Paul said in a radio interview with Tom Roten of News Talk 800 WVHU in Huntington, West Virginia, that many younger Cuban Americans support opening up trade with Cuba. He also said many U.S. farmers would back Obama’s moves because the country is a new market for their crops.
“The 50-year embargo just hasn’t worked,” Paul said. “If the goal is regime change, it sure doesn’t seem to be working and probably it punishes the people more than the regime because the regime can blame the embargo for hardship.
“In the end, I think opening up Cuba is probably a good idea,” he said.
“The 50-year embargo just hasn’t worked,” Paul said. “If the goal is regime change, it sure doesn’t seem to be working and probably it punishes the people more than the regime because the regime can blame the embargo for hardship.
“In the end, I think opening up Cuba is probably a good idea,” he said.
Opponents of Obama’s decision, such as Florida senator Marco Rubio, have argued that the embargo would serve as leverage for securing freedom for the Cuban people after the Castros, who are in their 80s, are dead.
“It is a lifeline for the Castro regime that will allow them to become more profitable … and allow them to become a more permanent fixture,” Rubio said on CNN yesterday. “The embargo is leverage, these sanctions are leverage.”
“We have just lost a significant part of our leverage … not a single democratic concession,” he continued.
