Cuban-Americans make big splash at Iowa caucuses

Please pardonmy gloating over the fact that two of the top Republican presidential candidates have Cuban roots.

This does not mean, however, that I applaud the conservative politics of Sen. Ted Cruz, of Texas, or the more polished speech of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

There is more than a month before I have to make upmy mind before voting in the primary.

But pushingmy feelings aside, Monday night’s Iowa caucuswas a political junkie’s dream comes true.

On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton defeated Sen. Bernie Sanders by two tenths of 1 percent.

And nowcomesNewHampshire, where Sanders has a 20-plus point advantage over Clinton in polls. After that, the race becomes harder for Sanders. Clinton has the money, the organization and a clear advantage in the states followingNewHampshire.

Pundits can say Clinton has a clear path to the Democratic nomination. That is, if the email scandal does not become a judicial issue.

Clinton says that is a dirty trick created by those opposed to her becoming president. Nobody has admitted they have the smoking gun that proves what Clinton did with her email serverwas illegal or violated national security regulations.

Until they do, Clinton will be the winner of the Democratic primaries and the presidential candidate chosen by the delegates at the Democratic National Convention this summer.

On the Republican side, things are much more interesting. Trump had to swallowa big plate of modesty Tuesday. The candidate, who proclaimed he could shoot someone inNewYork City and not lose a vote, lost not a vote, but the first primary.

He lost to Cruz, the candidate Trump attacked non-stop, saying Cruz, whowas born in Canada, was ineligible to run.

Voters chose Cruz because he is a conservative whose father is Protestant preacher. In Iowa, a great many voters are evangelicals. Cruzwas a nice fit.

Trump talked about all the polls that said hewas ahead andwould win by a comfortablemargin. Boy, was he wrong. Not only did Trump lose to Cruz, but he came close to being overtaken by Rubio.

Iowa is not a bellwether state. Many Iowa caucuswinners of past elections have lost, and lost badly, in other states. The 2016 election process has just begun. It is too soon to proclaim an absolute winner or loser.

But there are certain assertions one can make.

Clinton has a serious opponent in Sanders and will have to battle hard to defeat the 74-year old senator.

Republican candidates, Trump is not invincible.

for the conservative wing of the Republican Party and has the organization to go deep into the primary cycle.

He has clearly become the darling of the establishment Republicans.

will begin to drop out of the campaign. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a former Iowa caucus winner, was the first to bowout. Others will followshortly.

It is impossible to predict who will win the primaries in each party.

But, one can say historywas made Monday nightwith two Cuban-American candidates among the top three vote getters in Iowa. Maybe they will not win, but the fact they attracted so many voters in a state with very few Cuban-Americans shows they are now true American politicians, with parents born in Cuba. (Cruz’s father and both of Rubio’s parentswere born in Cuba).

I repeat. Pardon me for gloating, but I cannot help being proud of feeling thatmy adopted country is so magnanimous that it has accepted Cubans with open arms and open hearts.

I amproud of being an American, just as I am proud of the country where Iwasborn.

Guillermo I. Martinez lives in South Florida. guimar123@gmail.com