Longing For A Cuba That Wasn't

Now that the presidential general election has arrived (in a de facto sense, at least), American eyes again turn toward that mightiest of swing states, Florida. And the saber-rattling toward Castro's Cuba is sure to ratchet upward.

For many South Floridians of Cuban descent, this is a sacred political cow. And understandably so; those who were pushed from their privileged status by Fidel Castro's revolution, as well as their progeny, can reasonably be expected to harbor animosity toward the current Cuban regime.

But why must this parochial concern be a fulcrum of U.S. presidential politics? Because of the vagaries of our electoral process, of course, in which small constituencies in key states often take on far greater significance than they otherwise would (or should) be accorded. And because conservatives in this country have seized upon this narrow issue (along with the four Gs*) as part of their divide-and-conquer strategy.

(*The four Gs, if you're wondering, are: God, Gays, Guns and Gynecology.)

So we get conservative pundits and politicians talking about the good old days in Cuba, and about how those days must be returned. About the necessity of maintaining our Cuban embargo as long as a Castro is in charge. (And this despite our current engagement with such characters as Pervez Musharraf, Hosni Mubarak, Hu Jintao, King Abdullah, and the list goes on...)

All of this in the name of a lie.

See, if you're not familiar with Cuban life under Fulgencio Batista, Castro's predecessor, then do a little research; it was not a pretty thing. In Batista's Cuba, poverty and illiteracy were rampant, especially among the nonwhite population. Health care was of third-world quality. The disparity of wealth distribution was obscene. Violent political repression was commonplace. The island was a haven for Mafia kingpins and drug runners. And it was all done with the active support of the U.S. government and American corporations. (Gosh, why would Castro have any hostility toward us?)

And so, the next time some Republican scumbag tries to lecture you about the impossibility of engagement with Castro's Cuba, just remember: They are selling you a vision of a Cuba that never was.