Congressional Black Caucus Cuba trip: media and pundit omissions

Flag of Cuba from The CIA Factbook online.Newspapers and talking heads are on the same page with Cuba talking points—the kids wear shoes and eat ice cream, Fidel is “engaging” and “50 years” of failed US policy (largely dictated by Democrats who have controlled Congress for most of those years). I watched Tuesday’s entire press conference after the Congressional Black Caucus visited the Castros—you can watch it too at C-SPAN.

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) headed up the delegation and it was obvious all the members were still under the influence of Cuban hospitality. Remarks made by Lee and her fellow delegates are a reminder that when a country has an iron fist on media and the populace, nothing but positive stories are forthcoming. An off-the-cuff remark by Rep. Laura Richardson (D-Calif.) and an unattributed report by none other than Fidel Castro himself constitute interesting omissions in stories circulating at present.

I’ve often wondered if establishment and pop media reporters call each other before hitting the keyboard.

Rep. Laura Richardson (D-Calif.) popped off a comment ignored by everyone. After expounding on the Cuban Revolution (she wasn’t born then) and remarking about people who “come to the table with Cold War ideas,” she segued into US education. She said she planned to introduce legislation “to have REAL history in our history books.” I could’ve told her to start by making sure public school history classes tell the real history of the Democratic Party, but I wouldn’t want to disrupt fond memories of a lovely coffee-cigar klatch in Havana.

None other than Fidel himself wrote up an eloquent diary entry for GRANMA in his column ‘Reflections of Fidel.’ I had to hop around the site to find it—the header on the cover page takes you to a broken link. But I did find a nugget and here’s what Fidel wrote: “A fourth member of the Caucus said that despite Obama’s electoral victory, U.S. society is still racist. He added that Obama represents the only opportunity that nation has to move forward and leave behind all the wrongdoings accumulated by former governments. He said that the president cannot go beyond lifting travel restrictions and allowing remittances by Cuban-Americans, because announcing an end to the blockade or the full normalization of bilateral relations would mean that he would never be reelected. He also confirmed that the anti-Cuban right wing still has enough power to attack him and prevent his reelection.”

Asked by a reporter about racist statements, Lee said, “No comment.” No one asked her how many ships are in the phantom “blockade.”

It’s reasonable to theorize that when members of Congress make [alleged] statements about our “racist” society, others around the globe put such statements to excellent use. If a caucus member did make such a statement, it’s nothing new. Democrats like former president Bill Clinton and Sen. John Kerry have utilized the same tactic. Establishment media and pundits gave them similar treatment, with glowing reviews and statesmen-like descriptions. Some might say that at the present time, many in US media live in a fantasy world, because that’s exactly what coverage of of the Congressional Black Caucus' visit with the Castros comprised.