Cuban-Americans and election 2008

Every four years presidential candidates make a pledge in Miami to be tough on Fidel Castro. This campaign cycle, Barack Obama is ripping up the playbook and calling for more openness towards Cuba. Four years ago the Bush administration made the rules tighter. Then Obama said he’d also talk to Cuban leaders. This was a big political gamble and Republicans have been quick to pounce. Local Democrats are standing behind Obama and they’re getting some attention. This Democratic candidate for Miami’s congressional seat says Cuba is at a transformational moment and past bans make no sense. He says it’s time to rethink American foreign policy into Cuba. But older generations of Cubans think this new thinking is misguided. You can see this generational split at this Miami cafe. Several elder men in the cafe shook their heads disapprovingly about Obama’s proposals. But with younger Cuban-Americans, the debate takes on a different tone. This Democratic political strategist says Democrats think they can sway 10% of voters to their side. Polls also suggest that Miami’s Cuban-Americans have become disenchanted with the President and his party.