Donald Trump Channels Ronald Reagan on Cuba

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Lost amidst the Calle Ocho griteria over Donald Trump’s recent comments on Cuba are what he actually said and how this actually stacks up against the Cuba policy of one of Calle Ocho’s most romanticized Anti-Castroites, Ronald Reagan. To wit:

“The concept of opening with Cuba is fine…but we should have made a better deal.” (Donald Trump, Sept. 7, 2015)

Now here’s some items from the administration of Cuban-American anti-Castro hero Ronald Reagan:

“We have tried to talk with Cuba in the past and it would be wrong to rule out trying again…(Thomas O. Enders, Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs under Ronald Reagan, March 25, 1982.)

“(Reagan’s personal envoy) Ambassador Vernon Walters offered Castro “compensation in the form of normalization of relations with the U.S. trade, technology, and other economic benefits, in return for “cessation of destabilizing activities in third world countries and political reform within Cuba.” His proposal was resoundingly rejected by Castro.” (interview with Reagan’s personal envoy to Castro, Vernon Walters.)

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“Men high in Reagan circles murmur about carrots and sticks with Cuba.” (William Safire NY Times, April 23, 1982.)

In other words: negotiating with totalitarian regimes (including Castro’s) is simply life in the big city for a superpower, gang. It’s the way the world works. But our side is also supposed to get something out of any deal with the Castro regime. Reagan probably went further than most Democratic Presidents seeking this ageless diplomatic goal, actually sending his Sec. of State Alexander Haig to meet in person with Castro’s “Vice. Pres.” Carlos Rafael Rodriguez in Mexico City. Then sending his personal envoy Vernon Walters to Havana to actually meet with Fidel Castro. Naturally all of this was secret at the time Reagan was hob-nobbing publicly with Jorge Mas…waving the Cuban flag…blah…blah..blah…But that’s life in the big city, gang. (Hopefully) we’re all grown-ups here.

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There’s plenty reasons why Donald Trump might be unfit to be a Republican Presidential candidate–but his Cuba sound-bites don’t strike me as one of them.

In fact, Donald Trump’s expropriation of one of Reagan’s campaign slogans as somehow coined by Trump strikes me as a more damming issue–and one more indicative of Trump’s character:

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“I’ve actually trademarked it. I get tremendous raves for that line. You would think they (my campaign rivals) would COME UP WITH THEIR OWN.” (Donald Trump, May 12, 2015.)

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“Oye, este Trump la verdad que le RRRONCA!!!”