Opinion: When it comes to Puerto Rico, for Obama a majority is not enough
Obama’s recent announcement that a supermajority will be needed in the vote for Puerto Rican statehood raises questions about the president’s true intentions regarding the island. (Getty Images)
By JAVIER ORTIZ
Channel: Politics
In almost any endeavor in our society, when a majority is reached, one side is victorious and the other defeated.
It is true of our presidential elections just as it is in determining whether a collective bargaining unit has been formed in a workplace. Unfortunately though, a majority is not sufficient for President Obama when it comes to Puerto Rico and its ability to become America’s 51st state. In other words, the rules we live by apply to some, but not all Americans.
Recently, President Obama said that a majority was not sufficient to change Puerto Rico’s status from territory to state when inhabitants of the island vote concerning their status next year. This is an interesting position to take considering Obama himself is on the ballot in 2012 and would certainly accept a vote of 51 percent in his favor.
Why is 51 percent support sufficient for President Obama to serve another four years, but not good enough for the four million Americans living in Puerto Rico?
In changing the rules of the game concerning the upcoming statehood vote in Puerto Rico, President Obama has unveiled his true position on this issue. Obama clearly does not want Puerto Rico to become a state, yet he doesn’t have the courage to come out and say it. The president is creating an arbitrary threshold so he can continue to raise funds from Puerto Rico, yet disallow a majority of its people to determine the island’s status.
Obama’s position also appears to be dictated by politics as opposed to the most basic rules of a functioning democracy. As opposed to allowing Puerto Ricans to decide what the island’s status will be, President Obama has essentially made the decision for them.
The fact is that the Popular Democratic Party (PPD) in Puerto Rico is aligned with Obama and national Democrats in Washington, and they oppose statehood no matter the cost or consequences. In requiring a supermajority vote for statehood, President Obama is standing with party bosses and against the Americans that happen to call Puerto Rico home.
As Americans, the people living in Puerto Rico have certain rights and privileges. They serve with great distinction in the military, help fight for freedom and democracy around the world, and proudly call the United States of America home. However, for those living in Puerto Rico, voting to elect the next commander-in-chief is not a right that can be exercised.
In requiring more than a majority vote to petition Congress for statehood, President Obama is disenfranchising the four million Americans living on the island. This is deeply ironic and hypocritical coming from an administration led by a former community organizer who opposes some election laws in the mainland U.S., calling them barriers to civic participation, yet endorses a policy of inequality that disallows Americans from fully sharing in our nation’s future.
The United States has always stood as the defender of freedom around the globe; even overseeing elections in other nations to ensure the principle of one man, one vote is upheld. It has been what has set us apart from so many other countries. No matter the politics, no matter the results, as Americans, we respect the will of the people and come together after they have spoken.
Those hard-fought elections are oftentimes decided by hundreds or thousands of votes out of millions cast. That was certainly the case in 2008 when just over 200,000 votes in Florida decided who would lead our nation.
With more than 800,000 people in Florida’s I-4 corridor tracing their roots to Puerto Rico, President Obama’s indiscriminate stance on statehood will be difficult to defend. I have zero doubt that the 2012 election will be full of surprises in the Sunshine State and I am certain this is not the last we have heard of this issue.
Javier Ortiz is a Republican strategist.
