It has been very easy to marvel at the Olympic Games thrown by the Chinese. From the opening ceremonies to the amazing performance by Chinese athletes - the country has used their time in the spotlight for maximum effect. Of course, the not-so-little dirty secret is that the whole thing is a carefully managed stage show. The Chinese literally rounded up all of their undesirables - the poor and the homeless - and kicked them out of Beijing. Factories were shut down to try and reduce the country’s enormous pollution. Dissidents were jailed and many newspapers were shut down for not toeing the party line. This is nothing new. China runs their country with an iron fist and the needs of the “state” come well before those of the people.
As bad as that is, you can’t deny that China is an economic super-power. Our annual trade deficit with the Chinese runs well over $100 million. According to the US Treasury, Chinese banks own $592 BILLION of OUR debt! Like it or not, we need the Chinese and they need us. When considering all of China’s human rights abuses and offenses against their own people, the company line here in the States has always been - “We’ll beat Communism by exporting our culture. Trade will eventually bring down the Communists.”
I’ve got no real qualms with that argument. Relatively speaking, the Chinese people are enjoying more freedom and free markets than ever before. When McDonald’s, Wal-Mart and Budweiser all become staples of Chinese life, it’s clear that the Communist regime will one day fall, somehow or another.
So, perhaps someone can explain to me why the same logic doesn’t apply to Cuba. This little island is nothing. Yet the US doesn’t trade with them and you can’t travel there without special permission. Yeah, I know, back when we were carving up the globe with the Russians, it was sort of a big deal to have a communist satellite 90 miles from Florida. But that’s not the case anymore is it?
Despite that, you will never hear a national US politician call for “opening” Cuba. Senator Obama would only go as far as loosening travel restrictions and allowing for larger transfers of money into the country from Cubans living in the US. Of course, Senator McCain had the typical blustery response to that idea and all but accused Obama of being soft to dictators. (Of course, the dictators in China are “different” - as long as they own our debt, right?)
The hypocrisy is nothing short of ridiculous. Let me be clear - BOTH parties are to blame - going back many years. And it shows the fundamental flaw of American politics; catering to perceptions matters much more than taking a principled stand. We can buy all the crappy, lead-painted toys that China wants to send us, but mention trying to open Cuba the same way and you’re labeled as a softy pinko.
Perhaps one day some politician from either party will end this lunacy. Until that time, I am stuck smuggling Cuban cigars back from Mexico! 
2 responses so far ↓
Karen // August 18, 2008 at 10:44 am
The Cuba issue is certainly a good one!
On to another subject: Will our party’s platform be (or is it already) available before we get to Denver?
southernmaledemocrat // August 18, 2008 at 10:51 am
^Hey Karen -
Though the platform is ready - is still has to go through the approval process at the convention. It will not be made public in full, until we “pass” it. Which is a largely academic exercise to be sure.