What is going on here? Has the Luis Fortuño love for Mitt Romney gone sour?
Really, Luis? That is how you treat a friend?
Just last month, the pro-statehood and Republican governor Fortuño traveled to Florida during the height of the Sunshine State’s GOP primary to endorse Mitt Romney. This week, with Republicans now campaigning in Puerto Rico for a March 18 primary (yes, in Puerto Rico, you can vote in primaries but you can’t vote in the national November elections), Fortuño held a meeting with Santorum today. Huh?
This is what happened today in San Juan at La Fortaleza, according to El Nuevo Día (original report is in Spanish, and we have provided a rough translation of the quotes), after Santorum met with Fortuño (press access was limited):
- Santorum assured that he would support statehood for Puerto Rico if the Puerto Rican people chose that option in November’s plebiscite and he is elected President. “It is the responsibility of a U.S. President to hear the voice of all Americans, including the territories,” Santorum said. “Puerto Rico is a very important part of the United States and I will take the responsibility to represent all Americans.”
- Santorum also talked about how he is good friends with Fortuño, since they both attended the same church in the Washington DC area. Santorum said that he was a key player in bringing Medicare to the island and that he has a good relationship with the current Resident Commissioner, Pedro Pierluisi (a Democrat) as well as Pedro Roselló, an ex-governor of Puerto Rico and a pro-statehooder.
- When he was questioned about Fortuño’s endorsement of Romney, Santorum said that said many other governor have done the same. Santorum will visit several churches on the island and also meet with other pro-statehood leaders, including Jennifer González and Thomas Rivera Schatz.
- END also confirmed that Romney will visit the island later this week and that Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich are considering visits.
Maybe Romney will have some words for Fortuño. Like, hey, dude, why you dissing me?
As for Santorum, his position is clear: you want to be a state, Puerto Rico? English has to be the primary language. Sorry.
Solo son problemas de el capitalismo…la moral, el honor ,el patriotismo la fidelidad entre otras muchas cosas se venden al mejor postor, asi es que no me sorprende la actitud de Fortuño
Es triste
We should not be naïve and surprised by candidate Santorum visit to Gov. Fortuño. After all, as stated by the candidate, they are “good friends.” They are members of the Republican Party and therefore and as such have affinity in their political views. What we should realize is the clear statement about English, and therefore our cultural experience, if Puerto Rico chooses statehood. Let me play “devil’s advocate” by arguing that for the most part, our cultural experience, in terms of being Hispanics, has already been lost. Even our “Spanish” language uses so many Anglicism’s that when speaking with other Hispanics is hard for them to understand us and vice versa. We also share more in common with Continental citizens than with our neighbors to the west and south. Obviously this is a result of being a colony of the Empire for 114 years (on July 25, 2012). We use all the Empire’s resources and know-how to advance in the Empire. Also, we depend on the Empire for our survival. How could we change this situation? I believe the first step is realizing that we must stop the dependency on the Empire. Accept responsibility for working out of the dependency and, to quote a commercial, just do it