The GOP Univision Debate

UPDATE: Youtube of Dr. Paul's questions and answers (in Spanish) I've always had a thing for the Latinas and moderator Maria Elena Salinas is hot! For those looking for the full debate transcript (in English) the WSJ has it here.






Rolling Stone has this blurb from tonights debate:

I’ve been watching the Republican Univision debate broadcast from Miami — centro del universo anti-Castro — and he just went there:

“We talked to Stalin, Kruschev, and Mao. We’ve talked to the whole world. Actually I believe we’re at a time where we ought to talk to Cuba, open travel with Cuba, trade with Cuba. We create the Castro’s and the [Hugo] Chavez’s of this world by interfering and creating chaos in their countries, and they respond by throwing out their leaders.”*

Needless to say he was almost booed out of the building.

The look on John McCain’s face during a cut-away was absolutely priceless.
*The quote’s not quite exact as I’m having to re-translate the voiceover translation that is drowning out the original English answers.

-- Tim Dickinson

Which led to this comment from member Goldwater Conservative at ronpaulforums:

For the record, whenever McCain comes down here, he gives us the same anti-Castro verbal reach-around Republicans have been giving us for decades. They know how to keep the Cubans in line, which is why other Hispanics are becoming more important to them.

Dr. Paul doesn't pander that's for sure. It's interesting because follow blogger and occasional poster here CMStrapz and I had a discussion years ago about lifting the trade embargo with Cuba and trying diplomacy with Castro. Needless to say, I argued that trading with Cuba isn't in the United States' best interest. Of course, immediately after that exchange I went and did research on the topic.

Based on what I've found, I've switched my position on trade embargoes in general. While they seem like a measure that would be an effective tool against regimes we don't like. Who do embargoes like the one we have with Cuba really hurt? Mostly the poor and the middle class. Embargoes are an artificial way to create shortages of goods and services. Scarcity raises the price of said goods and services and puts it out of the reach of everyone except the wealthy. Castro isn't hurting for medical care, or food, or anything else. But him and the rest of the elites are the only ones.