I hate the old hard line Castro obsessed thinking but I can't equate them to Castro. That in and of itself is idiotic.
ReplyDeleteAs for McCain I am nothing short of disappointed. As I mentioned before I met McCain in '96 at a Republican party function in Miami. I made it a point to walk up to him and congratulate him on his courageous stand on Vietnamese sanctions. He thanked me for my support. I then mentioned that I wished that our local leaders would have his courage. He did not say anything but smiled.
I don't believe in just lifting travel restrictions for family members. It is absurd for people who aren't even US citizens to have more rights than the rest of us. If anything screw 'em. Give us the right to go and make them wait till they're US Citizens. They already get a free pass to get into this country while Mexicans, Haitians and people from all over Central America live in fear of getting sent back. Not fair, not fair at all.
I failed to mention that I would also be for lifting travel restriction for all! you are right cardinal, but my point was that family visits should be teh first to be liberalized, if there has to be a choice. but yes, all shoudl be allowed. its a god given right to travel.. are we america or china?
ReplyDeleteI can go with that, but lift them all. I would like for us to get something in return. Ease up on family travel and then totally liberalize after some talks or at least a gesture from Raul. I hate to keep harping it but something akin to allowing those with US visas to be allowed to leave.
ReplyDelete