The real reason why Rubio and the GOP are crying...

[Playinghardball]

[Gothmog]

1. I love this chart

Thanks for posting

[randr]

2. A very imortant consideration

Sooner than later Castro and/or Raul will be gone. That vacuum will bring about serious changes in Cuba. Without any US assistance/presence the situation could become dire for many Cuban citizens. We need to have civil and economic connections in place before the inevitable collapse of Castro's communist government occurs.
This is probably the most important decision of the Obama administration re: the future of the Western Hemisphere.

[MADem]

11. Has anyone seen Fidel lately? Wonder if he's fading...?

Here's what is interesting, the US "propaganda" about Cuba has gone in a very "Raul positive" direction:

http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-cuba-raul-castro-us-deal-/2566902.html

Keep in mind that the article at the link is from Voice of America, but look at the pleasant approach to/coverage of Raul in the article--it's suggestive of further outreach, assuming the first steps go well.

[randr]

13. I think it is very important for us to have a roll in the upcoming changes in Cuba

Without our presence the country would suffer a most chaotic period with no clear outcome in site.
I am hoping that Raul is acknowledging this and is prepared for inevitable change in a democratic direction.

[MADem]

19. Raul is a pragmatist, I think. And he doesn't have a lot of friends with deep pockets anymore.

VZ is a shithole and they're broke. Maduro has given away the Venezuelan future to China for a couple of big loans that he's used to patch the sinking ship. They might be having trouble trading oil for doctors and security forces, and Cuba needs energy. Their old buddy Russia has been a so-so friend since the USSR broke up, and as for other countries, well, they'll get along just fine, but those guys are like anyone else--they expect to be paid.

We Americans have a tendency to be generous with our friends; if Cuba gets on a good foot, we'll be generous with them. I'm quite sure aid will be tied to democratic reform, but hell, Raul is in his eighties, he'd better let the damn people take the wheel eventually--this strongman leader crap is a bit passe.

[vlyons]

32. onion roll or cinnamon roll?

or maybe hot buttermilk biscuit roll?

[jmowreader]

35. Death roll, for the Republicans

[vlyons]

40. now, now, you must not hate them

When you hate them, you join their team. They are the hate mongers. See them as ignorant, filled with hate, fear, and greed, yes. Pray for them if you believe in prayer (I don't). Always keep an open mind to the possibility that someone somewhere will have the ability to open their minds and their hearts. Hold that as an aspiration.

[randr]

14. Remember is was Che who pulled Fidel into the communist fold

Many freedom fighters against Batista were imprisoned or worse following Fidel's success. It has never been clear how Raul played out in this scenario.

[MADem]

17. Raul didn't hesitate to get his hands dirty, that's not disputed.

I just don't think he was responsible for whatever had USA's boxers in a knot WRT Fidel.

I have to wonder if Fidel is fading, or if he's just stepped far enough back to make this happen.

[Ex Lurker]

41. I've seen recent pictures of Fidel. He looks frail NT.

[AllyCat]

26. Good post.

[JDPriestly]

39. Very good analysis of the situation. We need a presence in Cuba, even if it consists of just

a bunch of tourists and ex-Cubans.

Besides, their music is great.

[Blue_Adept]

3. As always...

It's not about doing the right thing, it's doing what they can to try and hold onto votes.

[Politicalboi]

4. Too bad this didn't happen

Before Nov 2014.

[appalachiablue]

12. That's true, pre 2014 election would have been best. Why, oh why? I heard oil off the

Cuban coast has been explored. Chinese were involved. I hope Cuba doesn't become Disneyworld II.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

33. Cuba has working oil fields

I saw them when traveling between Havana and Matanzas.

[TBF]

5. Either that or they are mad

that they didn't think of it first.

[Thor_MN]

6. New recipe for a Cuba Libre

1 oz. Rum
Coke as mixer
Lime wedge
20 Tears of a conservative

[Rozlee]

7. Salud!

[Mika]

8. Freed Cubans from the Castro regime?

I guess Democrats want Cubans to be victimized by banksters and Wall Street.

After the '08 financial crash, how many Cubans lost their universal health care? None.
After the '08 financial crash, how many Cubans lost access to their universal education system? None
After the '08 financial crash, how many Cubans lost their homes? None.

YES, America MUST free the poor Cubans from tyranny like the Castro regime! <--

[onenote]

16. If you knew anything about Cuba and Cubans

you would know that they're not as thrilled with the state of their lives as you are with the state of their lives.

[Mika]

18. Ummm. I lived in Cuba. Have family there. I go many times a year.

I married a Cuban in Cuba.

So, I'll conclude that your jumping to a preformed conclusion is simply snark.

Cheers.

[onenote]

27. No family, but several visits.

And the folks I've met with don't relish their current situation.

[bbgrunt]

24. thank you. While many view this move as

something liberating for Cuba, and I don't support the hostilities of the past, I suspect it will become just another opportunity to spread corporatism and extract profits.

[elehhhhna]

43. the big hotelcos already have a presence iirc

Canadians for example are "allowed" to travel there.
This move does take the fun out of smuggling cohibas home from the Caribbean and Mexico. I can't wait to visit.
Edit to add.http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g147270-zfc5-Cuba-Hotels.html
Multinational majors are there already.

[MADem]

9. Ay, cosita linda, MAMA!!!!!!!

[Rozlee]

10. Republicans got a lot of mileage from the Cuban-American bloc for a long time.

The expatriados identified greatly with Republican politics with their similar hatred of Communism and leftist philosophy. But, that generation is dying off and the new Cuban-American youth, like most of the youth of the country, is trending liberal. Plus, most of the Cubans that fled the Castro regime were lighter skinned.The ones that mostly remained where darker-skinned and black descendants of slaves and Caribes. I wonder if Republicans and teabaggers would have been as embracing of them if they had been as dark as the rest of us Hispanics, despite their political leanings? Perhaps. Republicans are nothing if not opportunistic. But, their base's prejudices run pretty deep.

[LynneSin]

15. The people most impacted by what happened in Cuba - they are getting pretty old

Wasn't that about 50 years ago when we had all the issues with Cuba. Most Americans who are non-Cuban don't have a clue why we are even doing the embargo against Cuba. And for those who still have a grudge against Castro and his regime, there numbers are dying.

[Mika]

20. The people most impacted by the Cuban Revolution live in Cuba.

Last edited Sat Dec 20, 2014, 07:35 PM - Edit history (1)

Cuba: Before and After the 1959 Revolution
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4653650

Before the 1959 revolution

75% of rural dwellings were huts made from palm trees.
More than 50% had no toilets of any kind.
85% had no inside running water.
91% had no electricity.
There was only 1 doctor per 2,000 people in rural areas.
More than one-third of the rural population had intestinal parasites.
Only 4% of Cuban peasants ate meat regularly; only 1% ate fish, less than 2% eggs, 3% bread, 11% milk; none ate green vegetables.
The average annual income among peasants was $91 (1956), less than 1/3 of the national income per person.
45% of the rural population was illiterate; 44% had never attended a school.
25% of the labor force was chronically unemployed.
1 million people were illiterate ( in a population of about 5.5 million).
27% of urban children, not to speak of 61% of rural children, were not attending school.
Racial discrimination was widespread.
The public school system had deteriorated badly.
Corruption was endemic; anyone could be bought, from a Supreme Court judge to a cop.
Police brutality and torture were common.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

34. I'm currently reading "Havana Nocturne," which is all about Mob involvement

in pre-Castro Cuba. In essence, they paid off Batista and other prominent Cubans and did as they pleased.

Our guide on the 2011 trip, who was partly Afro-Cuban, told us that before the Revolution, she would not have been allowed into certain parts of town, not even as a servant.

Anyway, I highly recommend visiting Cuba with a cultural, educational, religious, or other people-to-people group. It is a stereotype-shattering experience.

Just one example: Everyone knows about the vintage American cars, and yes, they're there, a lot of them turned into taxis that are parked outside the main hotels. But if you go onto the highway, you see a lot of new European and Chinese cars. That was my first shattered stereotype.

[Mika]

45. I've been going since the late 60's. Most everything Americans think about Cuba is stereotyped.

Especially after 1976, when the Cuban system turned into a parliamentary system with far more representation for everyday Cubans than they ever had before.

Of course, in saying this to you I know I'll receive the ire of many DUsers who've never been there, and rely on anti Cuba propaganda masquerading as human rights "reports".

[Lydia Leftcoast]

46. Other surprises: 1) the lack of restrictions on religious activity

We were an Episcopal group, but we visited the Havana synagogue because one of our group had been asked to convey a donation to them. The president of the synagogue told us how Castro had called all the religious leaders together at some point during the 1990s (I forget exactly when) and told them they were free as long as they didn't work against the government. We stayed in a convent in the Old City, by the way.

2) Cuba has an oil industry--we saw the oil fields on the way to Matanzas

3) I visited the Museum of Cuban Art, and unlike the Soviet Union, the Cuban government has not insisted on socialist realism. The artists were following all the trends in the outside world from abstract expressionism to pop art to photorealism to everything else.

4) The way the Old Cities in both Havana and Matanzas were being restored without displacing the original residents. Habana La Vieja is a popular area for tourists, but it was obvious that ordinary people lived there, too, with kids playing pick-up soccer games or teenagers hanging out in the Plaza Vieja.

5) Not all the rich people left. We had one dinner at a seaside paladar in Miramar, and the owners were wealthy people who had never left. The dining room overlooked a saltwater swimming pool that was filled by waves from the sea.

I am not as much of a fan as you are, Mika,--the dual economy with CUCs and moneda nacional bothered me--but I thought that Cuba was a beautiful island with friendly people and fantastic music and art, and I hope more Americans visit soon.

[riverbendviewgal]

44. I was told this by a fellow Canadian

Who visited Cuba before and after the revolution. He said Cuban people are better off under Castro.

I would like to visit Cuba again. It is very beautiful and the people very nice. .

[SheilaT]

21. It also looks as if the percentage of the population of Florida

that is Cuban is declining. My guess is that as the generation who fled Castro are dying off, the children and grandchildren are identifying less and less with the country of origin. This happens with all immigrant groups, and is a very important aspect of our collective sense of being American.

[alfredo]

23. This is another sign that demographics are against the Republicans.

[secondwind]

22. makes sense to me! as a FL Dem, I can't wait to get rid of this idiot

[spanone]

25. vote marco the fuck out!

[Cha]

28. I hope that's TRUE.. the last paragraph! Mahalo Play~

[IrishAyes]

29. Make it so!

[nilesobek]

30. Rubio won't be able to recover

the lands and wealth lost by the corrupt elites who fled to Miami. This must really get under his skin, that he has to play fair with the government Cuba has. Sorry Marco, Cuba will never be turned into a casino for the rich again.

[czarjak]

31. What's Mr.Webster's definition of "conservative"?...

Oh yeah, "someone resistant to change". Allow me to quote Senor` Cruz, "stand strong, don't blink". Puta.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

36. Should be "Florida will become a DemocratIC state". Not "Democrat".

[mackerel]

37. I still think a large percentage of Cuban-Americans will vote Republican. The Cubans in the states

are far more conservative than Mexicans. As a whole non-Mexican Latins tend to vote more conservative or at best it's 50/50. My family is South American and we're split down the middle.

[Major Hogwash]

38. Outstanding analysis.

Go Hillary!

[Cryptoad]

42. Thank you President Obama for...

Freeing Cuba!