Fidel Era Over: NDN Poll Finds S.Fla Cubans Overwhelmingly Believe Democracy will happen w/n 5 Years

Earlier Today, NDN released a NDN Cuban Poll that indicates

The influential South Florida Cuban exile community overwhelmingly believes that the era of Fidel Castro is over, and is newly hopeful for a speedy and peaceful transition to democracy, according to the first major poll taken since Castro's hand-over of power due to illness.

The Poll was picked up by the local MSM, the Miami Herald under the headline

MIAMI Cubans: Fidel era over  

Interesting within the report of this Poll is that a super-majority (74%) of Cuban Americans  believe Fidel Castro is terminally ill.

Some interesting quotes from the Herald article include

"'Fidel Castro is politically dead, and for all intents and purposes a relic for the history books,'' said Fernand Amandi, executive vice president of Bendixen & Associates.

and one from Joe Garcia, the Director of NDN's Hispanic Strategy Center,

NDN executive Joe Garcia said the poll shows that Cuban Americans and exiles are optimistic about the future, but perhaps frustrated with President Bush's handling of U.S.-Cuba policy in the wake of Fidel Castro's transfer of power.

NDN HAS BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE HISPANIC VOTE FOR PROGRESSIVE DEMS AND HAS EVEN CREATED  THE HISPANIC STRATEGY CENTER

They ran incredible radio ads during the 2004 Election cycle targeting Hispanics and they took an excellent opportunity during this past summer's World Cup to preach to the non-choir, the Latin community who should be big suppporters of Dems and Dem Values but who have recently been moving Republican.

 Mas Que un Partido

from the NDN website:

These ads highlighted the Democrats desire to engage Hispanics in the political process and is part of a broader effort to bring progressive values - opportunity, responsibility, fair-play and the notion that we're all in this together - to life through the passion and power of the world's most popular sport, soccer.

They've even created tee-shirts and other items tieing together World Football and Dem - Progressive Values under the name DU democratas unidos.

So besides the great news that a beautiful island, full of incredible people, may soon be open to all of us to travel and visit, we are again reminded of who our true friends and allies are in supporting our values and efforts while we crash the gates

(probably worth noting that Simon Rosenberg, the Founder and President of NDN, also wrote the introduction or foreword to Crashing the Gates, as well as hosted a luncheon in NYC for Jerome and Markos where i got to meet both of them, and have all 3 sign my copy of the book. Also, after just reading the posting, i feel i must add that i am not hispanic or latin, my screen name was a nickname given to me by a great friend who died way too early living ilfe to the fullest).



--AZ-Sen: Jon Kyl

--AZ-01: Rick Renzi

--AZ-05: J.D. Hayworth

--CA-04: John Doolittle

--CA-11: Richard Pombo

--CA-50: Brian Bilbray

--CO-04: Marilyn Musgrave

--CO-05: Doug Lamborn

--CO-07: Rick O'Donnell

--CT-04: Christopher Shays

--FL-13: Vernon Buchanan

--FL-16: Joe Negron

--FL-22: Clay Shaw

--ID-01: Bill Sali

--IL-06: Peter Roskam

--IL-10: Mark Kirk

--IL-14: Dennis Hastert

--IN-02: Chris Chocola

--IN-08: John Hostettler

--IA-01: Mike Whalen

--KS-02: Jim Ryun

--KY-03: Anne Northup

--KY-04: Geoff Davis

--MD-Sen: Michael Steele

--MN-01: Gil Gutknecht

--MN-06: Michele Bachmann

--MO-Sen: Jim Talent

--MT-Sen: Conrad Burns

--NV-03: Jon Porter

--NH-02: Charlie Bass

--NJ-07: Mike Ferguson

--NM-01: Heather Wilson

--NY-03: Peter King

--NY-20: John Sweeney

--NY-26: Tom Reynolds

--NY-29: Randy Kuhl

--NC-08: Robin Hayes

--NC-11: Charles Taylor

--OH-01: Steve Chabot

--OH-02: Jean Schmidt

--OH-15: Deborah Pryce

--OH-18: Joy Padgett

--PA-04: Melissa Hart

--PA-07: Curt Weldon

--PA-08: Mike Fitzpatrick

--PA-10: Don Sherwood

--RI-Sen: Lincoln Chafee

--TN-Sen: Bob Corker

--VA-Sen: George Allen

--VA-10: Frank Wolf

--WA-Sen: Mike McGavick

--WA-08: Dave Reichert