* Mexico: Free trade, immigration, and counternarcotics are expected to be some of the main issues to be discussed by Mexican president Felipe Calderon during his visit with U.S. President-elect Barack Obama on Monday.* Venezuela: According to the Jerusalem Post Venezuela’s Jewish community is “preoccupied” with the government, particularly in reaction to the events in Gaza.
* Puerto Rico: Could the election of Luis Fortuño to the governorship serve as an example for the Republican Party to rebound or is that merely wishful thinking?
* Panama: Courts in three different countries are trying to decide the fate of former Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega.
Image- Time
Online Sources- MSNBC, Jerusalem Post, The Latin Americanist, Reuters
"Puerto Rico: Could the election of Luis Fortuño to the governorship serve as an example for the Republican Party to rebound or is that merely wishful thinking?"
ReplyDeleteMostly wishful thinking by Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan and certain "republican leaders" that "give Mr. Fortuno credit for winning over Latino voters." I mean, we're talking about Puerto Rico, not California or Texas. Virtually the whole electorate is comprised of "latino voters". I lived 23 years in Puerto Rico until last June, so I kind of know what I'm talking about. Either they misspoke or were quoted out of context, because that doesn't make sense.
By the way, as pointed out by the WSJ reporter, political divisions in Puerto Rico are not along the same lines as in the mainland:
"But it's not clear that Mr. Fortuno's experience provides a clear road map for a GOP comeback. Puerto Rico's main political split isn't between Democrats and Republicans but between those who want the territory to become the 51st state and those who want autonomy. Even within his party, the pro-statehood New Progressive Party, the translation to mainland politics is muddled. Mr. Fortuno served two terms in the U.S. Congress as a Republican, but his successor, Pedro Pierluisi, also a member of the New Progressive Party, will caucus with the Democrats."
Having said that, Governor Luis Fortuño is a vast improvement over former Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila and seems to have taken the bull by the horns by taking on Puerto Rico bloated government payroll, which in my opinion is the main drag to the island development. I wish him well, because the Boricuas really deserve better.