Puerto Rico Governor to endorse Obama

[Hope And Change]

Puerto Rico Governor to endorse Obama


February 13, 2008

Mike Allen passes on word that later this morning Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Governor Anibal Acevedo-Vila will announce his endorsement of Obama.

There are 63 delegates are at stake in the state, which is the last to vote on June 7.

Along with playing a role in Puerto Rico -- if we ever get there -- the planned endorsement is a boost for Obama with Latino voters, where his campaign thinks endorsements can really matter.

ALTHOUGH: A Vila downside: FBI probing his campaign finances.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0208/Puerto_Rico_Governor_to_endorse_Obama.html

[Barack_America]

1. Wow. That's very surprising. But very welcome! n/t

[woolldog]

7. Why is that surprising?

Because puerto rico is hispanic? Most puerto ricans are mixed and live in close social proximity to blacks and people of black descent and would have no problem voting for someone of mixed descent. There's a big difference between Carribean hispanics and mexican hispanics.

[Barack_America]

8. Because I hadn't heard anything about the Obama camp working on this...

And there were reports that the Clintons were going to focus on Puerto Rico, citing the close ties between NYC and PR.

[catgirl]

2. Great!

PR has 55 pledged delegates. Obama will do very well there.

[thevoiceofreason]

3. Another super-d

[cloudythescribbler]

4. don't forget -- Puerto Rico is NOT a state ...

Plenty of nationalists wouldn't be too happy to read that LOL!

At any rate, I don't know how well folk at DU remember how Clinton's tax plan of 1993, though generally progressive, among other things ROYALLY screwed Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico needs to have the investment and policy framework to make its independence more realistically economically viable as a matter of the substance of the principles of national self-determination; instead an increased tax burden (on Puerto Rico business) of billions was added.

I am sorry I am not more knowledgeable about the details concerning Puerto Rico & economic policy, but maybe some policy wonks here at DU would know more.

[Zero Division]

5. I wonder if this endorsement will lead to Obama taking all 63 delegates.

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_primaries_2008#Special_rules:_Puerto_Rico

Special rules: Puerto Rico

Journalists at several news outlets<48><49> have indicated that in the tradition of the island's party politics, Puerto Rico's 63 delegates will all be awarded to a single candidate and not necessarily follow the majority of the popular vote. This would give Puerto Rico Democratic Party leaders the greatest single influence in the 2008 primary, with a 50% bigger disparity than the California primary produced.<49> In contrast, the party's Delegate Selection Plan states that delegates are to be allocated in a manner similar to other state caucuses.<50>

[Adelante]

6. That's a surprise nt

[COFoothills]

9. Not mentioned is also the fact that...

...Puerto Rico has a WINNER TAKES ALL primary and not proportionate delegates.

So if you win by one vote, you get all the delegates.

Probably will never come down to the point where that matters, but it's big if it does. This thing *should* be over long before PR weighs in.

[mohc]

11. Only its not winner takes all

All Democratic primaries and caucuses are proportional, it is required. What some were suggesting was that because of Puerto Rico politics, the party bosses would set up their caucus so that only supporters of their chosen candidate would get any votes, and therefore make it winner take all. So if a candidate only wins by 1 vote, they will most likely be splitting the delegates in half. That being said, it has come out after these reports of party control that in fact Puerto Rico will have fair participation, so we can expect this race to be like all others.

[calico1]

10. Interesting...

I haven't lived there for years so I am not sure what the mood is down there among the Democrats. I will have to call my sister and find out what the mood is and how interested people are.

I can say this from having lived there: people there love politics but they can turn on a dime on a politician if they feel they have been screwed by them. So this could be good, bad or indifferent.

I did read the online edition of the popular newspaper there: elnueveodia.com and I get the feeling from what I read that the tradition is to award all 63 delegates to the winner.