Puerto Rico Referendum - Divided

Puerto Rico Referendum Approves U.S. Statehood for 
1st Time, But Results Show Divided Views
Amy Goodman
Guest: Juan Gonzalez
Democracy Now!
November 8, 2012
http://www.democracynow.org/2012/11/8/puerto_rico_referendum_approves_us_statehood

For the first time in Puerto Rico's history, a majority
of the island's voters have supported a non-binding
referendum to become a full U.S. state. The measure will
require approval from the U.S. Congress, but President
Obama has said he will respect the vote. Obama made the
same promise last year when he visited the island,
becoming the first sitting U.S. president in half a
century to do so. If Puerto Rico becomes the 51st state,
its residents will have the right to vote in all U.S.
elections, but will also have to start to pay federal
taxes. We speak to Juan González, Democracy Now! co-host
and New York Daily News columnist.

AMY GOODMAN: Democracy Now! co-host Juan González is
home, recuperating from back surgery. Juan, I wanted to
ask you about Puerto Rico. For the first time in Puerto
Rico's history, a majority of the island's voters
supported a non-binding referendum to become a full U.S.
state, the measure requiring approval from the U.S.
Congress, but President Obama has said he will respect
the vote. He made the same promise last year when he
visited the island, become the first sitting U.S.
president in half a century to do so.


   PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Because when I ran for
   president, I promised to include Puerto Rico, not
   just on my itinerary, but also in my vision of where
   our country needs to go. And I'm proud to say that
   we've kept that promise, too. First of all, we've
   addressed the question of political status. In
   March, a report from our Presidential Task Force on
   Puerto Rican Status provided a meaningful way
   forward on this question, so that the residents of
   the island can determine their own future. And when
   the people of Puerto Rico make a clear decision, my
   administration will stand by you.

AMY GOODMAN: That was President Obama speaking in Puerto
Rico last year. Juan González, talk about the
significance of the vote that took place and what
President Obama has said about respecting the vote.

JUAN GONZALEZ: Well, I think that the significance is
that Puerto Rico is still grappling with its status as
a-as the last major colony of the United States, but-and
this referendum is just another step along the road, but
it's not quite as clear-cut as the press reports are
making it out to be. You know, Puerto Rico has a very
convoluted relationship politically with the United
States, and so the parties there operate a little
differently.

First of all, the amazing thing that-once again, record
turnouts in Puerto Rico: 85 percent of the people voted,
much higher than in the United States. And for those of
you who worry about long lines, in Puerto Rico, the day
before the election is a holiday, the day of the
election is a holiday, and the day after the election is
a holiday. So it's a three-day holiday, election time,
in Puerto Rico, so it gives people plenty of time to
organize and turn out their votes.

But the results here on the referendum are double-edged.
On the one hand, the referendum was in two stages this
time. This was not authorized by Congress. This is, in
essence, a preference vote of the people of Puerto Rico,
sending a message to Congress, but Congress has no
responsibility to abide by it in any way. The first part
of the amendment said, "Are you satisfied with the
current status, or do you want a change in status?" And
in that part of the-in that part, the change-those who
wanted the change won decisively, and 900,000 people,
about 54 percent of those who were voting, said that
they wanted a-they were not satisfied with the current
status.

But then, there was a second stage, which said, "Which
status would you prefer?" And there were-in essence, the
choices were statehood, which has always been a choice
on these referendums, a new definition called free-a
"sovereign free associated state," and not the
commonwealth that now exists, but some nebulous new
entity called "sovereign free associated state," or
independence. So there were three choices. And you had
about 800,000 people voted for statehood, and 437,000
voted for this free associated sovereign state, but
another 468,000 cast blank ballots, and then you had
72,000 voted for independence. So when the reports are
telling you that statehood won, statehood won a majority
of those who cast a choice, but there was a huge number
who voted no, because the Commonwealth Party, the
existing Commonwealth Party in Puerto Rico, opposed the
way that the pro-statehood governor had prepared the
referendum, and so it urged its members to cast blank
ballots. So there were actually four choices that were
made there. There was those who went for statehood,
those who went for the new free associated republic-or,
I'm sorry, free associated state with sovereignty, those
who went for the old commonwealth, and those who went
for independence. So, the independence people-I mean,
the statehood people say, for the first time, statehood
has gotten a majority in any of these referendums, but
the-those on the other side say, no, when you add up
free associated states, the blank ballots and
[inaudible], they overwhelmingly defeated statehood.