THE PRESIDENT ELECT, HOLLYWOOD & WE THE PEOPLE.

In March of 2015; boy it seems like it was yesterday, Univision host Rodner Figueroa was summarily fired due to his "unpleasant" remarks about Michelle Obama's appearance. I for one joined my outrage to that of thousands of people who agreed with the network's decision. But let's analyze why we felt so offended by Figueroa's remarks: he underscored an alleged similarity between the First Lady and the apes; had it been another animal, a lioness for instance, he would have probably kept his job perhaps with a slap on the wrist; but for decades putting people of African descent close to that specific animal has been one of the racist narratives that we all have come to detest. Never mind that Aerosmith's lead singer Steven Tyler does indeed bear a striking resemblance to an ape. But he's white; a comment regarding him would never be perceived as hurtful as made regarding a black person, let alone the first black First Lady.

I am not aware of the nature of Mr Figueroa's contract with Univision, but that company, in my judgement, treaded a very fine line between the First Amendment and the deference due to the espouse of our Commander in Chief; in the host's defense:

1- He did not make an accusation of any sort.

2- The tone of the remarks in question, albeit allegedly tainted by racist bias, was at worst satirical, there was nothing in them derogatory of the character and the intelligence of Mrs Obama.

Since it seems to be now au courant to copy/paste scientific definitions and usurp other people's knowledge to look cool; allow me to remind you what the first amendment states:

 "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

In substance: Rodner Figueroa made a bad joke that I as a black individual take very personal, but he didn't pretend to own any truths nor did he lecture us on the intricacies of politics and the perils ahead. He was fired !!!

Meryl Streep; a superb actress, receives a well deserved lifetime achievement award and unilaterally decides to make of her acceptance speech a tirade against ONE person; the president elect. To that purpose she chose probably the lowest moment of Mr Trump campaign; the alleged mocking of a disable journalist that he continues to deny to this day, but that after repeated viewing of the video in question I can't bring myself to justify. Mrs Streep is entitled as is Mr Figueroa to her sacrosanct freedom of speech. Entertainers are not compelled to opine on political issues; however, if they decide to venture into the swampy land of politics they should at least do so with a modicum of integrity. I agree with Mrs Streep and so many other voices that the current juncture is a dangerous one, that our great nation is divided and the exacerbation of such division could only endanger our stability and ruin the very fabric of this quasi utopia dream known as the United States of America.

The electoral process was low, dirty and filthy like no other, both parties underwent a deep fracture by virtue of which the establishment that calls itself leadership tried to impose its choice on the majority; they succeeded in the Democratic field, but they failed in the Republican side and that's how Donald J Trump got the nomination. I never heard any warning sign from Hollywood, I never saw Mrs Streep nor any of the now vocal critics of the president elect object as to the integrity, the lack of appeal, the arrogance, the decades old impunity of Hillary Clinton; not for one second did these "watchdogs wannabe" stop to meditate and consider that probably Mrs Clinton was a thing of the past; someone who lived and thrived under the shadow of her husband's successes but had very little of her own. The entertainment elite erected Hillary Rodham Clinton as the legitimate heir to the throne and any comment to the contrary was racist, bigot, white, red neck, ignorant and most of all deplorable. The democratic candidate owned a caterpillar that crushed anything that did not eat, drink, live and dream Hillary; then on one cold November night the crap hit the fan . All those who had remained silent for fear of the caterpillar shielded themselves behind the privacy of the booths and voted for the other guy. It felt as though Joe and Jane had written words like deplorable, narcissist, fascist, racist, ignorant and so many others on a small piece of paper, then rolled it to make a wad out of it and sling shot it as far as they could.

Mr Trump didn't win because Putin messed with our cyber security; which indeed seems to have happened, nor because Hillary's campaign manager had a lousy password. All of that may have helped in a way; but Mr Trump's victory or better put: Hillary's defeat was a result of years of bad politics, nominal economic recovery that had not in the least translated into a tangible improvement in our lives, and the insidious, perverse and unfair demonization of everything American. Meryl Streep could not help being anti American herself at least in her lexicon, when she stated: "So if you kick them all out, you'll have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts. And that is not the arts,", I am proud of the contribution that immigrants like me have made to our nation, but that does not entitle anyone to be dismissive of the American heritage and traditions. 

It was another missed opportunity. Mrs Streep could have made an excellent point if she had criticized Mr Trump as well as the numerous maladies that afflict our society; she could have been critical of the lyrics that depict women like trash, the abuse of the b word, the f word. The flooding of the market with video games where  the oozing of blood defines the winner. The neglect our veterans receive as a reward for their sacrifice. The elitism that prevails within some sectors of the Democratic Party and their loss of touch with the average American.  Instead, Mrs Streep focused on the effect and not on the cause. 

Mr Figueroa made a stupid joke and lost his job; Mrs Streep pretentiously lectured us on her very personal vision of the challenges ahead, vented her personal frustration over a self inflicted defeat and some suggest she deserves a medal. 

By the way; Univision CEO's Randy Falco and the entertainment division chief paid a visit to the president elect. Did they kiss the papal ring?

WHY WE SHOULD WORRY ABOUT THE REPUBLICAN VICTORY

Another characteristic human beings share is a short attention span; no sooner do we realize the existence of a phenomenon than we turn our eyes to a new one. This is one of the reasons why nobody speaks about the crisis within the Republican Party; the euphoria caused by Trump's win has set a smoke screen around the cat fight that took place in the GOP up to a few days ago. Enemies shake hands and we all mock the democratic aging nomenclature paying little or no attention to the flagrant betrayal that a portion of the Republican establishment perpetrated against the base of the party. The word betrayal is by no means hyperbolic, instead it's an accurate account of what the Bush family, Romney, and even some Cuban American elected officials decided to do when it was obvious that Trump was the party's nominee.

Several friends with years of militancy in the party of Lincoln object that members are allowed to dissent. The perception in this case however was not a few rank and file members voting for the other candidate but that of a fracture at the highest level of the echelon by virtue of which several enlightened leaders thought they knew better; they were even prepared to allow the leaning of SCOTUS to the far left because that "crazy and unpredictable mogul" had had the temerity of eating little Jeb's lunch.

The faction that bet on the people's discontent won; but now what?. The party needs to shake off the deadwood and patiently prepare a philosophical body of goals and principles. Some may object that Republicans have never been so "academic" well, the world has changed dramatically and the other party almost got away with defacing America; activism is not a tool reserved only for the left. Bringing America back to its centered track will not only unite us as a nation but save both parties from the extremists that to a larger or lesser degree have hijacked the political scenario.

WHY WE SHOULD WORRY ABOUT THE DEMOCRAT'S DEBACLE

Human beings appear reluctant to admit their shortcomings; but this is more evident to the left of the political spectrum. They never fail, they never make mistakes. When it is not the right wing conspiracy; it's a misunderstanding, a glitch in communications or even the weather; bottom line: it's always anybody's fault but theirs. The more the Democratic Party tilts to the left the fiercer their attempt to find blame anywhere but within their own ranks.

Last November 8th marks the noisiest slap we the people have dealt to a political group in recent history. Despite a few seats gained in the Senate the left remained as a minority in both legislative bodies as well as in the governorships in the nation. We didn't reward the GOP; we simply punished the irrational left wing rhetoric, the distancing from the core American values and the elitist arrogance of the Democrats.

Two days before the election president Obama, apparently comfortable with the manipulated polls, threw a bravado in which he shouted to his audience that a defeat on Tuesday would have meant a rejection of his legacy. It must be one of those statements you hate to have ever made; I'm sure he wishes life could be rewound like a video. The reasons for their defeat are crystal clear:

1- Their candidate was the most flawed they've had in years.

2- The message of fear mongering; the agitation of the so called minorities, the apocalyptic predictions of Trump presidency and the outright trashing of everything Anglo Saxon ended up alienating huge sectors of the electorate and placed Joe and Jane Doe in the dilemma of continuing to live ashamed of being white or fighting back. Evidently they chose the latter.

3- A wave of psychological repression came upon us; for the first time I felt pushed to a corner: voting for Trump was a sin, progressive (whatever that may mean) became the word of the day. California, New York and other coastal crowds looked down on the rest of America, the Democrats abandoned their interest for the average citizen and went into an elitist "trance". Name calling became normal; those who supported Trump were "deplorable".

Boy did it prove to be the wrong approach !!! With their proverbial lack of sense of limit; the extreme left that has hijacked the Democratic Party trespassed all boundaries, even that of decency and suddenly it all turned into a war against Donald J. Trump; thus, the monster turned into the victim, the underdog that had to fight his enemies, showbiz, a huge segment of the public opinion and his own so-called friends. All of us forgot how America loves the underdog and the underdog indeed the Brooklyn mogul was. The rest is already history even though the Green Party candidate with much more love for Fidel Castro than votes is pushing for a recount.

For Obama the blame is first and foremost on Fox News; then on the failure of his party to convey the right message and address the right crowd. Never his fault, never his failed promises, never his weak stand in the international arena, never his blurred red lines. With the exception of the presidential election in 2012 the democrats have lost all the important elections  since 2010 and still somehow Nancy Pelosi remains as the minority leader in Congress. A younger gentleman challenged her, but the party apparatus seemed to have missed the important lesson of the last presidential election. As a newly affiliated Republican I'm happy that the other party is in bad shape, but as a conscientious American I understand the need of a robust political system and the importance of alternation. We should all be worried and should press for change. 

PIENSALO BIEN

Que pronuncies party con r en lugar de con la t no te hace cubano americano: no te reclamo cuota de sufrimiento pero te exijo respeto por el ajeno. No te deseo décadas de desarraigo ni una familia que niegue tu existencia pero como mínimo debes mostrar para con los ancianos desterrados un nivel aceptable de decencia. Según tu caso pudiera ser hasta posible que de la culpa no te salpique ni una gota pero seguro que tu vida de aquel lado no es motivo de bustos ni monumentos. No te mereces nada solo por haber quedado al lado sur, lo que tendrás deberá ser producto de tu denodado esfuerzo y me haría feliz que lograses un éxito rotundo. 

Nos queda mucho por andar y el recelo es mutuo y palpable. Si decidimos: y es un SI con mayúsculas, no hablar más del pasado miraremos solo hacia delante pero ay de ti si te sorprendo espiando hacia atrás de reojo. Tras de nosotros no existe nada de glorioso, lo útil, lo valeroso, se yergue a nuestro norte porque no muere.

Ah; y cuando no logres zafarte de los brazos de Morfeo o Baco te seduzca con su aroma: no me mires con gesto cómplice y me digas: "tú sabes cómo somos los cubanos". Yo me parezco al guajiro de entrecejo fruncido y frente accidentada; fiel y terco en su surco. Decide tu a quien prefieres emular.

Si aceptas estas irrenunciables condiciones abre tus brazos y recíbeme sereno; cero quizas, cero por si acaso y cero pero. No queda espacio ni tiempo para coartadas; o lo hacemos bien o mejor ni lo intentemos. 

DEMASIADO TARDE

La nostalgia que tú me inculcas es anacrónica y obsoleta; parte de tu tiempo y no del mío

Pretendes que mis ojos se humedezcan con tonadas muy recientes; que recuerde tus calles ya hediondas y destruidas, ya arruinadas y mal usadas.

Tu recuerdo es apócrifo; censura mis penares y el calvario de muchos; tu emoción da por descontada mi amnesia y mi indolencia; venda mis ojos y lanza erráticamente estiércol por doquier.

Llevar tu imagen me exige obviar tu culpa y acolarme una mia que no existe. Tu patria no es la mía; nunca lo fue y nunca lo será; te escapa la diestra a condonar barbaries que condeno. No somos compatriotas; no te perdono tu complicidad ni tu silencio. Comprenderte intelectualmente no significa justificarte; para mí eres solo un ente con avatares, y con recorridos prefijados. Lo que quieres de mí es inaceptable porque anula mi existencia y aniquila mis sentidos. 

Estoy hasta los tuétanos de vejez; no de edad cronológica sino de ancianos sofismas. Que viejos son los dogmas y cuan ancianos Papas y prelados; y que viejas son las revoluciones y la igualdad y el amasijo amalgamado de eufemismos sin esencia; que manidos y estrujados los Salieri que se mozaritsan y los halcones que una cualquier mañana se despiertan convertidos en palomas. No acepto la mano tendida; prefiero la achacosa tozudez de emular a Chopin y emprender el "concierto revolucionario" una vez más con torpeza de manos semirigidas pero en paz conmigo mismo.

El alba llega, irrumpe a través de mi ventana e inicio el enésimo nuevo día con el consuelo de que JAMÁS coincidirán nuestros caminos.

CHALLENGES AHEAD

The president elect won alright; he smashed all predictions; proved the pundits wrong and sent off course the corrupt machinery of the clan based politics in America, at least for now. The majority of we the people believed his promises and promise he did; boy did he promise !!! Now it's time to keep at least a 30% of what we hired him to do. Moreover, having been chosen by the base against the "better" knowledge of a huge segment of the leadership, the man owes very little and has very few people to thank for. In an ideal world he could sit in the Oval Office and with one stroke of his pen wipe out the deadwood in his party (which he joined very recently). But we don't live in such world and life is not a Hollywood movie where the good guy arrives with guns blazing and flying trench coats to save the day. Politics is a complicate game and while he could get rid of some of the entrenched inertia, I don't think it would be wise to show vindictiveness and I explain:

1- His cabinet must have competent people given his inexperience in the cloak and dagger techniques of Washington DC. He must not only bring in some of those who did not support him since day one, but also a few women and one or two moderate democrats. It would send a clear message that there's a new sheriff in town and that he means business. Some speculate about Gingrich as a choice for Secretary of State, the man is qualified, but he may be much more useful as our Mikhail Suslov behind the scenes keeping the party within the boundaries of a conservative; compassionate, rejuvenated entity. In the midst of the current lack of philosophical foundations this gentleman appears as the only mind with enough substance to restructure the conservative "liturgy".

2- He must show a modicum of graciousness inviting all Republicans to come back home and later, with Asian patience and Swiss watch precision, dismantle the obsolete remains of the party apparatus; hence the need to leave Gingrich off the wearing and tearing of the foreign relations. This unexpected victory notwithstanding the GOP is in shambles; it lacks initiative and imagination and has totally lost touch with America. Trump won despite the party and not thanks to it. In view of a left wing populism we the people chose a right wing populism, but John and Jane are not populists and the Brooklyn mogul turned Commander in Chief must have the vision to slowly move away from his populist agenda; live up to some of his promises and pave the way for the next generation of Republicans with an agile, cohesive and united structure in a position to neutralize the violence, ignorance and disguised bigotry of the far left. 

3- The exiting president coined the phrase:"elections have consequences" in open defiance to the viscous speed of law passing in Washington; in his second term he then revved up his rhetoric saying that he had a phone and a pen and passing a barrage of executive orders. Mr Trump however, must abide as much as possible to the traditional path of Congress; which goes to my previous point of abstaining from being vindictive; he has the numbers to at least give it a try and if some of his proposals get stuck in the bureaucracy all the better for him; a perfect alibi to fail to deliver on his most controversial campaign promises. 

4- One of the promises the future tenant in Pennsylvania 1600 cannot fail to live up to is the cleaning up of the crime plagued areas of Chicago and other American major cities. If he succeeds in making clear that he really means it, that he's for law and order and that he harbors a genuine sympathy for the millions of African Americans who have been used, manipulated and let down by the left he can reverse the perverse course by virtue of which the Democrats keep that community hostage with fake solidarity and shrewd demagogy. To this purpose he must heavily rely on the black conservatives that for so long have been silenced and suppressed by the Sharptons and the Jacksons of this world. There are indeed thick layers of backwardness that stand on the way of plain and real racial integration. He has to become the knight in shining armor who chips away at the wall of division and this cannot be achieved with paternalism; sad faces and bourgeois hypocrisy. African Americans must get a clear message that those on the right care for them and are prepared to teach them how to fish instead of tossing a sardine at them every four years. This is probably the hardest goal to reach.

5- Foreign policy is probably where I personally feel closer to Mr.  Trump; having actually lived in several other countries I am familiar with the bias of the media and the anti Americanism that permeates even the most serious journals and TV channels of Europe and Latin America. The US cannot isolate itself from the rest of the world but that doesn't mean it has to sign disadvantageous treaties and subsidize NATO. We must defend our allies and listen to them , but we have to make sure each nation does its share of spending and makes its own sacrifices. American coffins can no longer be the solution to all problems in this world; a thorough revision of all agreements, policies and treaties won't necessarily mean we are backtracking or throwing the towel; it will most likely mean that we make sure our partners push as hard as we do towards freedom, stability and democracy. We must try to negotiate our way out of every conflict instead of relying on violence, but if we set a line beyond which our country is not prepared to go those who violate it must suffer the lethal effect of our unique military might. To that purpose our differences with Russia have to be settled and a new era of cooperation with China must dawn; with the premise that we will not be taken advantage of any longer. 

Finally, our relations with Mexico need to be at the core of our foreign policy and it has to be clear that America no longer will be the safety valve of their political corruption; serious and frank negotiations must lead us to engage our neighbor in a win/win exchange rather than in a nightmare for American law enforcement. Roberta Jacobson must be allowed to complete at least two more years as our ambassador there as well as Di Laurentis, after a swift process of confirmation, should be put in a position to do his job in Havana although with a tougher stand on human rights. It is in the interest of the United States to improve relations with the regime and do all within its power to avoid a collapse of that dictatorship, but Mr Castro must be made aware that his harsh rhetoric will no longer be tolerated and that the new trend is a two way path instead of the mere bail out of his disastrous economy. 

6- In his last two interviews the president elect has somewhat softened his position on Obamacare (dubbed by yours truly ObamaScare) and Immigration. He now speaks about amending instead of repealing the controversial law and has hinted at finding a way out to the situation of millions of illegal immigrants. Let's be clear: Obamacare was passed in the wee hours and is no doubt a bad law; however, the fact that the most powerful nation in the history of mankind had 30 million people with no health insurance is an insult to all of us. Illegal immigration must be lowered to a tolerable minimum, a lot needs to be done to help those who have followed the rules and whose drama Jorge Ramos & Co. conspicuously avoid to mention and a solution must be found for those who are already here; however, said solution must be first convenient for the American people and then humane and as fair as possible. Emphasis must be made on improving the living conditions in Mexico and Central America as well as avoiding the "decapitalization" of our economy in the long run.

AMERICAN A.M.L.O.

If Donald Trump loses we may face two different scenarios:

1- The spoiled brat tires of playing politics and goes back to making money leaving the GOP in a chaos that may or may not be solved depending on how upset the base of the party may be.

2- The stubborn rich guy used to having his way feels treated unfairly by the lethal team of press, the left and many within his adopted party and decides to get even; thus, he becomes the American version of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, AKA El Peje, AKA AMLO. and turns into a big fat pain in the butt for the Republican Party. 

The last thing we need is a "movement" in the right; all we need is a thorough revision of priorities, policies and goals; and above all, we need to create a political "liturgy" with emphasis in the ideological and strategic parts of the struggle. 

The conservative base is pissed; boy it is really mad. It feels betrayed and disfranchised. White America is constantly and relentlessly chastised, but that has not brought any fortune to the African American community. Nobody is happy and bitterness and frustration are two key ingredients of a recipe for trouble and unrest. It is evident that the elite has prioritized its power hungry thrive to the detriment of we the people, but we the people have so far shown no sings of awareness.

I would be frustrated to have the reader perceive this piece as a call to utopia; on the contrary it is a cynical analysis of the current situation sprinkled with skepticism, objectivity and a teaspoon of the wrath of my African deities. There have always been power struggles in history; there are differences of approach and assessment; a monolithic perspective is only typical in the communist politburos; however if a division may cost us the election it immediately becomes unaffordable and therefore off limits. The Republicans have succumbed to the cloak and dagger ways of their leadership and the image is that of the Maltese Falcon movie instead of a political party bidding for power. In my view the only solution is to summarily fire the entire leadership and promote the second or third layer of the echelon otherwise we will never win another election and we will witness the splintering of the GOP in two or more factions with little or no impact in the lives of the American people.