It’s not about noises, it’s about back room deals.
Those two aren't mutually exclusive; and either one alone is sufficient. Government shutdowns are averted by noises. Every time Congress delays cooking the books, the DEMs pitch a fit in the press, and the GOP caves in. Same sort of pressure can be brought to bear on normalizing relations with Cuba. See too, pull out of (and get in to) Viet Nam, Iraq, etc.
I don't doubt that the Cuba deal will be made with back room deals, that's the 1% of casino take to Mitch reference.