Ventura: Cuba policy is 'all about' Florida votes

Star Tribune ^ | Sep 24, 2002

[wallcrawlr]

As Gov. Jesse Ventura makes last-minute preparations for a trip to Cuba, he wants it known that he does not support President Fidel Castro.

"He's a dictator," Ventura said in an interview with the Star Tribune on Monday. "That pretty much says it all."

[joesnuffy]

Jesse want talk show

[trebb]

It's a shame - at one time I liked and respected Jesse, now he falls in the "who cares what's best for America" category...

[Minnesoootan]

Actually,a well written article by P.Lopez,pretty rare to read something concerning Jesse where the journalist doesn't run of into an editorial...
I like his to the point personality,but sitting down to talk with Castro about Kennedy?? Jesse,if you get the chance to meet him,fore arm shiver,whip into the turn buckle followed by a clothes line,scoop him up and pile drive him,then finish him off with the ring bell,then we can talk about this trip being FOR Minnesooota!
He is right though,nobody said a thing when he went to China......

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Because Castro's our neighborhood thug, because hundreds die coming to our shores, because we've had relations with Cuba in one way or another since America's founding, being 90 miles south of us. Because Cuban-Americans are some of the hardest working, most decent, God-fearing, family oriented Americans we're fortunate to have among our residents here in Florida...and we know a lot about Castro and his torture and human rights violations because of OUR courageous neighbors. Because we can't do everything....we can do some things.

Castro's a terrorist, a Communist, a liar. The freedom-loving people in Cuba do not want us to lift the embargo. They understand the message it sends to the world...that the US knows of and disapproves of Fidel Castro. It's too bad more Americans don't get it.

[dogbyte12]

It is a hypocritical policy. China is much worse than Cuba. That is like saying that Stalin is much worse than Ted Bundy, it's only a matter of ability and opportunity.

China has nukes and a billion people who can make toys really cheap though.

When Bush senior proposed opening up Most Favored Nation status to China, his theory was that by allowing contact, we would create a hunger for freedom, and change China by our engagement. Fine. Why doesn't this apply to Cuba? I honestly don't give a rip about Cuba, I do think it should not be treated worse than China just because Castro can't do anything about it like the Chinese can. Isolate them both or engage them both. Crazy cubans in Florida shouldn't be dictating our foreign policy.

[Stavka2]

Oh please, what BS. How is the embargo good for America? China is a giant bugbear compared to the little goblin of Cuba and the US can't get enough of licking China's rear crack.

[RMDupree]

Crazy cubans in Florida shouldn't be dictating our foreign policy.

You owe me and many other FReepers on this forum an apology for that statement.

[dogbyte12]

I won't apologize for that. I am sick and tired of the little Generals in Miami. They are dying out thank goodness. All these little Batista flunkies thought they were going to install themselves as members of the new Cuban government once they got rid of Castro. That administration was corrupt with mob influence, with Casinos being a big portion of the economy back then.

I hope Castro gets tossed soon, and Cubans who have actually suffered and struggled in Cuba help form a new democratic Cuba, instead of tinpot dictator wannabes who have been soaking up the south florida sun for 40 years.

[RMDupree]

We don't need Cuba, Cuba needs us. So as far as the question "How is the embargo good for America?" - the answer is: It's irrelevent.

Lifting the embargo will not help the Cuban people since ONLY Castro and the Communist Party will gain wealth from trade with the US. NONE of the money will ever reach the Cuban people, so lifting the embargo will only economically perpetuate Castro's regime and give Castro a soapbox on which to say that he "made" the US cave to his demands.

In short, if Castro wants the embargo lifted, that is reason enough NOT to lift it.

[RMDupree]

Those "little Generals" you speak of put Bush into office. So, again, an apology is in order.

Cubans voted for Clinton by over 50% in 1996. Over 90% voted for Bush in 2000 as a direct result of the Clinton Administration's handling of Elian Gonzalez.

If it weren't for the Americans of Cuban descent, you'd be seeing Algore kissing Osama's backside right now, begging for another chance to show our tolerance towards Islam.

There are quite a few FReepers here that have Cuban roots and/or support the Cuban exiles desire to see Cuba liberated from Castro's dictatorship. I am included in that group (the former and latter).

Your broad generalization of the exiles is similar to Dummycrat talking points whenever the subject of Cuba comes up. But maybe you like sounding like one.

[Wait4Truth]

Crazy cubans in Florida shouldn't be dictating our foreign policy.

What a disgusting thing to say! Those "crazy cubans" are God-fearing, America-loving people. You should apologize.

[dogbyte12]

I am not painting all cubans with this brush. Just the radical nuts. Most cubans are decent God fearing americans. I am referring to the lot who believe US laws don't apply to them, and believe that they are going to run Cuba as their booty for fighting Castro.

Some of my best friends are Cuban :P... seriously though, I will break out a bottle out of my cellar when Castro is toppled, I just don't think it is right that our foreign policy becomes jumbled and hypocritical because Cubans are swing voters in Florida. I would feel the same way if it were reversed, and say Chinese immigrants were the swing voters in California and our government did their beck and call just to win 54 electoral votes.

I am just baffled as to what will happen when the great white whale (Castro) is finally tossed aside. Castro has been around for Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, and Bush II. Some people's whole identities for their entire adult lives have been fighting Castro. I think some will be secretly saddened when he passes.

[wideawake]

(1) Castro (with the help of his buddies in the US) is strenuously campaigning for a lifting of the embargo for one reason: his refusal to pay his debts has France, Germany, Italy, Argentina, Venezuela and other Castro-enablers shutting off his credit. Because he has defaulted too many times, the taxpayers of those countries have wound up footing the bill for his delinquency. They are now refusing to throw any more good money after bad.

Castro has bled Russia, Western Europe and South America dry for 40 years. One by one they've cut him off.

(2) US leftists want to end the embargo because they are Communist fellow travelers. We've known that all along. Why do so many US businesses and RINOs want to end it? For the same reason European and South American businesses did business with Castro. Those companies insured their high-risk receivables from Castro using guarantees from export-import banks. If Castro paid them, fine. If he didn't, they cashed in the insurance. When the export-import banks got overextended because of Castro's failure to pay, the government had to bail them out at the expense of local taxpayers. It wasn't trade. It was welfare, with Castro as the recipient, the savvy exporters as middlemen and the hardworking people inside and outside Cuba as the suckers.

(3) The only people who stand to benefit from lifting the embargo are Castro and his regime and the lucky businesses he chooses to favor. There will be a similar Ponzi scheme, with US taxpayers being the fall guy when Castro defaults for the nth time on his payments.

(4) Castro has had access to billions and billions in aid and loan guarantees and "trade" - he squandered it all and now expects the US taxpayer to foot the bill. The material conditions of the Cuban people have not improved one iota. Lifting the embargo will only hurt them, since it will extend the life of his regime. Anyone who champions lifting the embargo is championing theft, corporate welfare and dictatorial Communism. It's that simple.

(5) The Cuban-American community has contributed a lot more to America, its freedom and its economy than Fidel Castro ever has. I'd much prefer to listen to what they have to say than the fulminations of a tin-pot dictator and the corrupt businessmen he's promised to pay off.

[RMDupree]

Thank you for your post. It was well done and clarifies why the embargo should stand.

[flushed with pride]

Is it possible that Ventura knows full well about Castro's record of defaulting and yet claims that he 'sees an opportunity for Minnesota' anyway? Since he has no plans to run for office again (he got his feelings hurt over the flap about his son having a party in the gov's mansion), maybe this is JV's fiscal 'scorched earth' policy for Minnesota--get a bunch of businesses (and government) on the hook for billions in credit to Castro, and when (not if) he defaults, Jesse will be long gone from office and won't give a damn about the consequences. This scenario assumes, of course, that the embargo will be lifted, but that seems to be what so many Democrats/leftists want and are working hard to achieve.

Reagan destroyed the Soviet system by forcing them to spend themselves into bankruptcy on military spending. Leftists/Communists/Democrats want to destroy America by forcing our government and enticing our businesses into spending themselves into bankruptcy by 'establishing economic ties' to brutal, corrupt regimes such as Castro's. Any money that flows into that island will only wind up in Fidel's pocket, and the people will get chumped (as usual). Ventura should stay away from Cuba.

[wideawake]

Ventura is a joke. He claims that Castro is a "dictator" but still wants to have a heart-to-heart with him about his troubles with the CIA?

Does this ex-Navy SEAL remind you of any ex-Marines we know?

[flushed with pride]

Not only is he a joke (WWF and XFL), but a political lightweight who can't take the (relatively mild) heat of scrutiny. The hissy fit he had over the press coverage of the aforementioned party was 'the last straw' and made him vow not to run for office again. Hell, even Clinton (ugh) had more backbone when dealing with critics (of him or his family).

[flushed with pride]

And one more point about Jesse the Genius. His comment about Castro being on his ninth U.S. President was stupid. That's because in America, we have these events every four years called ELECTIONS where a relatively peaceful, bloodless transfer of power takes place ((Kennedy to Johnson (not bloodless, but Johnson was elected on the same ticket) and Nixon to Ford (GRF was appointed to the Vice-Presidency) being exceptions to that rule). Castro remains DICTATOR by means of a gun barrel aimed at the un-armed citizenry who know what it would mean for them to think otherwise. The fact that Fidel has remained while U.S. Presidents have come and gone is a testimony to his abuse of power and America's respect for our constitution. That this fact escaped Ventura is a testimony to his lack of knowledge of the very concept of government. He just wanted to have something to say that he thought would be a witty response.