The
Candidate submitted statement and
answers to questionnaire.
1. Do you support
sending direct U.S. government aid
to Cuban dissidents?
Yes___X__ No______
2. Do you support the ability to
send direct private aid to Cuban
dissidents?
Yes___X__ No______
3. Do you support Radio and
Television Marti as a vehicle for
providing objective news and
information to Cuba?
Yes_____ No______
Comment on No. 3: I support Radio
Martí but have voted against
Television Martí. The U.S.
government funded Television Martí
tries to broadcast TV news and
cultural programs to Cuba, but it is
unfortunately jammed by the Cuban
government and does not provide
objectives news and information to
Cuba.
4. Do you support restrictions on
American tourist travel to Cuba?
Yes___X__ No______
5. Do you support restrictions on
Cuban-American family, humanitarian
related travel to Cuba?
Yes_____ No___X___
6. Do you believe that the United
States should negotiate with Raul
Castro once it is announced that
Fidel Castro has died?
Yes__X__ No______
Comments on No. 6: A crucial
component of the Obama plan to
promote freedom and democratic
change in Cuba will be aggressive
and principled bilateral diplomacy.
I will send an important message: if
a post-Fidel government begins
opening Cuba to democratic change,
the United States is prepared to
take steps to normalize relations
and ease the embargo that has
governed relations between our
countries for the last five decades.
That would be the best means of
promoting Cuban freedom.
7. Should the United States require
a new Cuban government to make
concessions such as freeing
political prisoners or allowing a
free press before the United States
moves to negotiate with them?
Yes_____ No___X__
8. Do you support maintaining
current restrictions on trade with
Cuba until there is a transition to
democracy? ¿Apoya usted mantener las
presentes restricciones comerciales
hasta que tome lugar una transición
a la democracia en Cuba?
Yes__X__ No______
9. Do you believe the
wet-foot/dry-foot policy should be
reverted back to the original policy
of accepting Cuban refugees into the
United States for processing
regardless of whether they reach dry
land or are intercepted at sea?
Yes_____ No__X___
10. Should United States policy
provide for increased assistance for
independent Cuban civil society,
i.e. independent entrepreneurs,
medical clinics, libraries, etc.?
Yes__X__ No______
11. Do you believe in supporting the
growth of independent
micro-enterprises in Cuba with the
goal of helping promote independent
Cuban civil society?
Yes__X__ No______
12. Do you believe the United States
should negotiate direct mail service
to Cuba?
Yes__X__ No______
13. Do you believe U.S. policy
should allow for the upgrade of
telecommunications equipment in
order to facilitate communication
between the people of Cuba and their
relatives abroad?
Yes__X__ No______
14. Which statement most closely
reflects your views on current
U.S.-Cuba policy? (you may choose
more than one)
I believe current policy is
effective and does not need any
change___
I believe current policy is
effective but is missing a proactive
element in support of Cuba’s
dissidents___
I believe U.S. policy is not
restrictive enough and should be
toughened___
I believe U.S. policy is too
restrictive and some elements of it
should be relaxed___
I believe U.S. policy towards Cuba
is a failure and should be
completely revised___
Commentary on No. 14: I believe U.S.
policy has failed. That’s why I have
called for a new policy that would
permit unlimited family travel and
cash remittances, but maintain the
embargo as an inducement for
democratic change on the Island.
15. Do you believe it is important
to establish an International
Democracy Fund for Cuba through an
international or regional body like
the U.N. or the O.A.S. in order to
provide incentives for democratic
change?
Yes__X___ No________
16. Please summarize (1-2
paragraphs) your vision for a U.S.
Cuba policy under your
administration:
After nearly 50 years of failure, we
must turn the page and begin to
write a new chapter in U.S.-Cuba
policy to help advance the cause of
freedom and democracy in Cuba. To
write this new chapter, I will keep
U.S. national interests, and not
partisan or electoral interests, at
the forefront. I will strive to
empower the Cuban people and aim to
position the United States to help
foster a stable and peaceful
transition in Cuba to avoid
potential disasters that could
result in mass migration, internal
violence, or the perpetuation of the
Cuban dictatorship. A democratic
opening in Cuba is, and should be,
the foremost objective of our
policy. I believe we need a clear
strategy to achieve this
objective—one that takes some
limited steps now to spread the
message of freedom on the island,
but preserves our ability to bargain
on behalf of democracy with a
post-Fidel government. The primary
means we have of encouraging
positive change in Cuba today is to
help the Cuban people become less
dependent on the Castro regime in
fundamental ways.
My approach is built around
empowering the Cuban people, who
ultimately hold Cuba’s destiny in
their hands. There are few better
ambassadors for freedom than Cuban
Americans. And the money they send
to Cuba makes their families less
dependent on the Castro regime.
Cuban American connections to family
in Cuba are not only a basic right
in humanitarian terms, but also our
best tool for helping to foster the
beginnings of grassroots democracy
on the island. As President, I will
grant Cuban Americans unrestricted
rights to visit family and send
remittances to the island. But as we
reach out in some ways, it makes
strategic sense to hold on to
important inducements we can use in
dealing with a post-Fidel
government, for it is an unfortunate
fact that his departure by no means
guarantees the arrival of freedom on
the island. I will also do what this
President has not done, engage in
aggressive and principled bilateral
diplomacy.