The Cuban-American Political Machine: Reflections on Its Origins and Perpetuation

Abstract

“In order to appraise Miami’s present-day development, it is convenient to look at that city in 1959. To simplify, Miami was then a typical southern city, with an important sector of retirees and veterans, whose only interest was the exploitation of tourism during Miami’s warm winter months. The growth achieved by Miami has no precedent in the history of the United States. It occurred during what has been called The Great Cuban Miracle. So I believe that those who left the Island after 1959 and those who have arrived more recently with the same faith and hope must feel proud not only of what they achieved for themselves but also what they have accomplished for the entire community.”¹ These remarks, written almost 20 years ago by one of the most prominent members of the Miami Cuban establishment, were part of the response of Cuban exiles in that city to attempts by the native Anglo population and its leaders to deal with newcomers and, as it were, ‘show them their place’ in America’s ethnic hierarchy. During the Mariel exodus of 1980, the Miami Herald, arguably the principal institution of the old Anglo establishment, led a vigorous campaign to remove the new arrivals from the city. After the end of the exodus, a rapid grassroots mobilization led to an overwhelming vote against the public use of Spanish. “We did not come to Miami to live in a banana republic,” proclaimed one of the organizers of the anti-Spanish referendum.²