In its purest form, politics is all about taking risks. Without taking risks, you can’t impact change. This past Sunday in Puerto Rico, Governor Luis Fortuño and the rest of the island’s New Progressive Party took a risk. They lost. Big time.
At the same time, Fortuño’s opponent in the upcoming November elections for governor, Alejandro García Padilla of the Popular Democratic Party, tried to play it safe and really didn’t take a risk. He lost as well.
So much can be said about the surprising results in Sunday’s vote that asked Puerto Ricans to consider two changes to its Constitution: one referendum that would “have reduced have reduced the size of the U.S. territory’s legislature” and another that would have “given judges the right to deny bail in certain murder cases.” Both YES votes were leading by wide margins in the pre-voting polls, according to El Nuevo Día, yet when the results were official on Sunday evening, the NO votes had won: 54%-46% against the legislative change and 55%-45% against the bail measure.
Fortuño and the rest of pro-statehood PNP had pushed hard to get YES votes in both measures. The legislative reform, if it passed, would have given Fortuño a huge boost in his “small government” philosophy and he would have been hailed as a conservative hero at next week’s Republican National Convention in Tampa, where he will be a featured speaker. The bail reform would have been seen as another accomplishment of Fortuño’s plan to reduce violent crime on the island, which saw 1,117 murders last year and has become victim to a growing drug trade.
García Padilla, who is currently leading Fortuño by 5 points in the latest polls for governor, also favored a double YES vote, and it is clear that in his mind he was making a calculated political bet, since all the mainstream pre-election polling on the measures showed both measures passing. García Padilla played it safe, perhaps too safe, since if he had the courage and know-how to read where the island’s voters were going to vote on the issue, there is no doubt that if he had favored a double NO vote (like many of his PPD colleagues), his quest to become the island’s newest governor would have been a slam dunk.
In the end, this surprise result was all about Puerto Ricans and how the message to vote NO twice spread throughout the island, particularly in social media, where tweets, posts, emails, videos, and shares calling for two NO votes took a life of their own. The push to vote NO had everything to do with the rights granted in Puerto Rico’s Constitution and how those rights still mattered. When I spoke about this vote last month on NPR, I always felt that the Fortuño administration and the two major parties pushing for YES votes were just window dressing and not really attacking the island’s real problems.
These two leaders literally did not see Sunday’s results coming, and that is a good thing. Politicians tend to get comfortable and lose focus. And maybe the vote still does matter.
Sunday night, Fortuño downplayed his losses, especially the one on legislative reform (he said very little, if nothing about it), and focused instead on fighting the good fight and standing behind the victims who have lost loved ones to violent crime. That is admirable. However, it is still ironic.
Fortuño’s push to limit rights of all citizens, even after changes to the island’s penal code were seen by some as unconstitutional, is a bit like the United States’s struggle over gun control. Fortuño the conservative was trying to limit people’s constitutional rights in the name of public order and safety. Was a new bail measure an effective deterrent? Or is a more serious debate about the reasons why crime is still major concern in Puerto Rico still needed? Maybe this vote will force the Fortuños and the García Padillas of the world to stop looking at band-aid solutions and start looking at ways to transform the island into a new chapter. I can only hope.
So in the end, where does Fortuño go from here? Does he even have a political future in Puerto Rico? My guess is no. He is probably already thinking of how he can position himself in the US as an “up and coming” Latino conservative, since the risk he took did not play out. Fortuño will be speaking at the RNC, a defeated politician who had to take a gamble if he was serious of winning a second term. He might be able to gain some points with a new unfamiliar audience who will see him as a rising star of the GOP, but on the island he is now seen as a loser.
As for García Padilla, the only thing he has going for himself is that he is not Fortuño, and unless a wave of change sweeps through Puerto Rico in the next three months before the November election and the other political parties who benefited from Sunday’s results (like the island’s independence party) win more hearts and minds, García Padilla will become the island’s new governor. Maybe this past Sunday might be the political lesson he needed to pass to make sure he learns to lead and not just be safe, since right now, the island needs leadership that still take risks. But they better take them for the right reasons.
Copia de carta enviada al Editor El Nuevo Dia:
20 de agosto de 2012
Referencia: Editorial 20 de agosto de 2012
Sr. Luis Alberto Ferré Rangel
Editor., El Nuevo Día
Parque Industrial Amelia
San Juan, PR 00920
Apreciado Señor Ferré Rangel,
Estoy de acuerdo con vuestra postura editorial de hoy. El miedo ha sido derrotado. Nos toca a todos los puertorriqueños ahora continuar proveyendo ideas para resolver los problemas de criminalidad que azotan nuestra isla. A ese haber estoy muy de acuerdo con vos de que la ley y el orden necesitan ser totalmente independientes del sistema político-partidista que impera en la isla. ¡Es imperativo! La policía necesita mejoras en términos de educación en cuanto a las leyes y procedimientos que les asegure una buena relación con la comunidad. Esto lo ha habido en el pasado y creo firmemente que se puede lograr hoy y en el futuro inmediato. Una mejor remuneración económica también debe de ser establecida por el Ejecutivo, en especial para los policías que están en la calle día a día, sudando para y por las comunidades. Un sistema de promoción basado en el merito, en medición de efectividad policial (parámetro de producción) que sea fiscalizado por entidades de la comunidad. Las herramientas técnicas que necesitan los agentes del orden publico deben ser prioridad numero uno. Ser policía debe, y en mi opinión es, a la par de ser maestro, medico, ingeniero, o abogado. Las razónes por la cual hay corrupción en la fuerza policial es la falta de entrenamiento, en especial sobre derechos civiles, la falta de remuneración económica, la politización de la fuerza y la falta de fiscalización.
¿Cómo podemos resolver la criminalidad? De primer orden esta la educación. Un pueblo enajenado no puede “echar pa’lante”. ¿Por qué voy a estudiar si luego no consigo trabajo? O el trabajo que obtengo no tiene nada que ver con lo que estudie y solo lo consigo si tengo “una pala, ¡por que el que tiene padrino hasta con alcoholado se bautiza!” Es una pena decir que el producto que mas exporta Puerto Rico es el celebro, las mentes de los puertorriqueños que hastiados de la criminalidad, la falta de empleo, y la politización de todas las instituciones del país se ven obligados a emigrar hacia otros lugares. Podemos y debemos de crear empleos en la isla. Empleos que se provean sin la necesidad del “padrinaje” (que dicho sea de paso nos da sabor a mafia). Que sea más fácil conseguir empleo que dedicarse a la criminalidad. Debe haber mano dura contra la criminalidad, en especial contra el criminal habitual.
La criminalidad debe ser atacada sin el “Ay, Bendito” que hemos hecho famoso. Los testigos son amenazados y tienen miedo, por que el estado no provee protección. Debe haber protección especialmente cuando el acusado ya tiene historial delictivo. ¿Por qué ningún político de PR se muda al caserío, o la zona de mayor incidencia criminal? ¡Por que tienen miedo! Pero creo que en los caseríos o zona de alta incidencia criminal hay personas decentes y respetuosas de la ley, que al estar enajenadas por el sistema político, no tienen otra que apoyar al criminal indirectamente, para sobrevivir, pues son seres humanos que quieren vivir. Esto sigue creando más criminalidad. Es más fácil ser gatillero que ser un maestro, policía, ingeniero, etc. Y para ser criminal no hace falta padrino sino dedicarse a hacer actos criminales. Especialmente los jóvenes, pues lo que ven es que tengo automóvil, mujeres u hombres, dinero fácil, armas, etc. Debemos de dedicar tiempo a todos los niños y jóvenes, especialmente en áreas que se sabe hay alta incidencia criminal. Programas de desvío que muestren que se puede llagar lejos con una buena educación positiva. En esto hay muchos que estaríamos dispuestos a invertir tiempo y dinero, pues la próxima generación necesita y es imprescindible que tenga opciones positivas.
Nuestra legislatura deja mucho que desear. No es achicarla para hacer el proceso más pernicioso en términos de representación minoritaria. Es que esa reducción debe de ir acompañada por una reducción total a la remuneración de los legisladores. Debe haber mayor fiscalización de los legisladores y si no están dispuestos a aceptar esa fiscalización, pues que no se postulen a cargos gubernamentales. Los legisladores deberían de tener términos de no más de tres elecciones consecutivas. Los gobernadores deben de tener no más de dos términos. Necesitamos personas nuevas, con ideas, quizás no necesariamente nuevas pero con perspectivas diferentes. Los legisladores NO deben de recibir salario, mas dietas, más apropiación para auto, cenas de manjares que el pueblo no puede pagar, etc. Si se postulan deben de saber que es una posición para el bien del país no de su bolsillo. Lo único que deberían de devengar en cuanto a lo económico es el costo del almuerzo o comida mientras la legislatura esta reunida pare el propósito de legislar. ¡La satisfacción primordial debe ser hacer de Puerto Rico la mejor isla del Caribe!
And exactly where in the constitution does it say a defendant has the right to be given bail in all circumstances? Judges have the power to decide whether bail is appropriate or not, and how much the bail should be. It would not be unrealistic to assume Judges would fear for their own safety if they refused bail to a defendant who has strong ties to crime organizations. The law would have taken this responsibility out of Judges hands in certain heinous crimes only, thereby protecting both Judges and families of victims from threats. Obviously, most of the voters who voted no were told it was in violation of someones constitutional rights. All I can say is thank you founding fathers for establishing the Electoral College when voting for the President.
As for voting no to decreasing the number of representatives in government, another sad day for PRican tax payers. Does an island the size of Puerto Rico really need 78 municipalities with a representative from each one? I just don’t think so. The money saved could have served a far better purpose instead of just another argumentative representative who only is concerned for his AOR (Area of Responsibility) and not the good of the entire island. Sad.
But only you Julito see this as a victory for your side. “Let’s get rid of the nose to spite the face” mentality only serves to divide, not unite people.
Right, that is exactly what happened. Ad buys and money poured into the YES and no ads were spent on the NO vote just social media. Your argument sounds like you are criticizing the intelligence of the PRican voter. This was clearly a vote against Fortuño. He doesn’t stand a chance in November unless he pulls off a miracle.
It’s not the voters intelligence that is in question, but rather the time the voters spend getting informed on the issues before going to vote. This is exactly what concerned the founding fathers when they decided to go with the Electoral College voting method when voting for the President.
Most polling agencies are experienced professionals who usually get the stats within a +/- 2% margin of error. To be so far off as this vote was merits an investigation by the FBI for possible voter fraud.
“Both YES votes were leading by wide margins in the pre-voting polls, according to El Nuevo Día.”
“The push to vote NO had everything to do with the rights granted in Puerto Rico’s Constitution and how those rights still mattered.” Julito
Please show me where in the Constitution it grants exactly 78 municipalities, and every defendant is entitled to bail. Every defendant is entitled to a bail hearing, but that is all. I know you are intelligent, but are you truly informed?
In the US, there are 437 Representatives in both the House and Senate. The total US population is 314,213,931 million as of August 2012. So…
314,213,931 divided by 437=719,019 people are represented by one elected official.
Here in Puerto Rico there are a total of 78 Representatives. 51 in the House and 27 in the Senate with a population of about 4 million people. So…
4,000,000 divided by 78=51,282 people are represented by one elected official.
We could cut down Puerto Rico’s representatives to 39 and still each representative would represent only about 100,000 people.
And you are using the US Congress as a model? LOL. I would argue that US Congress is too small and does not represent the 314 million people well. It’s all good. I don’t agree with you. Here’s to 51,000 people being represented by one representative each. Not a bad ratio. This is not how you reform government. Nonetheless, the vote was taken and PRico decided. Even the Gov respected the will of the people.
You are looking at just a moment’s snap shot in time with the US Congress. Yes the US Congress has become very divided as of late. America is at a crossroads trying to decide to move to the right towards capitalism or to the left towards socialism.
The fact is Congress has represented the people with 437 members since Alaska became the 50th state and has done so quite effectively.
I really think in light of our debt issues here in PRico, we could do with less representatives and spend the money getting things done rather than just spend all day listening to 78 blow hards talk about getting things done.
But since you are a socialist at heart I can understand your commitment to a large, bloated government. And after all, you do not pay taxes here either so it’s easy for you to be so flippant about the issues here.
P.Rico que pena me da con tigo, Se tiraron la soga de Haorque ustedes mismo.. May God be with you ..
First of all people cannot understanding of the suffering of the Puerto Rican people. They are just and loved very much. But I believe that Puerto Rican’s have to start making laws that benefit the people, firm laws. In order to battle the crime there must be justice for the Puerto Rican’s. The closest justice I can foresee is that we decide our future what ever it is going to be. Good for some and bad for others. Some people work and get the best opportunities where other’s are suffering because there are no opportunities. If so many Puerto Rican’s have left the island throughout the years looking for a better life then that means in Puerto Rico there has been no justice for them. Then the best solution is Statehood. Enough with the land and enough being second. The land belongs to God he lends it to us. If we cannot learn to be just with our own people then how do you expect any kind of progress. Enough with some people getting opportunities. All the Puerto Ricans should be able to be treated fairly and equally. Our only solution is to become a state unless all the rich people, and the people who make laws start doing something for the people of Puerto Rico. You have our life in our hands, enough of the crying and bickering get to work if you have something to offer and if not stop the crap.
The US Congress is not making PRico’s status a priority and the November plebiscite is still non-binding. I believe that the US where it is politically right now would never allow for Puerto Rico to become a state so when will the island wake up and demand a resolution? Thanks for the comment.
Three past referendums, three majority votes for Commonwealth. The fourth this November will again be a majority vote for the status quo. And that is what Puerto Rico will continue to have. Sounds like Congress has made each referendum binding. What I don’t understand is why we continue to have referendums? Isn’t it like redrawing the line in the sand?
what porto rico need to do right away is get the god dam merder under control,criminle geting right ar you kidding me, what a but the right of victem, if merder is not control,then hard working porto rikin, is going to move the hell out of PR.