Why Recognize the Castro Regime NOW?

[jwoodie]

It has been U.S. policy for decades to not legitimize the Castro regime by giving Cuba diplomatic recognition (until the Castros were dead). Now, within a few years of that eventuality, Obama has unilaterally decided to reverse course and give credibility and stature to those despots. Why now?

Obama needs someplace to build his presidential library I guess.

Close! One could argue that he (a) despises America; (b) loves left wing dictators; and/or (c) thinks there will be some political advantage to courting Cuban-Americans in Florida. However, the real reason he is recognizing Cuba is to give some relevance (a la Nixon/China) to his deteriorating legacy, even if it is not in the interests of the U.S. The pool of his narcissism is deep.

 

[Syriusly]

The OP asks why now ? Obama has had years to make this change. Why did he wait for this moment ?

He has been working on it for years. Why not now?

Why did Nixon 'wait for years' to open up China?

 

[Syriusly]

It has been U.S. policy for decades to not legitimize the Castro regime by giving Cuba diplomatic recognition (until the Castros were dead). Now, within a few years of that eventuality, Obama has unilaterally decided to reverse course and give credibility and stature to those despots. Why now?

Obama needs someplace to build his presidential library I guess.

Close! One could argue that he (a) despises America; (b) loves left wing dictators; and/or (c) thinks there will be some political advantage to courting Cuban-Americans in Florida. However, the real reason he is recognizing Cuba is to give some relevance (a la Nixon/China) to his deteriorating legacy, even if it is not in the interests of the U.S. The pool of his narcissism is deep.

Or one could argue that it was a good move for America, that it was a good move for American capitalism, and it was a good move for Americans and Cubans.

And the objections are either a) old school Cuban Americans trying to control American policy or b) Obama derangement syndrome, like your post above.

 

[Katzndogz]

obama is like the ugly girl at the dance. The class halfwit says "hi" and she thinks "he loves me. He said hi".

 

[SwimExpert]

It's been over so long that anyone under forty does not even have first-hand memories of it.

More like the age of 25.

 

[konradv]

The OP asks why now ? Obama has had years to make this change. Why did he wait for this moment ?

Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose. He can't run again and the 2014 elections are over. He's free to do anything he wants to do, that's in his power to do. Some people call him a "lame duck", but really he's a "don't give a damn duck". If he thinks something's right, he can do it without repercussions. Elections having consequences goes both ways. If his party was still in power, he'd have to listen to the Speaker and Majority Leader. Now he's the last man standing and there's nothing his opponents can do to him but whine.

 

[dilloduck]

The OP asks why now ? Obama has had years to make this change. Why did he wait for this moment ?

Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose. He can't run again and the 2014 elections are over. He's free to do anything he wants to do, that's in his power to do. Some people call him a "lame duck", but really he's a "don't give a damn duck". If he thinks something's right, he can do it without repercussions. Elections having consequences goes both ways. If his party was still in power, he'd have to listen to the Speaker and Majority Leader. Now he's the last man standing and there's nothing his opponents can do to him but whine.

So he did it now just because he can ? Makes sense to me.

 

[konradv]

So he did it now just because he can ? Makes sense to me.

He's doing it now because he can, but the bottom line is he's doing it because it's the right thing to do. The embargo hadn't shown results in 50 years. To continually do the same thing and expect different results is wing nut behavior.

 

[idb]

It has been U.S. policy for decades to not legitimize the Castro regime by giving Cuba diplomatic recognition (until the Castros were dead). Now, within a few years of that eventuality, Obama has unilaterally decided to reverse course and give credibility and stature to those despots. Why now?

Because it was written into the embargo statute that it should lifted after 54 years when the Castros will be long gone?

 

[dilloduck]

So he did it now just because he can ? Makes sense to me.

He's doing it now because he can, but the bottom line is he's doing it because it's the right thing to do. The embargo hadn't shown results in 50 years. To continually do the same thing and expect different results is wing nut behavior.

Apparently Obama was a wing nut for the first 6 years of his presidency ? I'm sure someone can follow the money and figure this out for us. Maybe GE wants to build there.

 

[g5000]

It has been U.S. policy for decades to not legitimize the Castro regime by giving Cuba diplomatic recognition (until the Castros were dead). Now, within a few years of that eventuality, Obama has unilaterally decided to reverse course and give credibility and stature to those despots. Why now?

The better question is, "What took so long?"

The Soviet threat went away over 20 years ago. That was the whole reason for the embargo of Cuba.

The threat has been gone for a long time. This is way overdue.

 

[Katzndogz]

obumble did it because what he did was one of the few things he could do without Congress. He hasn't lifted the embargo. He can't. That would take an act of congress. This wild imagining that Americans are going to flood Cuba with all kinds of business is pure silliness. Cuba won't permit it.

 

[rightwinger]

Now?

Should have done it 35 years ago