Emmer views Obama’s Cuba trip as step to closer ties
President Barack Obama's announcement that he will head to Cuba in March drew condemnation from some of the Republicans seeking to succeed him in the White House.
But the reaction from Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer was more accommodating.
Emmer is among a small group of Republicans in Congress advocating for a repeal of the long-standing trade embargo with Cuba. He argues that it's better for the U.S. to engage than to keep its distance, noting that incremental political and societal changes in Cuba make it time to abandon Cold War perceptions of the country.
He said Raul Castro's stated intention to leave power in 2018 will only accelerate those shifts.
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“This rapidly changing Cuban society is going to go through some tugs and pulls and some shifts," Emmer said in an interview on Friday. "It is better that the U.S. is actually there and having a presence and prepared to be a friend, prepared to be a partner to the extent the Cuban people will ask as opposed to continually to be absent or creating barriers to this relationship.”
Opponents of linking arms too closely with Cuba contend that the government's record on human rights remains a cause for concern. Some are upset that Obama would go there now, calling it an unjustified reward to the Castro ruling family.
Obama will be the first U.S. president in nearly a century to visit Cuba. Emmer was there last year as part of a congressional delegation.
"While visits are nice, it's important for members in Congress to understand what truly has changed with the people of Cuba not just the leadership," Emmer said. He added, "A presidential visit is always good for raising awareness, but the people who are going to have to vote on lifting the blockade, as the Cubans call it, need to understand that this is truly about the Cuban people."
Emmer's vocal support for a new thinking on Cuba has spurred some dissent back home.