Cuba Statements By Senator Sanders Will Complicate Vice President Biden, Democratic Party Efforts In Florida

On Tuesday, 17 March 2020, the state of Florida will hold its Presidential Preference Primary Election.  Early voting is 7 March 2020 to 14 March 2020. 

Comments about the Republic of Cuba by The Honorable Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), a member of the United States Senate, will require his remaining opponent, The Honorable Joe Biden, Vice President of the United States (2009-2017) and member of the United States Senate (1973-2009) to more robustly defend decisions relating to the Republic of Cuba taken during the Obama Administration (2009-2017) and create distance from Senator Sanders, without perhaps necessarily condemning the comments by Senator Sanders.   

If Vice President Biden is the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party, he will need support of those who support Senator Sanders in Florida and other states- along with Senator Sanders himself. 

In 2016, then Mr. Donald Trump defeated Secretary Hillary Clinton in Florida by 112,911 votes out of 9,122,861.  As of 31 January 2020, active registered voters in Florida: Republican- 4,793,897; Democratic- 5,039,757; Minor- 149,740 and No Party Affiliation- 3,633,003. 

The Honorable Marco Rubio (R- Florida) and The Honorable Rick Scott (R- Florida), members of the United States Senate, along with perhaps all twenty-seven (27) members of the United States House of Representatives from the state of Florida- fourteen (14) Republicans and thirteen (13) Democrats, will pummel, condemn Senator Sanders or at minimum reinforce their already publicly stated disagreement with Senator Sanders.   

There has already been bipartisan condemnation from both United States Senators and from members of the United States House of Representatives, including from The Honorable Donna Shalala (D- 27th), a United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (1993-2001) during the Clinton Administration and The Honorable Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D- 23rd), chair of the Democratic National Committee (2001-2016) during the Obama Administration.  

Unknown is how (tonality, empathy) Senator Sanders will defend his comments while campaigning in Hialeah, Miami, and Tampa where the large populations of individuals of Cuban descent reside.  Thus far, he has not retreated from his comments.  Will he be argumentative?  Will he be dismissive?  History would suggest he will. 

There will be demonstrations wherever Senator Sanders campaigns in Florida- and those demonstrations will include registered democrats, registered republicans, and independents- with each group being an essential constituency for the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party when voting on Tuesday, 3 November 2020 with early voting from 24 October 2020 to 31 October 2020.  There will likely be demonstrators at events featuring Vice President Biden seeking to pressure him to be on-the-record condemning Senator Sanders. 

Vice President Biden will have enormous pressure to robustly condemn the comments by Senator Sanders particularly when visiting Miami and Tampa; and when interacting in town hall events and the customary visit to the Versailles Restaurant located in Miami to meet individuals of Cuban descent and share a café Cubano, tres leches cake, or ropa viejo. 

Along with determining how Vice President Biden will respond to the comments by Senator Sanders will be how he layers disagreements with the Trump Administration dismantling Obama Administration bilateral initiatives with the Republic of Cuba and what, if any of Trump Administration bilateral and multilateral decisions relating to Venezuela he supports.  Many of the Trump Administration decisions targeting Venezuela are by design impacting the Republic of Cuba. 

There are approximately 425,000 individuals of Venezuelan descent residing in the United States, with approximately 220,000 residing in Florida, with a majority of those residing in South Florida, and approximately 42,000 residing in the state of Texas.  

How Vice President Biden manages questions relating to the Republic of Cuba and Venezuela while campaigning in Florida during March 2020 will provide an important indicator for his prospects in November 2020 and to President Donald Trump for how he messages his campaign in Florida.   

One certainty: The words by Senator Sanders about the Republic of Cuba will be front and center during speeches by President Trump not only when traveling in Florida, but throughout the United States.