Joe Garcia appeared this morning on the Jim Defede Radio Show and said that Raul Martinez, former Hialeah mayor, might possibly run against Lincoln Diaz-Balart's seat in District 21. Defede asked his audience what they thought, and they responded positively.
If this happens it could be quite a big political showdown. Raul Martinez has very different views about Cuba in comparison to Diaz-Balart's tired rhetoric.
This news from Garcia lends more support to the rumor that was first posted on the Naked Politics blog one week ago, which Beth Reinhard from the Miami Herald predicts "would be a monster of a race."
But, the Cuba Journal blog believes that if Martinez wins (which he argues might happen under one scenario) "nothing much will change, same anti-Cuba votes, different face."
Looking forward to more news when Barack Obama makes his August 25th visit to Miami.
5 comments:
I very respectfully disagree with you. Raul Martinez would continue supporting the same tired and failed politics of Republican administrations. He just would follow the line of prominent 'Gang of 66' Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz. When it comes to Cuba, there is little difference between Democrats and Republicans. They run to the ultra-right-wing PAC's of Miami AND BEG FOR MONEY. The only national Democrat who has a SANE Cuba policy position is Dennis Kucinich.
Other than my previous comment, you are doing a good job of watching "el triple feo" de Mambi.
Thanks for the comments Cuba Journal.
I agree with you that Martinez would not support all measures to oppose current US policy towards Cuba, especially the embargo. But, I see Martinez a far better representative than Diaz-Balart. Martinez has the will to end the Cuban family travel restrictions and may support easing of the agricultural trade restrictions with Cuba.
These possible positive movements may bring us closer to normalization. And, Martinez MAY be the only Democratic candidate to have enough popularity to unseat Diaz-Balart.
Nevertheless, I support candidates like Kucinich too who has a respectable congressional record.
http://kucinich.house.gov/
But, as a pragmatist in this case, a Democratic candidate with a new view on Cuba is much needed here in Miami. But, it is only one step on a long path to US/Cuba normalization, which I support.
I enjoy your blog too, great archive.
I tend to agree. If I had to vote, and the choices were Diaz-Balart and Martinez, I would vote for the one that would do less harm. Diaz- Balart is plain awful.
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