Palacios de los Jugos: What Nixon did for China, Romney can do for Cuba ... by gimleteye

It is only a few hours before Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan visit Miami and a spirited event at Palacios on Coral Way. (I prefer the authentic Red Road location.) If Romney wants to shake things up in the presidential campaign, he will break with sodden tradition and voice his support for dropping the Cuba embargo -- a position his running mate, Paul Ryan, embraced.

Every day, long lines at Miami International Airport of Cuban American families headed to Havana deliver private and commercial goods. Even within the Cuban American business elite, embargo busting has become routine. The embargo serves no purpose other than enforcing political orthodoxies on both sides of the Florida Straits. It has succeeded only in creating a time capsule of hardship.

In a 2011 poll by FIU, 80 percent of respondents from the exile community believe the embargo has not worked very well or not at all. Last night on "60 Minutes", both Romney and Ryan exposed the vulnerabilities of focusing on the Ryan budget plan. Romney needs other policy points to secure the Hispanic vote. Dropping the Cuba embargo is the place to do it.

This is also the right policy to energize Florida's economy. In particular, Miami's fraud riddled, black market, and back door business climate needs to change. Pull down the embargo, Mr. Romney.

The instant benefit to Romney's campaign, should he reject the embargo, would be with swing voters in important electoral states in the West; independents and non-Cuban Hispanics who view the embargo and the special status of Cuban immigrants with resentment. And, in Florida?

A younger generation of Cuban Americans doesn't care about the embargo. And who will the older Cuban American GOP generation vote for this election? They are Marco Rubio voters who have nowhere to go but to Romney/Ryan. Why would Rubio go along with this massive change? Rubio's role has been as a facilitator for the business elite, earlier expressed through his mentor, Jeb! Bush. The play for Cuba is about control of access. There are certain promises that Romney could make to secure -- if not enthusiastic support, then at least tacit silence -- of Cuban American legislators.

Does Romney have the guts to advocate, this afternoon, for dropping the Cuba embargo? The obvious answer is, no. The obvious answer is that the vote in Florida will be too close. The obvious tactic is not to tamper with the GOP base in Miami. We will hear, soon enough, what kind of leader Mitt Romney is, on Cuba ...

For an analysis of Ryan's record on Cuba by American Bridge, click 'read more'

http://www.scribd.com/doc/102084820/184/Cuba

Ryan Voted for Easing Cuba Gift Regulations.
On June 15, 2005, Ryan voted for an amendment that would prohibit theuse of funds in the bill to implement, administer or enforce regulations related to license exemptions for gift parcels andhumanitarian donations for Cuba. Congressional Quarterly Weekly reported that the amendment
“
would have relaxed thetrade embargo against Cuba to allow the shipment of gift parcels [...] it encountered strong resistance from Florida
’
s GOPdelegation and DeLay, who said the goods would just wind up in the hands of the Castro regime. The White House warnedlast week that such an amendment might trigger a veto.
”
[ Roll Call 254, H 2862, 06/15/2005;Congressional Quarter Weekly 06/17/2005]
Ryan Voted To Repeal Limits On Family Travel To Cuba.
According to the Saint Paul Pioneer Press, “Voting 225 for
and 174 against, the House blocked new administration limits on visits by Cuban-Americans with family members in Cuba. A
yes vote was to repeal new limits on family travel to Cuba.” Ryan v
oted yes. [Saint Paul Pioneer Press, 9/26/04]
Ryan Supported An End To U.S. Sanctions Against Cuba, Backing A Measure To Allow Free, Two-Way Trade.
According to the Saint Paul Pioneer Press, “Voting 188 for and 225 against, the House refused to end U.S. e
conomicsanctions on Cuba and thus allow free, two-way trade with the Communist state. A yes vote backed free, two-way trade with
Cuba.” Ryan voted yes. [Saint Paul Pioneer Press, 9/26/04]

Ryan Voted to Remove Travel Restrictions to Cuba.
In September 2004, Ryan voted to
“
remove barriers to agriculturesales and student exchanges
”
with Cuba, according to the AP. The measure was part of the FY 2005 Transportation and Treasury Appropriations Act, which passed 397-12.[ Roll Call 465, H 5025, 09/22/2004;AP, 9/22/04]
Ryan Voted to Increase Spending for the Treasury Department, Lift Travel Restrictions to Cuba.
On July 25, 2001,Ryan voted for an appropriations bill that increased spending on the Treasury Department and the Postal Service, in additionto lifting travel restrictions on Cuba. According to Congressional Quarterly Weekly,
“
A showdown between Congress andPresident Bush over Cuba policy is threatening to slow progress on the fiscal 2002 Treasury-Postal Service appropriationspackage. The House voted 334-94 to pass its version of the legislation (HR 2590) July 25, after adding language that would liftrestrictions on travel by U.S. citizens to Cuba.
”
The next day the Senate Appropriations Committee voted 29-0 to approve abill that is silent on Cuba, the two measures are otherwise strikingly similar.
“
As a result, Cuba is the main point of disagreement at the moment. But the bill will be managed on the Senate floor by Byron L. Dorgan, D-N.D., [
…] Dorgan said
he would either offer his own amendment or ask the Senate to adopt the same travel provision added by the House.
”
[ RollCall 274, H 2590, 07/25/2001;Congressional Quarterly Weekly, 07/27/01]
Ryan Voted to Lift Restrictions on Travel to Cuba.
On July 25, 2001, Ryan vote in favor of an amendment to endrestrictions on travel to Cuba. According to the Washington Post,
“
The House voted yesterday to lift restrictions on travel toCuba by U.S. citizens, which sponsors said would be a first step toward ending the communist nation
’
s economic isolation andhastening democratic reforms. [
…] The 240 to 186 vote in favor of lifting the restrictions came on an amendment by Rep. Jeff
Flake (R-Ariz.) to the $ 32.7 billion fiscal 2002 spending bill for the Treasury Department, Postal Service, White House andother agencies. The House passed a similar amendment last year, but it died in the Senate.
”
[ Roll Call 270, H 2590,07/25/2001;Washington Post, 07/26/01]

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