Obama is normalizing relations with Cuba and Conservative Inc is pretending to be flipping out about it. The usual suspects on the Right are focusing on the fact Obama is an Socialist, sympathetic to unrepentant radicals like the Castro brothers. The line of attack is about Obama’s anti-American impulses, which are real, but not really what’s at work here. Many on the Right are anti-citizen, which makes them anti-American, by definition, so their yelping now is a bit hollow.
In reality, Obama is just doing the bidding of American business. The tourism rackets, gambling rackets and, of course, the bankers see big profits in Cuba. This news story from the spring lays out the case for normalizing relations so big business can cash in on Cuba. It is easy to forget that Cuba was a food exporter before Castro. They can also be a source of cheap labor for American business. Our rulers will also enjoy vacationing there as well.
This NYTimes story from 2010 reports on the machinations behind the long running drive to open up Cuba to American business. There are 11 million Cubans ready to buy Big Macs, Coke and whatever other crap we can sell them. How they will pay for it is a mystery, but presumably Cuba will quickly become a slightly better version of Puerto Rico. Cubans are better educated than Puerto Ricans so they should adapt quickly to American tourism.
Of course, the Democrats are reading the polls and seeing a shift in Cuban-American politics. Young Cubans don’t care about Castro. They care about getting on the victimization train. They look around at the free stuff other Hispanics are getting and they want in on the scam too. You can’t blame them for it. In a balkanized, post-national society, group rights count for everything. It will be a tribal spoils system so why not join the winning team?
I doubt Obama and the Democrats have thought it through on that end. This is just a money grab at this stage. 2016 is looking like a toss-up, with The Stupid Party probably nominating Jeb Bush. The Democrats don’t have to concede the election so giving the Chamber of Commerce a big fat gift will pay off down the road.
[…] From The Z Man: […]
Obama: “You didn’t build that.” He’s pro-business when it suits the State, not so much any other time. Witness the reams of regulations coming out of this administration, designed to curtail business, harming any enterprise not rich enough to withstand the onslaught.
Tourism?
Dude, think bigger.
GE, GM, Big Pharma (and ancillaries), Big “agriculture”, and the “Civil Law” industrial complex. (et alia)
Who the hell do you THINK is pulling his “regime’s” puppet strings?
Check those “official” political donation lists, of at least the LEGAL “investments”, to scratch the surface a bit harder.
IMHO of course.
Since when is Dear Leader pro-business? While the corporate elites will benefit, there is more to this than meets the eye. Like attracts like, and DL has come down on the side of tyranny (again), while throwing former allies (ex-pat Cubans) under the bus. He strengthens the communists, Islamists, and despots of the world and no one seems to be too outraged. At least not outraged enough to do something about it.
I think it is an error to assume Obama and the Left is anti-business. They are anti-market. Obama is an Old World fascist in that he embraces corporatism. The American Left seeks to bind corporations to the state, with the Left having control of both, in order to care for the “folks.”
Your comment about Cubans buying Big Macs and Cokes reminds me of a trip I made to the city formerly known as Saigon a few years ago. When noted draft dodger Bubba Clinton lifted the trade embargo with the commies in Viet Nam, it was on. Every corporation worth its salt has outlets in the city. You can trudge through the propaganda rich War Museum about the puppet armies of the running dog lackies of imperialism and then unwind at the Hard Rock Cafe or somewhere similar. What the 1/9 Marines and the Cav couldn’t (or weren’t allowed to) accomplish,… Read more »
Wasn’t Obumble going to close Guantanamo? Perhaps this is the cheaper option: this way you get to keep a camp ready and waiting for any enemies and at the same time stave off critics who might recall those empty words, because you “Are helping Cuba return to the fold.”
Might also open channels to try and dissuade the ruling Junta from letting Russian bombers use the island.
no one really knows what this means. to early to make conclusions
Sorry Z man; no one in Cuba – other than the ruling Castroite aristocracy- will be buying a damn thing, because they have no money with which to buy, and any money rolling through the door as a result of US business investment in Cuba will immediately go into the pockets and Swiss bank accounts of the ruling elites. The Castro Scum control ALL wages, even those paid by foreign owned (Spanish hotel chains) firms. The hotel may “pay” the Cuban workers 10 bucks per hour, but the ” wages” are paid DIRECTLY to the Castro scum government, and after… Read more »