Obama Determined to ‘Chip Away’ at ‘Hermetically Sealed’ Cuba

The White House(WASHINGTON) — President Obama’s decision to normalize diplomatic relations with Cuba will “chip away” at the island’s “hermetically sealed society,” the president said Friday at what is likely his last press conference of the year.

“This is still a regime that represses its people,” the president acknowledged. “But what I know, deep in my bones, is that if you’ve done the same things for 50 years, you should try something different if you want a different outcome.”

“Suddenly Cuba is open to the world in way’s that it hasn’t been before,” he continued. “Over time, that chips away at this hermetically sealed society and, I believe, offers the best prospect of leading to greater freedom, greater self-determination of the Cuban people.”

In the wide-ranging press conference, Obama also touted his economic accomplishments this year.

“Pick any metric you want, America’s resurgence is real,” President Obama said. “We are better off.”

“In terms of my own job, I am energized, I’m excited about the prospects for the next couple of years,” Obama said, adding he wasn’t going to be “stopping for a minute” in his quest to make life better for all Americans.

“My presidency’s entering the fourth quarter,” he said. “Interesting stuff happens in the fourth quarter.”

The president leaves Washington on a high note, having made progress on several top priorities as he heads into the final two years of his presidency. In recent weeks, the president negotiated an unprecedented climate deal with China, took unilateral actions to reform the nation’s immigration system and announced a historic thawing of relations with Cuba.

Despite these successes, the president’s approval rating remains dismally low, hovering around 40 percent.

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