Edwards on venezuela and Cuba?

[BayCityProgressive]

So we have heard Hillary bloviate and say she would keep the embargo on Cuba and she made snide remarks about Chavez. Richardson opposes the embargo and says he would esablish relations with Chavez. Has Edwards made any statements on these issues? I have a wide range of issues I am looking at and these are two of them. Has Edwards made any comments on these yet? I am leaning in his favor lately... Although Chavez is much further left than Edwards, they are both populists and oppose unrestricted free trade deals. It seems like they could at least work together in a non-threatening way.

[Greeby]

1. Needless to say, he's got issues more closer to home to deal with nt

[BayCityProgressive]

2. I agree

just wondering...

[murray hill farm]

3. I agree!

Those are two very important issues to me as well. I wonder if you could go to his website and ask..and then let us all know what you find out on these issues. thanks!

[ngant17]

4. appeasing the exiles

My guess is that the ones who want to appease the rightwing Cuban exiles in Florida and elsewhere, they will make their position loud and clear wrt Cuban embargo.

If Sen. Hillary Clinton is trying to appease them, that is predictable, but IMHO she is making another mistake, just like her mindless support for the Iraq war.

The ones who are lower in the polls wouldn't seem to have much to lose by favoring an end to the embargo.

I tend to use Cuba as a litmus test for my support of candidates. It pretty much forces them to choose one side or the other. You can't be very ambiguous about socialist Cuba. You either hate it or you like it. Same way with Venezuela.

[ieoeja]

7. You can hate the Castro regime, but still oppose the embargo.

"You can't be very ambiguous about socialist Cuba. You either hate it or you like it."


If you believe that Communism can successfully compete with Capitalism, then I suppose our only choice is to continue the embargo. If you believe Communism can NOT compete side-by-side with Capitalism, then we need to open up Cuba to that competition.

Worked against the Soviet Union which would have fallen earlier if not for Churchill's Iron Curtain and Reagan's attempt to rebuild that curtain.

[ngant17]

11. don't follow that logic well

as it seemed to me that the USSR imploded after Gorbachev initiated glasnost and perestroika. I wouldn't simplify the end of Soviet Union by a 'Western capitalism won' equation.

Communism/socialism doesn't need to compete against capitalism. It can peacefully co-exist.

Continuing the embargo has no logic. The embargo is anti-capitalist in nature. Cuba isn't embargo-ing the US, it's the other way around. There is plenty of foreign capitalist investment in Cuba, but the US isn't in there yet.

Cuba will always have socialism - it's specifically written into its 1976 Constitution. Capitalism can't change that very easily. Not anymore than socialism in the US could take away our Bill of Rights.

[Czolgosz]

5. I can't say specifically, but he's the best fair trade candidate. Edwards favors

the incorporation or labor and environmental standards within foreign trade agreements to level the playing field for American workers, he is against NAFTA, against the Chile unbridled trade agreement, against the Singapore unbridled trade agreement, he favors a national venture capital fund to benefit those hurt by the excesses of unbridled trade, he opposes Fast Track.

On the other hand, he had been open-minded on trade agreements necessary for humanitarian reasons, such as the granting normal trade relations status to Vietnam.

[Cameron27]

6. Sorry, this is all that I could find...

Edwards:

"The goal of our policy in Cuba must be the promotion of democracy and human rights. I support sanctions that target Fidel Castro's regime but help the innocent Cuban people, allowing trade for food and medical supplies that help ease the horrible burdens they suffer. Full sanctions should not be lifted until Castro and his brutal regime are gone. At the same time, along with our allies, we must increase our support and assistance for dissidents and democracy advocates inside Cuba who are struggling to be free." (January 29, 2004 (AP) Candidates on the issues: Cuba The Associated Press)

but I'm not going to link to it. Looks like a pretty right-wing "free Cuba" site. Maybe someone can find the AP story somewhere else.

[Joanne98]

8. I haven't heard any. I'm supporting Edwards....

[Adelante]

9. Clark aligns with Richardson, if you want to know

Edwards on Venezuela I dunno, but on Cuba:

"Asked about the possibility the United States might change its policy on Cuba when Fidel Castro dies, Edwards said he has supported the United States embargo of a Castro-led Cuba, but if Castro, who recently underwent intestinal surgery, should die, this country should “evaluate his successor and then decide” whether to lift the embargo."

Boston Globe, 8/5/06
http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2006/08/05/john_edwards_calls_for_immediate_withdrawal_from_iraq/

[Selatius]

10. One day, Cuba will transition to some form of market socialism/democratic socialism.

I hope, anyway. Is private ownership of firms allowed in Cuba? Like, can I open up a little café on the corner where I can purchase or borrow capital to start the firm?

[BayCityProgressive]

12. yes

small businesses with 12 or less employees are allowed and you can keep the profit. Farmers also have private plots and sell their goods on a market.

[BayCityProgressive]

13. That is sad

that he would continue the embargo. I would love to visit Cuba. A friend of mine goes there for free medical school.

[Selatius]

14. That's a good first step, small businesses, I mean.

For larger firms, I don't favor doing the "Shock Therapy" imposed on Russia post-communism (privatize everything creating billionaire oligarchs), but I do favor setting up some pricing mechanism in market socialism. (i.e. setting up several worker co-ops in a market and letting them compete on pricing/quality but regulating them in terms of a community/public banking mechanism) In theory, the competition should reduce to a minimum the waste of resources that may happen when firms aren't encouraged to be efficient, such as a monopoly.

People should be free to set up firms and generate a profit, but the community banks should be free to offer to buy out firms from owners who are aging or retiring and reorganize them into co-ops. This gives workers a choice to work for traditional firms or co-ops. At that point, a person may be free to start a firm and generate profit for himself, but other people would now also be free not to work for this person because there is always the alternative with co-ops. This choice does not exist here.

[BayCityProgressive]

15. Cuba does have co-ops

and people run neighborhoods and some housing as well. I am not sure on their specifics though. Their economy has actually grown every year since 1994. they have diversified their economy and last year grew over 10%. They are basically back to pre-Soviet collapse levels...I think now that they have some trading partners (Venezuela and China mostly) they will do decently. Rembmer, the Cubans are far better off than any of the neighboring island countries and Cuba also just found a lot of oil. If this isn't the final thing the US need sto invade, Cuba could have a very bright future. I agree that they could possibly use some modernization, but this is up to the Cuban people. The mistake people in the US make is that Cubans don't like their system. That is untrue. Cubans love the reovlution and socialism. if not, it wouldn;t have survived so long. The country is not a military state and Castro could easily be overthrown. Look what the US orchestrated in Haiti.