Topics in the News: Cuba
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Homeland Security
: Oct 9, 2023
1960s FBI and CIA posed threats to democracy
We meet Allen Dulles and J. Edgar Hoover, two men whose agencies posed the principal threats to American democracy and values. We live through the Cuban Missile Crisis, when insubordinate spies and belligerent generals in the Pentagon and Moscow brought
the world to the cliff edge of nuclear war. At Hickory Hill in Virginia, where RFK Jr. grew up, we encounter the celebrities who gathered at the second most famous address in Washington, members of what would later become known as America's Camelot.
Through his father's role as attorney general we get an insider's look as growing tensions over civil rights led to pitched battles in the streets and 16,000 federal troops were called in to enforce desegregation at Ole Miss. We see growing pressure
to fight wars in Southeast Asia to stop communism. We relive the assassination of JFK, RFK's run for the presidency that was cut short by his own death, and the aftermath of those murders on the Kennedy family.
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Source: Barnes & Noble book review of "American Values" by RFK Jr.
Donald Trump on Foreign Policy
: Aug 23, 2023
We can't let China run the Panama Canal
Q: Why is China allowed to conduct imperialism in our hemisphere?TRUMP: Yeah, and it's far beyond Cuba. We built a thing called the Panama Canal. We lost 35,000 people to the mosquito, malaria. The Panama Canal was such an incredible engineering
marvel. We sold it under Jimmy Carter. We sold it to Panama for $1. The following day they quadrupled the amount of money that ships had to pay to get across. It's one of the most profitable things. We gave it away for $1. China now controls it.
They actually control the Panama Canal. They run it, they control it, and we shouldn't let that happen. We can't let China be in Cuba. They'll get out. If I'm president, they'll get out. Because I had a very good relationship with President Xi.
He respected this country. He respected me and he'll get out. We can't let them run the Panama Canal. We built the Panama Canal. Should have never been given to Panama. We should have had it, but we gave it for $1. Think of it.
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Source: Tucker on X interview opposite 2023 GOP debate in Milwaukee
Francis Suarez on Principles & Values
: Aug 8, 2023
Parents came here for freedom; experienced American Dream
My parents were exiled from their country of birth, Communist Cuba, and they came here seeking freedom and have experienced the American Dream. Something that defines who I am as a person, and it defines the city that I run…
I know that if I'm on the stage and have an opportunity to introduce myself to the country, we're gonna continue to get volume.
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Source: Twitter postings by 2023 Presidential hopefuls
Francis Suarez on Free Trade
: Jul 14, 2023
Defends embargo on Cuba; doesn't think it's cruel
A number of Democrats have called for the decades-old embargo to be lifted. Suarez defended the embargo, saying: "I don't think the embargo is cruel at all.
I think the Cuban people aren't asking for a lifting of the embargo. They're going out on the streets every single day talking about the failure of the communist regime to provide for its people ... It has failed for six decades."
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Source: Business Insider on 2023 Presidential hopefuls
Francis Suarez on War & Peace
: Jul 14, 2023
US should consider potential military action in Cuba
Suarez suggested that the US should explore the option of air strikes against Cuba. "What should be contemplated right now is a coalition of potential military action in Cuba," Suarez said in comments on Fox News. Suarez pointed to US interventions in
Panama and Kosovo as potential models to follow. When asked if he was calling for air strikes in Cuba, Suarez said, "What I'm suggesting is that option is one that has to be explored, and one that cannot be just simply discarded."
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Source: Business Insider on 2023 Presidential hopefuls
Francis Suarez on Immigration
: Jun 15, 2023
Connect immigration to employment, declining birth rate
He said his status as the only Hispanic candidate in the GOP race gives him "a lot of credibility" in a conversation about reforming immigration laws, though he was vague about what he'd propose. "I do think that we need to right-size legal
immigration and that it should be connected to our employment rate and our declining birth rate," said Suarez, who has Cuban ancestry. "And I do think we have to do something with those who are undocumented in our country."
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Source: Associated Press on 2023 Presidential hopefuls
Nikki Haley on Foreign Policy
: May 7, 2023
As ambassador, forced UN votes on Cuba's human rights abuses
When Cuba offered up its annual resolution condemning the U.S. embargo on Cuba in 2018, Nikki didn't just vote against it--she used the opportunity to force UN votes on amendments condemning the communist regime's human rights abuses. She also led the
United States' withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council, highlighting the council's terrible record on human rights.With a renewed focus on Latin America, Nikki hammered the region's communist and socialist dictators.
As Venezuela became a humanitarian crisis, Nikki ratcheted up her denunciations of the socialist regime, even joining protesters outside the United Nations on the streets of New York City. She supported strong sanctions on the Venezuelan government
and traveled to the Colombia-Venezuela border to highlight the crisis. Nikki also organized the first-ever meeting to condemn the socialist regime in Nicaragua, and frequently spoke out against the Cuban dictatorship.
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Source: 2024 Presidential campaign website NikkiHaley.com
Bernie Sanders on Health Care
: Apr 1, 2023
Vermont forced to repeal single-payer healthcare system
The Soviet empire was a social and economic failure. North Korea, despite the opulence of its tyrants, is one of the poorest nations in the world. Cuba is so corrupt that its people regularly risk their lives to escape to Florida on rafts.
Venezuela was once the richest nation in South America; today, a decade after a Marxist dictator took over, 94 percent of Venezuelans live in poverty.
Even socialist Senator Bernie Sanders' home state of Vermont was forced to repeal the state's single-payer health care system just three years after creating it. In every case, socialist elites promised that if only they could direct the economy,
everything would be better. Very quickly, everything got worse. In socialist nation after socialist nation, the only way the government could keep its disgruntled people in line was to surveil and terrorize them.
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Source: Project 2025, by the Heritage Foundation, p. 48
Nikki Haley on Foreign Policy
: Mar 2, 2023
We will stop giving money to countries that hate America
We give billions of dollars every year to countries that undermine America every day. They stab us in the back and then they turn around and have their hand out wanting money. Some of them even support terrorists. To this day, we are giving foreign aid
to Pakistan, Iraq, the Palestinians, and even Communist Cuba and China. We need to stop trying to buy friends. All we are doing is paying off our enemies. When I'm president, we will stop giving money to countries that hate America.
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Source: Speech at the 2023 CPAC Conference in Maryland
Bernie Sanders on Homeland Security
: Feb 8, 2022
Cuba is in US sphere of influence; Ukraine is in Russia's
Putin may be a liar and a demagogue, but it is hypocritical for the US to insist that we do not accept the principle of "spheres of influence". For the last 200 years our country has operated under the Monroe Doctrine. Under this doctrine we have
undermined and overthrown at least a dozen governments. In 1962 we came to the brink of nuclear war with the Soviet Union in response to the placement of Soviet missiles in Cuba, 90 miles from our shore, which the
Kennedy administration saw as an unacceptable threat to our national security.To put it simply, even if Russia was not ruled by a corrupt authoritarian leader like Vladimir Putin, Russia, like the United States, would still have an
interest in the security policies of its neighbors. Does anyone really believe that the United States would not have something to say if, for example, Mexico was to form a military alliance with a US adversary?
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Source: The Guardian on 2024 Presidential Hopefuls
Joe Biden on Principles & Values
: Oct 5, 2020
Do I look like a socialist? I've taken on Castro & Putin
On socialism: "There's not one single syllable I've ever said that could lead you to believe that I was a socialist or a communist," Biden declared. "Do I look like a socialist? I'm the guy who ran against the socialist,"
Biden noted of his primary victories over now loyal supporter Sen. Bernie Sanders. "I've taken on the Castros of this world, the Putins of this world," Biden added. "I'm no more socialist or communist than Donald Trump is .well, I won't say it."
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Source: Deadline.com on 2020 NBC News Town Hall
Bernie Sanders on Foreign Policy
: Feb 24, 2020
Cuba: Teaching people to read and write is a good thing
[Defending previous comments that Fidel Castro's Communist takeover of Cuba had positive aspects]: When Castro first came to power, you know what he did? He initiated a major literacy program. There was a lot of folks in Cuba at that point who were
regimes all over the world, including Cuba, including Nicaragua, including Saudi Arabia, including China, including Russia. I happen to believe in democracy, not authoritarianism.But, you know, China is an authoritarian country, becoming more
and more authoritarian. But can anyone deny that they have taken more people out of extreme poverty than any country in history? Do I get criticized because I say that? That's the truth. So that is the fact. End of discussion.
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Source: CNN Town Hall on eve of 2020 South Carolina primary
Donald Trump on Foreign Policy
: Feb 4, 2020
Restore democracy in Cuba & Venezuela
As we restore American leadership throughout the world, we are once again standing up for freedom in our hemisphere. That is why my Administration reversed the failing policies of the previous administration on Cuba. We are supporting the hopes of
Cubans, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans to restore democracy. The United States is leading a 59-nation diplomatic coalition against the socialist dictator of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro. Maduro is an illegitimate ruler, a tyrant who brutalizes his people.
But Maduro's grip of tyranny will be smashed and broken. Here this evening is a man who carries with him the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of all Venezuelans. Joining us in the gallery is the true and legitimate President of Venezuela, Juan Guaido.
Mr. President, please take this message back to your homeland. All Americans are united with the Venezuelan people in their righteous struggle for freedom! Socialism destroys nations. But always remember, freedom unifies the soul.
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Source: 2020 State of the Union address to Congress
Kamala Harris on Immigration
: Jul 31, 2019
Kids whose parents crossed border are treated like criminals
Q: It is currently a criminal offense punishable by jail to cross the U.S. border illegally. Should we decriminalize the border? BENNET: I disagree that we should decriminalize our border.
HARRIS: I went to a place in Florida called Homestead,
and there is a private detention facility that currently houses 2,700 children. There were members of Congress there, [including Julian Castro, but] they would not let us enter the place. So I walked down the road, I climbed a ladder, and
I looked over the fence. And I'm going to tell you what I saw. I saw children lined up single file based on gender being walked into barracks. The policies of this administration have been facilitated by laws on the books that allow them to be
incarcerated as though they've committed crimes. These children have not committed crimes and should be not treated like criminals.
BENNET: There's not a single person on this stage who would ever separate a child from their parents at the border.
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Source: July Democratic Primary debate (second night in Detroit)
Joe Biden on Immigration
: Jul 31, 2019
Problem is Trump, not criminalizing illegal border crossings
Julian Castro: What we need are politicians that actually have some guts on this issue.Biden: I have guts enough to say his plan [to decriminalize the border] doesn't make sense. When people cross the border illegally, it is illegal to do it unless
they're seeking asylum. People should have to get in line. That's the problem. And the only reason this particular part of the law is being abused is because of Donald Trump. We should defeat Donald Trump and end this practice.
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Source: July Democratic Primary debate (second night in Detroit)
Tulsi Gabbard on Crime
: Jul 17, 2019
Eliminate private prisons
Tulsi Gabbard on Private Prisons: Eliminate them.NINE CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Cory Booker; Peter Buttigieg; Julian Castro; John Delaney; Kamala Harris; Bernard Sanders; Elizabeth Warren; Marianne Williamson; Andrew Yang.
Many Democrats have called for ending or not renewing the federal government's contracts with private prison companies. Sen. Warren would leverage federal public safety funding to extend the ban to the state and local levels.
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Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Tulsi Gabbard on Crime
: Jul 17, 2019
Abolish capital punishment
Tulsi Gabbard on Capital Punishment / Death Penalty: Abolish it.13 CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Cory Booker; Peter Buttigieg; Julian Castro; Bill de Blasio; John Delaney; Kirsten Gillibrand; John Hickenlooper; Amy Klobuchar;
Beto O`Rourke; Bernard Sanders; Eric Swalwell; Elizabeth Warren; Andrew Yang.
Candidates who have called for abolishing capital punishment altogether say inmates sentenced to death should have their sentences commuted to life without parole.
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Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Marianne Williamson on Crime
: Jul 17, 2019
Eliminate private prisons
Marianne Williamson on Private Prisons: Eliminate them.NINE CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Cory Booker; Pete Buttigieg; Julian Castro; John Delaney; Tulsi Gabbard; Kamala Harris; Bernard Sanders; Elizabeth Warren; Andrew Yang.
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Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Bernie Sanders on Crime
: Jul 17, 2019
Eliminate private prisons
Bernard Sanders on Private Prisons: Eliminate them.NINE CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Cory Booker; Peter Buttigieg; Julian Castro; John Delaney; Tulsi Gabbard; Kamala Harris; Elizabeth Warren; Marianne Williamson; Andrew Yang.
Many Democrats have called for ending or not renewing the federal government's contracts with private prison companies. Sen. Warren would leverage federal public safety funding to extend the ban to the state and local levels.
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Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Marianne Williamson on Drugs
: Jul 17, 2019
Legalize marijuana, but no expungement
Williamson on Legalizing Marijuana: Legalize it.18 CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Michael Bennet; Cory Booker; Peter Buttigieg; Julian Castro; Bill de Blasio; Tulsi Gabbard; Kirsten Gillibrand; Kamala Harris; John Hickenlooper; Jay Inslee;
Amy Klobuchar; Seth Moulton; Beto O`Rourke; Tim Ryan; Bernard Sanders; Eric Swalwell; Elizabeth Warren; Andrew Yang.
Candidates supporting legalization argue that criminal penalties for marijuana possession have created far more
harm than would come from treating it more like alcohol or tobacco.
Many candidates--including Sens. Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand and Kamala Harris--would go even further, calling for past criminal convictions for marijuana possession to be
expunged.
Both former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee opposed their states successful 2012 referendums allowing recreational marijuana sales, but have since become champions of legalization.
Click for Marianne Williamson on other issues.
Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Bernie Sanders on Education
: Jul 17, 2019
Universal free meals in schools
Sanders on Nutrition: Universal free meals in schools.ONE CANDIDATE HAS SIMILAR VIEWS: Julian Castro.
Two Democratic candidates have proposed universal free meals in schools, regardless of a student's family income. Sen. Bernie Sanders and former
HUD Secretary Julian Castro are touting the proposals as a way to ensure children don't go hungry and to eliminate the potential for "lunch shaming"--when schools single out students with unpaid bills.
Some high-poverty schools and school districts
can already offer free meals to all students, but the practice is currently limited to areas where a certain percentage of the students are from low-income households.
School food programs cost the Agriculture Department $18.2 billion in fiscal 2018,
according to preliminary data. Neither Sanders nor Castro has released specifics about how they would pay for their proposals, which are part of broader education platforms.
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Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Tulsi Gabbard on Families & Children
: Jul 17, 2019
Supports broad paid family and medical leave plans
Gabbard supports broad paid family and medical leave plans.15 CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Michael Bennet; Cory Booker; Peter Buttigieg; Julian Castro; John Delaney; Kirsten Gillibrand; Kamala Harris; John Hickenlooper;
Jay Inslee; Amy Klobuchar; Seth Moulton; Beto O`Rourke; Tim Ryan; Bernard Sanders; Elizabeth Warren.
The congressional plan creates a universal, gender-neutral, national paid family and medical leave program allowing for up to 12 weeks of paid leave.
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Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Kamala Harris on Families & Children
: Jul 17, 2019
Supports broad paid family and medical leave plans
Harris supports broad paid family and medical leave plans.15 CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Michael Bennet; Cory Booker; Peter Buttigieg; Julian Castro; John Delaney; Tulsi Gabbard; Kirsten Gillibrand; John Hickenlooper;
Jay Inslee; Amy Klobuchar; Seth Moulton; Beto O`Rourke; Tim Ryan; Bernard Sanders; Elizabeth Warren.
The congressional plan creates a universal, gender-neutral, national paid family and medical leave program allowing for up to 12 weeks of paid leave.
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Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Kamala Harris on Free Trade
: Jul 17, 2019
Demand changes to post-NAFTA agreement USMCA
Harris on NAFTA/USMCA: Demand changes to USMCA.15 CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Joe Biden; Cory Booker; Pete Buttigieg; Julian Castro; Bill de Blasio; Kirsten Gillibrand; John Hickenlooper; Jay Inslee; Amy Klobuchar; Beto O`Rourke;
Tim Ryan; Bernard Sanders; Eric Swalwell; Elizabeth Warren; Marianne Williamson.
The majority of Democratic candidates want changes made to the agreement before it comes up for a vote in Congress, focusing on labor & environmental standards.
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Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Marianne Williamson on Free Trade
: Jul 17, 2019
Demand changes to post-NAFTA agreement USMCA
Williamson on NAFTA/USMCA: Demand changes to USMCA.15 CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Joe Biden; Cory Booker; Pete Buttigieg; Julian Castro; Bill de Blasio; Kirsten Gillibrand; Kamala Harris; John Hickenlooper; Jay Inslee; Amy Klobuchar; Beto O`Rourke;
Tim Ryan; Bernard Sanders; Eric Swalwell; Elizabeth Warren.
The majority of Democratic candidates want changes made to the agreement before it comes up for a vote in Congress, focusing on making changes to labor standards,
environmental provisions, access to medicines and enforcement of the deal. Seventeen candidates, asked by Citizens Trade Campaign, a national coalition pushing for changes to USMCA, agreed that Congress should not approve the deal until changes have been
made.
Mayor de Blasio has been among the most vocal candidates in expressing his opposition. "It's got a different name, but it's still NAFTA," he told CNN in July. "It's even worse in some ways. It gives even more power to corporations this time."
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Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Tulsi Gabbard on Government Reform
: Jul 17, 2019
Mandate paper ballots
Gabbard on Election Security: Mandate paper ballots.11 CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Michael Bennet; Cory Booker; Julian Castro; Kirsten Gillibrand; Kamala Harris; Amy Klobuchar; Beto O`Rourke; Tim Ryan; Bernard Sanders; Eric Swalwell;
Elizabeth Warren.
Election security experts overwhelmingly consider paper ballots the most secure form of voting. That mandate is part of the Protecting American Votes and Elections Act, which would also require post-election risk-limiting audits.
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Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Tulsi Gabbard on Government Reform
: Jul 17, 2019
Eliminate the Electoral College
Gabbard on Electoral College: It should be eliminated.16 CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Michael Bennet; Cory Booker; Peter Buttigieg; Julian Castro; Kirsten Gillibrand; Kamala Harris; Jay Inslee; Amy Klobuchar; Wayne Messam; Seth Moulton; Beto
O`Rourke; Tim Ryan; Bernard Sanders; Eric Swalwell; Elizabeth Warren; Marianne Williamson.
12 Democratic presidential candidates have explicitly called for the abolition of the Electoral College, while 5 others have said they are open to the idea.
Click for Tulsi Gabbard on other issues.
Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Bernie Sanders on Government Reform
: Jul 17, 2019
Mandate paper ballots
Sanders on Election Security: Mandate paper ballots.11 CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Michael Bennet; Cory Booker; Julian Castro; Tulsi Gabbard; Kirsten Gillibrand; Kamala Harris; Amy Klobuchar; Beto O`Rourke; Tim Ryan; Eric Swalwell;
Elizabeth Warren.
Election security experts overwhelmingly consider paper ballots the most secure form of voting. That mandate is part of the Protecting American Votes and Elections Act, which would also require post-election risk-limiting audits.
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Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Bernie Sanders on Government Reform
: Jul 17, 2019
Hard to defend the Electoral College
Sanders on Electoral College: It should be eliminated. 16 CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Michael Bennet; Cory Booker; Peter Buttigieg; Julian Castro; Tulsi Gabbard; Kirsten Gillibrand; Kamala Harris; Jay Inslee; Amy Klobuchar; Wayne Messam;
Seth Moulton; Beto O`Rourke; Tim Ryan; Eric Swalwell; Elizabeth Warren; Marianne Williamson. Twelve Democratic presidential candidates have explicitly called for the abolition of the Electoral College, while five others have said they
are open to the idea.Among those who support repealing it, the remedies vary. Some, like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, said they would back a constitutional amendment. Four Democrats said they are open to abolishing the system but didn't explicitly back doin
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Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Kamala Harris on Government Reform
: Jul 17, 2019
Mandate paper ballots
Harris on Election Security: Mandate paper ballots.11 CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Michael Bennet; Cory Booker; Julian Castro; Tulsi Gabbard; Kirsten Gillibrand; Amy Klobuchar; Beto O`Rourke; Tim Ryan; Bernard Sanders; Eric Swalwell;
Elizabeth Warren.
Election security experts overwhelmingly consider paper ballots the most secure form of voting. That mandate is part of the Protecting American Votes and Elections Act, which would also require post-election risk-limiting audits.
Click for Kamala Harris on other issues.
Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Kamala Harris on Government Reform
: Jul 17, 2019
Discuss eliminating the Electoral College
Harris on Electoral College: It should be eliminated. 16 CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Michael Bennet; Cory Booker; Peter Buttigieg; Julian Castro; Tulsi Gabbard; Kirsten Gillibrand; Jay Inslee; Amy Klobuchar; Wayne Messam;
Seth Moulton; Beto O`Rourke; Tim Ryan; Bernard Sanders; Eric Swalwell; Elizabeth Warren; Marianne Williamson. Twelve Democratic presidential candidates have explicitly called for the abolition of the Electoral College, while five others have said they
are open to the idea.Among those who support repealing it, the remedies vary. Some, like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, said they would back a constitutional amendment. Four Democrats said they are open to abolishing the system but didn't explicitly back doin
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Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Tulsi Gabbard on Jobs
: Jul 17, 2019
Raise the federal minimum wage to $15/hour
Gabbard on Minimum Wage: Raise the federal minimum wage to $15/hour.19 CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Joseph Biden, Jr.; Cory Booker; Steve Bullock; Peter Buttigieg; Julian Castro; Bill de Blasio; John Delaney;
Kirsten Gillibrand; Kamala Harris; John Hickenlooper; Jay Inslee; Amy Klobuchar; Seth Moulton; Beto O`Rourke; Tim Ryan; Bernard Sanders; Eric Swalwell; Elizabeth Warren; Marianne Williamson.
There's broad support among Democratic presidential candidates for doubling the hourly minimum from $7.25 to $15, and then allowing it to rise automatically with inflation, as proposed by House Democrats in the Raise the Wage Act. Even centrists like
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and former Vice President Joe Biden favor this. In 2016, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton favored going only to $12 (though she expressed strong support for states that raised it to $15).
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Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Kamala Harris on Jobs
: Jul 17, 2019
Raise the federal minimum wage to $15/hour
Harris on Minimum Wage: Raise the federal minimum wage to $15/hour.19 CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Joseph Biden, Jr.; Cory Booker; Steve Bullock; Peter Buttigieg; Julian Castro; Bill de Blasio; John Delaney; Tulsi Gabbard;
Kirsten Gillibrand; John Hickenlooper; Jay Inslee; Amy Klobuchar; Seth Moulton; Beto O`Rourke; Tim Ryan; Bernard Sanders; Eric Swalwell; Elizabeth Warren; Marianne Williamson.
There's broad support among Democratic presidential candidates for doubling the hourly minimum from $7.25 to $15, and then allowing it to rise automatically with inflation, as proposed by House Democrats in the Raise the Wage Act. Even centrists like
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and former Vice President Joe Biden favor this. In 2016, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton favored going only to $12 (though she expressed strong support for states that raised it to $15).
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Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Marianne Williamson on Technology
: Jul 17, 2019
Massively boost transportation infrastructure spending
Marianne Williamson on Transportation: Boost infrastructure spending, but no stated funding mechanism.SEVEN CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Michael Bennet; Joseph Biden, Jr.; Peter Buttigieg; Julian Castro; Seth Moulton; Bernard Sanders; Andrew Yang.
A majority of candidates with expressed views on infrastructure funding are long on ideas for how to spend billions--sometimes trillions--of dollars, but short on where that money would come from. Silent, in fact.
Marianne Williamson's proposal includes accelerating electric vehicles and their charging infrastructure, rebuilding rail lines, updating clean water systems and "massively investing" in public transit.
Michael Bennet has said he will "work to" fix crumbling infrastructure, expand transit and airports, and build out rural broadband.
Click for Marianne Williamson on other issues.
Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Bernie Sanders on Government Reform
: Apr 22, 2019
Citizens United is most disastrous decisions in history
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is backing an amendment to "abolish the Electoral College" introduced by Senator Brian Schatz, while Senators Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, and Bernie Sanders have signaled their willingness to address the Electoral College's
anti-democratic impact, as have former representative Beto O'Rourke and former housing secretary Julian Castro. Possible presidential contender Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, says: "The Electoral College needs to go, because
it's made our society less and less democratic." Buttigieg sees that move as part of a democracy agenda that includes ending gerrymandering, extending voting rights, and, probably, amending the Constitution to reverse the damage done by the
Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision. (Sanders has already proposed amendments to overturn Citizens United, which he decries as "one of the most disastrous decisions in [the Court's] history.")
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Source: The Nation, "Electoral College," on 2020 Democratic primary
Kamala Harris on Civil Rights
: Feb 23, 2019
Reparations means real investments in black communities
Elizabeth Warren said that Native Americans should be "part of the conversation" on reparations for African-Americans. Her fellow 2020 hopefuls Kamala Harris and Julian Castro have come out in favor of reparations for African Americans but have
so far not gone as far as Warren in opening the door to reparations for Native Americans."We have to be honest that people in this country do not start from the same place or have access to the same opportunities,"
Harris said in the statement. "I'm serious about taking an approach that would change policies and structures and make real investments in black communities."
Since reparations are in response to
African-Americans impacted by slavery, presumably reparations for Native Americans would be to make amends for crimes and abuses committed on the Native population by the U.S. government over America's history.
Click for Kamala Harris on other issues.
Source: Fox News on 2020 Democratic primary hopefuls
Nikki Haley on Foreign Policy
: Dec 13, 2018
Obama was wrong to abstain on Cuba's anti-US resolution
She is disdainful of where the United States was at the end of Obama's tenure. "For example, right before I came in, there was a Cuban-sponsored anti-American resolution."
That would be the evergreen condemnation of the U.S. embargo of Cuba. In the fall of 2016, when the vote came up, "The United States abstained," Haley recounts, "It blamed America for all of Cuba's problems, and we just... abstained."
Click for Nikki Haley on other issues.
Source: The Washington Examiner on Trump Cabinet
Donald Trump on War & Peace
: Sep 25, 2018
Sanctions on Venezuela: fight repressive socialist regime
Currently, we are witnessing a human tragedy, as an example, in Venezuela. More than 2 million people have fled the anguish inflicted by the socialist Maduro regime and its Cuban sponsors.Not long ago, Venezuela was one of the richest countries on
Earth. Today, socialism has bankrupted the oil-rich nation and driven its people into abject poverty.
Virtually everywhere socialism or communism has been tried, it has produced suffering, corruption, and decay.
Socialism's thirst for power leads to expansion, incursion, and oppression. All nations of the world should resist socialism and the misery that it brings to everyone.
In that spirit, we ask the nations gathered here to join us in calling for the
restoration of democracy in Venezuela. Today, we are announcing additional sanctions against the repressive regime, targeting Maduro's inner circle and close advisors.
Click for Donald Trump on other issues.
Source: Pres.Trump Remarks to the 73rd Session of the United Nations
Donald Trump on Foreign Policy
: Jan 30, 2018
Sanctions on Communist dictators in North Korea & Cuba
My Administration has imposed tough sanctions on the communist and socialist dictatorships in Cuba and Venezuela. But no regime has oppressed its own citizens more totally or brutally than the cruel dictatorship in North Korea.
North Korea's reckless pursuit of nuclear missiles could very soon threaten our homeland. We are waging a campaign of maximum pressure to prevent that from happening.
Past experience has taught us that complacency and concessions only invite aggression and provocation. I will not repeat the mistakes of past administrations that got us into this dangerous position.
We need only look at the depraved character of the North Korean regime to understand the nature of the nuclear threat it could pose to America and our allies.
Click for Donald Trump on other issues.
Source: 2018 State of the Union address
Mike Pence on Foreign Policy
: Oct 14, 2016
Reverse Obama's opening of Cuba; restore the embargo
Mike Pence declared to a roomful of Miami Republicans night that the Trump administration would maintain the U.S. embargo against Cuba upon entering office. "Let me make a promise to you: When Donald Trump and I take to the White House, we will reverse
Barack Obama's executive order on Cuba," Pence said. "We will support a continuation of the embargo until we see real political freedom in that nation once and for all."President Obama's executive actions, in part, have lifted a series of
restrictions on Cuba, opened a U.S. embassy in the country and established travel and business between the two nations. He issued additional directives to further loosen restrictions aimed at increasing trade with the island nation.
"Barack Obama and
Hillary Clinton would lift the embargo completely and normalize relations with Cuba for nothing in return," Pence said. He continued: "The truth of the matter is if they could open it up all the way, they would."
Click for Mike Pence on other issues.
Source: NBC News on 2016 vice-presidential hopefuls
Bernie Sanders on Foreign Policy
: Mar 9, 2016
Opposed Monroe Doctrine interventionism in Latin America
Q: Please explain what is the difference between the socialism that you profess and the socialism in Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela.SANDERS: The US was wrong to try to invade Cuba; the US was wrong trying to support people to overthrow the Nicaraguan
government; the US was wrong trying to overthrow, in 1954, the democratically elected government of Guatemala. Throughout the history of our relationship with Latin America we've operated under the so-called Monroe Doctrine, and that said the US had the
right do anything that they wanted to do in Latin America. So I actually went to Nicaragua and I very shortly opposed the Reagan administration's efforts to overthrow that government. And I strongly opposed Henry Kissinger and the overthrow of the
government of Salvador Allende in Chile. I think the US should be working with governments around the world, not get involved in regime change. And all of these actions in Latin America brought forth a lot of very strong anti-American sentiments.
Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues.
Source: 2016 PBS Democratic primary debate in Miami
Bernie Sanders on Foreign Policy
: Mar 9, 2016
Ending embargo with Cuba is right step
Q: Your position on Cuba?CLINTON: I told the president that I hoped he would be able to move toward diplomatic relations with Cuba. And there are no better ambassadors for freedom, democracy and economic opportunity than Cuban Americans. I'm looking
forward to following the president's trip. I think meeting with dissidents is important. The Cuban people deserve be able to move towards democracy where they pick their own leads. Both Castros have to be considered authoritarian and dictatorial because
they are not freely chosen by the people. I hope someday there will be leaders who are chosen by the Cuban people.
SANDERS: I think we have got to end the embargo. I believe that we should move towards full and normalized political relations with Cuba.
I think it will be a good thing for the Cuban people. It will enable them, I think when they see people coming into their country from the United States, move in a more democratic direction, which is what I want to see.
Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues.
Source: 2016 PBS Democratic primary debate in Miami
Donald Trump on Homeland Security
: Feb 23, 2016
Keep Gitmo open, and load it up with bad dudes
Donald Trump promised to keep open the military detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, then riffed on ways that he could do it on the cheap: "This morning I watched President Obama talking about Gitmo," said Trump. "Guantanamo Bay--which by the way,
we are keeping open! And we're going to load it up with some bad dudes. We're going to load it up."Trump then mused about one of the Obama administration's reasons for trying to shut the prison down: "Here's the thing
I didn't understand," he said. "We spend $40 million a month on maintaining this place? Now, think of it--$40 million a month! What do we have left in there, like, a hundred people, or something?
And we're spending $40 million? I would guarantee you I could do it for a tiny, tiny fraction. I don't mean $39 million. I mean maybe $5 million, maybe $3 million. Maybe, like, peanuts."
Click for Donald Trump on other issues.
Source: Washington Post, "Cuba should take over Guantanamo"
Marco Rubio on War & Peace
: Jan 14, 2016
Against ISIS, either they win, or we win
[Obama] doesn't understand the threat in ISIS. He consistently underestimates it. There is a war against radical jihadists terrorists, and it is a war that they win or we win. When I'm president, we are going to win this war on ISIS.
The most powerful intelligence agency in the world is going to tell us where we are, the most powerful military in the world is going to destroy them. If we capture them alive, they are getting a one-way ticket to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Click for Marco Rubio on other issues.
Source: Fox Business Republican 2-tier debate
Chris Christie on Foreign Policy
: Sep 20, 2015
No relations with Cuba until they stop harboring fugitives
Q: The Pope helped broker diplomatic relations between the US and the communist leadership of Cuba. Do you think the Pope made a mistake?Christie: I think the Pope was wrong. I just believe that when you have a government that is harboring fugitives,
murdering fugitives like Joanne Chesimard--who murdered a state policemen--that this president could extend diplomatic relations in that country without getting her returned so that she can serve the prison sentence, is outrageous
Click for Chris Christie on other issues.
Source: CNN SOTU 2015 interview series: 2016 presidential hopefuls
Marco Rubio on Principles & Values
: Sep 16, 2015
America is based on freedom of choice
Q: How will the world look different once your Air Force One is parked in the hangar of your presidential library, like Reagan's here?A: Reagan understood that America was a unique nation. He knew it was founded on the dignity of all people,
human rights, the rights of all to live in freedom and liberty, and choose their own path in life. I hope that my Air Force One, if I become president, will one day land in a free Cuba, where its people can choose its leaders and its own destiny.
Click for Marco Rubio on other issues.
Source: 2015 Republican two-tiered primary debate on CNN
Donald Trump on Foreign Policy
: Sep 8, 2015
Cuban embargo: 50 years is enough
Breaking ranks with nearly all of his fellow 2016 Republican contenders, Donald Trump says he supports President Barack Obama's decision to reengage diplomatically with Cuba. "50 years is enough," Trump said, referring to
Obama's decision to re-establish U.S. ties with Cuba. "I think it's fine, but we should have made a better deal," Trump added. "The concept of opening with Cuba is fine."
Trump joins libertarian-leaning Sen. Rand Paul as the only Republican running for president to express his support for normalizing relations with Cuba.
The rest of the GOP field has slammed Obama's decision to reopen the U.S. embassy in Havana and engage diplomatically with the government of Cuba.
Click for Donald Trump on other issues.
Source: Jeremy Diamond on CNN
Bernie Sanders on Foreign Policy
: Sep 5, 2015
Normalize relations with Cuba; & respect their independence
Bernie believes improving diplomatic relations with Cuba is essential to promoting democratic values in the region and strengthening our economic and cultural ties with its people.Bernie supports normalizing relations between the two nations and
removing the economic embargo, which he argues is costing American businesses billions of dollars. In February 2014, Bernie shared his hope that "Cuba moves toward a more democratic society while, at the same time, the United States will respect the
independence of the Cuban people." He was part of a U.S. delegation that traveled to Cuba in 2014 to discuss trade, healthcare, and human rights issues in Havana.
Later in 2014, Bernie applauded President Obama's announcements on discussions with Cuba,
and in January 2015, he sponsored the Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act, which aimed to address the administration's proposal to loosen restrictions on travel to Cuba and remove restrictions on travel-related banking transactions.
Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues.
Source: 2016 grassroots campaign website FeelTheBern.org, "Issues"
Bernie Sanders on Homeland Security
: Sep 5, 2015
2009: Voted against closing Gitmo; 2015: supports closing it
Bernie supports closing the Guantanamo Bay detention camp the United States maintains on the Cuban island, noting it has "significantly damaged the United States' moral standing, undermined our foreign policy, and encourage terrorism rather than
effectively combated it." His opinion refers to abuse and torture, as well as the unlawful detention of inmates at the military prison Amnesty International has called a "gulag of our times."In 2009 Bernie voted against the proposals the
Obama administration suggested for closing the prison. The bill was defeated with strong bipartisan support (90-6). Given Bernie's human rights concerns regarding the facility, he likely voted against it because the
plans did not address the human rights violations--including being held indefinitely without trial--that he and so many other Americans are most concerned about with regards to Guantanamo.
Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues.
Source: 2016 grassroots campaign website FeelTheBern.org, "Issues"
Marco Rubio on Principles & Values
: Aug 6, 2015
Expand American Dream to reach more people than ever before
Both of my parents were born into poor families on the island of Cuba. They came to America because it was the only place where people like them could have a chance. Here in this country, they never made it big, but the very purpose of their life was to
give us the chance to do all the things they never could.My father was a bartender. And the journey from the back of that bar to this stage tonight, to me, that is the essence of the American dream. It is what makes our nation different.
And I'm running for president because I want that to still be possible for the people trying to do that now. I run for president because I believe that we can't just save the American dream; we can expand it
to reach more people and change more lives than ever before. And that's why I'm asking for your vote. So we can make America greater than it has ever been. And make this century a new American century.
Click for Marco Rubio on other issues.
Source: Fox News/Facebook Top Ten First Tier debate transcript
Chris Christie on Foreign Policy
: Aug 2, 2015
Tourism money won't end up with the people of Cuba
Q: You say Cuba needs to change its behavior before the US should extend any sort of olive branch. The argument from the Obama administration is, that's what we have been doing for decades and it's not working. A: What he's doing is not going to work,
to absolutely just cave in the Cubans. The fact is that we're now going to send hundreds of millions of dollars down to Cuba in tourist activity and economic activity and none of that is going to get to the people of Cuba.
Click for Chris Christie on other issues.
Source: CNN SOTU 2015 interview series: 2016 presidential hopefuls
Marco Rubio on Foreign Policy
: Jul 19, 2015
End relations with anti-American communist tyranny in Cuba
Q: You have made it clear that you oppose normalization with Cuba. Would President Rubio shut down the Cuban Embassy here in Washington?A: I would end the diplomatic relations with an anti-American communist tyranny, until such time as they
actually held a democratic opening in Cuba, allowed people to organize independent political parties, have freedom of the press and freedom of expression. In fact, all these conditions are laid out in the law right now in the Cuban Democracy Act.
Click for Marco Rubio on other issues.
Source: CNN SOTU 2015 interview series: 2016 presidential hopefuls
Jill Stein on Foreign Policy
: Jul 6, 2015
Work towards neutral Ukraine; don't arm them against Russia
OnTheIssues: Should we help Ukraine against Russia?Stein: We should encourage Ukraine to be neutral--we helped foment a coup against a democratically-elected government, [resulting in a government] where ultra-nationalists and ex-Nazis came to power.
Imagine the inverse: if Russia did that in Canada--installed a government hostile to us--we saw something like that in Cuban Missile Crisis--that would not be acceptable to us. So let's not be single-issue--instead of fomenting a hostile Ukraine we
should be leading the way in establishing a neutral Ukraine that would allow Russia to not feel under attack. We've made great strides--Putin is not a hero--but as Noam Chomsky points out, the Doomsday clock has moved closer to midnight than it has been
since 1983. The hostile faceoff with Russia causes that and is entirely misplaced--led by war hawks in Obama administration--especially [Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs] Victoria Nuland, who cheered on an overthrow in Ukraine.
Click for Jill Stein on other issues.
Source: Phone interview on 2016 presidential race by OnTheIssues.org
Jill Stein on Foreign Policy
: Jul 6, 2015
Lifting the Cuban embargo was long overdue
OnTheIssues: What do you think about lifting the Cuban embargo? Stein: It was long overdue--it was time to end our economic & political warfare against Cuba. We need to be respecting their right to self-determination.
We should go there without intent to interfere in their national process of deciding what kind of government, what kind of food and entertainment they have--we should respect the choices that the Cuban people have made.
OnTheIssues: And the Castros?
Stein: We should not be in the business of overturning Castro's rule. We should encourage human rights in
Cuba, but we have been harboring terrorists against Cuba and we need to address human rights violations that we ourselves have been doing.
Click for Jill Stein on other issues.
Source: Phone interview on 2016 presidential race by OnTheIssues.org
Marco Rubio on Foreign Policy
: Apr 9, 2015
We've neglected Latin American democracies & our alliances
The Summit of the Americas [previously included only] duly elected representatives of democratic nations. In recent summits, that democratic requirement has been tested, as Latin American leaders who came to power by winning elections then became
authoritarian rulers. That democratic prerequisite is sadly being fully discarded as Cuban dictator Raul Castro participates for the first time.This is President Obama's final Summit of the Americas, and it comes after six years of neglecting the
region to the detriment of our interests and our alliances. When he has acted, he has done so timidly (as in Venezuela) or naively (as in Cuba). More often, however, he has not acted at all, leaving our allies unsure about our interests, and our enemies
and adversaries emboldened to test us.
The US simply cannot allow decades of progress in building democratic, more-secure, and more-prosperous nations to succumb to growing authoritarianism and narco-terrorism in the region.
Click for Marco Rubio on other issues.
Source: National Review editorial, "Obama's Neglect," by Marco Rubio
Mike Huckabee on Foreign Policy
: Mar 7, 2015
Keep the Cuban embargo; lifting it rewards Cuba
Huckabee was asked why the government has kept the embargo in place against Cuba, even as trade barriers with China have been lifted. Huckabee said that Cuba must make serious concessions before the embargo is scaled back. He said President Barack Obama
is sending the wrong message: "If my parents had raised me that way, I'd have been a monster," he said. "They didn't reward me with ice cream & candy every time I did something horrible. Don't give the Chinese and Cubans ice cream & candy," he added.
Click for Mike Huckabee on other issues.
Source: Politico.com coverage of 2015 Iowa Agricultural Summit
Marco Rubio on Foreign Policy
: Dec 21, 2014
Engagement with Vietnam & China has not led to freedom
Q [to Rubio]: Rand Paul is one of the few Republicans who came out in support of what the president did [with loosening restrictions on Cuba]. He said he thought it was a pretty good idea. What was your reaction to that?RUBIO: Well, obviously, I
disagree. And he has the right to become a supporter of President Obama's foreign policy. But I think it's premised on the same false notion that engagement alone leads to freedom. It doesn't. We have engagement with Vietnam and China. And while their
economies have grown, their political freedoms have not. Look what China is today 30 years after that engagement. China steals our military and commercial secrets, obviously actively conducts cyber-operations against the United States. And, internally,
their people have no religious, no freedoms, no freedom of speech, no unfettered access to the Internet.
Q: Should we break relations with China?
RUBIO: From a geopolitical perspective, our approach to China by necessity has to be different from Cuba
Click for Marco Rubio on other issues.
Source: Face the Nation 2014 interview: 2016 presidential hopefuls
Marco Rubio on Foreign Policy
: Dec 21, 2014
Cuba must improve on human rights for engagement to continue
Q: What should be done now that we are engaging with Cuba ?RUBIO: Now, our job is twofold. There is existing law that has codified the US embargo. And whatever regulations are now written to implement the president's new policy have to live up to
that law. And beyond it, I think we need to examine, as Cuban the government doesn't make any changes to their human rights record--they're going to arrest people today. They arrested people yesterday.
They're going to continue to crack down on opposition in the island. We need to hold this administration accountable for these policies changes and if in fact that Cubans do nothing reciprocal to
live up to or to open up political space, constantly challenge and reexamine these policy changes the president has made.
Click for Marco Rubio on other issues.
Source: Face the Nation 2014 interview: 2016 presidential hopefuls
Marco Rubio on Foreign Policy
: Dec 21, 2014
Cuba embargo was designed to protect American companies
Q: Obama has ended our Cold War policy against Cuba. But you said: RUBIO (ON TAPE): This entire policy shift announced today is based on an illusion, on a lie.
Q: What was working with the old policy?
RUBIO: Well, I think that's not the question.
The question is what new policy can actually achieve our goal of freedom and liberty for the Cuban people. On the contrary, Raul Castro made very clear that there will be no political changes on the island. Nor did the president ask for any.
Q:
But you acknowledge the old policy wasn't working?
RUBIO: I keep hearing about how the old policy was designed to overthrow the Castro regime. That's false. The embargo's original purpose was to protect American companies because those properties had
been expropriated. American companies in Cuba had their assets seized. And so, in order to prevent that, that was the reason why the embargo was put in place. The new purpose of the embargo in the 21st century was to serve as leverage towards democracy.
Click for Marco Rubio on other issues.
Source: Meet the Press 2014 interviews of 2016 presidential hopefuls
Marco Rubio on Foreign Policy
: Dec 21, 2014
Our policy should lead to more liberty for the Cuban people
Q: Let me ask you about Cuba. You obviously are very much against [Obama's loosening restrictions]RUBIO: It's important to understand why I oppose it. I am not opposed to changes in Cuba policy.
I think we constantly need to examine our foreign policy. I'm opposed to changes like this that have no chance of leading to the result that we want, which is more freedom and more liberty for the Cuban people.
This change is entirely predicated upon with false notion that engagement alone automatically leads to freedom. And I think we have evidence that that is not the case.
Look at Vietnam and look at China, countries that we have engaged. They are no more politically free today than they were when that engagement started.
Click for Marco Rubio on other issues.
Source: Face the Nation 2014 interview: 2016 presidential hopefuls
Marco Rubio on Free Trade
: Dec 18, 2014
Trade with Cuba won't translate into political freedom
Pres. Obama's surprising move toward normalizing relations with Cuba immediately came under challenge. Many leading Republicans denounced the president as feckless, overreaching and naive in his negotiations with the government of Pres. Raul Castro, the
brother of longtime leader Fidel Castro."This entire policy shift announced today is based on an illusion, on a lie, the lie and the illusion that more commerce and access to money and goods will translate to political freedom for the Cuban people,"
said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), whose parents emigrated from Cuba in the 1950s. "All this is going to do is give the Castro regime, which controls every aspect of Cuban life, the opportunity to manipulate these changes to perpetuate itself in power."
The bulk of the criticism suggested that the conservative base remains firmly committed to keeping Cuban relations in the deep freeze where they have been for half a century. That position is increasingly at odds with the view of the electorate at large.
Click for Marco Rubio on other issues.
Source: Portland Press Herald, "Obama's Decision on Cuba"
Marco Rubio on Foreign Policy
: May 22, 2014
Press freedom is a universal human right, especially in Cuba
Rubio condemned the regime of Raul Castro for shutting down a new website launched by Yoani Sanchez, the country's most prominent and outspoken blogger: "Yoani Sanchez has long been one of Cuba's most courageous pro-democracy and human rights voices,
giving the world insights on life inside Cuba through her blog," the Florida Republican said in a statement emailed to POLITICO. "She is now an aspiring Cuban media entrepreneur who the Castro regime shut down yesterday by hacking into her news website,
14ymedio, on the day of its launch.""Imagine for a moment, if the U.S. government had shut down POLITICO the day it launched in 2007--or any conservative, liberal or mainstream online news outlet for that matter," he said. "As Americans, we would
be outraged. Press freedom is a universal human right, and we should be outraged that yet another blatant instance of repression has taken place in Cuba," Rubio said.
Click for Marco Rubio on other issues.
Source: Politico.com 2014 coverage of 2016 presidential hopefuls
Ron DeSantis on Homeland Security
: Nov 6, 2012
Gave legal support to Gitmo terrorist detention center
As a JAG officer in the United States Navy, he supported operations at the terrorist detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and deployed to Iraq during the 2007 troop surge as an advisor to a U.S. Navy SEAL commander in support of the
SEAL mission in Iraq.He is currently an officer in the reserve component of the United States Navy. He is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion. He has lectured on the law of war at Florida Coastal School of Law.
Click for Ron DeSantis on other issues.
Source: 2012 House campaign website, voteRon2012.com, "Issues"
Marco Rubio on Families & Children
: Jun 19, 2012
Elian Gonzalez should stay in US & father should join him
In 1999, a 6 year old boy and his mother boarded a small, crowded aluminum boat with a faulty motor in the hope of escaping oppression in Cuba. The mother and ten others perished on the journey when the motor quit. The boy, Elian Gonzalez, survived and
was found floating on an inner tube by 2 fishermen.The INS placed him in the custody of relatives in Miami. Elian's father, with the support of the Castro regime, demanded his return to Cuba. Elian's Miami relatives refused. The vast majority of the
Cuban exile community, including me, wanted Elian to remain in the US, and his father to join him here. The notion that he be forcibly returned to a regime his mother had given her life to rescue him from was unfathomable to us.
To most other Americans
however, reuniting a motherless child with his father was obviously the right decision. The Elian Gonzalez saga polarized Miami and much of the nation. In some quarters, support for his father's custody rights took on a distinctly antiexile undertone.
Click for Marco Rubio on other issues.
Source: An American Son, by Marco Rubio, p.112-113
Marco Rubio on Foreign Policy
: Jun 19, 2012
Che Guevara reviled by Cuban exiles; I want no association
Crist's allies opened a 527, a tax-exempt political fund, to promote Crist's candidacy. They sent a mail piece titled "The Real Rubio" to Republican voters across the state. The front of the piece had an image of what appeared to be militant student
protesters, along with a picture of Che Guevara over my left shoulder. On the back, it identified several bills that would have given children of undocumented immigrants in-state tuition rates and health insurance. The mailer was designed to tamp down
Republican enthusiasm for me by raising doubts about my positions on illegal immigration.The use of Che Guevara's image was particularly galling. Guevara was a cold-blooded killer, and he's reviled by the Cuban exile community.
The use of his image in American pop culture is a pet peeve of exiles everywhere. But it was only a mailer. And as angry as it made me and others, it would have been counterproductive to have overreacted to it.
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Source: An American Son, by Marco Rubio, p.267
Marco Rubio on Immigration
: Jun 19, 2012
OpEd: Claimed falsely that parents fled Castro in 1959
In 2009, Rubio stated that his parents came from Cuba in 1959, but he also said that his mother returned to Cuba in 1960 to care for his grandfather after he was "hit by a bus." "When the time came to come home, the Cuban government wouldn't let her,
Rubio said. "They would let my sister come because she was a US citizen, but they wouldn't let my brother and my mom come. And they would go to the airport every day for 9 months waiting to be let go, and then finally were able to come."
It was a dramatic story, but it wasn't supported by the documents. The Cuban passport of Rubio's mother showed she was never in the country for a 9 month period in the 1960's. The year of her return was also different--1960 instead of 1961.
Some Rubio
allies argued that there was no difference between Cubans who came to the US before Castro and those who came afterward. Others pointed out that there were clear political advantages for Rubio in portraying himself as the son of parents who fled Castro.
Click for Marco Rubio on other issues.
Source: The Rise of Marco Rubio, by Manuel Rogi-Franzia, p.230-231
Marco Rubio on Principles & Values
: Jun 19, 2012
I am the heir to two generations of unfulfilled dreams
I had grown up in a Cuban American home, but I don't think I really knew where I was from and who I was until I spent hundreds of hours [during the campaign] in the company of the people who claimed me as one of their own.Who was I really to them?
Someone who bore a physical resemblance to a son or grandson? No. I represented their children and grandchildren's generation. My success, and the success of any Cuban American of my generation, was their answer. Our lives, accomplishments and
contributions were a lasting tribute to theirs. Even as a boy, I had grasped that my family's emotional investment in my happiness and success was as great as their investment of time, work and self-denial. Now I recognized that an entire generation of
Cuban exiles had the same emotional investment in my success.
On the streets of the small city of West Miami, in the early months of 1998, I discovered who I was. I was an heir to two generations of unfulfilled dreams. I was the end of their story.
Click for Marco Rubio on other issues.
Source: An American Son, by Marco Rubio, p. 94-97
Jill Stein on Foreign Policy
: May 16, 2012
End trade embargo and travel ban on Cuba
Q: Should the United States end its trade embargo and travel ban on Cuba?A: Yes.
Q: Should the U.S. intervene in the affairs of other countries?
A: No, we should oppose wars of aggression and entangling alliances with other nations
Click for Jill Stein on other issues.
Source: Presidential comparison website www.iSideWith.com
Marco Rubio on Principles & Values
: Feb 18, 2010
From poor Cuban family; privileged to be a citizen in US
As I reflect on all the opportunities that I've had in my life, it often reminds me of my grandfather. My grandfather was an enormous influence on me growing up. He was born in 1899 to a poor, rural family in Cuba. When he was a very young man, he had
polio, and it permanently disabled him. So he couldn't work the farm, and so they sent him away to school. In fact, he became the only member of his family that can read.When I was growing up my grandfather lived with us, and told me: Because of where
he was born and who he was born to, there was only so much he was able to accomplish. But he wanted me to know that I would not have those limits, that there was no dreams unavailable to me. And he was right.
See, I was not born to a wealthy or
connected family. And yet I have never felt limited by the circumstances of my birth. Why did my dreams have the chance that his didn't? Because I am privileged. I am privileged to be a citizen of the single greatest society in all of human history.
Click for Marco Rubio on other issues.
Source: Speech to 2010 Conservative Political Action Conference
Mike Huckabee on Foreign Policy
: Feb 10, 2008
Urged ending Cuban embargo as governor; now supports embargo
Q: When you were governor, you wrote this in a letter to Pres. Bush about Cuba: "US policy on Cuba has not accomplished its stated goal of toppling the Castro regime and instead has provided Castro with a convenient excuse for his own failed system of
government. I urge you to join with me in working to lift the failed embargo." You then went to Florida and said no, the embargo should stay, saying, "What changed was I'm running for president." Is that a flip-flop?A: The embargo was specifically
referenced to the rice industry in my state. As the governor of the number one rice producer in the nation, we wanted to export our rice, including to Cuba. The more I became familiar with the oppression of Cuba, I realized that my position was, frankly,
short-sighted, and it was based on my local agricultural concerns rather than the more important concerns of Cuba's oppressive regime. I got to lead the whole country and act in the best interest of how we can best deal with a rogue regime.
Click for Mike Huckabee on other issues.
Source: Meet the Press: 2008 "Meet the Candidates" series
Mike Huckabee on Homeland Security
: Jun 10, 2007
Guantanamo prisoners are treated very well
Q: General Colin Powell was asked about the status of Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, whether suspected terrorists should be housed there. He said:FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL: If it was up to me, I would close Guantanamo.
Not tomorrow, but this afternoon. Every morning I pick up a paper and some authoritarian figure, some person somewhere is using Guantanamo to hide their own misdeeds. And so essentially, we have shaken the belief that the world had in
America's justice system by keeping a place like Guantanamo open.
Q: Do you agree with Secretary Powell?A: I know it's become a symbol of what's wrong.
It's more symbolic than it is a substantive issue, because people perceive of mistreatment when, in fact, there are extraordinary means being taken to make sure these detainees are being given, really, every consideration.
Click for Mike Huckabee on other issues.
Source: CNN Late Edition: 2007 presidential series with Wolf Blitzer
Mike Huckabee on Immigration
: May 3, 2007
Change rule barring immigrants from running for president
Q: Should we change our Constitution to allow men like Mel Martinez, born in Cuba, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, born in Austria, to stand here some night as candidates for president? ROMNEY: Never given that a lot of thought, but with
Arnold sitting there, I'll give it some thought, but probably not.
Gov. THOMPSON: No.
HUCKABEE: After I've served eight years as president, I'd be happy to change the Constitution for Governor Schwarzenegger.
Click for Mike Huckabee on other issues.
Source: 2007 GOP primary debate, at Reagan library, hosted by MSNBC
Howie Hawkins on Foreign Policy
: Nov 1, 2006
Support the UN; oppose the Cuban embargo
Q: Should the United States maintain its financial support of the United Nations?A: Yes.
Q: Should the United States commit troops to United Nations peacekeeping missions?
A: Yes.
Q: Should the United States lift the travel ban to Cuba?
A: Yes.
Hawkins adds, "Stop exporting and encouraging nuclear power, which leads to nuclear weapons. Push for complete global nuclear disarmament through US unilateral initiatives to set the example. Stop 'Star Wars' militarization of space."
Click for Howie Hawkins on other issues.
Source: 2006 Congressional National Political Awareness
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