So, President Obama has announced the reopening of the American Embassy in Havana and increased relations diplomatically and economically with Cuba, ending decades of stupidity that followed America going " I'm allowed to do things, but you aren't! " after Russia put missiles in Cuba in response to American Missiles being plopped on its border in the cold war.
This is clearly in response to all the failed attempts to assassinate and de-beard the elder Castro.
Republicans are already crying foul, because Obama did something, because he is an impotent inactive tightfisted tyrant or something because the return of relations between our nations will somehow..hurt American people in some way?
Fox News Headline: Obama normalizes Cuba-America relations as puppet of Big Tobacco to get more children hooked on smoking via high quality Cuban cigars.
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EncA Fool with CompassionPronouns: He, Him, HisRegistered Userregular
I would love the heck out of a legal and functional Miami-Havana ferry/cruise-line. So would most Cubans, I'd imagine.
Props to the Vatican for brokering the talks. Pope Francis keeps getting hits.
Also, is it sad that one of my first thoughts was "man, I should plan a vacation down there before it gets filled with McDonalds and Starbucks and stuff"?
Of course, the GOP is flipping shit over the announcement. Terrorists and dictators around the world are going to view America as weak, the streets will be red with commie sympathizers, doom, doom, DOOOOOOM!
This is something that should have happened 25 years ago.
I tried one about fifteen years ago. I dunno, it seemed like Dominican cigars were better at the time. But then again I was comparing a fairly Mild Dominican to a Bold Cuban. Make of that as you will.
"Simple, real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time." -Mustrum Ridcully in Terry Pratchett's Hogfather p. 142 (HarperPrism 1996)
Senator Robert Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey and the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, was also sharply critical. “Let’s be clear, this was not a ‘humanitarian’ act by the Castro regime. It was a swap of convicted spies for an innocent American,” Mr. Menendez said in a written statement. “President Obama’s actions have vindicated the brutal behavior of the Cuban government.”
Leaving aside the fact that the man in question was almost undoubtedly one of our own spies, what is Menendez looking to gain here? Is there a significant Cuban emigre population in Jersey that he's trying to appeal to?
Senator Robert Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey and the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, was also sharply critical. “Let’s be clear, this was not a ‘humanitarian’ act by the Castro regime. It was a swap of convicted spies for an innocent American,” Mr. Menendez said in a written statement. “President Obama’s actions have vindicated the brutal behavior of the Cuban government.”
Leaving aside the fact that the man in question was almost undoubtedly one of our own spies, what is Menendez looking to gain here? Is there a significant Cuban emigre population in Jersey that he's trying to appeal to?
Payback, I believe (that whole Dominican prostitute thing came out of Cuban intelligence, IIRC.)
Senator Robert Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey and the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, was also sharply critical. “Let’s be clear, this was not a ‘humanitarian’ act by the Castro regime. It was a swap of convicted spies for an innocent American,” Mr. Menendez said in a written statement. “President Obama’s actions have vindicated the brutal behavior of the Cuban government.”
Leaving aside the fact that the man in question was almost undoubtedly one of our own spies, what is Menendez looking to gain here? Is there a significant Cuban emigre population in Jersey that he's trying to appeal to?
Payback, I believe (that whole Dominican prostitute thing came out of Cuban intelligence, IIRC.)
I'd completely forgotten that. Good call. Like BigJoe pointed out, the only thing I could think of was parental resentment, but that didn't seem like enough motivation to be openly critical of the deal. Spite suffices nicely though.
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AManFromEarthLet's get to twerk!The King in the SwampRegistered Userregular
I tried one about fifteen years ago. I dunno, it seemed like Dominican cigars were better at the time. But then again I was comparing a fairly Mild Dominican to a Bold Cuban. Make of that as you will
Yeah, they're nothing magical. Plenty of countries match their quality, because a lot of the talent left Cuba to keep access to the U.S. market. They are good, though.
Really don't have to go far now, it's only a US embargo. You can buy them in Canada or Mexico (to try, can't bring them back). Guess that doesn't help if youre far from the border.
I still see this backfiring for the Democratic party. The Xenophobes will just team up with the commiephobes to basically blame any Democratic candidate for letting more illegals/commies into our nation.
"Simple, real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time." -Mustrum Ridcully in Terry Pratchett's Hogfather p. 142 (HarperPrism 1996)
iirc, while older Cuban Americans are still in favor of embargoes and all that continuing stupidity, younger American born Cuban-Americans are usually far more in favor of normalization of relationships.
It's a good fight to get into, but he'll still need congress to actually agree to act to end the embargo, which congress will really not want to do - either because they disagree with it, or more probably just because they're still dedicated to not allowing Obama any victories, with no mind towards good governance at all.
Kana on
A trap is for fish: when you've got the fish, you can forget the trap. A snare is for rabbits: when you've got the rabbit, you can forget the snare. Words are for meaning: when you've got the meaning, you can forget the words.
Yeah Menendez has some pretty significant personal baggage with Cuba and while New Jersey actually has a fairly significant Cuban population (Note: Menendez was mayor of Union City before becoming one of our Senators) a lot of Cubans here either vote Republican openly or are "Conservative Democrats" in every sense of the word.
I mean we're talking DINO's because in urban Northern New Jersey the real mayors/council race is the Democratic primary and all the Republicans there have gone to ground.
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Well I'm sure the MLB is happy about this. As is mariner pitcher Roenis Elias as he fled cuba to play in the majors, now he might be able to actually see his family again in person!
Fuck the oldies, Cuba is not our enemy.
I would like some money because these are artisanal nuggets of wisdom philistine.
I still see this backfiring for the Democratic party. The Xenophobes will just team up with the commiephobes to basically blame any Democratic candidate for letting more illegals/commies into our nation.
And in turn, they'll kill any shot of the GOP rebranding themselves to capture the larger Latino population.
I still see this backfiring for the Democratic party. The Xenophobes will just team up with the commiephobes to basically blame any Democratic candidate for letting more illegals/commies into our nation.
And in turn, they'll kill any shot of the GOP rebranding themselves to capture the larger Latino population.
The larger Latino population might be an opponent of the Xenophobes, but many Latinos are actually very conservative when it comes to Communism. So the commiephobes can stir up the Latinos while the Xenophobes stir up everyone else.
"Simple, real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time." -Mustrum Ridcully in Terry Pratchett's Hogfather p. 142 (HarperPrism 1996)
I still see this backfiring for the Democratic party. The Xenophobes will just team up with the commiephobes to basically blame any Democratic candidate for letting more illegals/commies into our nation.
And in turn, they'll kill any shot of the GOP rebranding themselves to capture the larger Latino population.
The larger Latino population might be an opponent of the Xenophobes, but many Latinos are actually very conservative when it comes to Communism. So the commiephobes can stir up the Latinos while the Xenophobes stir up everyone else.
I don't quite buy that. The emigre Cuban-American community tends to be that way, but that's for some very specific reasons.
I still see this backfiring for the Democratic party. The Xenophobes will just team up with the commiephobes to basically blame any Democratic candidate for letting more illegals/commies into our nation.
And in turn, they'll kill any shot of the GOP rebranding themselves to capture the larger Latino population.
The larger Latino population might be an opponent of the Xenophobes, but many Latinos are actually very conservative when it comes to Communism. So the commiephobes can stir up the Latinos while the Xenophobes stir up everyone else.
I don't quite buy that. The emigre Cuban-American community tends to be that way, but that's for some very specific reasons.
Well, I tried looking up some links to prove you wrong, but in the end it seems like I'm wrong. The myth that "Latinos are conservative" seems to have been created by Republican strategists. Quelle surprise.
I still see this backfiring for the Democratic party. The Xenophobes will just team up with the commiephobes to basically blame any Democratic candidate for letting more illegals/commies into our nation.
And in turn, they'll kill any shot of the GOP rebranding themselves to capture the larger Latino population.
The larger Latino population might be an opponent of the Xenophobes, but many Latinos are actually very conservative when it comes to Communism. So the commiephobes can stir up the Latinos while the Xenophobes stir up everyone else.
The main thing to realize is that Hispanics are an incredibly diverse population. Many Latinos in America are right wing conservatives. Many also are actual communists, peasant rebels from Chiapas or at least leftists of the Catholic Liberation Theology stripe. That's one of the side byproducts of sponsoring so many right wing dicatorships in Latin America over the years - the refugees are from the other side.
One of the biggest false predictions in modern politics has been that Hispanics would flock to the Republican Party due to their conservative values and love of family. I think the trouble with the GOP's outreach has and always will be that these terms are code for tribal identifiers, and Hispanics are by and large clued into the fact that they aren't part of the GOP's tribe.
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EncA Fool with CompassionPronouns: He, Him, HisRegistered Userregular
edited December 2014
There is also the disconnect that most Hispanic populations are considered "immigrant" despite making up a massive amount of second and third generation populations across the country and the GOP is the party of anti-immigration (and thus anti-Hispanic) by their core baseline. While the corporate centrists and catholic conservative crowds can synergize well with a conservative Hispanic population, most of the meat and bones of the GOP are white protestants that see anyone of Hispanic origin as invaders, villains, and threats to their jobs with no mind to hear sense on the matter. Many, especially in the deep south, don't even think of Catholics as christian.
The GOP/Hispanic merger for surviving into the next generation just isn't happening. The GOP has made a pretty strong choice to change the rules and disenfranchise rather than widen their umbrella.
Yeah whatever political ideology they might share, the GOP has made it in no uncertain terms all latinos are the bad ones. So even with them pounding a drum about cuban communism and whatever else, they still have to defeat that they are the party of white is right.
I would like some money because these are artisanal nuggets of wisdom philistine.
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I mean, if he wanted to normalize relations with Cuba, he could just not sign that thing for the sixth time in his presidency.
Well, relations are a two way street.
...
Fox News Headline: Obama normalizes Cuba-America relations as puppet of Big Tobacco to get more children hooked on smoking via high quality Cuban cigars.
Also, is it sad that one of my first thoughts was "man, I should plan a vacation down there before it gets filled with McDonalds and Starbucks and stuff"?
This is something that should have happened 25 years ago.
I tried one about fifteen years ago. I dunno, it seemed like Dominican cigars were better at the time. But then again I was comparing a fairly Mild Dominican to a Bold Cuban. Make of that as you will.
Leaving aside the fact that the man in question was almost undoubtedly one of our own spies, what is Menendez looking to gain here? Is there a significant Cuban emigre population in Jersey that he's trying to appeal to?
He's probably pissed about this deal. Many people of that era (or their parents) still have raw feelings about what they lost in the revolution.
Payback, I believe (that whole Dominican prostitute thing came out of Cuban intelligence, IIRC.)
Edit: I was right, Cuban intelligence were the ones that tried to screw him over via bowtie.
All things in their time.
I'd completely forgotten that. Good call. Like BigJoe pointed out, the only thing I could think of was parental resentment, but that didn't seem like enough motivation to be openly critical of the deal. Spite suffices nicely though.
Fuck yeah, Obama
That's a significant bit if a legacy right there.
Yeah, they're nothing magical. Plenty of countries match their quality, because a lot of the talent left Cuba to keep access to the U.S. market. They are good, though.
Really don't have to go far now, it's only a US embargo. You can buy them in Canada or Mexico (to try, can't bring them back). Guess that doesn't help if youre far from the border.
Edit: this is amazing news though, obviously.
In all seriousness though, good on Obama. This is definitely long overdue.
In short, not only is he doing the right thing, but he's also handing the GOP enough rope to hang themselves with.
Calling it right fucking now.
To actually end the embargo congress would have to repeal laws. Obama is still fairly limited in what he can actually do.
It's a good fight to get into, but he'll still need congress to actually agree to act to end the embargo, which congress will really not want to do - either because they disagree with it, or more probably just because they're still dedicated to not allowing Obama any victories, with no mind towards good governance at all.
I mean we're talking DINO's because in urban Northern New Jersey the real mayors/council race is the Democratic primary and all the Republicans there have gone to ground.
Come Overwatch with meeeee
Fuck the oldies, Cuba is not our enemy.
pleasepaypreacher.net
And in turn, they'll kill any shot of the GOP rebranding themselves to capture the larger Latino population.
The larger Latino population might be an opponent of the Xenophobes, but many Latinos are actually very conservative when it comes to Communism. So the commiephobes can stir up the Latinos while the Xenophobes stir up everyone else.
I'm tired of democrats being afraid of being democrats. The cuban embargo is dumb as fuck, and we need to drop it for both countries sakes.
pleasepaypreacher.net
I don't quite buy that. The emigre Cuban-American community tends to be that way, but that's for some very specific reasons.
U.S.-Cuba policy overhaul sends shockwaves through Miami exile community
Shocking no one. How it is eventually viewed by the rest of the country remains to be seen.
Come Overwatch with meeeee
Well, I tried looking up some links to prove you wrong, but in the end it seems like I'm wrong. The myth that "Latinos are conservative" seems to have been created by Republican strategists. Quelle surprise.
http://blogs.berkeley.edu/2014/08/29/are-latinos-politically-conservative-not-really/
The main thing to realize is that Hispanics are an incredibly diverse population. Many Latinos in America are right wing conservatives. Many also are actual communists, peasant rebels from Chiapas or at least leftists of the Catholic Liberation Theology stripe. That's one of the side byproducts of sponsoring so many right wing dicatorships in Latin America over the years - the refugees are from the other side.
One of the biggest false predictions in modern politics has been that Hispanics would flock to the Republican Party due to their conservative values and love of family. I think the trouble with the GOP's outreach has and always will be that these terms are code for tribal identifiers, and Hispanics are by and large clued into the fact that they aren't part of the GOP's tribe.
The GOP/Hispanic merger for surviving into the next generation just isn't happening. The GOP has made a pretty strong choice to change the rules and disenfranchise rather than widen their umbrella.
pleasepaypreacher.net
I think theres a general politics thread somewhere for the GOP/Hispanic community relations.