Estudia las Mentiras de Charlie Black

NR – Chalie Black is a racist segregacionist mercenary that hates all hispanics and is a disgrace to the Republican Party.

To: Republican Friends

From: Charlie Black

Chairman, Prime Policy Group

Former GOP Spokesman and Strategist

I have no client at present on the issue of Puerto Rico’s status, but have worked on this issue, on behalf of Commonwealth, off and on for almost 30 years.

You may have seen an ad this week from Puerto Rican Statehooders claiming that Statehood won a plebiscite held in Puerto Rico last November. They did not. Please read my attachment explaining how Statehood actually received 45 percent of the vote in the plebiscite. Also, please read my explanation of why it is suicidal for Republicans to consider making Puerto Rico a state.

Thanks for listening.

THE POLITICS OF PUERTO RICO

Puerto Rico has a competitive two-party system for local island politics. The Popular Democratic Party (PDP) and the New Progressive Party (NPP) each enjoy about 45 percent party identification from the voters. In the last ten gubernatorial elections, each party has won five. The Puerto Rican Independence Party enjoys only three to four percent of the voters’ allegiance.

The PDP is known as the Commonwealth Party because it supports the current status arrangement which defines Puerto Rico’s relationship with the U.S. The NPP is the Statehood Party and advocates congressional action to make Puerto Rico a state.

Most Puerto Ricans who affiliate with the Republican Party nationally belong to the NPP, the Statehood Party, and statehood is the priority Republican issue. But, the majority of members of the NPP are not Republicans. They support statehood, but back the Democratic Party nationally.

Most importantly, most leaders of the Statehood Party are national Democrats. This includes former Governor Pedro Rossello, a former Chairman of the Democratic Governors Association and Co-Chair of the Gore campaign; and Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi, a close ally of Nancy Pelosi.
Luis Fortuno, the former Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner (non-voting Congressman) and immediate past Governor, is a Statehooder and a Republican.

Most members of the Commonwealth Party affiliate with the Democratic Party nationally, although some business leaders in Puerto Rico are PDP Republicans. So, Republicans have about one half of the members of one major political party affiliating with them and a few members of the other major party. This is best illustrated by the fact that presidential primaries in Puerto Rico typically show about 25 percent of the voters participating in the Republican primary and 75 percent of the voters participating in the Democratic primary.

So, Puerto Rican Republicans are a courageous, well-intentioned group. Their advocacy for statehood among national Republican leaders on the mainland has garnered some statehood support among elected Republican officials. In fact, a bill co-sponsored by Speaker Gingrich that would have resulted in statehood for Puerto Rico passed the House by one vote in 1998 (80 percent of the House Republicans voted against it). Presently, Luis Fortuno is a well-known and popular advocate for statehood in the GOP.

But, the sad fact is that, if Puerto Rico were a state, it would send two Democratic Senators and six Democratic Congressmen to Washington.

If Puerto Rico became a state, the issue around which the existing parties organize, status would be settled and, presumably, local Democratic and Republican Parties would come to dominate Puerto Rico elections. Puerto Ricans who live and vote in the mainland U.S. consistently give 80 percent or more of their votes to Democratic candidates. Puerto Ricans are the most reliably Democratic Hispanic constituency, voting more heavily Democratic than Mexican-Americans.

The economics and demographics of Puerto Rico dictate this high level of support for the Democratic Party. Over 60 percent of the population of Puerto Rico lives below the U.S. poverty level. Per capita income in Puerto Rico is only $11,000. If Puerto Rico became a state, its eligibility for additional federal welfare and healthcare programs would immediately add over $10 billion per year to the federal budget, according to CRS based estimates

So, Puerto Rico’s Congressmen and Senators would work with the Democratic Party to increase spending for welfare, healthcare, and other domestic programs.

Now, a Republican might occasionally win a congressional seat from Puerto Rico, due to some political fluke. Remember that the talented Luis Fortuno won as a Statehooder. If he had to run as a Republican, against a Democrat, in a state that casts 75 percent of its votes in the Democratic presidential primary, he would have a difficult time winning.

So, most Puerto Rican Congressmen and Senators would be Democrats, most of the time. If Puerto Rico had been a state, Democrats would have won control of both houses of Congress in the 2000 elections, when Republicans kept control by thin margins.

Since becoming a Commonwealth in 1952, the people of Puerto Rico have voted against statehood (petitioning Congress to become a state) four times. The high water mark for statehood in these plebiscites was 46 percent of the vote. In a non-binding plebiscite held in 2012, statehood received 45 percent of the vote. Support for statehood has never received majority support in Puerto Rico, let alone a consensus. (See attachment) For Congress to cram statehood down the throats of Puerto Ricans would be undemocratic – and suicidal for the Republican Party.

Charlie Black
Chairman

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Llamado a Obama a incluir status de Puerto Rico en mensaje al Congreso

San Juan – El Dr. Hernán Padilla, presidente de Igualdad, organización no partidista que defendió la fórmula de la estadidad en el pasado plebiscito, públicamente solicitó al presidente Barack Obama que incluya su propuesta para resolver el problema del status de Puerto Rico en su próximo Mensaje de Estado al Congreso, programado para el 12 de febrero.

Padilla dijo que las organizaciones comprometidas con la causa de la estadidad, deben promover que el Primer Mandatario estadounidense incluya en su mensaje anual del Estado de la Unión el tema del estatus, para dar impulso a las deliberaciones congresionales requeridas para que se produzca un acta de admisión, que encamine el ingreso de Puerto Rico como el estado 51 de los Estados Unidos. A la vez, reconoció que el Comisionado Residente, Pedro Pierluisi, y otros líderes demócratas de Puerto Rico se mantienen en comunicación con la Casa Blanca sobre los resultados del plebiscito y las aspiraciones del pueblo de Puerto Rico.

Padilla apuntó que el programa de gobierno del Partido Demócrata en las pasadas elecciones indicó que «es tiempo que Puerto Rico tome el próximo paso en la historia de su estatus y su relación con los Estados Unidos.» El presidente de Igualdad recalcó que «el Pueblo tomó ese paso y habló claro y contundente cuando rechazó la condición colonial con el 54 % de los votos en contra del estatus territorial actual y apoyó la única y verdadera unión permanente con el 61% a favor de la estadidad sobre las fórmulas de independencia”.

El presidente de Igualdad subrayó que en consecuencia del compromiso del Partido Demócrata – que también reza «Nos comprometemos a mover la resolución del estatus de Puerto Rico hacia adelante con el objetivo de resolverlo eficazmente» – el Presidente debe incluir el tema de los resultados del plebiscito y su resolución en su mensaje.

El ex-Alcalde de San Juan recordó además que «el Informe del Grupo de Trabajo del Presidente sobre el Estatus de Puerto Rico también dice claramente que el éxito económico de Puerto Rico está íntimamente ligado a su efectiva solución del estatus político.»

“Cuarenta y ocho (48) estados han pasado por el proceso de admisión que contempla el Articulo IV de la Constitución, once (11) de ellos fueron readmitidos nuevamente durante la Reconstrucción y casi treinta y siete (37) estados ingresaron a la Unión sin plebiscitos “auspiciados por el gobierno Federal” agregó Padilla.

“El Pueblo de Puerto Rico fue claro en rechazar el experimento colonial del ELA territorial fracasado y apoyó abrumadoramente la causa de la estadidad», terminó diciendo el presidente de Igualdad.