The ban on travel to Cuba was as pointless seven years ago as it is today, but somewhere in the interim, a significant number of Cuban-Americans turned against it . In a 2002 poll, 46 percent of Cuban-Americans said they wanted the restriction lifted. According to a September survey, 59 percent said the same. This is especially striking because in April of 2009, Cuban-Americans won the right to visit family members with relatively few restrictions; it’s the rest of us who still have to deal with a blanket ban.* The poll’s sample size is not large, and the margin of error is a full five points, so the swing may not be as great as it appears. Still, the future belongs to the would-be tourist; when you exclude the 65-and-over set, the percentage of people who support a change of policy shoots up to 62.
Two bills circulating in the House and one in the Senate would end the ban for everyone, which in effect means allowing Americans to fly directly to Havana instead of stopping in Mexico first. Joe Lieberman, meanwhile, continues his proud tradition of being wrong about everything .
*changed from orginal with thanks to commenter ChelseaBridge.
