Simply put, “she knows us better”. When it comes to working class voters, like those that Clinton spoke to in Puerto Rico, it is the same as we have seen with voters in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and West Virginia. They feel like she understands their concerns. They believe that as President, Hillary will be a voice for them. They believe that she has a specific plan to make their lives better, not just empty slogans promising hope and change. Hillary Clinton spoke directly to the concerns of many Puerto Ricans:
“Vamos a votar por ella porque, cuando su esposo fue presidente, ella tuvo la oportunidad de conocernos. Ella nos conoce mejor, el otro va aventurar”, opinó.
En términos similares se expresó el abogado Emilio Seijo, quien destacó que Clinton ha sido más específica en sus propuestas de cómo atender los reclamos de autodeterminación del pueblo, ofrecer igualdad en los beneficios de salud, el voto presidencial y la igualdad por género.
“We’re going to vote for her because, when her husband was President, she had the opportunity to get to know us. She knows us better, the other guy’s a risk,” he stated.
Lawyer Emilio Seijo had a similar opinion, saying Clinton has been more specific in her proposals about how to address the self-determination of the people, offer universal health care, the vote for President, and equal rights for women. (translation mine)
Like with Florida and Michigan, Hillary wants Puerto Ricans’ votes to count. That includes voting in the presidential election itself. As an “Estado Libre Asociado” (Associated Free State), Puerto Ricans are US citizens but can not vote in US presidential elections. They have representation in congress, but that representative does not have a vote. Hillary has promised to make it a priority to give Puerto Ricans the vote in Presidential elections. She also promised to support whatever path Puerto Rican voters choose in the future, be it statehood, independence, or remain a US Commonwealth. Below is an interview with Hillary by Puerto Rican TV. (English interview begins about 1 min in):
In contrast, what does Obama have to offer Puerto Rico? Well, he’s from an island. Puerto Rico is an island. What else is there to say?
Obama, who has far more money than Clinton, launched his television ads last Saturday. They use a Spanish voiceover and show Obama speaking English with Spanish subtitles. The ad says Obama grew up on an island and in a family with few resources so he understands the concerns of Puerto Rican families.
And as if that weren’t insulting and patronizing enough, Obama takes the opposite view of Hillary Clinton when it comes to enfranchising the voters of Puerto Rico:
Indeed, some of Mr Obama’s supporters, if not his campaign, say it is wrong to include Puerto Rico in tallies of the Democratic popular vote. But Roberto Prats, the chairman of Puerto Rico’s Democratic Party and himself a leading Clinton backer, said yesterday such people “need to be educated”.
When it comes to core democratic principles such as the fundamental right to vote, to participate in our democracy, only one candidate speaks for the people. That candidate is Hillary Clinton. Anyone who does not share these principles does not deserve to be our President.
Filed under: Hillary Clinton, Politics, Presidential Election 2008 | Tagged: primaria de puerto rico, puerto rico, voters
I want a democrat to win in november. I dont want to take any risky or unnecessary chances on our nominee.
Why do Obama supporters want John McCain to be president? Why do they hate the democratic party?
And, if I’m not already off-thread enough, I cannot wait to get to DC on Friday!
garychapelhill, any word on getting into the meeting?
big belly laugh
Oh, Gary — I had to laugh to hold back the tears. THAT is amazing. Does his campaign post ads to his website? I’d love to see this.
I am so proud to support Hillary:
Muy interesante, gary. Gracias.
murphy—supposedly the form to get into the meeting will be online tomorrow at 10am. I’ll be at the ready at my keyboard
I will be in DC regardless. I’m hoping to be able to meet up with any other conflucians who plan to attend the protest. Maybe we could have a real live cocktail hour fri night?
Katie, I haven’t seen the commercial myself. I can’t bring myself to look at his ads …. I’ll see if I can find a link. I thought to myself, Hillary is from New York, she obviously spends a lot of time in Manhattan, Manhattan is an island….just sayin’….
“The ad says Obama grew up on an island and in a family with few resources so he understands the concerns of Puerto Rican families.”
GCH, that is just too much. Does the ad really say that??
To whomever is keeping track, please add “People Who Live On Islands” and “People Who Have Loved Ones Who Have Grown Up on Islands” to the ever-growing list of people Obama has offended.
Like Lambert says, Obama never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
Katie, here it is….
http://youtube.com/watch?v=TMCY4UD4ThM
murphy: I don’t think the Obama supporters want McCain to be president. These people are true believers. They are blindly following a candidate they really know nothing about other than some vague slogan that does not require much thought. It is the DNC who has the McCain deathwish. By standing behind Obama, who surely has many hurdles to overcome with the constituencies he has offended, the certainty of a McCain victory is looming large. By dissing Hillary, who has the most experience and ability and who also shows a stronger lead in the general against McCain, they are lacking in political vision.
Beautiful post, Gary. I hope you get into the meeting. That would be so cool!
gary, great!
I’m staying at the hotel where the meeting is taking place Fri and Sat nights.
Real live cocktails sound like just the ticket!
murphy—awsome. I was thinking of writing a post later in the week to let everyone know and make some sort of plans.
Riverdaughter or Katie—is there any way to make an online form for contact info on wordpress that could be private to try to organize something?
RD and KT—let me know if you can’t decipher that last sentence, its a bit mangled…just like my brain
I saw the commercial. Is there a Spanish version?
PatJ, I’m sure you’re right. I feel sad for the true believer Obama voters who got bedazzled. The leadership however have no excuse.
I was being somewhat snarky with my question, a la the lefty bloggers’ oft repeated rhetorical “why do Republicans hate . . . the troops, america, motherhood, apple pie, the constitution?” in order to point out the irony and the hypocrisy of the right wing.
As MABlue demonstrated downstairs, the spreading similarities between the rightwing and the obamawing is getting scarier by the day.
I really want to go on May 31, but travel/lodging is certainly an issue…if we can definitely organize some potential group plans, that would be groovy…
upstate, I don’t think so. the RCP article said that when it aired it had spanish subtitles. I remember his spanish language commercials in Nevada, chock full of lies. If you speak spanish you should look them up if they’re out there somewhere. They are very nasty, and were completely ignored by the MSM back then
Gary, I don’t think there’s anyway to do that without requiring user accounts. Riverdaughter would be the authority about that though.
I did see a link to a Spanish version of the ad. But there was no sound. Also in the English version, I didn’t hear the growing up on an island line.
the video in my post also said there was a follow up interview the next day, but I couldn’t find it. Anyone else good at the google?
Thanks gary, I will do that. I still find it weird that they have not used Spanish voice over…the lady speaking sounds native when she says Puerto Rico…um… I went to the Obama site and could not find it. Oh well.
Katie, first line says
“born on an island, his family didn’t have much but Barack obama understands the worries of parents on our island”
whoops, the ad they’re talking about in the article I cited does sound different from that link. Anyone find anything else?
murphy: I have to admit the tenor out there is getting scary. As I had said in an earlier posting KO could easily rev up the troops in righteous indignation and who knows what that would lead to. He has become a symbol to them if you go to other blogs. I am no longer even going into Crook and Liars since that blog is now most heavily an Obama site. Not the posted articles, but the posters themselves.
No one seems to be too heavily involved in the issues but they use any excuse to insert Hillary into their postings and bash the hell out of her. I may be a masochist but I sometimes just have to post a return remark which sets them off into the stratosphere. It is amazing.
captsfufp, Count Every Vote and Florida Demands Representation are busing people at very reasonable rates and have a group rate at a DC hotel. They’re also coordinating home stays for the very budget-minded.
Where would you be arriving from?
I guess I missed it, Gary. But I’m not going back to it again. (yuck)
I found it, I found it. You can even hear Obama aproving the message in Spanish. It has both, Spanish and subtitles in it.
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1340275/obama_puerto_rico_tv_ad_nos_entiende/
Have we reached the level of absurdity when Obama compares his Hawaiian island to the island and issues facing Puerto Rico? Does this same comparison include Catalina and Nantucket? How about Martha’s Vineyard?
“The ad says Obama grew up on an island and in a family with few resources so he understands the concerns of Puerto Rican families.”
Obama’s mother may not have had much money when he was very young. Full time college students usually don’t.
Her parents (who lived in Hawaii with them) weren’t hurting. When he lived in Indonesia his step-father provided a relatively good standard of living (Obama talked about his step-father’s tennis game, which should give you a hint they weren’t impoverished)
When Obama returned to Hawaii, he went to an exclusive prep school. He wasn’t working in the cane fields at the age of 8 or anything close to that.
Where did you get your blog layout from? I’d like to get one like it for my blog.
Pat, what I find interesting is how he compares himself growing up with Puerto Ricans…he understands how it is….
myiq2xu: He may have been referring to the fact that Hawaii did not have cable until recently. Does that qualify? The poor impoverished thing.
Included link. rescue me, please. (socorro) Thanks
Patj you ARE a masochist!
I hate it that the OFB is a powder-keg — not of revolutionary politics and courageous social change, but a powder-keg of the most drearily silly kind of adolescent angst.
And I speak from experience when I say that teenagers are lovable in a million different ways, but their manufactured angst is profoundly impotent. It could be considered cute and charming by an indulgent adult, if it werent so freaking loud and self-absorbed!
Myiq2xu–I know, I love the “I grew up with a single mom in rough condtions”. I sure would have loved to have grown up in Hawaii going to a private school… also, I apologize for earlier, I was a bit upset. No hard feelings?
Pat HAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!! life without cable, how did he survive?
UpstateNY: He is such a fraud! He may not have been wealthy but he was comfortable. Bet he never worked in the sugar cane fields. Had he done so it would have been on his resume.
murphy: Like you with teens, I too speak from experience. How often did they hear us say: If he/she wanted to jump off a bridge would you want to do it too? That age only sees things in black and white.
Get real Obama. What I wouldnt have given to have grown up on the island of Hawaii in the dreadfully impoverished circumstances you so bravely endured.
gary: It was already in my spam filter.
Pat: I know. When I was 17 I travelled to Majorca for a week and later, in college, spent one whole month in Ibiza… I know how it is….
oy….Obama grew up attending private schools, but they were on an island, so he totally understands Puerto Ricans. that’s kinda like how living in Indonesia from age 6 – 10 makes him a foreign policy expert. he really thinks people are stupid in exactly the way George W thinks it – throw in a few key words and they’ll buy anything you’re selling. it actually worked for W, which was amazing in and of itself, but hopefully people have learned from the present debacle.
and to back up what Gary said…..a quick story. I know people who played trivia games on an AOL forum all the time for years. they planned a big get together in vegas a few years back, and about 40 people went. what they forgot to do, in all the excitement of getting together, was to exchange real names, cell phone #s, something, anything! so they could find each other once they checked into the hotel. I think they finally all got together by the second or third day, but they wasted a lot of time by knowing only screen names. we’re all hesitant to give out personal details, but I’ve seen, or rather heard about, the mess that can be created by not having a means of contacting each other.
I can’t go this time but I wish I could. I’ll be with y’all in spirit. I’m still sort of half planning a trip to Denver, depending on how things go down in the next few weeks.
upstate—
I love mallorca. that is where I am going to retire. I lived in Spain for three years, and that has to be one of my favorite Places. If you get a chance watch the Poirot movie “Evil Under the Sun”. It was filmed on the north shore, with the beautiful cliffs and secluded calas (coves).
oh, and the Cole Porter music, and Maggie Smith to boot. There are a million reasons to watch that movie
Upstate: Then you might be in consideration for Secy of State.
The way I look at it is if you have a roof over your head, food on the table, clothes on your back you are not impoverished. You might not be wealthy or even middle class, but those three basic sound mighty appealing if you are sleeping on the streets and have no idea where you next meal is coming from.
Pat….Martha’s Vineyard…LOL! that was a good one
gary: Did you run with the bulls? I had a friend who was there twice during that month and she wants to go back. Said she was drunk most of the time and kept falling off the bar stool.
Pat,
I don’t think Obama has ever done manual labor. That would so be beneath him.
bb: Isn’t this a beautiful night in MA? I was out on the patio until a little while ago and it is so comfortable.
I have a lot in common with Obama.
My mother and maternal grandparents are from Kansas. I was born in 1960, he was born in 1961.
My parents divorced when I was an infant, and my mom was a single parent until I was about 5 years old.
I had a step-father until I was 13.
We weren’t poor, but we weren’t rich either. We never missed a meal, always had clothes to wear, and got proper medical and dental care, but there were things we couldn’t afford.
There are a few differences too. I went to public schools, not a exclusive prep school. I went to college and law school, but they weren’t Ivy League schools.
pat, i didn’t run in Pamplona, but watched the running in other towns. What most people don’t know is that every city and town in Spain has its own “fiestas” in the summer, usually to honor their patron saint. It is common to run bulls to the plaza de toros during many of these fiestas. it is also common to drink and dance for 7 days straight. The pamplona running was made famous by Hemmingway. I think it was in “the sun also rises” …
myiq2xu: But the biggest difference is that you are much smarter and know how to tell the truth.
It’s funny, Hispanics, specially Puerto Ricans, don’t get bamboozle so easily… you have to prove your actions to us, not just talk about it… which is what Obama has, only words… While Senator Clinton has proven she cares about the real issues that concern Puerto Ricans.
Even the Puerto Rican radio broadcaster Luis Jimenez (which broadcast his show in NY, NJ, CT, FL, and Puerto Rico) said back in February, it would be difficult to for Hispanics to vote for Obama since we do not know him as well as we know Senator Clinton.
I wonder if BO ever had a paper route or mowed lawns or bused tables to buy his first car – anything to help out his poor grandparents?
Bostonboomer:
Obama may have done manual labor at some point.
But it’s different when you’re doing in afterschool/summertime for pocket money, and you can quit anytime.
It’s another when you have kids to support, and you have to eat shit everyday so your family can eat.
Josmt, as Hillary pointed out in the interview, she practically considers herself a senator for PR since so many of her constituents are puerto rican. I think I read somewhere that there are more puerto ricans in NYC than in San Juan, the capital of PR.
gary: It was the Sun Also Rises” that glorified the bull running. I could never get into Hemingway except for Gatsby and the novel with Dick Diver and Nicole as the lead characters and I cannot remember the name.
I wish I could go with you guys this week. I have a wedding on Friday night. Loved the story about the AOL group. That had to be laugh out loud hysterical.
I feel another “please leave Barry alone” video coming on. he grew up without cable? oh, the humanity
Pat,
I never read “The Sun also Rises”, but the tilte has always humored me. Spanish people love to socialize all night long. I imagine Hemmingway telling a spanish compatriot something like “Yes, the sunset is beautiful, by the way, did you know, the sun also rises!”
heh. “Turistas”….
I do not know if my previous post went through or not so I will say it again: Gary, I hope the dollar is stronger by the time you retire. Euros are expensive these days, so if you move there with a retirement in dollars you may have more in common with Obama and Puerto Ricans than you thought.
Hi Pat,
Great Gatsby and Tender is the Night (the Dick Diver novel) are by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
gary: One of these days I am going to reach over and slap your knuckles with a ruler!!
upstate,
tell me about it. I lived there last in 2001-02 when they switched to the euro. I was getting 1 euro for .86. Its about twice that now I believe.
Pat J and BB, it really has been a glorious weather weekend here in Boston. I was blogging on the patio myself until late!
Patj, god love teenagers, because sure as hell no one else can!
Can’t wait to see y’all in DC. Like Sublime says, We’ll be participating in some democracy!
Kiki thanks for the tip, I’m sure we’ll figure out a confluence point.
As usual miq2xu, very well said.
Good night all. Thanks as well to the gracious hostesses and hosts.
katiebird: That’s it. I could not for the life of me remember that tilte unless I got off my tush and checked the bookshelf. Now I remember that it was Fitzgerald. Thanks. I think I maybe losing it sometimes.
UpstateNY, I wonder what happened to your other post. I didn’t find it anywhere.
couldnt leave without telling Gary — that was the funniest frickin thing I’ve read in a LOOONG time.
“yes, but did you know the sun also rises”
Who knows, Kbird. I have a million windows opened (open?) at the same time. No big deal.
Hey Conflucians… I better go to bed now. Buenas noches!
Pat, I almost always double check even titles/authors I’m sure of. For one thing, I might not have the title exactly right. But, also as a Reference Librarian we always verified everything.
Google makes it a lot easier than it was back then….
Me too, Upstate — I’m getting sleepy, sleepy,,,, sleepy….
Good Night everyone!
katiebird: I have close to 3000 books. Drives my kids wild! I usually read two a week but lately, because of this election, I have not read as much because I come here instead. Just discovered a new author for me, Michael White. He appeared at one of our Book Clubs. Very good writer.
Patj, did he write Soul Catcher? My mother loves him. havent read him yet.
good night for real!
murphy: Yes, I finished it last week as a matter of fact. I also read Blindness of Love which is loosley based on the Fr. Lavigne trial and am just starting a new one as of today. He is very thorough and writes a lot about West MA.
News flash.
The Obama campaign has just released a statement posthumously admonishing foreign affairs staff member John Donne when it was revealed that Donne had written a book where the following passage appeared:
No man is an island…
Obama’s spokeman again stressed that the candidate was not a Muslim or even a Buddhist although Donne had certain ties to the religion. The statement went on at length to emphasize that Obama had not read Donne’s book, but had visited his grave at St. Paul’s Cathedral, but stressed that Obama had heard no sermon while there.
Finally, the Obama campaign reiterates the stance of the candidate, quoting the candidate stating “I am too an island.”
As evidence of the forthright nature of the candidate’s claim his medical advisors confirmed that when you check Obama’s auditory function you can indeed hear the ocean.
Prolix: I am falling off my chair laughing!!
Well said Great information, keep up the great work!
{{{blush}}} I’m just reporting the news Pat.
It’s funny, Hispanics, specially Puerto Ricans, don’t get bamboozle so easily… you have to prove your actions to us, not just talk about it…
when I heard Obama grew up on an island (the latest variation on “I’m just like you so I really understand”) it made me want to start singing,
WORDS words WORDS
I’m so sick of WORDS
I get WORDS all day through
First from him now from you
Is that all you blighters can DO?
That is what Clinton “has” that makes her more able to connect with working class voters…she understands the concept of…SHOW ME!
You understand our issues? You care about our lives?
SHOW ME!
Obama is still back there with the cheetoh people, singing some weird “it’s not ironic in my world” variation on “why can’t a woman be more like a man?”
(Where the devil are my slippers?)
I wish someone would leave Obama on a DESERTED island somewhere.
SPEAKING OF PEOPLE FROM ISLANDS:
(This is the only place where I can write something like this and not be called an idiot, hopefully
)
The flash in the pan golf phenom Michelle Wie is from Hawaii and attended the same prep school as Barack. Their trajectory and their rabid support of kool-aid drinking followers is eerie. One caveat to Michelle is that much of the blame should be laid at her parents’ feet. But, putting that aside, Michelle did to the golf world what Barack is doing to the Democratic party. She also did her best to insult professional women’s golfers whenever she could. Michelle was an amazing talent. She could hit the ball sooo far, as far as the men. The problem was that Michelle never learned how to “win.” She would crush everyone in Hawaii but when she would get on the mainland she would routinely lose. She won one junior amateur match play tournament but nothing else after that. She and her parents decided that she should not play against the women but instead play against men. Physically, men can just hit the ball further and harder than women and that’s a fact. It’s not sexist. It’s just how it is. Annika Sorenstam dominated the women’s tour and went on to play one event with the men and missed the cut. But before she did that she had WON over and over again. She had paid her dues. But Michelle and her family totally dissed Annika and the women’s tour and repeatedly insulted them by insisting on playing men’s events. But, while racking up $20 mill in endorsements, Michelle missed every cut on the men’s tour. She would occasionally play with the women but would always lose. A couple times she was disqualified for breaking the rules and one one summer day in Evian, France, when she was very close to winning a big tournament, a Hall of Famer Karrie Webb took her to task and beat her on the last few holes. The LPGA (ladies golf tour) was afraid to criticize Michelle because she brought lots of publicity to the tour and $$$. The galleries would be bigger and her fans were dedicated. However, the LPGA players and many of the loyal fans were not so impressed. Michelle would routinely have rules made especially for her. Exemptions were crafted so that she would fall neatly in them yet no one else would. Other young players like Morgan Pressel who came up through the ranks, winning at every stage, were miffed. And they would call Michelle out on it. They didn’t understand why she got all this special treatment. On the golf blogs, the people were divided. Her supporters could not get it through their heads that she was all hype. They didn’t understand that she was NEVER going to win a men’s tournament. She would do the qualifying for the men’s US Open yet would get an exemption to the women’s US Open. It was blatant favoritism. But her fans were blind. They loved the “the kid.” She could do no wrong. At one point the Golf Channel, while covering an LPGA tournament, would not even follow the other players. Instead they would show the leader hit a shot and then go back and compare it to how Michelle played the hole earlier. It was incredibly frustrating to watch. But the public was enamored by her. Her fans acted like they personally knew her when they didn’t. The management of the LPGA tour wanted the money she brought in so they would give her whatever she wanted. But then Michelle turned 18 and went to college. She broke a wrist and her game suffered. She became a joke. She started finishing last in women’s events. The final indignity was a year ago when she was given ANOTHER exemption to an event sponsored by Annika. Yet she dropped out with two holes to play, claiming injury, but we all knew she dropped out because she was dangerously close to shooting an 88 and being forbidden from playing LPGA events the rest of the year. A day later she was seen practicing. Annika, the queen of the LPGA tour, felt dissed and said it showed a lack of class. Now, Michelle, can’t get exemptions and her sponsors backed a loser. And her fans, well, you don’t hear much from them these days.
I tell this boring tale because, well, there is a connection to Barack and also it’s an example when people are irrational and get caught up in the cult of personality and look past all the fundamentals. Also, it proves that $$$$ ultimately controls. The LPGA wanted the $$ she brought in and didn’t care what the rank and file players felt. This is very similar to the democratic party. They want the $$$$ and don’t care what rules are changed, broken, manipulated, created or ignored to get the outcome they want.
I see these two situation as parallel. I knew Wie was all hype and so is Barack.
Another cautionary tale about a graduate of the Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Haha! Jacilyn and My Fair Lady, very funny!
Ooooh, de Pre-shooz eez frum a preeeety island too, like us? Like in Madonna en La Isla Bonita? I will vote forr heeem! Jez!
For crying out loud – they think us Latinos are that stupid.
Forgot to add, Gary, great post!
His mother grew up on an island too, Mercer Island, perhaps Seattle’s poshest suburb. The Kansas story is more BS.
Great article. Appreciated the video clip. The Hispanic voters know the real from the fake.
HILLARY, THE PEOPLE’S VOICE. THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE.
The Republicans are already calling this Congress the DO-NOTHING Congress. Should the Democrats fail to obtain the Presidency this autumn, and Congress is forced into STALEMATE with a Republican President, Many Dems will be losing their jobs next time round.
Great article-TAKE IT TO AUGUST- Hillary!!!!!
Hi. I think Puerto Ricans should know this, instead of falling for Obama videos.
This is a link to an article about the real Michelle Obama, by a British Newspaper-
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-517824/Mrs-O-The-truth-Michelle-Obamas-working-class-credentials.html
in which I found this:
Unlike Hillary Clinton, they point out, neither Obama has endorsed far-reaching healthcare reforms.
Michelle also is under attack for joining the board of a food company where she allegedly took part in a 2005 decision to close a pickle and relish plant in La Junta, Colorado, putting 150 mostly Hispanic labourers out of work.
The small town was devastated.
“It totally amazed me when they closed it,” said La Junta Mayor
Don Rizzuto, who had believed that Michelle and her husband were “the champions of the little guy”.
For those who wish to stay together in a long term commitment to the ideals and rinciples that Hillary Clinton has spent a lifetime promoting, http://Together4Us.com offers access for activists, funders, students, policy-makers and ordinary people to come together in support of each other and their goals for America. Please come to our website and join, use the code below to put our linked logo on your website and distribute our message and this code to all your network. Spread the word. We will be happy to put up a reciprocal link, your own co-branded web page on our site, or your own blog.
Thanks so much,
Gretchen Glasscock,
Together4Us