Marco Rubio: Jay-Z and Beyoncé's trip to Cuba was 'hypocritical'

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Marco Rubio: Jay-Z and Beyonce's trip to Cuba was 'hypocritical'

Ewen MacAskill in Washington
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 14 April 2013 19.49 BST

Florida senator Marco Rubio doubled-down on his criticism of Jay-Z and Beyoncé on Sunday, describing the couple as "hypocritical" for visiting Cuba, which is still under US embargo.

Rubio, a Republican being tipped as a potential 2016 presidential candidate, said Jay-Z should have made the effort to become better informed about Cuba's political past before the trip – and in particular the rapper's hero, Che Guevara. He also missed an opportunity by not attempting to engage with cultural figures being oppressed by the government, Rubio said.

His rebuke came after Jay-Z rapped an open letter to critics such as Rubio. In Open Letter, Jay-Z who went to Cuba on his wedding anniversary, sang: "Politicians never did shit for me except lie to me, distort history … They wanna give me jail time and a fine."

Although the embargo imposed after the Cuban missile crisis remains in place, it has been gradually eroded, particularly during the Obama administration. Relatives, journalists, researchers and other categories can visit. The US Treasury Department gave permission for Jay-Z and Beyoncé to go.

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Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/14/marco-rubio-jayz-beyonce-cuba

[DreamGypsy]

1. Somehow it is strange to hear the State Department say: You are living in the free world...

...In the free world you must stay!

Well, there really is no need to travel to these evil lands
Yes, and though the list grows larger you must try to understand.
Try hard not to be surprised if someday you should hear
The whole world is off limits, visit Disneyland this year.

[Mika]

2. American travel sanctions and the US embargo are not interchangeable terms.

Our faithful MSM loves to smear the line w/Newspeak.

[flamingdem]

3. I just posted this in Latin America - UCLA professor calls Marco Rubio an idiot on Fox, re: Jay-Z

[Jamaal510]

10. Wow...

the title of that video was totally not biased at all.

Whoever uploaded it must live in Backwardsland.

[indepat]

4. Get over it Senator Rubio: the world-renowned who also have vast wealth and influence are not like

you and I.

[warrior1]

5. why do they

waste so much energy on stuff that's none of their business?

[BlueStater]

6. Go away already, Marco Poland.

Of all the problems happening in the country, you're concerned with some fucking rapper? What a dipshit.

[ellie]

7. He is still going on about this?

Give it up asshole.

[KennedyBrothers]

8. Hypocritical?

Yes, and Marco Rubio as president is "hypothetical" ... always will be.

[DFW]

9. I guess my visit to Cuba was "hypocritical," too?

I was there on an invitation from the Cuban government. It was a cultural thing, but Reagan was president at the time, not Obama, and I made it there and back in one piece, with America still standing after the whole journey, and Marco Rubio safely tucked away in his elementary school in Florida.

Ha! Maybe Reagan imposed the tighter restrictions BECAUSE I went LOL!!

[LukeFL]

11. I am curious. And you are?

[DFW]

12. Not curious

Although there was one funny incident while I was there. In the hard currency store of the hotel where I was staying, I wanted to buy some post cards to send back home. In front of me were some arrogant members of a Soviet Aeroflot crew trying to buy some electronic gadget. They spoke no Spanish and the poor girl at the counter spoke no Russian. Since I was losing my patience and speak both, I offered to interpret for them. I got the Russians squared away and on their way, and finally got to the counter to pay for my five postcards and stamps. At the hard currency store, you have to show your ID, so I took out my U.S. passport. Seeing as how I had just gone back and forth between Russian and Spanish, her eyes opened wide in amazement, and I could almost see the letters "C I A" form on her expression (I'm not, by the way). I almost laughed out loud, but restrained myself.