Days after an angry mob swarmed Donna Shalala‘s campaign office where Congresswoman and known Castro apologists Barbara Lee and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi , Democrats have invited another pro-Cuba legislator to stump for them in Miami-Dade.
Really? Are they really that dumb?
New York Congressman Adriano Espaillat, a big advocate of opening relations with Cuba who has invited pro-Cuba lobby and business groups to DC, will be at a Little Havana restaurant Saturday evening. He’s there to support Andrew Gillum for governor and every single other local Democrat on the ballot, including a couple of council candidates in Doral and Hollywood.
But why? ¿Que pinta Adriano Espaillat aqui? ¿Que pinta Barbara Lee aqui, for 
that matter? Lee, photographed here with Raul Castro, ended up cancelling her visit because she apparently figured out it was a bad idea. Pelosi was enough communist on her own, however, to keep the Cuban American ire. Why on Earth are Democrats bringing these wrong-on-Cuba legislators to stump for them in a county where Cuban Americans are still the largest or, and more importantly, consistent voting bloc?
Are they really that stupid?
Espaillat was invited by the Dominican American Democratic Club and Dominicans for Gillum and the contact for the event is none other than former State Rep. Daisy Baez, who was forced to resign after she was caught living outside her district and lying about it. Dems can’t do better than this?
The congressman is also scheduled to canvass with Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, 
who is running against U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo, on Sunday afternoon.
Boneheaded. Girl, you don’t need his baggage. Just like Shalala, who was already struggling with the Cuban vote in particular, didn’t need Pelosi.
Certainly these status-symbol, celebrity Democrats attract a crowd (read: donations) and are good ambassadors or surrogates in competitive contests around the country where Cuba is not an issue. But not here. You don’t have to be a genius to know that their Cuba baggage could hurt more than help.
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Ladra thinks someone was or should have been fired from Shalala’s campaign after they invited Lee. I mean, what were they thinking?
This is not to excuse the behavior of those Cuban American protesters who banged on the door and acted like thugs at the Shalala event Thursday. Ladra and her family were embarrassed to see their behavior and hear their language at what could have and should have been a perfectly legitimate demonstration of disgust.
Hopefully, Cuban Americans will keep it a little cleaner and more polite at the eventual protest at the Espaillat event Saturday night.
And hopefully local Democrats — who have done enough with their lack of support of local state candidates who could actually win with their help — will stop inviting these Castro apologists to come into our hen house. Especially if they want to win a couple of seats this year.
Dumb Dems invite pro-Cuba pols to stump for them in Miami-Dade added by Ladra on
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Hector in Miami ,.
Yes MOST Dems or potential Dems (cant bother to register) vote at a fraction of what Reps vote.
I used to be a Rep, I left few years ago and shocked how politically apathetic MOST Hispanic Dems are .
Locally I dont care about that , I pretty much want all these incumbents OUT .
The ONLY reliable voting block in Miami are the older Cubans but going by my Aunts/Uncle and Grandmother they aren’t going to vote Democrat whether the Dems go after their vote or not..
They have a long history of voting for self serving garbage like Balart and other ” Cuba libre’ con artists .
I’m a Democrat and no fan of the ” Calle Ocho Junta ” and yes I was born in Cuba but find these people hypocrites and a machine of political corruption but I do respect them because no one has to hold their hand to get them to vote .
If you Cubans hate dictatorships so much why aren’t Cubans aggressively speaking out against Francis Suarez and his Voter Referendum question to make himself Dictator of the City of Miami? You want a Castro with total control of Miami?
The Democrats’ real internal polls show them losing too many Democrats or not enough of them are turning out. They think they can get more Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents out with this tactic, mainly young people hooked on the “revolution.”
What is definitely true is that the old Cuban guard regardless of party has been totally abandoned by Democrats this election year, maybe for good.
It’s a risk, especially with statewide consequences where energizing your opposition’s base in Miami-Dade County can fuel unfavorable turnout for Democrats.
…only we can afford to be so parochial after residing for some seven decades with our Anglo-Saxon neighbors, not to know the difference between NYC and West Dade. Marlins’s Mgr. Ozzie G. Who admitted to liking to nip, received comparable treatment.