The two faces of media and Cuba “expert” reaction to south Fla. election results

Ratched GIFcolumbia4

Some scold. Some weep. Some do both.

Take (PBS affiliate) WRLN’s Tim Padgett and his pet Cuba expert (for this episode) the ICCAS’ Dr. Andy Gomez. Padgett, a party-line anti-embargoist holy-roller and longtime proponent of the Cuban-American “generational shift” superstition, naturally appears very well-connected to the rapid-response-brigades apparently bankrolled by Carlos Saladrigas. To this end, Padgett gives (again, partly on the U.S. taxpayer’s dime) breathless coverage to the “Cuba-Now” anti-embargo propaganda campaign.

Given last nights election results, Padgett seems torn between Nurse Ratched and Chris Crocker for his response. Some excerpts from today’s snit-fit/whinefest hosted by the botellero (he scolds Cuban-American conservatives while partly on the dime of the U.S. taxpayer) Tim Padgett:

The Curbelo campaign did not respond to WLRN’s request for a rebuttal. But either way, the Fariñas dispute has ramped up calls for both parties to stop letting Cuba dominate South Florida politics.

And those appeals seem especially strong from Cuban-Americans themselves.

Among them: Andy Gomez, a former University of Miami provost and author of a new book, “Social Challenges Facing Cuba,” who is now a senior advisor for the Washington law and public policy firm Poblete Tamargo. Gomez in fact worries that episodes like this encourage the stereotype that Cuban-Americans are emotionally obsessed with Cuba to the exclusion of other issues like the economy.

It reflects, he says, “taking a step back in terms of the maturity that the Cuban-American community has shown in terms of politics. Every once in a while we fall back into the politics of passion, and this is what we were seeing between Curbelo and Garcia.”

But AHHH! If Joe Garcia (who was the one who injected a Cuban dissident into the campaign) had won, would we be hearing or reading such scolding/whining from the media and their pet “experts?”

Our own Rayarena posted a response to the (taxpayer-subsidized) snit-fit on WRLN that cannot be improved upon. So I now post in its entirety:

From Rayarena:

What type of bizarre off the wall spin is that? So, if I vote for a congressman whose vote will help shape American foreign policy, I can’t take his foreign policy outlook, in this case, his view on Cuba into consideration? If I do, I’m politically immature and obsessed? Are Jews who feel passionate about Israel immature and obsessed when the issue of Israel plays a prominent role in their voting decision? Certain ethnic groups feel passionate about certain issues that are near and dear to them and there is nothing wrong with that. Blacks felt particularly passionate about apartheid South Africa, and during the conflicts in Northern Ireland many Irish Americans felt passionate about the plight of Catholics in the region. Foreign policy issues often became lightening rods in ethnic enclaves, yet, its become popular to otherize Cuban-Americans and strike a punitive pose because we feel passionate about Cuba.

The amazing thing about this election is that Cuban Americans have AGAIN proven people like Andy Gomez and the mainstream media wrong. So much for the mythical generational shift wherein Cuban-Americans are “maturing” and are supposed to want a lifting of the embargo and engagement with Cuba. [The implication being that if we don’t see eye-to-eye with them, we’re quite naturally, “immature.” Nice, huh?] Unfortunately for the mainstream media and people like Mr. Gomez, a community’s elected officials are the most powerful gage of its point-of-view.

In the end, the only person who seems out-of-step with his community is Andy Gomez. He can spin it anyway that he wants, and he can slander and throw labels left and right, its all points in the same direction: Sour Grapes.

6 thoughts on “The two faces of media and Cuba “expert” reaction to south Fla. election results”

  1. Someone should rub the video of Curbelo’s acceptance speech in Padgett’s face. As the very young 34 year old Curbelo points out [and it is clear by looking at the video], his campaign team is made up ENTIRELY of people who are younger than he is! No doubt this was a jibe against those crazy generational shit theorists! LOL.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaVHxAWmVXc#t=53

  2. The people who criticize Cuban-Americans for being “obsessed” with Cuba would NOT say anything of the sort about a “proper” minority. For instance, the usual suspects would NEVER say “Latinos” are obsessed with immigration issues or that gay Americans are obsessed with sexual orientation issues, let alone that black Americans are obsessed with racial issues. This is just more of the same old hypocritical bad faith, not to say BS, tinged with spite. These people know perfectly well they’re full of it, but it’s so PC and safe to spew this tripe that they act like it’s totally reasonable and even “insightful.” If I ever need somebody, especially a non-Cuban or a Cubanoid, to tell me how I should feel or act about Cuba, just shoot me, OK? Sheesh.

  3. From the firm’s website: “Poblete Tamargo is a specialized federal regulatory law and public policy practice. We provide our clients with federal regulatory and public policy counsel in the fields of administrative law, national security law, international claims, trade, general transactional matters, federal government relations and political intelligence.” Note especially the word TRADE.

  4. “Every once in a while we fall back into the politics of passion.” And being passionate about a political issue is, of course, immature. Gee, I wonder if Mr. Gomez has ANY problem with the fact that Obama got something like 98% of the black vote, because, you know, that looks like black voters may be too passionate about a candidate being black as opposed to things like tax reform. But let me rephrase that: I wonder if Mr. Gomez would ever publicly question or criticize black voters for being passionate about racial issues, which they indisputably are. And no, these “experts” apparently are NOT concerned about how VERY selectively they apply their criteria. It’s like, “Oh, yes, we get to do that, as long as the New York Times would find it acceptable.” Lord have mercy.

  5. Asombra – on target as usual in your comments. And Humberto, a good post.

    It may interest you to know that J Street lost in this campaign as well. The Republican Jewish Coalition supported Curbelo.

  6. A modest proposal to would-be Cuba experts:

    If you’re not Cuban, don’t presume to know better than Cubans themselves. Ever. It’s not just laughably absurd–it’s embarrassing. Same goes if you’re a Cubanoid, except that in your case it’s not embarrassing, exactly–it’s disgusting. Very.

Comments are closed.