By Jeannette Rivera-Lyles, political correspondent El Nuevo
Herald, Miami. BBC News Online. Thursday,
2 November, 2000, 14:34 GMT
While the rest of the country debates the burning issues of this century's
first presidential race, many of Miami's Hispanic voters focus their attention
on completely different matters.
They are concentrating on an issue which is only an issue here: when will
Fidel Castro's regime fall - and what role will the next US president play in
his downfall?
"We have to see who is going to be tough with Castro, the tyrant has
been pampered enough," says Serafin Fernandez while he drinks his Cuban
colada (espresso coffee and sugar) at the Versailles Restaurant in Little
Havana.
Mr Fernandez spent eight of his 62 years in a Cuban jail for his opposition
to the government.
Like many of his compatriots he hates the Democrat Party and particularly
President Bill Clinton because of his "negotiations with Castro".
By "negotiations" he means the limited dialogue between Cuba and
the US about migration issues and some foreign policy matters.
Mr Fernandez's - like 85% of his compatriots according to opinion polls -
will vote for George W Bush, brother of the state's popular governor, Jeb.
The Cuban community's vote contrasts with that of the rest of the country's
Hispanics - 69% of the Hispanic vote is thought to be for Al Gore.
Historical animosity
The Cuban community's animosity towards the Democrats has been growing
steadily since the 1961 Bay of Pigs fiasco during President Kennedy's
administration, until the return of Elian Gonzalez to Cuba.
Many Cuban Americans use their vote to protest against the party they
consider has betrayed them.
Similarly, many believe that even if Bob Dole - the Republican candidate in
the 1996 elections - were in the White House, Elian Gonzalez would have been
sent back to Cuba.
But politicians from both sides perpetuate the idea that this is not so.
The Castro factor
In this city and its nearby neighbourhoods, Hispanics make up 44% of the
electorate and more than three quarters of them are of Cuban origin.
No politician with a name on a vote will dare say what the electors do not
want to hear.
"The Castro regime has to come to an end and I believe that we may see
that historic event happen during a Gore-Lieberman administration," Mr Gore
said on a recent visit to southern Florida.
Mr Bush has also raised the issue in a rally with 1,000 people, mostly Cuban
Americans.
"My word to you, Mr Castro: I challenge the Castro regime to surprise
the world and adopt the ways of democracy. Until it frees political prisoners,
holds free elections and allows free speech, I will keep the current sanctions
in place," he said.
A new era
Absent from those speeches was the fact that over 75% of Americans do not
favour any kind of intervention against Mr Castro.
They do want diplomatic relations with Cuba to be normalised as far as
possible.
Therefore talk about the possibility of overthrowing President Castro could
be risky in electoral terms.
But neither Mr Bush nor Mr Gore need worry about it.
The rest of the country will never hear those campaign speeches, because
they are only pronounced in Miami.
For the local political scene, President Castro's overthrow will bring -
apart from the benefit democratic liberties - a new era in which the energies
that are devoted to Mr Castro can be focused on improving social security,
education and other important issues. | 