Without free and open elections a government leader is not legitimate.

[MADem]

19. I know a lotta Cubanos.

And they're not down with the government at all. They say, pretty much exactly, what you are saying.

Many of my Cuban friends came to USA as children, teens and young adults, with parents who sold up everything and ran like hell. Not poverty stricken, but not landed gentry, either. These were the kids of teachers and office workers and the odd nurse. Their parents came to the mainland and took jobs in factories or as janitors/maids, scrubbing floors because their qualifications didn't translate and they didn't have language skills. Some went to PR and did better because they didn't have a language barrier--in fact, a lot of really super "successful" puertorriqueños (the Bacardí family , e.g.) were born in Havana!

The people I know don't have the same attitude as the people who lost their huge fincas or had their big fancy buildings (or distilleries) in Havana nationalized, because they didn't leave behind massive amounts of property. Their parents have made new lives, and they've adopted USA as their home. They aren't rabid about getting their "stuff" back (because they didn't have very much in the first place that they didn't liquidate) but they also don't believe the present government represents the people in any way, shape or form. The lack of true electoral representation does resonate. And, of course, they find the poverty and deprivation to the point of hunger unacceptable.