I’m Not The Only One

For any of the gringos (African-Americans are gringos, too!) who place their faith in the myth of the anti-Obama Latino vote, please note that early last month, Puerto Rico Governor Anibal Acevedo-Vila officially endorsed Barack Obama for President. By now most Americans know that the Puerto Rican Primary will be the held June 7. For those of you familiar with Puerto Rico, it is a U.S. colony which was taken from the Spaniards (who treated Puerto Ricans far worse than the Americans ever could have) as a sort of consolation prize (along with Cuba, the Philippines and Guam) at the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898. The Jones Act of 1917 granted U.S. citizenship to Puerto Rico residents, but historically anyone living in Puerto Rico cannot vote for President and do not pay federal taxes. However, in the last few years, Puerto Rico residents have been forced to pay federal taxes and I believe this is the main reason why they are now being allowed to participate in the Presidential Primary. However, Puerto Rico has no electoral districts and therefore cannot cast electoral or popular votes in the general election, but the Democratic Party in Puerto Rico has been authorized to have about 63 delegates.

Governor Acevedo-Vila praised Senator Obama as the leader to unite America and move forward on a progressive agenda for change, while advocating for the interests of Puerto Ricans and Hispanics in particular. Citing Senator Obama’s commitments on several key issues, including economic development and job creation in Puerto Rico, and the future relationship of the Commonwealth and the United States, Governor Acevedo-Vila today issued the following statement after receiving a letter from Senator Obama.

“Today I announce my endorsement of Senator Barack Obama for President of the United States. Not only is he the right leader for Puerto Ricans, but he is the right leader for the Hispanic community and the right leader to unite all Americans. He has the determination to make our collective future great.

Senator Obama demonstrates the strongest commitment to Puerto Rico that we have seen in recent times in U.S. politics. Most importantly, he has pledged to me that as President he will work to advance job creation and economic development in Puerto Rico-my highest priorities as Governor.

Puerto Rico’s Commonwealth relationship with the United States is a treasured part of our identity and a critical tool for achieving our economic development goals. Senator Obama respects and supports Puerto Ricans’ right to an unbiased, transparent self-determination process, which may include a constitutional convention or plebiscite, should Puerto Ricans reevaluate our status with the United States. He rejects the recent assertions made by a controversial Presidential Task Force on Puerto Rico which falsely declared our Commonwealth status as unconstitutional and which would force Puerto Ricans to choose between only statehood and full independence from the United States. Senator Obama believes that our fate as U.S. citizens should remain in our own hands.

Senator Obama shares my goals for improving access to affordable healthcare through Medicaid and other federal health care assistance programs, and providing quality education for all Puerto Ricans. Additionally, he has pledged his commitment to ensure the proper clean-up of the U.S. Navy site on Vieques, the health of Vieques’ people and the successful use of this land.

Senator Clinton has been a valued friend to Puerto Ricans on the island and U.S. mainland, including many in New York. Her support cannot go unrecognized and on behalf of all Puerto Ricans, I thank her for her leadership.

Great leaders like Senator Obama are defined by their visionary leadership but also by their willingness to listen to, and learn from, the voices of citizens. The four million Puerto Ricans on the Island, along with the our million across the U.S. mainland, are seeking such a leader as President. Senator Obama has answered our call, by hearing Puerto Ricans’ desire to advance our economic, social and political aspirations. I am proud to endorse Barack Obama for President.”

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 15th, 2008 at 9:09 pm and is filed under Barack Obama, Latin America, 2008 Presidential Race, Race & Ethnicity. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.