Good morning. Barack Obama says he would ease Cuba restrictions. Do you think that is a good idea?

Question

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2007-08-21-obama-cuba_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

EXCERPT FROM ARTICLE:
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Tuesday called the Bush administration's decision to tighten restrictions on relatives of Cubans who want to visit the island or send money home strategic blunders and promised to reverse the measures if elected.
The Illinois senator leapt into the long-running and often bruising debate over U.S.-Cuba policy with an op-ed piece published in The Miami Herald.

"The primary means we have of encouraging positive change in Cuba today is to help the Cuban people become less dependent on the Castro regime in fundamental ways," Obama wrote.

"Unfortunately, the Bush administration has made grand gestures to that end while strategically blundering when it comes to actually advancing the cause of freedom and democracy in Cuba," he added.

Answer 1

Barack Obama is a marginally competent lightweight.

Answer 2

Good morning! Yes, I do think it's a good idea because the sanctions against Cuba just don't make sense anymore, especially since we do business with nations that are no better and probably worse than Cuba. The Bay of Pigs was almost 45 years ago, Fidel is fading and so has the Cold War. It's time to re-evaluate.

A couple of other things to consider...
1. Although Obama's taking the heat on this, his proposal is actually more moderate than Sen. Chris Dodd (D) who is co-sponsoring an even broader bill that would allow any American citizen to visit Cuba.

2. The US is fighting a 'war on terrorism', but when five Cubans infiltrate extreme right-wing Cuban terrorist organizations operating out of Miami, they are arrested for spying... even though the US government knew about their mission. Does that make more sense than what Obama is proposing?

Answer 3

Nixon normalized relations with China, and we've even come to grips with Vietnam. We had diplomatic relations with the old USSR from the late 20's until and after they became the 'Russian Federation'. We had diplomatic relations with the entire Warsaw Pact as well. We even 'talk' to the N. Koreans. Of course none of these groups have a large voting block in Florida, a block that requires some major political sucking up to. I'm sure Obama will catch hell for almost everything he says no matter what. The right wing talk show nitwits make a living doiing this and the current GOP encourages this kind of propaganda. Ugh! Lincoln would hurl!

Answer 4

Think about it...We don't seem to have any problem doing business with Comunist Vietnam nor Communist China but we refuse to do business with Cuba because they are Communist. Something doesn't make sense there.

Senator Obama realizes that if we are going to do business with two Communist nations in the far East we certainly can do business with one 90 miles off our coast. Maybe if we improve the lives of Cubans materially they will embrace Capitalism and dump the Communist government. With Castro aging the opportunity for a Coup is very real.

Answer 5

I think normalizing relations with Cuba would be the best way to slowly help them to become more democratic. They are in no way worse, or have less freedom than China or Saudi Arabia, both countries we have close ties with and no trade restrictions. This is all still sour grapes over the Bay of Pigs invasion (which we screwed up) and the Cuban missile crisis, which was a hell of a long time ago.

Answer 6

I think it is an excellent idea. We cannot continue to hold onto these grudges brought about by prior generations. Regardless of what happened 30 years ago, Cuba today is not a threat to America, in fact they couldn't pose less of a threat. We should normalize relations with them, screw what the dried up cuban minority in Miami thinks, the majority of our nation favors a reconciliation with Cuba.

And to all those conservatives out there who decry communism, when was the last time you protested outside a Wal-mart? Because every time you shop there you are supporting a communist nation.

Answer 7

There never should have been any restrictions. Since when is the US interested in civil or human rights?
Click on the following link to watch a short video about this topic: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/offbeat/obama-visit-to-cuba-hinges-on-more-civil-liberties/vp-BBnxJIt
How many innocent people have died in United States wars and interventions? The fact of the matter is that this government is only interested in making more money for the 1% of its citizens. And that is what’s behind “normalization of US – Cuban diplomatic relations”. The more than 50 year blockade against Cuba should never have happened, if the US were a country that believed in the rule of law. Click on the following link for the information concerning this: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-war-on-democracy/
But to continue with the pretense that the US government cares about civil rights, President Obama has conditioned a visit to Cuba on whether he would be allowed to meet with Cuban dissidents. President Raul Castro should consent to it with his own condition that he would also be allowed to meet with US dissidents. I would put Oscar López Rivera on the very top of Raul’s list.
Oscar López Rivera has been incarcerated by the US government for 34 years for his struggle to free Puerto Rico from colonialism. Colonialism became a crime against humanity in 1960, when the United Nations (UN) decided that it represents a threat to world peace. Didn’t President Obama win a Nobel Peace Prize in 2009?
The US government, which was a major player in the creation of the UN, has ignored 34 UN resolutions asking it to immediately decolonize Puerto Rico. With that action, the US government, according to Noam Chomsky, has shown itself to be a failed state. Failed states do not protect their own citizens. The US government is not protecting its citizens, by choosing to continue with a threat to world peace. And by ignoring international law, the US government is demonstrating that it is above the law. So in essence, failed states make the law for everybody, but themselves!
We will continue to protest peacefully and permanently for the decolonization of Puerto Rico, because those who believe that the law does not apply them, don’t believe in JUSTICE FOR ALL! www.TodosUnidosDescolonizarPR.blogspot.com

Answer 8

Yes, the only way to calm down a bad situation is direct talks NOT more hostility!! When Nixon went to china relations between china and the U.S. vastly improved. They talked, got stuff into the open and everything settled down. Barak Obama totally wins on this one!! Wake up Hillary!!

Answer 9

Very good idea. Restrictions and embargo's do not hurt a government nearly as much as it hurts the common people. Look around the globe, every country we have embargo's on, the leaders are living the good life, its always the people that are doing all the suffering. And if you think if the shoe was on the other foot, that our country was under restrictions,and are government would be different, you are a moron.

Answer 10

Yes, and Cuba would become a capitalist nation in no time, like Russia. There really is no reason to keep up the embargo, except to appease a few thousand loyal Republican anti- Castro Cuban exiles.

Answer 11

If the US were to 'help' the Cuban people like Obama wants, would they even know?

Who do you think would get the credit if the condition of the Cuban people were to improve?

Would the Castro regime gain or lose popularity?

Does anyone really think that Castro would allow his people to be less dependent on him?

If Obama got the support of the Cuban American community, would he help them get rid of Castro like they want?

It's naive.