The Luis Fortuño GOP VP Campaign Train is buzzing along, and The Huffington Post is the latest US media outlet to join on this bizarre public relations campaign to promote Puerto Rico’s Republican governor.
In a HuffPost piece entitled A Republican Primer on Latino Voters by Gretchen Sierra-Zorita of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, the author addresses the ever-burning question of how the GOP can attract more Latino voters in the 2012 election. After the necessary disclaimer that current GOP possibilities like Marco Rubio and Susana Martínez would not make good choices for the GOP because of their anti-immigration rhetoric, Sierra-Zorita gets to the meat of the article and perhaps the main reason she wrote it: to inaccurately paint Puerto Ricans as the least vocal group about immigration and to promote Fortuño as a realistic VP option.
The author begins with her thesis:
Third, enlisting a Hispanic vice president could improve Republican chances of expanding their Latino base but only at the margin. Among the possible candidates, Governor Fortuño stands the better chance of winning over new voters.
Her reasons? Reason #1: Puerto Ricans are the most likely Latino group to vote for their own native son. She writes:
There are 4.6 million Puerto Ricans residing in the mainland. For them, immigration reform is a preference but not a priority because Puerto Ricans are born U.S. citizens. They mostly trend Democrat, but they would give the Republican ticket a second look if they saw a Puerto Rican in it.
Once again, the misperception of Puerto Ricans as being insensitive and ignorant towards immigration issues has propped its ugly head. We thought we had addressed this over the summer when the founder of The Tequila Party showed her lack of education about Puerto Rican history and how Puerto Ricans were a source of cheap migrant labor in United States ever since citizenship was imposed on Puerto Ricans in 1917. But it appears that Sierra-Zorita needs a quick lesson in Puerto Rican history, so we invite her to become a follower of this blog or just follow us on Twitter and we will keep her informed.
Nonetheless, facts and history aside, we know very few Puerto Ricans who think immigration injustice is NOT a critical issue in this country. In fact, some could argue that certain Puerto Ricans are at the forefront of the national debate.
Just ask Illinois Congressman and Puerto Rican Luis Gutierrez, who has been one of the country’s most consistent and effective voices when it comes to comprehensive immigration reform. Or ask the Rev. Sam Rodríguez, one of the country’s most influential Christian ministers and a Puerto Rican, who spearheaded a national pledge asking that all political candidates cease the negative rhetoric immigration.
So, Puerto Ricans DO care about immigration, and to imply that Puerto Ricans would be the first to vote Republican because they would easily trade in that issue before say, a Mexican American voter, is irresponsible and inaccurate.
On to Exhibit B, the Disneyrican defense. Sierra-Zorita writes:
The 848,000 Puerto Ricans who live in Florida, popularly known as Disneyricans, might be more receptive to a conservative pitch from Governor Fortuño. Disneyricans are considered independents, having voted for Obama in 2008 and for Rubio in 2010. Over 40 percent of them moved from Puerto Rico during the last decade, primarily for economic reasons.
This paragraph is so wrong on so many levels. We offer these two observations:
The term Disneyrican is an invented media term that refers to the new migration of Puerto Ricans on the island to Central Florida in the last 10 years, specifically Orlando. This population is younger, more professional, more educated and quite likely left Fortuño’s Puerto Rico in the last three years because there were no jobs on the island, the island’s crime rate was spiraling, and the island’s standard of living was awful. Is there a correlation between a declining population on the island and a Republican governor whose policies have led to a stagnant economy that is being compared to Greece? Maybe so, and we believe the chances of these new Florida residents voting for Fortuño as VP are minimal to say the least. And we are being nice about that assessment.
Sticking to the term Disneyrican, we would like to ask the HuffPost and Sierra-Zorita, who claims that this terms is a “popular” term, to name the other media outlets in the US (besides the HuffPost) that use the term Disneyrican to describe Puerto Ricans living in Florida? Very few articles, even in Spanish-language media, use this term.
As someone who actually has Puerto Rican family members and friends who live in Central Florida, I don’t hear people refer themselves as Disneyricans with boricua pride. This is just a classic case of a media outlet trying to create an invented sound bite buzz word to try and box a voting bloc. Sierra-Zorita should have known better, especially when earlier in the piece, she says herself that Latino voters are not one-dimensional.
Puerto Rican Republican Governor Luis Fortuño
Finally, Sierra-Zorita shows her complete ignorance about the US Constitution when she writes the following:
Ironically, as governor of a U.S. territory, Fortuño is the ultimate outsider and unlikely to be nominated. If he were, he may have an edge over Marco Rubio who, as a Latino, mostly appeals to the Cuban Americans who are already part of the Republican base.
Yes, Fortuño is the ultimate outsider, so much so, that he couldn’t even vote for himself right now! Does Sierra-Zorita not realize that if Fortuño were to run, he would have to change his residency from the island to a mainland address (Virginia, most likely, where he used to lived) because right now, Fortuño can’t vote for President because he lives in Puerto Rico? How would the GOP explain that one to its base, the same base that once questioned the citizenship of President Obama? That is a hornet’s nest waiting to happen, and it makes no sense for any GOP leader to even think of this possibility.
But nonetheless, Sierra-Zorita shouldn’t be blamed for her lack of political knowledge when it comes to Puerto Rican politics. Her previous HuffPost piece was claiming that some obscure Puerto Rican investment bill would turn the vast majority of Disneyricans over to the GOP column. The GOP would win the Disneyrican vote, of that is no doubt, she argued. We respectfully disagree. Obscure bills that have done nothing to help the island’s situation will curry very little support in the end.
The GOP could win more of the Disneyrican, Newyorican, and Puerto Rican vote when it starts treating them as voters and respecting them. Leave the pandering, silly sound bites, and public relation campaigns to the pundits. You can get better advice just by paying attention to the realities that are happening in Puerto Rico and how most Puerto Ricans we know deeply care for the island to heal and for the POLITIQUERÍA to end.
Franky Benítez 
Not all PuertoRicans think the same!
Agreed!
Wow, just wow. Gretchen really doesn’t know or understand the Puerto Rican community here in the States. Speaking as a boricua who’s been living in Chicago for the last 20+ years I can assure her that Puerto Ricans here do not go out and vote en masse. They don’t. Of a community of over (and I may be lowballing the number here), 200,000+, only about 10,000 turn out to vote in any and all elections, including municipal ones (and remember, Chicago being the segregated city that it still is, you can pretty much identify where the Puerto Rican enclaves are and from there what their voting patterns are). So, right there, strike one. (I’m really curious about voter turnout in other Puerto Rican communities in the States. Are they as low as Chicago’s? If so, Fortuño as VP may amount to nothing for Republicans.)
Now, while I think that a siginificant number of Puerto Ricans have moved to Florida (and elsewhere) no thanks to the island’s dire situation in the last three-four years, the Puerto Rican presence in Orlando predates the Fortuño government and do offer a far more complex picture than that painted by this woman. They all left the island for the same reasons: the dire economy, a collapse of all social and educational structures, crime…in other words, citizens who are not happy with the way things have been run in the island for the last two decades and who have turned Orlando into one of the largest, most diverse Puerto Rican enclaves in the country.
Disneyricans…huh, I wonder what she would call Chicago Puerto Ricans. Windyricans?
LOL CubbieRicans? Great points. Thanks for adding to the dialogue!
very true, besides he is making campaign for re-election! I just hope that people will not fall again!
My theory is that Gov Fortuño is “testing the waters” about the VP since he knows he can’t win in Puerto Rico the re-election for Governor.
Once again a person who knows nothing about what is happening on the island trying to grab attention with FoolTuño.
I am convinced that the Fortuño has hired a Public Relations firm since these Luis for VP posts are not going away.
Great article. Huff is more and more appealing to right wing corporate culture. They are expanding and need the cash ads bring in…
They definitely have lost some of their credibility. No wonder Politico is gaining more momentum.
I’m a bit fired up so I’ll make it short but I hate this condescending bull-sh-t, no matter where it comes from, hope this young lady isn’t Boricua, I’d give her some slack for her ignorance.. It’s the first I hear the term “disneyrican” wtf!!!
What are we jesters!.. You know what they say, “If you say something long enough it’ll stick” We must put a stop to this, Now!! ..We came to the mainland and open doors, at times were even door mats for every latino after us, and we didn’t use the excuse of running from the boogie-man (Rubio) .. As you mentioned the Boricuas settling in Olando Fl. are more educated, Ms. Sierra-Zorita would be enhencing her knowledge on her subject matter if she jumped out the box she landed on Disney and walked south to The Kennedy Space Center: RicanSpaceSetters!
http://centropr.hunter.cuny.edu/voices/en-los-barrios/la-florida/kennedy-space-center
LOVE THIS RESPONSE!!!!!
*Orlando .. 😉
🙂
I hate that term. I find it offensive, demeaning, ignorant and irresponsible. The media continues to attack the humanity of Puerto Ricans and it should not be tolerated. Cartooning Puertoricans trivializes our identity and issues that effect us.
Agreed with your assessment, since you are a boricua living in Florida.
There seems to be no limit to the ignorance shown when political pundits (and many marketers) try to pigeonhole Latinos. As a Cuban-American I should add that Sierra-Zorita’s assessment of Cubanos as monolithic GOP supporters is also quickly becoming a myth. A growing number of recent arrivals from Cuba who travel back and forth to the island are challenging that hardline cornerstone of Cuba-US relations, the embargo. This younger, less dogmatic Cuban group will not reflexively vote Republican like the first-gen exiles.
Thank you Raúl, for making that point, I kind of overlooked it because I couldn’t get past the ignorance about Puerto Ricans. It is sad to think that politicians and pundits try to offer “expertise” about how a group of people behave. That is where political parties are making mistakes. Also, I am very disappointed that we are getting this type of misinformation by members of National Latino organizations. I can see it from Roger Stone, but it is sad to see it come from your own.
I am a Community Organizer in Orlando, my title now Policy consultant. My job is to get the Latino and African American communities involved in changing the policies that have oppressed them in Florida (Like the new Voting Laws). I can tell you that we have a Republican Governor in this state that is a totalitarian and down right racist!!! So my apologies to the Governor of Puerto Rico, but we Disney Ricans (as the writer put it) want nothing to do with political figures who have helped those in your party drive a wedge between the people of FLORIDA.
Jerry, thank you so much for adding your perspective on this. Good luck in your efforts!!!!
Fist off all not all counties in Florida need id’s to vote, there have been some voting changes county by county by the current administration. I have friends who are republican puerto ricans and democrats, which is great because that is what makes this country great, the ability to choose a political party. But when the rules on voting our being drastically changed to favor a certain party, that where we have to draw the line. Please dont use thena argument off Democrats complaining or whining, because they can use thena argument that thena other side has to reduce to passing semi unconstitutional laws to win elections.
Funny because I do live here in Puerto Rico and phrases like” Newyoricans” are used by Puerto Rican’s here on the island who look at Puerto Ricans who deserted and went to the mainland as outcasts. Puerto Ricans are extremely brutal to each other with the name calling. But of course it’s ok if family picks on each other but lord help the outsiders who do. There is a name for this kind of behavior; it’s called “clanish.” You truly have to be an outsider to see it.
The whole Newyorican vs islander thing is stupid as well.
Would someone please clue Jerry in about the requirement here in Puerto Rico to vote, as in we have ID cards with a picture. But amazingly I have not heard one complaint here about having to get it. Only took me 15 minutes to register and get the ID. People in general are becoming such whiners. Trust me, you think you have something to whine about now? Just wait a few years when the US and global economy crashes. Enjoy it while you can because all of the money trees will soon be dead. Thank you, all you parents for thinking about your children’s and their children’s future.
Jerry is talking about Florida, not Puerto Rico. Laws are different there.
I do know he is talking about Florida Julito. The democrats are complaining about having to get ID cards to vote. They are saying it is confusing lot’s of people, especially democrats it seems, and this makes it harder for them to vote. They think this is some kind of conspiracy by the republicans to prevent democrats from voting. Almost as amusing as Chaves claiming the US is somehow causing leaders of Caribbean and South Americans countries to get stricken with cancer. And like Castro accusing the US of some how manipulating the weather to cause hurricanes. Ooooookaaay!
I don’t buy your argument 100%. There is a middle here.
I’m was not selling an argument Julito. Just presenting some facts. And a little Latin humor provided by Chavez and Castro.
Ha! Love it!
Well we both know Jerry that politics and voting are a lot like arm wrestling. With arm wrestling it’s not about the strength in ones arm but more about the hand grip that is acquired seconds before the arm movement is made to secure the win. The laws for voting is the hand grip, and both parties try to gain an advantage before the elections. Do you know what a “safe district” is? It’s when a party in power redraws district lines that encompasses a majority of either democrats or republicans. This guarantees a win for that party every election cycle. All parties are doing this, and I am sure it is happening in Florida. I know you would be filing a complaint if the Republicans were doing this in the district you live in. But would you also complain if your own party was doing it in your district? Some how I think not. By the way, did you happen to catch the news concerning the average income our elected officials have been receiving for the past 20 years compared to the average workers wage? Now there’s equality. Do you really think those elected officials give a crap about you and me?! So go ahead, keep on rounding up the sheep, I mean, organizing the people to vote another crook into office, and then pat yourself on the back for a job well done.
Here is an article from CNN concerning voting in the 50 US states. Politics are just down right nasty. In the end voters usually just end up with the candidate party bosses determine for us.
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/29/opinion/avlon-ballot-access/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn
Here is an article from CNN concerning voter ID. It’s seems only democrats have a problem with voters getting ID’s. Hmmm, I wonder why. Well this article hits on what might be the reason. Golly gee willy winkers, I am so shocked.
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/31/opinion/priebus-voter-fraud-laws/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn