Sunday’s New York Times featured a well-reasoned lead editorial on the Cuban embargo. It acknowledged raw feelings about “ancestry, homeland and loss” as well as the usual suspects who still carry inordinate political clout. It spoke of evolving feelings, including within the Cuban-American demographic, on “deepening engagement” with the island. It also underscored how much the failed embargo policy has cost in hemispheric relations and lost trade, plus it provided a convenient excuse for the Cuban government to justify its failures.
The editorial also prominently mentioned U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, the Tampa Democrat. It noted her trip to Cuba last year, her strong personal appeal for an end to sanctions and her popularity among constituents, including Cuban-Americans.