Just what we need. P.R. as a state.
Stumping in San Juan
WSJ WIRE
In Campaign 2008
Matt Phillips reports from San Juan, P.R., on the presidential race.
Sen. Hillary Clinton touched down in Puerto Rico Friday evening and was shortly stumping in a campaign rally at the Plaza de la Darsena in Old San Juan. With nearby palm trees blowing in the breeze, a towering stack of speakers pumping out a filling-rattling bass beat, and the crowd of hundreds holding signs saying "Hillary Presidenta" and "Puerto Rico Con Hillary," the entire affair stood in stark contrast to the Clinton camp's previous event. That one was held on Thursday afternoon, in a wood-shaving strewn livestock arena in the Watertown, S.D.
At any rate, Clinton — a master of making subtle tweaks to her stump speech depending on the venue — kept her remarks noticeably short, and her delivery, decidedly slower than usual to ensure the crowd in this mostly Spanish-speaking U.S. territory understood. Even if they didn't, there's not really much for Clinton — or her rival Sen. Barack Obama – to say while here.
That's because, as far as the presidential race is concerned, the pre-eminent issue in Puerto Rico hinges on its complicated status with the U.S. Its roughly 4 million people are split pretty much down the middle between two main groups: Statehooders, who obviously favor the island gaining full status as a state; And Commonwealthers, who prefer the current set-up in which Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory with commonwealth status.
For either candidate to come out too strong with pro-statehood or pro-commonwealth statements threatens to irritate roughly half the island's electorate and lead to a loss in the June 1 primary. So, both Clinton and Obama tread carefully on the topic, essentially saying they support whatever Puerto Ricans should eventually decide. Clinton did offer one solid point Puerto Ricans could hang their hat on, however, saying "I want to see Puerto Rico's status resolved within my first term." |
