Flood america? I think you’re overestimating the production capacity of the Cuban economy. IMO Cuban rum and cigars would be treated like another premium brand, no different than before Castro.
This is one of the stupidest posts I have read in quite some time. Where does one begin? Communism is against the very laws of God? Where did God say that? I missed the memo. The USA is the delegate of God on the ground? And here I thought it was the Pope and the immams and such. And the Pope does not seem to have a problem going to Cuba. And why is China OK? And since you are basing your post on what God thinks, do you recognise the US government, the same one that allows abortion? Or should it be relegated to being ignored just like the Cuban government? What does God say about this?
The US’s economic ties with China seem to go against your thesis.
Far being from me to put words in Isabelle 's mouth, but I’d hope that she was trying to be either funny or sarcastic.
Well the United States hasn’t had a Cuba policy in decades. We have a Florida Electoral Vote policy.
The only way we could lift the economic limitations on Cuba would be to convince the public (in FLorida) that it would be bad for Castro. That almost certainly would actually be true.
Cheap cigars? I don’t think so, matey. Cubanos are pretty darn expensive world-wide. Increasing demand will only drive the prices up.
This is one of those myths that just won’t go away. There over 9 million registered voters in Florida. The state does not keep records for ethnic background of voters, but the hispanic population of the state is +/- 17%, the actually percentage of Hispanic voters is certainly lower than that, given that many of them will not be eligible to vote. Contrast that with black voters which make up 11% of the total. These numbers come from here .
Additionally, the total Cuban population of Florida is around 800,000, again many of those are not elligible to vote, so the actual number of voters will be significantly lower. By contrast non-Cuban Hispanics total over 1,000,000. These numbers are from here
The idea that it is the voting strength of the “Miami mafia” that keeps the embargo on is one of those convenient myths that need to be done away with.
Your numbers do not prove anything. If the Cuban population, however small, are strongly opposed to normalizing relations with Cuba, and the rest of the country does not care much one way or another, then a proposal to normalize relations will mean a loss of votes.
Loss of votes in what sense? Helms-Burton established that a vote to lift the embargo would have to come from Congress, the Cuban vote is concentrated not just in Florida, but in South Florida specifically. Consequently even if every single Congressman from that constituency votes to keep the embargo, that leaves something like 520 other Congressmen, House and Senate, that can happily ignore the Cuban voters and not lose a single vote.
You have a much stronger argument with your statement that the rest of the country does not care one way or another, that is the real reason the embargo stays on. Economically speaking trade with Cuba is a non-issue for US business, so most people just don’t care. A vote for the embargo helps a Congressman appear tough on a dictator and tough on communism, both of which are not going to hurt in the polls.
UnoMundo already answered your question, but here is another interesting piece of info: Bacardi’s lawyers helped draft the Helms-Burton act, to the point that it was joked that it should be called the Helms-Bacardi Protection Act. I read this in a nice little book called “Bacardi: The Hidden Wars” but it is also on this website:
“Since then the Bacardi company has
backed illegal and violent attempts to
undermine the Cuban Revolution,
including funding the Cuban-American
National Foundation (CANF), a virulently
anti-Castro right-wing exile organisation
based in Miami, which has been
responsible for systematic acts of
terrorism against Cuba. Bacardi’s
lawyers also helped draft the US
Helms-Burton Act, which extends the
United States’ blockade of Cuba to third
countries, in breach of international
trade law. So central was the role of
Bacardi’s lawyer, Ignacio E Sanchez (a
CANF member) in establishing
Helms-Burton that US Senator William
Dengue said the law should be renamed
the Helms-Bacardi Protection Act.”
http://www.rcgfrfi.easynet.co.uk/ratb/boycott/wysk.htm
Since corporations usually act in the own interest, it is safe to say that Helms-Burton benefits Bacardi.
Posted by sailor:
Yesss . . . that’s one more reason to drop the embargo, isn’t it? Why should the Spanish geezers have all the fun?
For future directions in Cuba. A few years ago, ESQUIRE ran a piece about the Sicilian Mafia,which is transferring huge amounts of cash to banks in the Cayman Islands. This has been tracked by the Italaian Finance police (like our ATF), and the conclusion is: the Mafia will own all of the casinos and hotels that willopen up in Havana when Castro finally croaks.
Cuba will become what it was in the 1950’s-a playground for the rich and the degenerates, and the mafia will be in control.
Viva la Revolucion!
actually the issue is presidential votes, not congressional. Cuban americans may very well be the most consistent single issue voters in the country. If the embargo is removed on Bush’s watch, then he will lose Florida. If a member of a party’s leadership in the House or Senate came out vocally for removing the embargo, they would seriously imperial the chances of their party’s candidate. Presidents since Kennedy hafve tried to find away around this and failed miserably (hence the dispute over a certain little boy). I think removing the embargo would help cuba and hurt Castro, gives him one less excuse for the economic troubles, facilitates movement of ideas, opens us as a market for them etc. Having said that, it will happen when Castro’s dead barring major political realignment.
also see http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/13/national/13CUBA.html
Another way the embargo helps the Cuban emigres is by keeping cheap Cuban sugar out of America.
“When attempts where made to soften the embargo on Cuba - potentially allowing Cuba to import their enormous sugar products into this country - the barons “contributed” to the defeat of such bills. When President Carter ran for re-elction he revealed that he was willing to negotiate with Fidel Castro, thereby losing hundreds of thousands of key Miami/Cubano votes.
However the biggest concern of the sugar barons, especially the “first family of sugar” - the Fanjuls (brothers Jose and Alfonso, citizens of Spain) – was keeping the price supports in tact. The
program, started in 1981, kept the price of sugar artificially high. Over twice the price world-wide.
Which added over $65 million dollars to the Fanjul’s yearly profits.
This price support legislation means that Americans must spend nearly two billion dollars more than necessary for sugar-related products.
The sugar barons are equal-opportunity “contributors” when it comes to buying protection for their industry. Alfonso Fanjul invests heavily in the Democratic Party, while his brother Jose sends his
money to the Republicans. They compensate in staggering proportions but their totals are continuosly under-reported because they “contribute” through numerous family members, companies, executives,
and PACs.”
Ralph, “la revolucion” is already well in bed with Italian investment, so I don’t think there’s a whole lot to the story. Italian firms are the third largest investors in the Island, behind Spain and Mexico, so I would think that if the mafia wanted to get into Cuba they’d be there already, and perhaps they are.
Telcontar, as I pointed out in a previous post, while it is true that US presidents have been trying to lift the embargo on Cuba, the stumbling block has not been any threatened vote by Miami Cubans, it has always been Castro’s own actions. Anytime there’s been a hint of an opening Castro has managed to create an incident that quickly makes politically untenable to lift the embargo.
Sorry about that Telcontar, I meant to also reply to this part in my previous post. This is another one of those myths that bears breaking. From this link you can see that the Cuban community in the US is no monolith.
Roger, according to your own quote and link the only Cubans who would benefit from keeping “cheap Cuban sugar” out of the US are the Fanjul brothers, I don’t see how that translates to the Cuban community in the US supporting the embargo. In another post in this thread I link to some recent poll results with some detailed numbers as to how many Cuban actually support the lifting of the embargo.
You are correct, Bayonet, most Cuban emigres would probably benefit from lifting the embargo. I should have been more precise and said that the embargo benefits a small number of Cuban emigres such as the Bacardi family and the Fanjuls. They are rich and have more political voice than the emigres who might want the embargo lifted. Here is a breakdown on the Fanjul family political donations:
"The Fanjuls’ total giving has been consistently underreported because they give through an array of family members, companies, executives, and PACs. During the 1995-96 election cycle, members of the Fanjul family contributed $774,500 to federal campaigns. This total includes $135,500 in PAC money, $141,000 to candidates, and $498,000 in soft money from companies owned or controlled by the Fanjuls (see below). Add in $128,080 from the Fanjuls’ closest advisers and senior executives and the Fanjuls’ generosity totals $902,580. "
http://www.motherjones.com/coinop_congress/97mojo_400/boller.html