Embarrassment – Dems Have Lovely Chat with Fidel Castro… Blame America for Cuba’s Poverty Because of Embargo
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on April 8, 2009
By Vicki McClure Davidson * Frugal Café Blog Zone
Per The Hill, the Democrats who met with Fidel Castro this week represent “a fringe” in Congress that still sees the former dictator as a romantic revolutionary, the leader of a hard-line group said Wednesday.
Mauricio Claver-Carone, a board member with the US-Cuba Democracy Political Action Committee, blasted Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and six other Democrats for traveling to Cuba and meeting with Castro.
“It’s an embarrassment and it gives a bad name to the Congressional Black Caucus,” Claver-Carone said of the trip. Several of the lawmakers are CBC members.
Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.), a native of Cuba, told CNN that any member visiting Cuba should “have the courage” to meet with those raising concerns about the government’s human rights violations.
The surprise encounter with Fidel Castro came a day after the full delegation of six representatives spent more than four hours talking privately with Cuban President Raul Castro, his first encounter with U.S. officials since formally replacing his brother as head of state nearly 14 months ago.
Here’s Rep. Barbara Lee (a liberal Democrat from California, no surprise) talking about their visit with Cuban leader Castro, and why the Democrats on the team chose to ignore the lack of human rights in the country and didn’t meet with any local people for their input on Cuba’s extensive problems. At least in the video, Lee didn’t drool over the aging Castro’s seasoned senior citizen physique; no “tingle up the leg” yet, but we haven’t ruled out Lee starting her own “Fidel Castro Fan Club”:
The adulation of Castro could not be contained by our elected officials when talking to the press. They were nearly weak-kneed with hero worship, as they sang the dictator’s praises:
Lee and others heaped praise on Castro, calling him warm and receptive during their discussion. But the lawmakers disputed Castro’s later statement that members of the congressional delegation said American society is still racist.
“It was quite a moment to behold,” Lee said, recalling her moments with Castro.
“It was almost like listening to an old friend,” said Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Il.), adding that he found Castro’s home to be modest and Castro’s wife to be particularly hospitable.
“In my household I told Castro he is known as the ultimate survivor,” Rush said.
Rep. Laura Richardson (D-Ca.) said Castro was receptive to President Obama’s message of turning the page in American foreign policy. “He listened. He said the exact same thing” about turning the page “as President Obama said,” said Richardson. Richardson said Castro knew her name and district. “He looked right into my eyes and he said, ‘How can we help? How can we help President Obama?’”
Summary of Rush Limbaugh’s take on today’s EIB radio show on Cuba, Fidel Castro, and the embargo: “It’s a hell hole because of the United States? We are the only nation in the world that doesn’t trade with them. The world trades with Cuba. There’s just not much that Cuba has that the world wants. It is ‘what it is’ because WE won’t trade with them? No freedom, no free market. Fidel Castro and his regime take all the money… the country’s in dire straits because of us? …We really are a bi-polar country. Should we end the embargo on their sugar, cigars? The idea is that the money will end up in the back pockets of Cuban citizens, but it doesn’t. It ends up in the pockets of the Cuban leaders. …The only reason the US embargo should be lifted is if the Castros are taken out of there and Chávez is kept out.”
Radio legend Paul Harvey once asked, “They have gun control in Cuba. They have universal health care in Cuba. So why do they want to come here?”
Political humorist and commentator P. J. O’Rourke traveled to Cuba to research a book on world economies, and made this observation: “The Cuban government has not only eliminated the concept of unemployment, it’s eliminated the concept of jobs, if you don’t count begging or pestering strangers to buy ‘genuine Cohiba cigars’ that ‘a good friend of mine sneaks out of the factory.’ Either the fellow who sneaks Cohibas out of the factory has an unusual number of good friends, or Cohiba-sneaking is Cuba’s largest industry.”
And, Limbaugh observed a few months back on his radio show about Obama’s socialist concept of economy, “If economies are built ‘bottom up,’ Obama, wouldn’t Mexico be the number one economy in the world? Wouldn’t Cuba be an international superpower?”
The country is poor. The country has been run into the ground by a dictator, a tyrant. The country is socialist. We don’t trade with them. Thus, their problems with poverty are America’s fault? Not Castro’s power grab and his socialist agenda that robs shamelessly from his people and destroys all hope and initiative?
Ask any Cuban who has escaped Cuba his or her desire to live there again under Castro’s regime. Ask any local Cuban who is still there if he or she would like to leave and come to America. Ask any how he or she feels about the fulfilled promises of socialism.
Castro confiscated the property in Cuba, including those lands owned by Americans. He nationalized everything in sight: real estate, phone companies, casinos, and on and on.
Exportation is about the only income of substance in the country anymore (hospitality services are in the income mix, but it’s a pittance). Even the sugar grown in Cuba is exported almost 100 percent. The locals get the imported, second-rate sugar. Go into any hotel and you have to ask for Cuban sugar, because it is guarded from use by the Cuban people. Only the good stuff is sold/sent out, and the inferior stuff is all that is available to the average Cuban.
Yay for socialism…
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Rush Limbaugh, April 9, 2009: “There is a concept of American exceptionalism, and this guy, Obama, hates it. He doesn’t like it, doesn’t agree with it, and thinks the only thing we’re exceptional at is being bullies.”
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Michelle Malkin: Castro Watch: Walking Commie corpse appears on TV and CBC: Congressional boot-lickers for Castro
Val Prieto, Babalú Blog, On the net without a bearded dictator: Michelle Malkin on the CBC
Politico: CBC members praise Castro
AOL Political Machine: Lawmakers Take Time Out of Their Busy Schedules to Suck Up to Fidel Castro
Pam Meister, Big Hollywood: How Do You Put Murderous Dictators in Context? Let’s Ask Oliver Stone!
Myriam Marquez, Miami Herald: Lawmakers’ Cuba concerns are misplaced
Michelle Malkin: Culture of Corruption Watch: Hill edition and Commie Stooges of the Day Award and Grading the MSM’s Cuban revolution coverage and “Comrade”
Arlenearmy’s Blog: Who are the Members of the Congressional Black Caucus?
See-dubya, Michelle Malkin blog (May 2008): Another Obama endorsement!
The Hill: Cuban PAC blasts CBC trip as ‘embarrassment’
Blog for Cuba: The U.S. should not negotiate with crazy dictators and Congressional Black Caucus: not interested in civil, human rights for Cubans
Gateway Pundit: Castro Tells Far Left Democrats That US Owes Cuba an Apology
The Republican Temple: Black Caucus Drinks The Castro Koolaid
Jules Crittenden, Forward Movement: Seeing As You Asked
The Washington Times: Fidel Castro: Obama ‘misinterpreted’ words
Cuba on My Mind: After He’s Gone
Thunder Pig: Congressional Black Caucus Visits Ideological Allies in Communist Cuba | Update: They Loved Castro, and Castro Loved Them!!!
Bloggers United for Cuban Liberty: Afro-Cuban Fact Sheet for Journalists
Founding Bloggers: Which Caucus Visited Cuba? The Black One Or The Progressive One?
John Nolte, Big Hollywood: Spike Lee Slams America, Lays Off Hugo Chavez
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