FLORIDA'S PUERTO RICAN VOTE UP FOR GRABS

FLORIDA'S PUERTO RICAN VOTE BATTLEGROUND
THE GUARDIAN
Ed Pilkington in Charlotte
Follow @edpilkington
guardian.co.uk, Monday 3 September 2012

Barack Obama needs to increase his appeal among Puerto Ricans living in the central zone of Florida if he is to win the crucial battleground state in the race to return him to the White House, in-house polls are indicating.


The Obama for America re-election campaign is focusing its energies on what is increasingly seen by both Democrats and Republicans as a vital demographic target in a vital swing state. So much so that Team Obama is flying in senior politicians from Puerto Rico in an effort to mobilise undecided voters in the heavily populated I-4 corridor around Orlando.

Internal polling figures that were released for the first time at a Hispanic caucus meeting at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte on Monday show that Obama is only enjoying a relatively soft lead among Puerto Ricans in Florida. A survey conducted by the pollster Sergio Bendixen on behalf of the campaign at the end of July gave Obama a 54% to 32% advantage over Republican candidate Mitt Romney within this electoral demographic.

Presenting the figures to the caucus, Bendixen said, "We need to do better than that. We need to get that number up into the seventies. If we are to carry Florida we need to do better among Puerto Ricans in the Orlando area."

The Hispanic vote has been identified by both main parties as an important factor within the 2012 presidential fight, and within that contest Florida is the undisputed highlight. That is partly a reflection of the fact that the state commands 29 of the 270 electoral college votes needed to win the presidency.

But it is also a product of Florida's large and growing Hispanic population, which already accounts for more than a fifth of all voters in the state, as well as its highly diverse ethnic mix. Obama's internal polling shows that among Cubans in southern Florida he is trailing 38% to Romney's 56%, whereas among US-born Hispanic Floridians he is up 51% to 35%.

Overall, Obama continues to command a lead among Floridian Latinos, but it is relatively close, at 51% for Obama and 37% for Romney. With 12% of the Latino population still undecided, there is still all to play for.

Bendixen has carried out internal polling for the Obama campaign in two other key swing states with large Hispanic populations – Nevada and Colorado. Nevada comes out as the great Obama success story of 2012 so far – the president is enjoying a 56-point lead among Latinos there (by 74% to 18%).

Between April this year to July, support among Nevadan Latinos surged an extraordinary 20 points, a measure of success that Obama for America has so far failed to replicate in Colorado. Though the president has a comfortable lead there too (69% to Romney's 21%), he only managed to achieve a four-point increase in Hispanic support in Colorado in the three months up to August.

Bendixen told the assembled Hispanic caucus that every time he polled Latino voters in the swing state – on average once every two months – support for Obama was increasing. He put that down to a combination of the positive reception Obama's key policies have had among Latinos, and the increasingly negative opinion among them of Romney and the Republicans.

Mainly Spanish-speaking Hispanics – first generation immigrants from Mexico and other Latino American countries – were showing a particularly robust response to Obama's bid for re-election. They polled in favour of him by a whopping 84% to 7% for Romney (by contrast Hispanics with English as their dominant language favoured Obama by 63% to 30%).

Bendixen sees that in turn as a reflection of high levels of anxiety among first generation American Hispanics about healthcare and the immigration status of their loved ones. Both Obama's Affordable Care Act, which extends health coverage to millions of uninsured Americans, and his executive order to defer the threat of deportation from young Hispanic students have polled exceptionally well among Latino voters in the swing states.

Fears about health insurance are especially pronounced among the Puerto Ricans in central Florida. Many of them were drawn to Florida by jobs at Disney World and other tourist attractions, but they are frequently paid the minimum wage without any health insurance.

Obama for America has for several months been seeking to capitalise on that well of good feeling among Latinos by aggressively running Spanish-language TV adverts in Florida, Nevada, Colorado and other battleground states. The adverts, also produced by Bendixen, have focused on Obamacare and the president's executive order deferring deportations for young Hispanics.

In another Spanish-language advert, the Obama campaign has sought to make hay over some of Romney's most controversial remarks on immigration, including his pledge, made in one of the primary TV debates, to force undocumented Hispanics to "self-deport" themselves.

The Romney campaign has by contrast been slow off the mark, only recently beginning to broadcast TV ads in Spanish. Its first such advert was a soft focus interview with one of the candidate's sons saying what a good guy he was.

"The Republicans haven't done much to fight us for this crucial vote yet. They are only just getting into gear with advertising and messaging," Bendixen told the Democratic Hispanic caucus.

One problem faced by Latino organisers canvassing for Obama among Puerto Ricans in central Florida is that there is what one called a "leadership deficit" there with few Puerto Rican politicians in positions of influence. To make up for it, the campaign has been bringing in leading politicians from Puerto Rico itself such as Kenneth McClintock, president of the US territory's state senate.

The Republican party has similarly been seeking to cement its Puerto Rican credentials in Florida, putting the first lady of Puerto Rico, Luce Vela, on stage at its national convention in Tampa last week. The convention also highlighted Marco Rubio, the Hispanic senator for Florida.

But Bendixen's figures show that Romney's favourability rating among Hispanics in Florida, Nevada and Colorado has slumped by 14 points (from 42% to 28%) in the three months up to August, while Obama's has increased from 60% to 65%.

"Romney has made self-inflicted wounds," Bendixen told the caucus. "When he talks about auto-deportation people do not forget that as it reflects on the quality of life of all Hispanics, documented or undocumented."

More on this issue:
FLORIDA I-4 CORRIDOR

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Click Here: GOP 2012 PLATFORM

Is Hispanic the New Black?

By Francis Wilkinson, Jun 18, 2012 
BLOOMBERG

The importance of the Hispanic vote to President Barack Obama’s re-election chances is practically impossible to overstate. Yet the significance of the Hispanic vote to the long-term prospects of the Republican Party is arguably greater still.
A Latino Decisions poll of 5 swing states released June 17 revealed that Obama’s executive action to ease the pressure on young illegal immigrants, enabling them to avoid deportation and apply for work permits, has resonated with Hispanic voters.
A previous Latino Decisions poll had found widespread discontentment with Obama’s record 1 million deportations; in January, 41 percent of Hispanic voters said they had grown less enthusiastic about the president as a result. In the swing state poll released Sunday, however, 49 percent of Hispanics surveyed in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Nevada and Virginia said the president’s halt on youth deportations would make them more enthusiastic about Obama, with only 14 percent saying it would make them less so.
If a rise in “enthusiasm” leads to a rise in Hispanic turnout to close to 2008 levels, it could make the difference for Obama in some or all of those five states -- and possibly others besides -- in November. Colorado, for example, has 455,000 eligible Hispanic voters. In 2010, Democrat Michael Bennet won a U.S. Senate seat there by a margin of about 29,000 votes.
Among Hispanic voters, Obama is crushing Mitt Romney: A Gallup poll conducted from May 14 to June 3 found Hispanic voters preferring Obama to Romney by 67 percent to 26 percent.


There are perhaps 2 million more eligible Hispanic voters in 2012 compared with 2008. If Hispanics are firmly in Obama’s camp and newly energized to vote, Romney has a tough call to make. He could reverse his opposition to the Dream Act, which would appeal to Hispanic independents but offend his base. Or he could try to squeak to victory by relying almost entirely on white votes, given Obama’s difficulty with  white working-class voters.


If Romney wins the gamble, he can use his presidency to build bridges with Hispanics, the nation’s fastest-growing ethnic group, perhaps by promoting a Republican version of the Dream Act and walking back his campaign rhetoric on related issues. (A better economy certainly wouldn’t hurt.) If he loses the gamble, however, life gets very interesting for the Grand Old Party.


In a second term, Obama would have enormous incentive to try to lock in Hispanic loyalty to the Democratic Party. Republicans would then have to decide whether to surrender on the Dream Act and comprehensive immigration reform, knowing that if they went along with Obama, he -- not they -- would get the credit. The alternative would be to continue blocking immigration legislation that, for many Hispanics, is a signifier of attitudes toward Hispanics as neighbors and fellow citizens.  As a 2010 LatinoMetrics survey found, 30 percent of Hispanic voters considered racism to be a factor in anti-immigrant views. 


After calls for electric fences and the like in this year's Republican presidential primary, it's doubtful that number has declined. If Republicans opt for a continued stonewall on immigration, they risk alienating Hispanic voters for the long haul.


more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-18/is-hispanic-the-new-black-.html

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Going Beyond Black and White, Hispanics in Census Pick 'Other'

NY TIMES

By MIREYA NAVARRO
Published: November 9, 2003

In the (2000) census, respondents can mark their ethnicity as Hispanic, but then they are asked to choose a racial label. In 2000, almost half of the Hispanic respondents, 48 percent, identified themselves as white. Only 2 percent chose black.

Letvia Arza-Goderich, a lawyer in Los Angeles and a cousin of Mr. Goderich, the Miami Beach police officer, said she felt that she was not regarded as white in the United States except among Latinos. Her family left Cuba in the late 1960's, and as a teenager in Wisconsin, Ms. Arza-Goderich said, her white schoolmates regarded her as dark-skinned and used a slur to describe her. It did not matter that she had pale white skin that looked even whiter against her black wavy hair.


''We were Cubans, and that wasn't white,'' she said. ''My answer was, 'Not that it matters, but I'm white just like you because the people I came from were from Spain.' They'd look at you in disbelief.


''If you're Latino, you're not white-white in the eyes of white Americans,'' Ms. Arza-Goderich said.

FINALLY! A REPUBLICAN WHO STANDS UP FOR REPUBLICAN VALUES !

Governor Jeb Bush hits it right on the nail. At last we have someone who has the credentials to stand up for the real republican values, which are not in the extremes.

I am a conservative republican, a physician and former Puerto Rico state senator, and feel insulted when people assume I am racist, and someone who does not feel any pain for those in need. It is time a real Republican leader return to the White House and face the historical challenges that are facing the Unites States with a sense of humanity and knowledge. That person is Jeb Bush!

Some of the likes of Grover Norquist, who wants to project himself as a champion of lowering taxes, but purposely does not mention the fact that he makes his millions lobbying to lower taxes, not for regular people, but  for Multinational Corporations who hide their $$$ in offshore tax havens.  Norquist is an example of power & money hungry lobbyists who are bitten by the Corporate Greed bacteria and give Republicans a bad name.

People now know that these tax gimmicks have bankrupted the Nation by taking their business to foreign countries and paying lobbyists like him to find shelters and tricks to pay less o no federal taxes.

President Lincoln and President Reagan would feel proud to see Jeb Bush rescue the real values of the Republican Party and restore the strength and greatness of the United States. I look forward to that day.

MJ

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Jeb Bush Questions G.O.P.’s Shift to the Right
By JIM RUTENBERG
NY TIMES
Published: June 11, 2012
For the better part of three decades, there has been no more prominent family in Republican politics than the Bushes.

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

Jeb Bush, pictured here in January, criticized the current 

state of the Republican party for its strict adherence to ideology.

But tough talk about the state of the party on Monday by former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida — who went so far as to say that Ronald Reagan and his father would have a “hard time” fitting in during this Tea Party era — exhibited a growing distance between the family, which until not very long ago embodied mainstream Republicanism, and the no-compromise conservative activists now driving the party.

Speaking at a breakfast with national reporters held by Bloomberg View in Manhattan, Mr. Bush questioned the party’s approach to immigration, deficit reduction and partisanship, saying that his father, former President George Bush, and Reagan would struggle with “an orthodoxy that doesn’t allow for disagreement.”
Going one better, he praised his father’s 1990 deficit-reduction deal, which drew the lasting ire of his party’s fiscal hawks for its tax increases.

Mr. Bush has always taken a path separate from those of his brother and his father, and friends said his words were those of a man free from the restraints of electoral politics. He said on CBS last week that he had no interest in being vice president to Mitt Romney — whom he has endorsed — and that while he has not ruled out a presidential run in the future, this year was “probably my time.”

But his comments gave voice to the growing drift of the party’s base from the Bush family, which has become all the more acute as this year’s Republican presidential contenders, including Mr. Romney, appeared to wipe his brother George’s eight years in the White House from their collective memory bank.

When President George W. Bush’s tenure was mentioned at all during the nominating fight, it was frequently done in a negative light, as the candidates criticized his expansion of the Medicare prescription drug benefit, the Wall Street bailout and his signature education initiative, No Child Left Behind.

But friends say it is the party’s shift away from the sort of comprehensive immigration overhaul Mr. Bush had championed during his presidency that particularly pains the Bushes, who, for all of their differences, believe the system should be more humane for hardworking and law-abiding Hispanic families — whom the Republican Party must court to assure its future success. The issue has particular resonance for Jeb Bush, whose wife, Columba, is of Mexican heritage.

“It is a Bush family belief that we have to do more with Hispanic voters,” said a friend of Jeb Bush, Ana Navarro. “But Jeb understands the Republican Hispanic dynamic better than most people do because he speaks the language, he reads and listens to the news coverage, and he lives in the community.”

During the discussion at Bloomberg View, Mr. Bush implored his party: “Don’t just talk about Hispanics and say immediately we must have controlled borders. Change the tone would be the first thing. Second, on immigration, I think we need to have a broader approach.” He made it clear he had offered his views to Mr. Romney, who this year referred to the tough immigration law in Arizona as “a model.”

“Governor Romney has used this as a means to connect with a group of voters that were quite angry and was effective,” Mr. Bush said. “Now he’s in somewhat of a box. But I think the broader question is, how do you get out of it?”

Mr. Bush did not spare Mr. Obama from criticism, accusing him of using immigration as a “wedge issue” and of making the partisan environment worse in spite of his promises to practice a “transcendent” type of politics. “If he was a transcendent figure, which is what he ran as, I think he’s failed,” Mr. Bush said.

And he said both sides were responsible for what he described as a dysfunctional atmosphere, with Democrats and Republicans equally beholden to ideological purists. But as the next Bush potentially in line for the presidency, his comments on his own party, offered as the general election fight heats up, drew the most attention.

Mr. Bush spent the weekend at the family summer home in Maine for his father’s 88th birthday. But it was unclear to what extent he was channeling his entire family’s view. His father and mother, Barbara, were early supporters of Mr. Romney, who has a vacation house in neighboring New Hampshire.

George W. Bush endorsed Mr. Romney, but in passing to journalists with ABC News after he gave a speech on human rights in Washington, literally as he walked into an elevator. And while some of Mr. Bush’s old political team is working for Mr. Romney, including the advertising strategists Stuart Stevens and Russ Schriefer, others are keeping their distance from the campaign.

For instance, one senior strategist and friend, Mark McKinnon, is now with the bipartisan group No Labels, which is calling on the parties to stop fighting and get to work on the nation’s most pressing problems. “There are a lot of us still trying to put the compassion in conservatism,” Mr. McKinnon said, referring to Mr. Bush’s description of his own political brand during his presidency. Jeb Bush, he said, was speaking for “a piece of the party that’s felt pretty neglected lately.”

But others did not agree, among them Grover Norquist, the anti-taxation activist whose “no new taxes” pledge Mr. Bush’s father broke when he struck the 1990 budget deal with Democrats that raised rates — a move Mr. Bush pointed to Monday as an example of political courage. “Jeb hasn’t run for office for 10 years,” Mr. Norquist said. “The modern Republican Party is a party that won’t raise taxes.”

It is also a party and a political environment in which, Mr. Bush said Monday, even Reagan “would be criticized for doing the things that he did — that’s the point of the context changing.”

Michael D. Shear contributed reporting.
MORE: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/12/us/politics/jeb-bush-takes-aim-at-fellow-republicans.html?comments#permid=358

PUERTO RICO according to the CIA

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
THE WORLD FACT BOOK

A Brief History of Basic Intelligence and The World Factbook

"The Intelligence Cycle is the process by which information is acquired, converted into intelligence, and made available to policymakers. Information is raw data from any source, data that may be fragmentary, contradictory, unreliable, ambiguous, deceptive, or wrong. Intelligence is information that has been collected, integrated, evaluated, analyzed, and interpreted. Finished intelligence is the final product of the Intelligence Cycle ready to be delivered to the policymaker."



Puerto Rico
Background

"Populated for centuries by aboriginal peoples, the island was claimed by the Spanish Crown in 1493 following Christopher COLUMBUS' second voyage to the Americas. In 1898, after 400 years of colonial rule that saw the indigenous population nearly exterminated and African slave labor introduced, Puerto Rico was ceded to the US as a result of the Spanish-American War. Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship in 1917. Popularly-elected governors have served since 1948. In 1952, a constitution was enacted providing for internal self government. In plebiscites held in 1967, 1993, and 1998, voters chose not to alter the existing political status with the US."

"...unincorporated, organized territory of the US with commonwealth status; policy relations between Puerto Rico and the US conducted under the jurisdiction of the Office of the President" 

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rq.html

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I personally do not agree with the language used by the CIA in some definitions, so I will write and tell them. You can do the same. MJ



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Como han pasado los años......

2012
Luis Fortuño pide orar para que Cuba se libre
Durante la conmemoración del 110 aniversario de la instauración de la República de Cuba
Por Sandra Caquías Cruz / scaquias@elnuevodia.com
20 de mayo de 2012

El gobernador Luis Fortuño pidió hoy, junto a cerca de medio millar de cubanos que se congregó en los jardines de La Fortaleza para una misa, orar para que Cuba se libre pronto del yugo comunista.La eucaristía, en la que hubo representación de las Damas de Blanco, fue en conmemoración del 110 aniversario de la instauración de la República de Cuba y fue oficiada por el monseñor Mario Guijarro.“Nos solidarizamos con el regocijo de nuestros hermanos cubanos, a la vez que nos identificamos con el dolor que sufre su pueblo, subyugado por la tiranía del despótico régimen castrista”, expresó el gobernador Luis Fortuño, en el comunicado de prensa que entregó sobre la actividad.“Elevemos una plegaria al Todopoderoso para que Cuba se libre pronto de su yugo comunista y pueda reintegrarse con dignidad y esperanza a la comunidad democrática de América”, abundó el Mandatario.Entre los presentes se encuentra Reina Luisa Tamayo, madre de Orlando Zapata, quien murió en huelga de hambre el 26 de febrero de 2010.Entre los presentes se encontraban miembros de diversas organizaciones que agrupan cubanos, entre ellas, la Casa Cuba, Cubanos Unidos, Unión de Cubanos en el Exilio de Puerto Rico y de la República Dominicana, Asociación de Hijos de Santiespiritu, los Rotarios Cubanos, Acción Católica Cubana, Coro de la Iglesia de San Mateo, Asociación de Hijos de la Caridad y Mujeres Antirepresión.

Fortuño resaltó que los cubanos se merecen la solidaridad y el apoyo de todos los pueblos libres del mundo por ser ejemplo de tenacidad, desprendimiento y lucha incansable en reclamo de los derechos de sus esposos y parientes encarcelados.El Mandatario estuvo junto a la primera dama, Lucé Vela, quien leyó la segunda lectura. El torrencial aguacero no impidió la ceremonia que se hizo bajo enormes carpas blancas.Las oraciones durante la misa, realizadas por cubanos, incluyeron ruegos por lo que han muerto bajo la dictadura y por aquellos que luchan por la libertad. Fortuño exhortó tanto a cubanos como a puertorriqueños a seguir fortaleciendo lazos de solidaridad “como dos alas del mismo pájaro”."Para Cuba vendrán pinos nuevos", destacó el padre Guijarro al cierre de la misa. "Viva Cuba libre, viva Puerto Rico, viva la Virgen de la Caridad", gritó uno de los cubanos a lo que los presentes respondieron repitiendo sus frases.

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1997

SEVEROS LOS FEDERALES CON LOS QUE VIAJEN A CUBA 

Miércoles, 11 de junio de 1997 

EL NUEVO DIA - 

Por JUANITA COLOMBANI DE EL NUEVO DIA 

EL SERVICIO Federal de Aduanas aseguro ayer que el allanamiento a la agencia de pasajes Viajes Antillas no tiene nada que ver con el arresto de cuatro cubanos la semana pasada, que supuestamente planeaban atentar contra la vida del presidente de Cuba, Fidel Castro. El presidente de la agencia, Carlos Garcia, quien lleva 20 anos organizando viajes a Cuba, denuncio que las autoridades irrumpieron el martes en la oficina ''con una orden de allanamiento y registro vaga e imprecisa''. El vocero de prensa de Aduanas, Mario Montejo, dijo a El Nuevo Dia que los allanamientos responden a una investigacion vinculada con supuestas irregularidades en la tramitacion de viajes a Cuba y posibles violaciones al embargo de Estados Unidos contra la isla. ''Son dos investigaciones diferentes'', manifesto. Explico que ademas de Viajes Antillas, como parte de la misma investigacion, fue allanada la agencia de mercadeo Hispania Research, aunque no pudo explicar la vinculacion de ambas entidades. Dijo que las dos ordenes de allanamiento se tramitaron simultaneamente por agentes de Aduanas y de la oficina del gobierno federal para el Control de Propiedades Extranjeras, que regula los viajes de estadounidenses a paises contra los que existen sanciones economicas, como Cuba e Irak.

''TENEMOS INFORMACION que Viajes Antillas e Hispania Research han incurrido en conducta ilegal con respecto a viajes a Cuba'', dijo Montejo, al senalar que para viajar a esta isla desde Estados Unidos existen unos procedimientos especificos que hay que cumplir. El funcionario rehuso informar si otras agencias de pasajes estan siendo investigadas como parte de la misma pesquisa. Montejo se limito a senalar que la investigacion continua, y que segun surja informacion que pueda hacerse publica, esta se dara a la luz. Tras el registro a la agencia, los agentes se llevaron siete cajas con expedientes y cuentas relacionadas a viajes pasados y futuros. De la oficina del consultor y encuestador privado Pablo Jose Rivera, de Hispania Research, se llevaron unas tres cajas de documentos relacionados a un viaje de conocidos empresarios y banqueros puertorriquenos a Cuba, efectuado en abril pasado. Tambien incautaron documentos personales y otros no relacionados al viaje, o a Cuba.

LOS AGENTES estaban interesados en la lista de pasajeros del viaje de los empresarios, organizado por Rivera por invitacion de la Camara de Comercio y el Ministerio de Inversion Extranjera de Cuba. Damaris Carrasquillo, gerente administrativa de la agencia, explico que la relacion de Rivera con la agencia es de cliente, ya que fue quien organizo la delegacion de mas de 20 empresarios. Aseguro que dicho viaje se realizo legalmente a Cuba, cumpliendo con los requisitos del Departamento del Tesoro federal. El controvertible viaje fue informado por la prensa. Asistieron, entre otros; Luis Fortuno, ex secretario de Desarrollo Economico y Comercio; Jorge Junquera, primer vicepresidente del Banco Popular de Puerto Rico; Enrique Cortes y otros de la Asociacion de Industriales; Miguel Vazquez Deynes, presidente de la aseguradora Triple S; el empresario Adolfo Krans, quien es esposo de la actual Alcaldesa de San Juan; asi como abogados de los mas poderosos bufetes de abogados corporativos, como McConnell Valdes y Fiddler Gonzalez & Rodriguez.

El Servicio Federal de Aduanas es la agencia que junto al FBI esta llevando a cabo la investigacion sobre el supuesto complot para asesinar a Castro en Isla Margarita, Venezuela, donde se llevara a cabo en los proximos dias la VII Cumbre Ibearoamericana de Jefes de Estado y Gobierno. LOS CUATRO cubanos, que aguardan una mocion de revocacion de fianza, fueron detenidos la semana pasada por agentes de Aduanas la semana pasada a bordo de una embarcacion en la que fueron ocupados dos rifles de asalto semiautomaticos calibre 50. Un magistrado encontro causa para arresto por las armas, pero desestimo la acusacion de conspiracion para cometer asesinato por falta de evidencia. El FBI ha dicho que continua investigando este angulo, para someter los cargos nuevamente ante un Gran Jurado Federal. Manana se celebrara una audiencia sobre el caso ante el juez federal Juan Perez Jimenez.

Puertorriquenos en Florida son pieza clave en elecciones Presidenciales ..... y no la usan.

Los puertorriqueños en Florida o no se interesan, o no han explotado el poder político de su voto en Florida central. Este se disuelve en la descripción genérica de los votos de "hispanos", que tienen  problemas diferentes a los de Puerto Rico. Esto no ayuda en nada a los que vivimos en la isla. MJR


Florida's crucial Hispanic voters remain wary of Romney
By Trip Gabriel
New York Times
Apr 28, 2012
KISSIMMEE, Fla. If Mitt Romney is to overcome his problem with Hispanic voters, he is going to have to start by changing a lot of minds in central Florida.

But whether Romney can make real inroads among Hispanic voters here and in swing states across the nation remains an open question. Though Cuban-Americans in south Florida favored the Republican candidate, John McCain, in 2008, Obama won 57 percent of Hispanic votes in the state thanks to Puerto Ricans and immigrants from Latin America.

Much of the fight will be waged in and around Orlando, a region where population growth led to the creation of a new congressional district for 2012 in which Hispanics, many of Puerto Rican heritage, are 41 percent of the voting-age population. And while they have increasingly become part of the home-owning class, getting them to register to vote and turn out at the polls is a challenge both parties face.

The wave of Puerto Rican migration here began in the 1970s; immigrants were attracted by good schools and houses sold to buyers still living in Puerto Rico, sometimes marketed with a trip to Disney World. The Republican economic message has had a natural resonance with some of these transplants. “I came to the United States during the Ronald Reagan years when I was 14,” said John Quinones, a lawyer, who is running as a Republican for Congress in the new 9th District. “I was very much influenced by his philosophy. If you work hard and play by the rules, you can get ahead in life.”
More: http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/nyt/20120428_Floridas_crucial_Hispanic_voters_remain_wary_of_Romney.html


More on this issue:

Central Florida's Puerto Ricans want voices heard

300,000 in Orlando area may be potent force in 2012 elections
Nearly one in five of those Puerto Ricans — more than 847,000 — live in Florida, up 75 percent in the past decade, according to census figures. The growth rate is even more rapid in Central Florida, where 300,000 now live.

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-06-13/news/os-puerto-rican-political-power-20110612_1_central-florida-s-puerto-ricans-betsy-franceschini-presidential-election

Pick Mitt Romney’s vice president.......

WASHINGTON POST POLITICS
A look at Mitt Romney's possible choices for a vice presidential running mate.
More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/politics/pick-vice-president-for-romney-game/index.html

THE LIST OF OPTIONS

EAST

Chris Christie
The New Jersey governor may be the most popular guy in the Republican party at the moment, thanks to his relentlessly confrontational style and regular-guy manner. That said, Christie's personality is more built to be the man, not the man standing next to the man.
 
Rick Santorum
The former Pennsylvania senator was the runner up to Romney in the primary fight and has strong ties to social conservatives.

 
Patrick Toomey
A major darkhorse, the Pennsylvania senator hails from a state Republicans (again) believe is within reach. He also has sparkling credentials on debt and spending issues.

SOUTH

 
Jeb Bush
The former Florida governor is not only a member of the Republican party’s first family but he has also been a leading voice of moderation on immigration issues.

Jim DeMint
The South Carolina senator has emerged as the face of the tea party in the Senate. No other candidate would do more to cement conservatives behind Romney.

Nikki Haley
Haley is the first Indian-American woman to be elected governor of a state (South Carolina). She was an early endorser of Romney in the primary and, if chosen as his running mate, would make history as the first Indian-American VP candidate.
 
Mike Huckabee
The former governor of Arkansas, 2008 presidential candidate and TV and radio superstar has an active following among social conservatives and an economic populist streak that fits nicely with this electorate.
 
Bobby Jindal
The Louisiana governor is one of the most popular — and conservative — governors in the country and picking him as a running mate would make history as the first Indian-American on a national party ticket.

 
Bob McDonnell
The popular governor of an important battleground (Virginia), McDonnell's recent involvement in a national controversy about trans-vaginal ultrasounds has drawn some negative attention, but he remains a major player.


Rand Paul
The son of iconic (in some circles) Texas Rep. Ron Paul, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) hails from the libertarian-end of the GOP and would excite them like no other pick.

Marco Rubio
Young, Hispanic and from a key swing state, the Florida senator is a favorite of the tea party. If chosen, he would make history as the first Hispanic VP candidate, and could be a strong choice for the Romney presidential ticket.

MIDWEST

John Thune
A rising star in the Republican party, Thune is a Plains state senator (South Dakota, to be exact) with good looks and an almost impeccable conservative reputation.

Tim Pawlenty
Pawlenty, the former Minnesota governor and long-time state politician, endorsed Romney shortly after getting out of the race in his own right in late August 2011. Pawlenty’s best attribute is his loyalty; his worst is his decided lack of charisma.
 
Paul Ryan
The House budget chairman is telegenic, beloved by tea party conservatives and from a swing state (Wisconsin). There would be no better way for Romney to drive a contrast with President Obama than to put the face of the conservative approach to budgeting on the national ticket.
 
Mitch Daniels
Daniels, former president George W. Bush's former budget director, has a national reputation for speaking uncomfortable truths on debt and spending issues. The Indiana governor could have been a presidential campaign favorite but decided not to run.
 
Rob Portman
Portman, the junior senator from Ohio, helped lead Romney's primary victory in the all-important Buckeye State. He is an expert in budget matters, having served as U.S. trade representative and budget director during George W. Bush's administration.

WEST

Susana Martinez
Elected governor of New Mexico in 2010, Martinez became the first Hispanic female governor in the country. If Romney picked her as his running mate, she would make history as the first Hispanic VP candidate.
 
Brian Sandoval
The governor of Nevada doesn’t get as much national publicity as some of the other Republican governors elected in 2010, but as a Hispanic from a swing state he has an intriguing profile — and would be a his

THE GOVERNMENT CAN

Misconduct alleged against Obama's Secret Service agents on Colombia trip - Washington Times

President Barack Obama waves upon arrival to Cartagena, Colombia, Friday,

April 13, 2012. Obama is in  Cartagena to attend the sixth summit of the Americas 

At right is U.S. ambassador to Columbia Michael McKinley.  (AP Photo/ Ochoa)

Misconduct alleged against Obama's Secret Service agents on Colombia trip - Washington Times:

President Obama’s weekend trip to Colombia is being rocked by the disclosure that up to a dozen Secret Service agents there have been relieved of their duties amid allegations of misconduct with prostitutes.

As the scandal unfolded Saturday, the U.S. Southern Command announced that five U.S. military members also had been confined to quarters as a result of possible involvement in the incident. Gen. Douglas Fraser, commander of the U.S. Southern Command, said he is “disappointed by the entire incident and that this behavior is not in keeping with the professional standards expected of members of the United States military.”

PUERTO RICAN GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE BUYS SEX TOYS FOR WIFE

Garcia Padilla

First Avenue Nudie Joint Stirs Up Scandal in 2012 Gubernatorial Election - in Puerto Rico

By Rick Anderson Fri., Apr. 13 2012 

Here's a paragraph I never imagined writing: I've been getting e-mails the past month from political operatives in Puerto Rico asking for details on a First Avenue strip joint. It turns out the commonwealth's Democratic gubernatorial candidate is caught up in a scandal for making a purchase at the club 3,700 miles north, which his opponent - who fancies himself as U.S. vice-presidential material - calls a Seattle "brothel." With the democracy of Puerto Rico at stake, the operatives asked me to set the record straight.

Under increasing pressure, the Democrat, Alejandro J. García Padilla, has admitted visiting the strip joint - the Showgirls Deja Vu - six years ago. His rival, the current Republican Gov. Luis Fortuño, raised the issue earlier this year. They are facing a November election along with a likely third independent candidate.

Sometimes referred to by its former name - the Champ Arcade - the Showgirls club is part of the chain owned by Roger Forbes. It's just up First Ave from Pike Street, across from the Pike Place Market. You probably remember its old marquee slogan, "Live Girls."

Fortuno is making an issue out of a $47 purchase Garcia Padilla made at the club while in Seattle on an official state visit. But the Democrat says all he did was buy a gift for his wife, though he hasn't explained what it was.

Jose Garcia-Gomez, one of the Democrat's supporters, tells me Garcia Padilla "admitted to that [purchase], a statement that most Puerto Ricans see as nothing bad. However, [Fortuno's] statehood party has initiated another defamatory campaign claiming that he [the Democrat] has eliminated himself from his candidacy for such an 'immoral action.'"

Garcia-Gomez likens Fortuno to the job-slashing governors of Michigan and Wisconsin, saying "The first thing he did when he came to office was to fire 30,000 government employees. Indirectly, some 100,000 jobs were lost because construction went into a standstill. You can go around the island and see abandoned construction projects." Fortuño, seeking his second term, told his admirers that "one of the Republican candidates for the presidency of the USA would chose him as running mate - for Vice President," says Garcia-Gomez, who calls that Fortuno's "illusion."

But Fortuno's dish on Garcia Padilla has apparently been working, and the Democrat has been forced to sit down with Puerto Rico media and go over his Seattle visit. 

Here's one recent report, an English translation, from El Nuevo Dia:

Alejandro García Padilla revealed last night that, while in Seattle, Washington on an official trip in 2006, he visited an adult store or "sex shop" where he purchased a gift for his wife.
The gubernatorial candidate for the Popular Democratic Party (PDP) rejected categorically that he visited a "strip club" located in the same building where he purchased the gift.

The former secretary of the Department of Consumer Affairs (DACO) made these statements after the television program SuperXclusivo challenged him to explain whether he had paid $47.25 in a Seattle brothel.

-What were you doing in Seattle?
I was going to Seattle in 2006 to attend a convention that brings together consumer protection agencies. DACO of Puerto Rico was named best agency for the work I was doing.

-Who accompanied you on that trip?
I went alone.

-Tell me, how would you explain the gift?
After the convention ended, on my own personal free time I went to the tourist area, which was a few blocks from the hotel to buy some 'souvenirs', some gifts. I went to an adult gift shop and bought a present for my wife (Wilma Pastrana). It is a shame that the governor is desperately filtering a statement about my private credit card, a joint account I hold with my wife. I bought my wife a gift that cost 47 dollars.

-What gift did you buy?A gift for my wife ... What you are suggesting or insinuating is wrong.

-Why did you pay with a credit card from your wife?
Because she had an Advantage card points. To accumulate points, it issued a card in my name to my wife's account. At that time, we had that card and another card. I paid with the joint account that I have with my wife. Imagine that! What would I be hiding then? The bill and statement was sent to Wilma.

-Are there further credit card charges, ones that are mentioned by the TV show?
I can assure you that there is nothing illegal on my credit card, there is nothing doubtful, or anything else. It has things a husband buys his wife. It is a gift to my wife with my private credit card. It a shame that the governor is divulging information about my private credit card statement.

-Did you also visit adult stores during your official visit to Dubai?
No. Let me make this clear. The truth is that I went to a store (in Seattle) and bought a gift for my wife in the middle of tourist area during the day, because I remember it was after the convention ended.

For the record: Nude dancing was and is the house specialty at the Deja Vu, along with its adjoining video and sex-toy arcade. A brothel in the traditional sense it isn't, although sex isn't out of the question (clandestinely with a dancer, or with oneself). Forbes has told me, however, dancers who have sex with customers will be fired, the rule at all his clubs.

As I told the operatives, it was clearly possible for García Padilla to go into the club and, without entering the strip area, buy a gift for his wife. Then again, it was equally possible for him to go into the nudie section and, on his way out, buy his wife a gift as an excuse. Who knows?
The only real question may be whether Garcia Padilla has the female vote in Puerto Rico. It was nice he thought to buy his wife a gift. But - with her own credit card?

MORE: http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2012/04/first_ave_nudie_joint_becomes.php

Eagerness seen as a vice in presidential veepstakes

WASHINGTON TIMES
By Stephen Dinan
The Washington Times
Sunday, April 8, 2012

While Mitt Romney finally looks to have the Republican nomination within his grasp, the jockeying among the wannabes for the No. 2 spot on the GOP ticket is only now ramping up. In the so-called “veepstakes,” the big question for the hopefuls is how to play it.

Some of those considered to be in the mix are playing it cool: South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haleyand Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida have said they don’t expect to be picked. Others, such as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, pointedly say they would have to consider an offer if it’s made.

Then there are the matters of fitting in with the rest of the ticket and, in the post-Sarah Palin era, a sense that whoever the pick is, he or she needs to be well-vetted early on. “The wannabes would be wise to hang back, play it cool, see how the cards in the deck are dealt,” said political strategist Ron Christie, who worked for one man who played it right — former Vice President Dick Cheney. “No one likes the over-eager beaver — particularly one angling to become the next vice president of the United States.”

Gov. Chris Christie

With President Obama seemingly locked into keeping Vice PresidentJoe Biden on his ticket, this summer’s chief guessing game will center on who will be the best fit for the Republican nominee.

Those under consideration usually would complement the presidential nominee well, would be qualified for the top office, and could help shore up support in a battleground state.

But the pick is also the equivalent of a one-shot rifle: It gives the presidential nominee a chance to reset the political conversation and quell whatever questions happen to be rising at that time.

The political oddsmakers at Paddy Power, an Irish bookmaker that takes bets on things such as the veepstakes, released odds last week that made Mr. Rubio the clear favorite at 2-1, followed by Mr. Christie at 5-1 and New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez at 11-2. In a surprise, Paddy Power said Sen. Rand Paul — son of Republican presidential hopeful Rep. Ron Paul — is fourth most likely, with odds of 15-2.

The best way for those hopefuls to boost their own chances is to play it cool and to make sure they have done the work of running the traps on their own records, said longtime political operative Mike McSherry, who works at Mercury Public Affairs. “Make sure that you’re helping Gov. Romney in any way the campaign needs it — whether it’s winning states, delegates or helping him raise money,” Mr. McSherry said. “The Romney campaign is excellent at constructing political voting and quotation record narratives. If a potential V.P. believes any issue may impact, positively or negatively, consideration for selection and the fall election they’ll need to get it vetted.”

MORE:http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/apr/8/eagerness-seen-as-a-vice-in-presidential-veepstake/

Romney looks for winning combo in narrowing VP field

By Joseph Weber
Published April 06, 2012
FoxNews.com

As Mitt Romney widens his lead on the field of GOP presidential candidates, the front-runner is searching from a narrowing list of potential vice presidential candidates who can perhaps deliver on the intangibles that voters say his candidacy still needs.

GOP Rep. Paul Ryan appears to be in the top mix of any list, to be sure. The Wisconsin congressman campaigned in his home state with Romney for five days around the Tuesday primary, helping the former Massachusetts governor win convincingly in a three-state sweep.

Several other contenders meanwhile claim to be taking themselves out of the running, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. That doesn't mean they wouldn't change their minds if asked, but the volume of political figures shunning the VP spotlight suggests Romney's choices might be limited. 

Ryan, while not a lock, is seen as a natural complement in a GOP ticket that has Romney as the Harvard-educated financier at top and Ryan, who rose from working-class roots to chairman of the House Budget Committee, as a running mate. Ryan's deficit-slashing budget proposals have helped make him a rising GOP star.

“Paul Ryan is a very interesting vice presidential candidate,” said Republican strategist Taylor Griffin, partner of Washington-based Hamilton Place Strategies. “The assumption, which is the correct assumption, is that Ryan would bring serious leadership. And whatever you say about Paul Ryan, he’s a serious guy.”

Though the Romney campaign has downplayed talk of a Romney-Ryan team, Hamilton points out that President Obama appears to recognize Ryan’s power and influence, consider much of his roughly 37-minute speech Monday was a withering attack on Ryan’s budget proposal.

Like other GOP strategists, Hamilton, who most recently worked on Sen. John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign, thinks Rubio would be a good running mate too, despite Rubio suggesting he is not interested.

Beyond helping secure the Hispanic vote, Rubio as the son of Cuban immigrants presents the America Dream and will appeal to conservatives, Hamilton said.

“He made success out of very meager beginnings,” he said Thursday. “And you satisfy the base with the vice president, which frees you to appeal to the middle.”

GOP strategist Elliott Curson agrees that Rubio will appeal to the GOP base but suspects Romney is feeling pressure to pick GOP challenger Rick Santorum, who has strong support among Tea Party members and voters in the Deep South. 

“Voters might come out for Rubio. They will come out for Rick,” said Curson, a media consultant on Ronald Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign.

Among the other names mentioned are New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie -- powerful, but perhaps too powerful for vice president, Curson said. Christie, discussing the VP speculation, has suggested he wouldn't be too comfortable as someone's No. 2. 

Another name that has recently surfaced is first-term Sen. Rob Portman, a Republican from the swing state of Ohio.

Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said Thursday that voters should not automatically assume Romney will pick a vice presidential candidate from a swing state rich in electoral votes.

In fact, a vice president has never come out of Florida, and the last one from Ohio was in 1944, Sabato said.

“It’s amazing how many of these presidential candidates bypass these mega-swing states,” he added.

As for a female candidate, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has said she would decline a Romney offer, and New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez has said she is not interested.

Other names include Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, South Dakota Sen. John Thune and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

Though most suspected to be on the short-list have demurred, Curson and Hamilton said that’s just part of the strategy because announcing too early kicks in opposition research -- and perhaps more importantly campaigns need to create buzz with a surprise pick.

“Keep them guessing until the end,” Curson said.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/04/06/romney-looks-for-winning-combo-in-narrowing-vp-field/?test=latestnews&fb_source=message#ixzz1rVZNMnx5

Ante fiscalía federal denuncias de irregularidades en primarias republicanas

23 de marzo de 2012    

Por Inter News Service

El reclamo fue presentado por Luis Del Valle, uno de los delegados de Ron Paul, aspirante a la presidencia de Estados Unidos por el Partido Republicano
Por Inter News Service
Luis Del Valle, uno de los delegados de Ron Paul, aspirante a la presidencia de Estados Unidos por el Partido Republicano, informó hoy que envió en una carta al fiscal federal Ernesto López Soltero, las supuestas irregularidades que ocurrieron en la primaria del domingo pasado.

Algunas de las denuncias presentadas también se presentaron como querellas ante la Comisión Estatal de Elecciones (CEE) con testimonios de observadores y electores.
More: http://www.elnuevodia.com/antefiscaliafederaldenunciasdeirregularidadesenprimariasrepublicanas-1219696.html