Senator Rand Paul on Normalizing Relations with Cuba...
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Purveyor of Truth
President Obama's announcement that the United States of America and Cuba will begin normalizing relations is good news and long overdue. The Cuban embargo, expanded during the Kennedy administration on February 7, 1962 in response to the Soviet/Cuban missile threat to include almost all imports has, for all intent purposes, been a failure. It has failed to move the communist regime to lessen it's oppresion and democtatize the government. What it has done is closed Cuban markets to American businesses, restricted travel to and from the island, and denied the Cuban people the opportunity to benefit from trade between our two countries. As the saying goes... 'insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results'.
While a majority of likely republican presidental canditates have walked the conservative line highly critized President Obama's decision to work with Pesident Raul Castro to nomaralize relations; Senator Rand Paul has chosed to be the voice of reason on the right. “The 50-year embargo just hasn’t worked,” Paul said in remarks confirmed by his office. “If the goal is regime change, it sure doesn’t seem to be working and probably it punishes the people more than the regime because the regime can blame the embargo for hardship.”
It is time we normalize relations with our island neighbor 90 miles to the south of us and for congress to authorize a complete and total lifting of the failked embargo. Senator Paul is spot on corect. His party should listen to his voice of reason and common sense.
More HERE, and HERE
Via: Memeorandum
Purveyor of Truth
President Obama's announcement that the United States of America and Cuba will begin normalizing relations is good news and long overdue. The Cuban embargo, expanded during the Kennedy administration on February 7, 1962 in response to the Soviet/Cuban missile threat to include almost all imports has, for all intent purposes, been a failure. It has failed to move the communist regime to lessen it's oppresion and democtatize the government. What it has done is closed Cuban markets to American businesses, restricted travel to and from the island, and denied the Cuban people the opportunity to benefit from trade between our two countries. As the saying goes... 'insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results'.
While a majority of likely republican presidental canditates have walked the conservative line highly critized President Obama's decision to work with Pesident Raul Castro to nomaralize relations; Senator Rand Paul has chosed to be the voice of reason on the right. “The 50-year embargo just hasn’t worked,” Paul said in remarks confirmed by his office. “If the goal is regime change, it sure doesn’t seem to be working and probably it punishes the people more than the regime because the regime can blame the embargo for hardship.”
It is time we normalize relations with our island neighbor 90 miles to the south of us and for congress to authorize a complete and total lifting of the failked embargo. Senator Paul is spot on corect. His party should listen to his voice of reason and common sense.
POLITICO - Sen. Rand Paul broke with other likely Republican presidential contenders on Thursday by saying that opening up more trade with Cuba “is probably a good idea” and declaring that the U.S. embargo on the country “just hasn’t worked.”
The Kentucky senator’s comments to the West Virginia radio station News Talk 800 WVHU came a day after the White House announced it would normalize relations with the communist island.
The other likely GOP 2016 contenders who have weighed in so far on the plans have expressed fierce opposition. But Paul has taken a number of positions on foreign policy that have been at odds with many in his party.
SKIP
The latest action doesn’t formally lift the decades-old U.S. embargo on Cuba — that would require an act of Congress. But it will include establishing diplomatic relations, opening an embassy and easing restrictions on a range of activities, including some financial transactions.
Paul in the past has indicated support for allowing diplomatic talks with Iran over its nuclear program to continue, another policy at odds with many leading Republicans. He also has argued that a less aggressive foreign policy is appealing to younger voters and others who don’t traditionally vote for Republicans.
More HERE, and HERE
Via: Memeorandum
I always applaud Paul when he shows his libertarian bonafides and rejects conventional Republican BS. Of course sanctions don't work because they almost always harm the people more than the leadership and the best way to promote Democracy is through trade and contact. Econ 101 and I really have to say that the President probably got this one right.
ReplyDeleteThe 'talking heads' are opining and reading stuff into motives: Paul seeking to buttress a potential
ReplyDeletepresidential campaign, Obama seeking to split GOP opinion. I prefer to think that both are moved by
compassionate and practical considerations, so I'm with Will on this one.
Yeah BB Idaho, I was watching the Fox Talking Heads (Hannity, O'Reilly et all) and Rubio, Cruz,and Melendez. IMO it's comical while at the same time terribly unfortunate. Most of these people apparently subscribe to the insanity method... If hasn't worked for 52 years keep doing the same thing for another 10 years (or whatever) because sooner or later it is just bound to work.
ReplyDeleteI'm willing to bet that this move will lessen such problems like Putin putting a spy base there, instead of making such problems worse.
ReplyDeleteIt's time to wind down the feud with Cuba. The Castro brothers will be gone soon, most Cuban Americans were born in America now, and it's time we establish at least regular diplomatic connection to the island.
ReplyDeleteJMJ
Yes Jersey, it is time to do something new...
DeleteThe Cuban people want it, most Americana want it, there is no good reasons not to normalize diplomatic relations, ease restrictions, and eventually for congress to lift the embargo.
DeleteThe politicians for purely political reasons that are no longer valid are simply frothing at the mouth while they try to whip the republican sheeple into line. At the end of the exercise it will have failed, as it should.