Joe Garcia’s fundraising buddy

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Here’s Charles Rangel saying it’s unconstitutional for the President and the state deparment to list to Cuban-Americans. This is what pisses me off about these disingenuous jerks. They are pissed simply because we use the institutions of democracy, namely the vote, to influence policy. If that’s crime, then we are guilty.

12 thoughts on “Joe Garcia’s fundraising buddy”

  1. There are no words to describe Charles Rangel… honestly…
    he had to be a DEMOCRAT!
    enough said…
    -the tuna

  2. To rehash the debate about remittances, why are we so sure they support the regime?
    Couldn’t it also be said that with unlimited visits/remittances that they could further empower the Cuban people via education, new resources, and intellectual exchange?
    I am a liberal, and Charles Rangel is an idiot based on that clip (does he always talk like a Jewish grandmother?), but as it has been pointed out: there is no “starving” the regime, so why try? They can call on the assistance of their allies (Venezuela, Iran, China, to name a few) to save themselves. They still have the general support of the populous and they are removing the arbitrary bans which may have threatened their popularity.. the “Revolution” isn’t going anywhere.
    I think it’s more a matter of principle for the U.S. not to support a country which harbors “terrorists” (although I’m curious to see this blog’s opinion on Luis Posada Carrilles, who by all accounts has killed numerous innocent people) which makes sense until you realize the policy is regressive – it hurts the Cuban people, who we are ostensibly trying to assist.
    We can all agree on one thing: Castro has made the Cuban people suffer greatly – so let’s not be guilty of the same thing.

  3. For me it’s very simple. LDB says it at the end of that video. The best indicator of future performance is past performance and this regime has shown us what it does when it has access to resources. It subverts other countries and creates big trouble for the U.S.
    Besides. The remittance and family travel restrictions are largely symbolic. I have not seen one report of a Cuban-American being fined by OFAC for visiting Cuba and I know first hand that you can send unlimited sums of money to Cuba via Canadian companies.
    The only thing that can bring the regime down is internal opposition with external support.

  7. Charles Rangel is pure sleaze and he’s totally infuriating. Here is a congressman from a district in NYC, Harlem, where there are nary any Cuban Americans living, and yet, he is totally obsessed with Cuba. Can you imagine the outrage if Lincoln Diaz-Balart–whom I believe has few African Americans in his district– became an activist for engagement with some hypothetical racist apartheid government somewhere in the world? He would be tarred and feathered! Yet, Charles Rangel’s behavior vis-a-vis Cuba is akin to LDB do exactly that!

  8. Mike
    Stop parroting the Cuban Government and the Democrats. Posada Carriles was TRIED in THREE courts (on of them a military court) and found to be NOT GUILTY! Period. Live with it and move on.
    The embargo IS IN PLACE because the Cuban government expropriated American owned property (the largest in U.S. history). Got it! So far as I know, Cuba has NOT (as of today) recognized this debt.
    As to your comment that the embargo “is regressive – it hurts the Cuban people, who we are ostensibly trying to assist.” Do let me inform you that food and medicine are excluded from the embargo. The ONLY one hurting the Cuban people is the Cuban government.
    And yes WE ARE SURE the remittances HELP the regime. Let’s put it to the test and stop all remittances and travel to Cuba for six months and see what happens.
    As to Charles Rangel there are no words yet invented foul enough to describe him.

  9. The Cuban Americans are a voting bloc no different from any other in this country whether they are pro-Israel, pro-gun, pro-life or anti-global warming.
    I’m no Constitutional lawyer but the rights of any minority are supposed to be respected in this country and their voices are supposed to be heard.
    Even as a non-Cuban I just cannot get my mind around how exercising your rights to voice your opinions and have a voice in a policy is wrong.
    You can argue that it may be unique, given the geographic proximity of Cuba in that there is a concentration of one group and an intense passion for freedom in their country but who said that is somehow wrong?
    Damnit I don’t always agree with the Cuban Americans especially when it comes to a lot of the domestic American politcs(Cigar Mike)but voting as a bloc and freely electing represenatives who share your point of view sure as hell IMHO isn’t constitutionally wrong and sure as hell isn’t morally wrong.
    Call me cornball but its as American as Apple Pie.
    Didn’t this country start the Civil Rights movement with a small minority who brought this country around to do what was right?
    I don’t slam Rangle as much as you guys, but if anyone should understand that it should be Charlie Rangle.

  10. JackW, the problem is that you can’t look at guys like Rangel and Flake (on the Republican side) and take what they say at face value. Too many people have gone down and visited the Potemkin village and come back singing the praises of the regime. They are co-opting these legislators, governors, and businessmen with God knows what. Probably a mixture of bribery, extortion, and good old charm. I did a search on Rangel’s official web site and found several mentions of Cuba, all in context of removing the embargo but not one mention of human rights in Cuba or political prisoners in Cuba. He simply doesn’t care about democracy and human rights in Cuba.

  11. Does the Cuban government spy for profit:
    It seems probable that the Cuban government uses its spies in the US to obtain information to sell to other governments and very likely terrorist groups.

  12. During the 8 years of the Clinton Administration, the “people to people” contacts were increased with Cuba in the hope that it would bring Democracy to the island. Why haven’t the Democrats promoted this same policy toward Iran and North Korean? Just think, we wouldn’t have had the Iraq war if Clinton had promoted the “people to people” policy there, right?

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