With talk from the White House about Puerto Rico statehood leading to disaster, it’s worth noting that previous presidents, including Republicans, favored statehood or self-determination for Puerto Rico. Since Puerto Rico voters have chosen statehood in four democratic status votes, it is clear that the Island has already self-determined that statehood is the best status option. The video above clearly shows that the most popular Republican president since Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, wanted statehood for Puerto Rico. He says so himself, in so many words.
Republicans historically have supported statehood
So have Democrats. Both party platforms have favored either statehood or the resolution of the status issue according to the preference of the voters of Puerto Rico. President Trump himself said this when he was campaigning.
Now, Republicans frequently make negative statements about statehood for Puerto Rico.
What has changed?
Apparently, the Republican Party is convinced that they will not be able to appeal to Puerto Rico voters. Senator Ted Cruz said otherwise in a recent podcast, mentioning that Puerto Rico has voted for Republicans — including, though he didn’t mention this — the current governor. “The Democrats assume Puerto Rico will elect two Democrat senators,” he said. “If Puerto Rico became a state, we [the Republicans] would fight and vigorously contest it.” He went on to say that Democrats “are racist…They believe all Hispanics must be Democrats.”
Some Republicans seem to think this, too. In fact, political parties in Puerto Rico are not the same as the national parties. When Puerto Rico becomes a state, both national parties will need to explain their positions and how a vote for their candidates will improve life for people in Puerto Rico.
They could do that right now. Just as Puerto Rico is preparing for statehood, stateside politicians could prepare for millions of new voters with open minds. If Reagan wanted statehood for Puerto Rico, why shouldn’t Republicans today? Are your legislators Republicans? If so, why not ask them yourself?
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