"My belief is that Puerto Ricans should have a right to self-determination ... I have long been a supporter of statehood," Bush said. "I believe that full citizenship and all the rights and responsibilities that go along with full citizenship is the proper place."
Sounds nice, right?
Except that, with deeper inspection, it’s really not.
For starters, Bush went on to say that Puerto Rico needs to solve its economic woes, which was created in large part because of the U.S., in order for the mainland to consider statehood. Congress, however, hasn’t gotten the memo, as it has repeatedly shown a lack of interest in the topic, making Bush’s talk seem more like empty promises.
Even more, Puerto Ricans overwhelmingly don’t want to be the 51st state.
Since the U.S. first colonized the Caribbean island in 1898, Puerto Ricans have held referendums to voice their thoughts on the island's political status. Since then, islanders have repeatedly voted against statehood.
In 2012's two-part status referendum, statehood received the largest share of votes it has ever had. But, as the Huffington Post pointed out then, that doesn’t mean it was the majority vote, despite how mainstream media spun the news.
The 2012 referendum consisted of two questions. The first one asked voters if they wanted to keep their current U.S. commonwealth status. Fifty-two percent of voters said no. The second question then asked if voters wanted to become a U.S. state, an independent country or a freely associated state. Sixty-one percent of those who answered the second question chose statehood.
While that, at first glance, seems like a majority, it’s really not. That’s because most Puerto Ricans – 470,000, or 65 percent – intentionally did not respond to the final question. In fact, only 45 percent of those casting ballots in 2012 supported statehood.Furthermore, that same year, Puerto Ricans expressed their anti-statehood views in another way: by voting pro-statehood governor Luis Fortuño out of office.
Bush is serving up Puerto Ricans the same load of BS he’s been offering DREAMers for a while, a group he says he supports, though his policies and condescending interactions with DREAMers share otherwise.
PLUS: Jeb Bush's 'Pro-Latino' Stance Questioned When DREAMer Asks About DACA
Though throwing around Spanish phrases and parading his Mexican wife and half-Latino children around as political props, Bush’s anti-DACA policies, out-of-touch views and patronizing remarks prove to be anything but pro-Latino, again.
Corbis
Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush is using his Spanish-speaking skills to appeal to the Latino community again, this time taking to my hometown in Orlando, Fla. to tell its large Puerto Rican population that he wants statehood for the island.
By Raquel Reichard
Jeb Bush is Declaring His Support for Puerto Rico's Statehood
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