Experts

"I commend Rep. Barbara Lee and the members of the Congressional Black Caucus who recently visited Havana. Their initiative in exploring what needs to be done to restore normal relations between the United States and Cuba is timely and long overdue. The current mood in Cuba is one of hope and optimism. I encourage President Obama and the members of Congress to earnestly and expeditiously pursue an end to the embargo and the restoration of relations between our two countries. U.S. citizens deserve the right to travel to Cuba without restrictions and Cuban-Americans must be allowed to reunite with their families. Only by constructive engagement can our two nations mend the past and forge a mutually beneficial future." Note: Dr. Maris, professor of management at Ohio Northern University, currently resides in Cuba as the resident director of an Environmental Management program at the University of Havana. This program, which enrolls undergraduate students from ONU, is authorized under the authority of the United States Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control.

I think it would be a mistake to read too much into this past election cycle. There were few state-wide races out there and folks should remember the old saying that "all politics is local." To say that the elections were a referendum on Obama would be an overstatement. However, the election did provide a time to look back and ask what has happened in Obama's first year. The answer to that question appears to be quite complicated. The administration has taken on a great deal, but little legislation appears to have materialized. Recent polling seems to show that many folks are fond of the president personally, yet are still anxious about the nation's economic condition. This will likely continue into next year's midterm elections. If signs of economic growth occur, then Democrats can be more hopeful heading into the 2010 election cycle. A number of Republican Senate seats will be up for grabs due to a slew of retirements and this should stem the likely tide of the incumbent president's party losing seats in midterm elections.