The Week: Cuba & Uncle Sam: A Brief History

Source: The Week- Communist Republic of Cuba, Dictator Fidel Castro-

Source:The New Democrat

Cuba has never been a home of liberal democracy and liberal values, liberal utopia, or what have you. Similar to Iraq, they’ve always been ruled by one authoritarian regime or another and that includes America. So there’s never been this one grand moment or time in Cuban history that you can point to and say this was a great period for Cuba where their people lived in freedom and flourished. Because they’ve never had freedom and have never flourished as a country.

But given all of that and has much as Fidel Castro and his communist regime screwed up the Cuban economy, (and that might be putting it lightly) Cuba isn’t a hell hole, rat hole if you need a stronger word and I’m sure you can come up with a stronger one than that. Unlike Haiti, one of Cuba’s neighbors, there are some things that Cuba has done and does today very well and they’ve only gotten better and are going to get even better at that. As much as Fidel Castro was a communist dictator, he is a true Socialist, not democratic obviously, but certainly a Socialist, but unfortunately in the Marxist sense.

Cuba has a very good and developed social insurance and social welfare system. They have good schools, their kids get educated, but then have a hard time finding good jobs because of the Cuban state-owned industries. But that is improving thanks to the Communist State opening up the economy and allowing for private business’s, private property and private enterprise in general. And they have good health care and health insurance, especially considering we are still talking about a third-world country.

I think the direction that Cuba is headed into now, is like that of China and Russia. Where you’ll have a private enterprise economy, but with a generous welfare state like that in Scandinavia. And a country that will probably be even further advance when it comes to some personal freedom and civil liberty issues, just not guaranteed by a constitution. But where the country is still ruled by the Communist Party, without any real opposition to it. And where most of the political power is still centralized in Havana. So no to liberal or even social democracy in Cuba for now, but they are still further along than they ever have been.
The Daily Conversation: History of U.S.-Cuban Relations

The American Mind: Video: Charles Kesler Interviewing William Voegeli, Secrets of The Liberal Agenda

Source:The New Democrat

The title of this video is “The Secret Liberal Agenda”. So hearing that I thought to myself, oh no! The Right has figured out our secret agenda of economic and personal freedom and equality for everyone and are going to use that against us! And then I had a big drink of something, went to the bathroom as a result and calmed down and thought about a couple of things. Wait, why would it be bad if the public found out the Liberals want both personal and economic freedom for everyone and that for all of us to have quality opportunities to achieve those things. And why would keep those things a secret?

As far as what Charlie Kesler, lets call him and Bill Voegeli were talking about, I didn’t hear any mention about any so-called secret liberal agenda. I did hear them talk about compassion and feeling for other people especially when they are down, for lack of a better phrase. But I did hear them talk about compassion and if compassion makes people Liberals, then America has a lot of Liberals and probably the most in the world. Because we are the most generous country in the world when it comes to private charity at least, both for Americans and people outside of America. And perhaps even when it comes to public charity if you look at our foreign aid.

I do believe that America has a lot of Liberals, real Liberals that is and not just people who call themselves Liberals, but are actually more socialistic or social democratic at least as far as they practice their politics. But you don’t have to be a Liberal to be compassion. Just a decent and caring human being who doesn’t believe that you are entitled to everything, at least everything good. And don’t give a damn about anyone else, especially people who are struggling and are even barely surviving.

Keith Hughes: Cuba Explained: Ending the Embargo

Source:The New Democrat

I’m not saying ending the Cuban trade embargo unconditionally is a good idea and sure as hell hope that is not what President Obama did. I’m in favor of ending the embargo conditionally. That any American trade and business that goes into Cuba goes to the Cuban economy and the Cuban people. That the Cuban Government doesn’t tax most of it away, or all of it way to boost up their communist regime. But as long as Cubans see, feel and get the benefits of American trade in their country and have all the access to Cuban resources like hotels and everything else as American tourists, than this is something we should definitely be doing.

Cuba is not a threat in any way to America. Economically, militarily in no way whatsoever. If anything Venezuela is a bigger threat to America than Cuba, because they have a larger military, more economic resources, better ties to other authoritarian regimes who don’t like America and everything else and yet we trade with Venezuela. We are the only at least developed country in the Western world that doesn’t trade with Cuba and that only hurts the American economy and American business’s. Cuba gets that economic activity back and then some from Europe, South America and Asia.

Cuba is moving in a better if not positive direction now under Raul Castro now the President of the Communist State. They have opened up their economy to private enterprise and they now have Cuban business people who work or own for private business’s and other companies. They’ve also lessened restrictions as it relates to personal freedom and allowing Cubans to have more access of their own country. You don’t open up countries by ignoring them. We are seeing that with China and saw that with Russia when they were under Soviet control. You open up countries through engagement and encouraging the people in those countries to take control of their own country.

David Lindholm: The Girl Can't Help it (1956) With Edmond O'Brien, Jayne Mansfield & Tom Ewell

Source: David Lindholm- Edmond O'Brien, Jayne Mansfield, & Tom Ewell-

Source:The New Democrat

If you are familiar with Jayne Mansfield in real life and you are familiar with this movie, you know that Jayne essentially plays herself in this movie. Except for one key factor, Jayne plays a women who doesn’t want to be a star, an entertainer in this movie. The real Jaynes Mansfield only wanted to be a star and move to Hollywood and make it big in the entertainment business as an actress, singer and perhaps even comedian, she could do it all. At least when she was sober, but in this movie she plays someone who essentially just wants to be a good housewife to the man she loves and take care of their children.

Her boyfriend played by Edmund O’Brien has completely different ideas for Jerri Jordan played by Jayne Mansfield. He plays an entertainment mogul who has produced big hits in the past and made a lot of money, but hasn’t produced one lately and is sort of looking for a big comeback. Fats Murdoch played by O’Brien, also has other business connections, including being involved in organized crime and has even done time in prison. Which is one of the reasons why his career in the entertainment business is in, shall we say recession where he hasn’t been active lately.

Murdoch wants to marry Jerri, but the problem is she isn’t known yet and is worried that marrying someone who is unknown and perhaps seen as a nobody could hurt his image. He knows that she is physically a goddess, a hot baby-face and perhaps even baby girl voiced goddess, with an incredible body is a star in waiting and just needs someone to lead her in the right direction and to get noticed. That is where Tom Miller comes in played by Tom Ewell, whose career is also in a bit of a slump. But who is a talented agent and scout who has made entertainers stars in the past, but hasn’t done anything lately.

Murdoch hires Miller to make Jerri Jordan a star. To show her around town and to get people in the entertainment business to see and know her and to lead her to people who can get her in the entertainment business and start a career for herself. The problem is Jerri doesn’t want to be a star and Miller knows that, but also knows that his gangster boss Murdoch won’t be satisfied with that. Miller is scared of Murdoch and doesn’t want to be cut out or eliminated, but doesn’t want to force Jerri to do something that she doesn’t want to do. Murdoch also has other gangsters after him that want him killed. And Miller and Murdoch help each other with each other’s problems.

The Girl Can’t Help it is certainly not a great movie. Very funny, at times sure and pretty entertaining, but Jayne Mansfield like in real life is so overwhelmingly adorable, hot and sexy in this movie, that she makes the movie worth watching on her own. She’s also very funny in this movie like she is in most of her movies and Edmund O’Brien and Tom Ewell are very good and funny in this movie as well. This movie also features Julie London, who plays one of Miller’s former clients who became a big star, but dumped him after they get involved. So this is a pretty good movie and Jerry Jordan helps Miller get over Julie London who plays herself in the movie.
David Lindholm: The Girl Can't Help It 1956 Trailer

Mike Gardner: Video: CNN's Evans and Novak, Governor Mario Cuomo on Anti-Italian Slurs in 1986

This post was originally posted at The New Democrat on WordPress

Before I get into Italian slurs, I’m going to get into why Mario Cuomo never ran for president. Even though chances are had he ran, he probably would’ve won the Democratic nomination for president in 1988 or 1992. A big reason why Governor Cuomo never ran for president, or at least a big rumor why he didn’t run, had to do with his perceived connections with the Italian Mafia in New York. Especially in New York City and perhaps around New York State as well.

And when Cuomo ran for Governor of New York and perhaps reelection as well, those same charges came up and perhaps not just by Anglo-Saxon Republicans. Who perhaps had supporters at least who were less than enthusiastic about Italian-Americans in general. As far as what Governor Cuomo said about one of his opponents and “he made his bones with the Democratic organization in New York”, I don’t know if that is true or not.

But I don’t doubt it because Mario Cuomo dealt with anti-Italian bigotry as an Italian-American throughout his political career and perhaps his whole live even in New York. And New York City which is supposed to be one of the most inclusive and progressive cities in America. But once you move upstate in New York and out of Manhattan in New York, the upstate part of the state resembles Central Pennsylvania culturally at least. And a lot of New York City outside of Queens and Brooklyn looks like Connecticut. Very Anglo, preppy and quite frankly snobby and bigoted.

Keith Hughes: What is a Liberal?

Source:The New Democrat 

Keith Hughes explained what is a Liberal in basically the first minute of this video and he even said that we all are a Liberal at least in some way. Because we all believe in liberty, equality, freedom, the ability to live our own lives. Those are the things that Liberals believe in and why I’m a Liberal and what liberalism is actually about. And if you want to call me a Classical Liberal, fine but I’m a Liberal because that is what Liberals believe in.

But if you listen to the stereotypes of what Liberals are and what liberalism is about, whether it comes from hyper-partisan right-wingers, the media and people on the Far-Left who have the balls to call themselves Liberals, you would think that liberalism is a democratic form of statism, or just statism in general, but under a different name. That the job of government is not to make sure that everyone can live in freedom, but that everyone is taken care of. That the job of government is to take care of people and even protect them from themselves, both from an economic and personal perspective.

The stereotypes of today’s Liberals is that we are essentially statists and perhaps even Neo-Communists. That individual freedom shouldn’t be the goal, but that what we want is a society where everyone is take care of. Where no one is poor and where no one is too rich, especially when others are struggling. Where no one is able to, or is making bad decisions with their own lives that society as a whole has to pay for.

So a statist today if they are democrats, are essentially Socialists or Social Democrats when it comes to economic policy. A huge welfare state mixed in with private enterprise to finance a welfare state, but are paternalists when it comes to personal issues as well. So people don’t make mistakes with their own lives that again society as a whole has to pay for. That it is the job of government to take care of people both from an economic and personal point of view.

I mention these things, because that is what so many Americans tend to believe when they think of Liberals and liberalism. People who statists essentially, both welfare statists when it comes to the economy and nanny statists when it comes to personal issues. But that is the opposite of what Liberals are and what liberalism is about. Liberals aren’t anti-state, meaning anti-government. We are anti-big government, we don’t want big government running our lives for us. Just to do what we can’t for ourselves as individuals, or can’t do as well.

Liberals believe in freedom and equality and that basically means freedom for everyone. Not that everyone has the same income and material wealth, but that everyone has good opportunities to live in freedom. So Liberals believe in safety net to help people who don’t have the skills to live in freedom because they lack the education needed, to use as an example. But with that public assistance we don’t want government simply taking care of people, which is what Socialists tend to believe in. We want government to help people help themselves so they can live in freedom as well. Things like education, job training and job placement for the less-fortunate.

The idea of a Liberal Utopia is not socialistic where everyone is completely equal, where big government has all the resources it needs to take care of everyone. The Liberal Utopia would be a place where everyone has the freedom to take care of themselves. Because everyone is well-educated and has the skills to take care of themselves and the freedom to live their own lives as long as they aren’t hurting any innocent people. And are living up to the consequences and responsibilities of their own freedom and decision-making.

Howard Hoffman: Video: 1992 DNC, Governor Mario Cuomo Nominates Bill Clinton For President

This post was originally posted at The New Democrat on WordPress

I don’t think Bill Clinton could’ve had a better person, at least not a better speaker or a better more intelligent speaker to nominate him for President of the United States than Governor Mario Cuomo in 1992. Other than maybe Bill Clinton himself, because in ten-minutes or less Governor Cuomo crystalized the entire 1992 presidential election and what Democrats were running on and running against. Not that Governor Clinton didn’t, because he certainly did time after time in that election.

But Cuomo was saying “we Democrats also believe in economic freedom and private enterprise. The difference being that Democrats believe in those things for everybody and not just the special few.” That lowering taxes on the rich doesn’t empower everyone else. That for everyone to succeed in America, they all need the skills and opportunities to make that happen for themselves. Especially the struggling middle class and people in poverty.