(New) Policy on Cuba will cost Bush votes, group warns (from Miami)

[Mika]

I wanted to post this story so DUers could see that the Miami Cuban-American community IS NOT a monolithic voting block


Policy on Cuba will cost Bush votes, group warns
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/8636256.htm

Four days after President Bush's announcement, leaders of five organizations said at a press conference they will encourage exiles to work against the president's reelection -- putting them at odds with other exiles who support Bush's new policy.

''Some 140,000 Cuban exiles visited the island last year; 100,000 of those lived in South Florida,'' said Andres Gomez, head of the Antonio Maceo Brigade. ``This will mean many of those who can't travel to the island will vote against Bush -- and for a candidate who allows travel to Cuba.''

The group of exiles, who often stage political battles with staunch anti-Castro exiles because they favor an easing of the U.S. embargo on the island, called the new restrictions ''a violation of their civil rights.'' The restrictions will be a blow to the Cuban people who depend on money from relatives in Miami-Dade and elsewhere in the United States to get by, they said.

Without their ragtag humanitarian aid, their relatives, not Fidel Castro's government, will suffer, they said.

''This is a political mistake and it's inhumane,'' said Max Lesnick of the Alianza Martiana. ''This will boomerang'' on the administration.

--

The group that held the press conference blamed the tightening of rules on ''the Cuban right who have no feelings for those on the island,'' Gomez said.

Last week, Bush said he will cut back Cuban Americans' family visits to the island from once a year to once every three years.

He'll also limit the length of a visit to 14 days, cut the amount U.S. visitors can spend there, and limit which relatives can travel there.

He also will restrict who can receive money, which can no longer be sent to individuals but only to a single household.

[lumpy]

1. Dictator vs. Dictator

Bush the 'free enterprizer', compassionate leader, who touts democracy and freedom at work.

[Mika]

2. Its easy to say that from here

In Cuba, Fidel Castro is revered and liked by a vast majority of the Cuban people - especially in the city of Santiago De Cuba (Castro's electoral district in the Cuban National Assembly).

Castro ain't no frat boy who ran from service to his country and to fellow countrymen.

[rebellious woman]

3. The cubanos will still vote for him no matter what, he represents all

they stand for regardless. He will kiss their ass
for this next election even if he has to give them
a blow job.

[Just Me]

4. Wow. That's not insulting,...oh no. Ugh!!! n/t

[Say_What]

5. Proves how LITTLE you know about Miami's Cuban-American community

The Batistianos, who have tried to get ten (10) US presidents to fight their battle with Castro are showing up regularly in the El Nuevo Herald obits, decades after they thought they'd be back in Cuba.

The only asses GeorgieBoy is kissing is that small minority of GUSANOS (Batistianos) that are represented by the likes of Ros-Lithium and the Ditzy-Balistic boys--Fidel's favorite nephews--one of whom (Lincoln) was recently booed and heckled in the Colombian congress.

---

<clips>

Cuban American Alliance Education Fund
1010 Vermont Avenue, NW #620
Washington, D.C. 20005
www.cubamer.org
PRESS RELEASE

Washington, D.C. May 7, 2004. The measures proposed by the Commission on
Cuba and accepted in full by the President represent a cruel expansion of
the failed decades-old policy of the U.S. towards Cuba. While the new
measures will not bring down the Cuban government, they are designed to, and
will, cause the people of Cuba further suffering in order to advance the
self-interests of the most extreme elements in South Florida and shore up
their electoral and financial support in this election year.

The White House plan would make it illegal for Cuban-Americans to visit
their spouses or children more than once every three years. The President
further pretends to redefine the Cuban family, disqualifying Cuban-Americans
from ever visiting or sending remittances to uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces
and cousins.

President Bush will also order a drastic reduction in the amount of money a
licenced Cuban-American visitor to the island may spend: from $164 to only
$50 per day--including lodging, meals, and transportation--thus making it
impossible for a Cuban-American to treat family members (even if once every
three years) to a simple meal at a restaurant.

What kind of a foreign policy is premised on prohibiting a U.S. citizen or
resident from visiting a spouse and children--or vice versa--more than once
every three years? Or from sending families a reasonable amount of money for
clothes, food and other necessities, as do immigrants of every other
nationality? What kind of an insane policy prohibits parents who receive
U.S.-level salaries from providing more than $100 per month in child or
family support?

Our families in Cuba need our emotional and material support. While the
Cuban government eased travel to the island from the U.S. by
Cuban-Americans., the Bush administration, which otherwise proclaims family
values, imposes draconian measures to further divide our families.

Other recommendations were accepted, including those to authorize $59
million over the next two years to destabilize the country (much of which
actually is paid in salaries to extremists in Miami whose political
activities are subsidized by taxpayers) and an additional $18 million to fly
military EC-130 planes around Cuba to beam television and radio signals from
the United States into the country.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/message/25642

[Say_What]

6. $45 million for Radio and TV Marti--more money to the black hole

wonder how much of that money gets funneled back to corrupt pols --Bushes, Ros-Lithium, the Ditzy-Balistics. Additionally, they are already budgeted for $27 million. Our tax dollars at work... :puke:

[Moderator]

7. Mika

Per DU copyright rules
please post only four
paragraphs from the
news source.

Thank you.

DU Moderator

[Judi Lynn]

8. I can't imagine how they see Dubya right now. They have to be steamed.

The "exiles" who have come here in recent years have strong ties to their families, travel back to see them, send them money, and some even expect to retire there.

Author and former NY Times journalist, (where she did a huge story on Cuban bomber/CIA employee/jerk, Louis Posada Carriles) Ann Louise Bardach wrote in her book, Cuba Confidential on page 18 in the preface:

But there has been a slow but steady shift in the last decade-a not to the clear majority of Cubans en ixilio who crave family reunification. Since 1978, more than one million airlrine tickets have been sold for flights from Miami to Havana, hard-liners on both sides have opted to deny the new realaity. Anomalies such as the phenomenon of reverse balseros, Cubans who, unable to adampt to the pressures and bustle of entrepreneurial Miami, return to the island, or gusañeros, expatriates who sesnd a protion of their earnings home in exchange for unfettered travel back and forth to Cuba (the term is a curious Cuban hybrid of gusano and compañero, or comrade), are unacknowledged by both sides, as are those who live in semi-exilio, returning home to Cuba for long holidays.
(snip)

http://www.bigspeak.com/ann-louise-bardach.html