The Diaz-Balart Family Doesn't Like Fascism? Since When?

Mario & Kendrick love their right-wing sugar money

I watched an odd video at Generation Miami yesterday. In a TV interview about his and his brother's hysterical denunciation of President Obama's overly mild moves towards normalization of relations with Cuba, the younger and dumber brother, Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart compared the Cuban-American supporters of Obama's reforms-- i.e., many of his constituents-- to those who wanted to, do business, and did business with Hitler and supported that fascist, murderous regime... because what the heck, let's just do business with them because there's a buck to be made.

First of all, if I recall my history correctly, he just described confirmed Nazi sympathizer Prescott Bush, the father and grandfather of two presidents and a governor who Mario and the entire the Diaz-Balart clan has supported in a zombie-like, rubber stamp fashion. But beyond that, notice in the clip how Mario gets audibly agitated when he says the words "supported that fascist, murderous regime." Could that be because his own family has quite the history of taking a prominent role in a "fascist, murderous regime?"

The notorious and extremely corrupt Diaz-Balart brothers are two of the four sons of a real life fire-breathing fascist themselves, Rafael Lincoln Díaz-Balart y Gutiérrez. Rafael, who was a very corrupt, extreme right Majority Leader of the Cuban House of Representatives also served as the Minister of the Interior in the brutal Batista dictatorship. His activities overseeing the systematic torture of political prisoners didn't stop corrupt political hack Kendrick Meek (D-FL) from introducing legislation in 2007 to honor the dead fascist.

In this country Rafael was one of the worst instigators of a right-wing backlash against the hero of the Cuban Revolution, his brother-in-law and former best friend, Fidel Castro. Rafael, along with the entire hideous and degenerate Ancien Regime fled to the U.S., where he started the first of the violent rightist anti-Castro organizations, la Rosa Blanca, the predecessor of the Cuban-American National Foundation, the instigator of the policy of economic war against Cuba.



Always remember, Green Day knows best! And so does Reese Erlich. Let me quote a couple of paragraphs from his fantastic new book, Dateline Havana (page 42):

Conservative Cubans in Florida have created a myth about their coming to America: They were a poor but heroic people who fled the communist tyranny of Cuba. Through diligence and hard work they built up their economic and political power in Florida.

Of course, some Cubans, particularly those who arrived in later years, were poor. However, key wealthy individuals arrived with their entire families and bank accounts intact. These early 1960s immigrants included officials of the Batista dictatorship, professionals, and millionaire businessmen, such as the owners of Bacardi rum. Settling in Puerto Rico, Miami, Los Angeles, and New Jersey, they quickly established business and political contacts. They started operating as they had in Cuba: mixing business, politics and corruption.

For example, Rafael Diaz-Balart ran the dreaded Ministry of the Interior as deputy minister under Batista. His sons Lincoln and Mario went on to become key players in the Cuba Lobby and eventually won election to the U.S. House of Representatives. Former Havana police officials migrated to Miami and quickly set up the same rackets they had run back home. Ann Louise Barbach, in her book Cuba Confidential, quotes one veteran FBI agent: "To some extent, the gangsterismo of Havana was transported to Miami by a handful of early batistiano (Batista) arrivals... [T]hey set up shop here just like they did in Havana-- running protection rackets and illegal gambling."