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Santorum Tells Puerto Ricans to Adopt English for Statehood
townhall ^ | 3/15/12 | Kevin Glass

Posted on 03/15/2012 7:52:12 AM PDT by Skeez

Campaigning in Puerto Rico today, Rick Santorum said that Puerto Ricans needed to adopt English as their official language if they wanted to make a serious push for U.S. statehood. Santorum is in Puerto Rico making his pitch for the GOP's primary on Sunday.

"Like any other state, there has to be compliance with this and any other federal law," Santorum said. "And that is that English has to be the principal language. There are other states with more than one language such as Hawaii but to be a state of the United States, English has to be the principal language."Reuters goes on to report that neither the U.S. Constitution nor any federal law requires that a state speak English. Some states have established English as an official language anyway. To be charitable to Santorum, he did say that English should be the "principal" language, not something to be legally required. Puerto Ricans typically learn English in high school, but census data shows only about 30% of Puerto Ricans rate their ability to speak English "very well."

Santorum's presence in Puerto Rico may seem odd - governor Luis Fortuno has endorsed his rival Mitt Romney, and the candidate perceived as a moderate has won massive portions of the electorate in the past few years - John McCain, Bob Dole and George H.W. Bush all won massive majorities there.

The people of Puerto Rico go to the polls on Sunday to vote in their GOP primary. Puerto Rico awards a small number of delegates - twenty-three - but more than some small states like Delaware.


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: kenyanbornmuzzie; kevinglass; mittromney; newtbotsforromney; newtgingrich; puertorico; ricksantorum; santorum
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To: cll

I like Santorum, he’s my #2 choice after Newt.

But I don’t think he gets the 10th ammendment. In a 10th ammendment world the states decide this kind of thing. His opinion about what language Puerto Ricans speak would be neither here nor there.


61 posted on 03/15/2012 9:32:47 AM PDT by marron
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To: RitchieAprile
Geezze, nothing like going into someones home and criticizing it. Way to go Rick, not.
62 posted on 03/15/2012 9:35:03 AM PDT by annieokie
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To: bigdaddy45
Suffice to say you do sound like a broken record....:)

...and yes, I honestly believe he has many prayers in a National election!!!

He's not afraid of the hard issues....and he stands his ground....

..His roots will not be shaken.

63 posted on 03/15/2012 9:36:13 AM PDT by Guenevere (....Whom God calls,... He equips......Press On Santorum!)
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To: skeeter
“If you accept that a candidate should honestly attempt to answer questions put to him, how should he have dealt with what surely was a question apparently concerning many in PR, which is where he was campaigning?”
____________

If you examine my posting history, I hope you will find that I am not one who serially criticizes whatever Rick says or does.

Learning how to “pivot” on the “loaded” questions is a skill that has to be learned and practiced to be effective. It requires that the candidate is articulate; well informed and has a good grasp of the major points of the message he/she wants to emphasize and convey to the particular audience. Newt is very adept at doing this; which is one major reason I have supported him.

If Rick was asked directly whether he thought that Puerto Ricans should learn to speak English; he simply could have pointed out that the question was irrelevant as most Puerto Ricans already do speak English and it is already taught in their school system.

It isn't an easy skill set to develop and not everybody has the ability to do it well; especially under the pressures and rigors of a national political campaign

64 posted on 03/15/2012 9:37:10 AM PDT by Ozymandias Ghost
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To: Ozymandias Ghost
Understand and completely agree. On the other hand, I appreciate his attempts to answer questions honestly. Whats more, I thought thats what we all want in a candidate.

Maybe it will be his undoing, but IMO this election isn't going to be about our candidate, try as the media will to make it so, it will be about Obama.

Provided our candidate offers the electorate a clear alternative to Obama I believe Santorum will be fine, in spite of nitpicking from his critics.

65 posted on 03/15/2012 9:59:39 AM PDT by skeeter
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To: PSYCHO-FREEP

Geez. I was excited by your statement that I wouldn’t receive replies from you hence forth, yet I got one. Life is full of so many disappointments.


66 posted on 03/15/2012 10:08:12 AM PDT by Lazlo in PA (Now living in a newly minted Red State.)
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To: Dr. Sivana
Now we have the Santorum voters who are bound and determined to punish Gingrich for his past infidelities and maintain the purity of their vote.

That is way too strong a generalization. You can check my past posts, and not only do I NOT attack Newt, but I don't even tell him to quit, and I also tell other Santorum supporters to support whoever in their state is best situated to beat Romney.

I was not addressing you Doc, or any other individual Freeper. I was talking about the perceived Evangelical Vote that is carrying Santorum ahead of Gingrich. I don't follow who on here is supporting which candidate. I want the most conservative candidate available whom I think has the ability to defeat - The Won.

Blackelk shares this approach, as do too many other Santorum supporters who are more concerned with beating Romney than with trashing Newt to describe us as a whole in those words.

You're Freepers! We're already freaks of nature. I appreciate your tack on this and have no problem with you supporting Santorum for whatever reason you choose to do so. I DO have a problem with what I consider to be unsophisticated voters not being wise as to the effects of their votes and their lack of discernment, IMHO, regarding Gingrich.

1. This is not the time for an un-tested national candidate to go to war with as our leader. 2. I don't support Romney because, again IMHO, there is no evidence that he is a Conservative. 3. I support Gingrich because I find him to be the most capable of defeating Obama in the general election and making the most progress against the behemoth of entrenched media/Govt. alliance.

Regards,

TS

67 posted on 03/15/2012 10:18:20 AM PDT by The Shrew (www.wintersoldier.com; www.tstrs.com; The Truth Shall Set You Free!)
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To: Guenevere

Not afraid of hard issues? Stands his ground? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Like when he voted for Sonya Sotomayor for the federal judiciary. Or that clip where he justified a bad vote by saying “sometimes when you’re on a team, you take one for the team”?? Yes, what a moral paragon he is. And the people of PA saw right through him.


68 posted on 03/15/2012 10:23:17 AM PDT by bigdaddy45
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To: cll

Any photos of Rick at the Evangel church in P.R. yesterday? ENDI and Primera Hora seem not to have any.


69 posted on 03/15/2012 11:03:56 AM PDT by SilvieWaldorfMD
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To: SilvieWaldorfMD

I haven’t seen any. Just saw one of him and his family at the Siervas de María convent/hospital.


70 posted on 03/15/2012 11:06:21 AM PDT by cll (I am the warrant and the sanction)
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To: Guenevere
Thanks for your civil post.

Rest assured I was NOT making "fun" of Santorum.

I was dead-on serious in my comment addressing his take on the statehood issue.

Leni

71 posted on 03/15/2012 11:06:35 AM PDT by MinuteGal
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To: cll

Karen and the kids are there too??


72 posted on 03/15/2012 11:08:32 AM PDT by SilvieWaldorfMD
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To: skeeter
In a fair world I would like to think even Romney should be able to beat Obama. The problem is the media is nothing more than a propaganda arm of the Dem Socialists/Marxists.

If you examine how effective Romney's technique of “carpet bombing” w/negative ads has been in this race, it becomes very evident that it is not a fair world and a large number of voters can be swayed by just repeating the same lies and distortions over and over again.

Knowing that we will be up against even more of this type of massive propaganda and negative campaigning from the Dems, we have to have candidates who will have a clear message and not let the Dem lackeys in the media pull them off that. Nor can a candidate afford too many gaffes; as they will be repetitiously used in sound bytes ad nauseum.

Other than that, no problema! (smile)

73 posted on 03/15/2012 11:50:23 AM PDT by Ozymandias Ghost
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To: SilvieWaldorfMD

Yes.


74 posted on 03/15/2012 12:15:32 PM PDT by cll (I am the warrant and the sanction)
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To: bigdaddy45

And, Newt had to resign as Speaker of the House. What’s your point? Mittens didn’t run for re-election because he didn’t have a prayer of winning the governorship in MA. That’s what I call a coward. At least Rick ran again, even when he knew he was going to lose.

I’m sick of Newt’s supporters and their hypocrisy. I like Newt, and could vote for him, but, let’s not pretend he doesn’t have warts and baggage, because he has plenty of both!!!!


75 posted on 03/15/2012 12:27:27 PM PDT by Catsrus
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To: Dilbert San Diego
8 posted on Thursday, March 15, 2012 10:02:05 AM by Dilbert San Diego: “Legalisms aside, do people disagree with the content of what Santorum said? Should we ever admit a state to the union in which English is not the primary and/or official language???”

I support Rick Santorum but I cannot imagine why he waded into the controversy.

The history of the debates over admission of New Mexico to statehood included questions about how “American” the state was. I'm going from memory here — I lived in New Mexico for about a year and a half when I was a reporter outside Cannon Air Force Base so I know a bit of the history but I am not an expert.

Lots of arguments can be made back and forth about what happened with the admission of New Mexico and how to apply those precedents today, but three things seem clear:

1) As far as I know, there was no English requirement for admission of New Mexico as a state.
2) When New Mexico was admitted, it had been a territory for so long that all but the very oldest native residents had been born as American citizens.
3) Relatively low growth rates showed that New Mexico posed no risk of swamping the rest of the United States with some sort of demographic disaster.

It seems to me that all three apply to Puerto Rico now just as much as they did to New Mexico a century ago. Whatever we can say about Hispanic growth elsewhere in the United States, Puerto Rico is not a threat to the United States and the territory has been part of the United States since the Spanish-American War.

If Puerto Ricans want to become a state rather than a commonwealth, it seems to me that's up to them and to the Congress via the standard admission policy for states.

76 posted on 03/15/2012 12:28:13 PM PDT by darrellmaurina
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To: Paradox

And, I suppose you’ve played in the Major Leagues with some expertise in this? Rick, with his NOT knowing what to say, has knocked Newt out of contention for the nomination.

So much for playing in the Major Leagues - huh?


77 posted on 03/15/2012 12:30:08 PM PDT by Catsrus
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To: The Shrew

Rick has the balls to tell the truth. Imagine, an honest President! It is imperative that the madness of catering to foreign speaking Americans stop. Newt called for STATEHOOD for PR years ago. Good thinking (or should I say *pandering*) Link!


78 posted on 03/15/2012 12:46:27 PM PDT by alstewartfan ( 27 of 36 Romney judicial appointments were DEMOCRATS!!!!!)
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To: fishtank

It IS impossible now, given current PC dictums. Why do you think that Dems may get 70% of Hispanic votes in 2012? Juan tried pandering to them big time in ‘08. Bringing in PR, *without* them first wanting to become Americans, is insanity. BTW, they should receive NO delegates. Bob


79 posted on 03/15/2012 12:50:58 PM PDT by alstewartfan ( 27 of 36 Romney judicial appointments were DEMOCRATS!!!!!)
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To: marron

It is clear to me that it is in the best interest of America to make English the official language. We have no chance of avoiding socialism or dissolution without a uniting language. I think that it can be assumed that our Founders never considered the posiibility that we might one day be joined by a foreign speaking state. Bob


80 posted on 03/15/2012 1:00:03 PM PDT by alstewartfan ( 27 of 36 Romney judicial appointments were DEMOCRATS!!!!!)
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