He can’t be named a flip flopper like Romney."
Posted on 03/16/2012 6:43:37 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum on Thursday defended a condition he said Puerto Rico must meet to be eligible for statehood: "English needs to be the principal language."
Campaigning in the territory ahead of their Sunday primary, Santorum had on Wednesday said, "There are other states with more than one language, like Hawaii, but to be a state of the United States, English must be the principal language."
Speaking to CNN's National Political Correspondent Jim Acosta on Thursday, he stood by his comments.
"Obviously Spanish will be spoken here on the island. But this needs to be a bilingual country not just a Spanish speaking country," he said. "Right now it is overwhelmingly Spanish speaking but it needs to have in order for it to integrate into American society, English has to be a language that is spoken here also and spoken universally."
Puerto Rico designates both English and Spanish as official languages. There is no federal law stipulating an official language, but 31 states have adopted measures and Congress has included adoption of English as a requirement for statehood in previous cases.
Voters will be surveyed on their interest in statehood in a November referendum.
Asked by a reporter if the language issue would be a deal breaker, Santorum said he considers the matter important.
"I think that would be a condition," he said. "I think it's important."
(Excerpt) Read more at politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com ...
>>Why can’t Puerto Rico be the same?<<
Indepencia=No mas dinero de EUUA...
Because Santorum's campaign is undisciplined. Rick is like a precocious puppy jumping at at treat, responding to whatever is asked him, without even trying to reframe the issue
This is what you are doing to the bones the media is throwing out about the candidate they fear most.
Puerto Rico should be a nation standing upon its own.
Citizenship to all born there or anyone wishing to change their citizenship from US to PR. No dual citizenship. Should have its own currency.
(Same should be offered to Guam and other protectorates.)
They are proud of who they are and should be thusly honored and take their rightful place in the community of nations.
While I am a 100% died in the wool English as the official language of the USA this is a stupid issue to bring up now in regards to Puerto Rico.
The media will do the muslim in chiefs bidding and use this devisive issue to shave points away from the GOP even if Rick is not the final candidate.
He is wasting precious political capital on an issue which was not on the radar screen.
The issues which need to be fought for are:
Economy, gas prices, economy, drilling, economy, defeat of obomination care, economy, vowing to restore the federal government to its limited constitutional limits and restoring the supremacy of US Citizens over that government, and of course the economy.
I would also like to see one or more of the candidates state the 100% provable fact that the economy started to go in the tank ONLY after we lost the house and senate and has started to come back, albeit at a snail’s pace, after we won back the house. The political cowards in the GOP have just sat back and allowed this tribe of Marxist traitors to blame everything on GWB when the Progressive filth were behind this last collapse from as far back as Carter.
There are good apps for learning languages.
Nice one, now please send us the endorsement Newt Gingrich made for the RINO traitor and Planned Parenthood awardee — Dede Scozzafava, in the 2009 special election in New York’s 23rd congressional district, over the Tea Party candidate, Doug Hoffman.
I have zero problem with this as most wanted him over McCain in 2008.
agreed!
well....there ya go!
Here’s my compromise proposition: get California to secede and form its own (liberal) nation (with the current California politicians as their new leaders, with high tariffs, and having them pay premium prices for USA products), and I’d happily let Puerto Rico in as the 50th state, English or no English! We get rid of one of the biggest liberal albatrosses around the neck of the USA, and we won’t need to change the flag. Win/Win! :)
I’ve thought of something else you could do with that fork in your tagline...
LOL! Is that supposed to be a direct reflection of your level of maturity or intellect? (impressive!)
AND THERE’s A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN ENDORSEMENT AND FIGHTING TO STOP THE SAME MAN FROM BECOMING THE NOMINEE.
LOL! I was and on top of that, I was still in bed. My phone woke me up with a stupid news alert.
You might be a little hard on his followers as I am sure they like the more Conservative positions from Rick especially after, how many years, of the GOP giving Conservatives lip service.
But I have to go back to thinking how will this person perform in a debate/debates against someone with no allegiance to the truth and who hates the very core principals upon which this country was founded?
What would help any GOP candidate is to have an ear bud with Newt feeding them the proper response. Newt’s brain with the persona of a Rick or Mitt would be a game changer.
We have to remember, even though we detest just about everything obomination stands for, he is a VERY likable person and almost a Jim Jones persona and a jumbo jet filled with Race Cards.
Right now we seem to be faced with someone who has all the knowledge to be president and win in a debate or people with lessor debating skills but more likable personalities.
It takes a great deal of skill and knowledge to HONESTLY debate someone who will use every dishonest Saul Alinsky tactic in the book AND also has an appealing personality for the bubble head crowd.
How do you defeat Lies and Looks when the electorate and media are so superficial?
I don't see it either. English is pretty much the official language of anyone interested in business or bettering their lives, the world over. So I guess the big deal is just lefty media trying to trip up Santo. Good for him holding his ground.
I agree with him. It’s a free country. People can speak whatever they want. But the schools should be in English and the official communication should be in English.
I am appalled here in CA that voting and DMV docs are in about 25 different languages. It makes me sick.
I have lived and worked in another country and guess what? Nothing was in English. And my little brain did just fine, learning the host languages. Let’s believe in the intelligence of our immigrants.
My grandparents were in their FORTIES when they finally got to America. They would sit with other immigrant couples in the evening with Scrabble and a huge dictionary, trying to improve their English.
[bleeping] GONE are those days.
When I was a teen, my parents had a housekeeper who spoke not one word of English. It’s been a few years...decades. They still have the same housekeeper. Guess what? She still does not speak a word of English. I lived in Europe for 10 years and came back pretty fluent in 2 other languages. Sheesh.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.