Why Obama Should Go to Cuba

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Clarissa

February 19, 2016

Of course, Obama is doing the right thing in going to Cuba. Let’s remember the sequence of events. Putin made a play for Cuba and the Latin American countries that are in thrall to Cuba as part of his plan to restore the post-WWII division of the planet into spheres of influence. Russians sank quite a bit of money into buying the favor of Cubans and Co.

The US responded with a masterful stoke that would make us all proud if we were capable of feeling anything but guilt and disaffection about any and all of our actions in the world arena. By offering a rapprochement to Cuba, the US left Putin out in the cold, feeling like an idiot who paid up and got nothing in return. And believe me, this stung.

Of course, Putin didn’t give up. He pondered, regrouped, and once again made a play for Cubans. This time, he used the dumbo Pope and the goon Goondiayev to lay a claim to Cuba as a Russian playground.

Would it make sense to just sit stupidly by and let Putin do this? Remember, he responds aggressively to any show of passivity. You encourage him in this way, and he goes and bombs somebody. So it’s a great thing that Obama is going to Cuba. What’s going to make a bigger splash, this or a visit from some stupid Goondiayev?

As for going to Scalia’s funeral, that’s just silly. Even if you think the fellow was the second coming of Benjamin Franklin, he’s now dead. He doesn’t care who goes where and when. All these symbolic gestures are without any practical value for anybody but the immediate family. I prefer our elected leaders to fulfill their duty to the living and not run around chasing corpses.

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15 responses to “Why Obama Should Go to Cuba”

Shakti

February 19, 2016

” I prefer our elected leaders to fulfill their duty to the living and not run around chasing corpses.”-scene from President ______, Zombie Hunter

I’m sure many older Cubans are shrieking in horror at this visit.

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cliff arroyo

February 19, 2016

“All these symbolic gestures are without any practical value for anybody but the immediate family.”

I tend to disagree. Symbolic participation on important symbolic occasions is part of the job description of president. If the president can’t be there they send a representative, usually the Secretary of State. And putting partisan conflicts aside on symbolic occasions is also part of the job description (as is putting on a damn tie when making important announcements, though apart from that he did make the right noises).

I do agree that improving relations with Cuba is a very good idea as well, it should have started 20 years ago but better late than never. the Cuban American lobby is as toxic as politics gets in the US and they were humored for far too long.

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Barbara

February 19, 2016

I wonder if the people miffed on behalf of Scalia’s corpse were also upset when Scalia, Thomas and Alito skipped Obama’s State of the Union address last month? When I heard the TV announcer point this out, I just chuckled and thought, ” My oh my, lots of sore feelings there.” Basically, I shrugged. Which is a far cry from miffed.

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1. Clarissa
  
  February 19, 2016
  
  It is, indeed, very weird that people are investing all this with so much emotion. Maybe it’s something cultural but for me, if he’s dead, then I’m very sorry for his family, but let’s leave the grieving relatives in peace and move on.
  
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Barbara

February 19, 2016

Also, Obama is going to pay his respects to Scalia at the lying in repose ceremony (whatever that is), and is sending Biden to the funeral.

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1. Clarissa
  
  February 19, 2016
  
  Then, seriously, what is everybody so preoccupied about? Every time I try to access my blogroll to see the news I might have missed, all I see is articles about the funeral and Obama’s absence. It’s like people are obsessed.
  
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2. cliff arroyo
  
  February 19, 2016
  
  “Obama is going to pay his respects to Scalia at the lying in repose ceremony (whatever that is), and is sending Biden to the funeral.”
  
  That sounds completely appropriate.
  
  I’m assuming the lying in repose ceremony is the same as lying in state
  
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lying_in_state
  
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  1. Barbara
    
    February 19, 2016
    
    Yes, he will be lying in state. I’d never heard of the accompanying ceremony but on second thought, yeah, there must be some ritual at the beginning and end of this event.
    
    Otherwise it would be as casual as a hot dog vendor rolling his cart out to a city street corner in the morning and then rolling it back to the garage at the end of the day. That would not do.
    
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  2. Clarissa
    
    February 19, 2016
    
    Now, the tradition of relatives sitting all night with the dead is something I really support. People who have the experience and people who don’t end up with entirely different grieving process and a different attitude towards death.
    
    In the USSR, everybody preserved the religious structures of grief (washing the dead, sitting with the dead, the 3-9-40 days rites, etc) even tough nobody practiced any religion. And that was really good.
    
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Shakti

February 19, 2016

Is it really a coincidence that the Latino anti-immigrant candidates are of Cuban descent? It makes all their talk about how they’re going to be tougher on illegal immigrants and how they follow rules and some shit about lines especially hilarious, since pretty much any Cuban had to do was get to the United States and get a green card automatically. Being a bartender isn’t skilled labor and neither is being a university student . Cruz conveniently forgets that his father pretty much broke US immigration law (hey if “overstaying your visa” is “breaking the law” then it counts ) by the standards he wants to apply to everyone else. I think someone should ask pointed questions about “political asylum” “Cubans” and “Syrians” to these two without letting them wiggle out with “Jesus makes everything ok” and “who cares if the rules were different for my parents”. The hypocrisy on their parts is nauseating.

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Dreidel

February 19, 2016

“who cares if the rules were different for my parents”

The Cuban immigrants who got special treatment under federal law were (and are) doing what any intelligent person does — taking advantage of the laws on the books.

If the federal laws (or affirmative action policies, or any other relevant rules) work to your advantage in a specific situation, it’s not hypocrisy to use them. It would be stupid not to.

If you think certain laws favor other people unfairly, write your congressman and try to get them changed. That’s the way the system works.

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Shakti

February 19, 2016

If the federal laws (or affirmative action policies, or any other relevant rules) work to your advantage in a specific situation, it’s not hypocrisy to use them. It would be stupid not to.
I don’t fault their parents for using the system as much as I fault the the candidates’ ridiculous self righteousness when they’re in no real position to do so. There’s no way in hell they’re better than people who have to do more and be more in order to be here.

If you think certain laws favor other people unfairly, write your congressman and try to get them changed. That’s the way the system works.
Rubio is one of my representatives. Not only do I write my reps, I call their offices. I’ve gotten some very nice form letters printed on actual paper from my previous congressperson, who actually cared about his district. The man was so loved (for those reasons or pecuniary ones, take your pick) the liberal paper in my city endorsed him for his seat rather than the Democrat. Neither my current congress person nor Rubio cares as much about constituent service. 🙂

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1. Dreidel
  
  February 19, 2016
  
  ?? You got form letters back from your former congressman, and such brush-off, non-personal responses like that made him “beloved” to his constituents?
  
  Whenever I wrote my congressman in years past, I always got a detailed, lengthy personalized reply that specifically addressed my concerns. (I’m sure that the response was written by an aide and not the congressman, but the congressman had obviously instructed an aide to look into my complaints, and then try to do something to insure that I had a reason to keep voting for him every two years.)
  
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  1. Shakti
    
    February 19, 2016
    
    ?? You got form letters back from your former congressman, and such brush-off, non-personal responses like that made him “beloved” to his constituents?
    
    The guy used ink and actual paper and postage in response to emails. I believe it was the tax dollars he brought to the county and massive building projects that created jobs that made him beloved rather than the form letters created by mail merge. He had been in office for over 40 years.
    
    Whenever I wrote my congressman in years past, I always got a detailed, lengthy personalized reply that specifically addressed my concerns.
    How many people were in your district? Five? :p
    
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    1. Dreidel
      
      February 19, 2016
      
      “How many people were in your district? Five? :p”
      
      I have no idea how many people lived in my official home of record at the time (Riverside, California). I was stationed overseas in the Air Force back then, but I made sure that my congressman knew that I was a practicing physician and senior military officer (full colonel), that I was serving my country, and that I expected my representatives in congress to be serving their constituents.
      
      A little politeness mixed with assertiveness goes a long way when you’re dealing with people. 🙂
      
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