[lbo-talk] Cuban HDI

eric dorkin eric_dorkin at yahoo.com
Wed Apr 23 12:57:25 PDT 2003


Sadly, the "what choice do I have" defense is really not defense at all....it is an indictment of us as a people. Over the course of its history, the U.S. has had to soften the effects of unbridled capitalism to maintian a stable social order...One of the ways the U.S. has not so reigned in the powers of capital is in election reform, i.e., the Supeme Court's ruling that spending money is speech. As a result, it is this ethos that would most undermine an open Cuba. Even a vociferous and ruthless exile community could be held in check if the U.S. recognized reasonable limitations on election spending. Unfortunely, you throw in the mix the recent election debacle in New Cuba (Florida) and that does not hold out much hope for full and fair elections in Cuba. So in the end, it is America's ani-democratic impulses that serve as the justification for Castro's repression...we should feel very proud. What do you do? I have not got a frinkin'clue. Ultimately, as an upper middle class joe, I would not want to trade places with someone in Cuba...I cannot say how far you have to go down on the U.S. "social ladder" before that choice is inverted.

andie nachgeborenen <andie_nachgeborenen at yahoo.com> wrote:No, no, no. The problem is that we don't see the truth as Leo sees it -- Democrats aside Nathan's a different story. Castro's repression is wrong, and I'll say it now or at any time. I'll also say that I'm not sure what other choice Castro has, a point I have pressed on you repeatedly, and you have failed to address. Do you disagree with my assessment of what would happen if the Cubans were to open their political process to US-funded opposition? Do you think that would be a fair and democratic result? Do you think taht the price of the destruction of the graet benefits as well as the crimes of the Cuban revolution would be worth the cost in terms of having a one time not very fair election and campaign? You do not deign to see that these are questions that have to be addressed. But the petition pretends taht none of that is political reality. That's not the truth. It's mere ideology -- the truth "unversted as ina camer obscura." I do! n't justify therepression. But the Cubans appear to me to face a genuinely tragic choice. Do you disagree? jks

Bradford DeLong <delong at econ.Berkeley.EDU> wrote: Seems to me that nobody is saying that Nathan and Leo are wrong about Castro's latest despicable actions. All people are saying is that it isn't politic to mention them.

Be very, very careful: the world is full of people who are trying to communicate the truth as they see it. If you're not even trying to communicate the truth as you see it--if you're shading what you communicate in the interests of being politic--you go straight to the bottom of lots of people's to-be-read piles...

Brad DeLong ___________________________________ http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk

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