Castro Resigns Party Post to Run for President of the United States—Primary Challenge Obama from his Right

This originally appeared at NewsReal Blog.

Breaking news out of Cuba on Tuesday as former Cuban President Fidel Castro resigned from his post as first secretary in the Central Committee of the Communist Party. The move was made after a series of reforms had been passed by the Communist Party Congress that introduced minor free market reforms to the island nation’s economy. Among the reforms passed were term limits for “elected” officials and state job cuts.

From Google News:

Fidel Castro confirmed his exit from the Communist Party leadership on Tuesday, ceding power to his brother Raul as delegates prepare to vote on changes that could bring term limits to key posts.

The move came after the sixth Communist Party Congress approved a flurry of measures on Monday aimed at keeping Cuba’s centrally planned economy from collapse but without any broad embrace of market-oriented change.

…Reforms include the eventual trimming of a million state jobs and the decentralization of the agricultural sector.

In a move that has shocked party loyalists inside Cuba, rumors run rampant that Castro has sent people to Iowa to test the waters for a Fidel in 2012 presidential run. I talked to a senior Castro adviser, James Carville, who expressed hope that Castro could challenge President Obama in next year’s election.

Obama is weak and has moved too far to the left. He is destroying the Democratic Party that was once led by the great Jimmy Carter. He’s hiring too many people and expanding government too much. We believe we can, at the very least, pull Mr. Obama to the right a little bit.

Let’s talk about term limits in this campaign. Let’s talk about cutting state workers off the payrolls. How about eliminating farm subsidies? I mean, I love socialism as much as the next guy but even I see that the Obama administration has gone too far.

I could not reach anyone at the White House for comment. I did run into film director Michael Moore outside a Denny’s in Flint, Michigan. He was stunned that Castro would challenge Obama. Commenting on Castro’s 2012 chances, Moore said:

This is silly. How can he say the United States needs to cut government jobs? That’s easy for him to say. Cuba has a fantastic infrastructure. Their schools are top notch. They have the best health care in the world. For crying out loud they are Cuba! They set the standard for all of us.

The United States needs to continue President Obama’s policies. We need more federal workers. We need more shovel ready jobs. It should be a fundamental right of every American to have access to Cuban style health care. Just when we are getting close to becoming a paradise like Cuba, Castro wants to ruin it. I guess this is his revenge for the Bay of Pigs. Got any Tums?

Wait…he wasn’t born in this country was he?

When I brought up Castro’s citizenship, Carville laughed and stated for the record:

What is Michael Moore a birther? Fidel was born in San Francisco. He has a long form birth certificate. Our comrade Governor Jerry Brown will vouch for us.

NewsReal will continue to follow this story as developments…develop.

Fingers hosts The Snark Factor Radio Program on FTR Radio. His website can be found at FingersMalloy.com. Follow Fingers on Twitter here.

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