Yes & no according to AI.
Marco Rubio's parents, Mario and Oriales Rubio, left Cuba for Miami in 1956, arriving on a commercial flight during the Batista regime, well before Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution, though they later returned to Cuba and left again, solidifying their exile status. While they initially came for economic reasons under Batista, they made several trips back and forth and eventually settled permanently in the U.S., with Rubio's mother leaving Cuba for good in 1961 after a month-long visit under Castro, realizing the country's direction.
I've spent 4 weeks in Cuba, and though no expert got a pretty good feel for the place. One good thing about limited WIFI there (illegal to own a modem in your home) is it leaves a lot of time for book reading. Including a tomb on Cuba's history written by a Professor of Socialist History from Havana Uni. Americans referred to as Yankees etc. No love lost for their former Spanish colonial masters.
Military strong man Batista was one bad dude. Massive poverty, illiteracy, child mortality etc under his watch. All the while whilst him and his stooges were living the high life alongside the US Mafia, Frank Sinatra and co. Swinging 1950s Cuba a great spot for a party with ole Blue Eyes.
Shark if you were a Cuban rural peasant.
The 1959 Castro/Che revolution was the right thing, at the right time. A massive improvement for most Cubans. Plenty of the wealthy elite fled Stateside.
But man that was 66 years ago. Now it's just a different corrupt elite (senile old men as Rubio calls them) living in mansions surrounding Havana, refusing to give up on the dead socialist paradise dream. Meanwhile most of the populace live in poverty with empty bellies by about day 20, of the monthly food rationing system. Doctors, nurses and teachers paid one USD per day.
If you can somehow get access to USD/Euros by queuing up at the chain of Western Union stores everywhere - ie family remittances from Florida or beyond - then life is sort of bearable. Or you learn some English to work with tourists, and also get USD.
But for most it's grim.
They have two things to sell. Sugar and tourism. Literally that is it.
I think Trump is right without a supply of cheap/free oil now from Venezuela, the Cuban regime may collapse. There is certainly brewing unrest there, and no doubt the CIA is doing some clandestine untoward stuff as they do.
PS. Had a tour guide around Havana, who no word of a lie spoke English like a Cockney. He'd never ever left Cuba. His cousin living in London, had sent him VHS tapes of East Enders so he could aprendre Ingles!! True story and the human brain is a crazy thing
PPS. Met a book store owner in Havana who had previously been high up in the Bank of Cuba. He spoke Spanish, Russian & Ingles. When the GFC happened around 2007, in his banking role Fidel personally invited him in for a meeting. He had to explain to Castro the basic workings of financial markets etc, as Fidel had no real idea. Castro then asked him if he thought America would fall apart, and the book store man said no. Cuba's President was very disappointed to hear that!
PPPS. Met another interesting character, in Havana's famous Hotel Nacional de Cuba. A real retro joint with lots of photos from the swinging decadent 50s.
An expat Cuban who had fled to Brazil as a penniless 18 yr old, and then over about 5 years made his way up through Latin America into the US. 15 years later he owned a successful tow truck firm in Atlanta and had one of those blonde wives straight out of a Ryder Cup photo shoot. He was pretty sozzled and loudly proclaimed he was back in Cuba for a visit to stick one up those Commie bastards in his $300 USD/night suite.
