On March 6, the Puerto Rican Democratic Party central committee voted to hold a presidential primary. This will be Puerto Rico’s Democratic presidential primary since 1984. The Republicans last had a presidential primary in 1996. Both major parties used caucuses in Puerto Rico in 2000 and 2004.
The date is Sunday, June 1. The Democratic Party felt that it had no choice in the matter. Interest is so high, officials felt the meeting places for caucuses would be impossibly crowded.
News articles do not say who will be paying for this primary. Presumably it will be the Democratic Party, not the government of Puerto Rico.
To join the other imperial global empire ‘territories’ such as Guam and the United States Virgin Islands?
Once again, since the military assisted corporate take over of Honolulu in 1886, we are not a nation, we are just the latest intercontinental merchantile!
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/barone/2008/2/6/puerto-rican-poll-power.html
( U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT article about PR PRIMARY on JUNE 3, 2008 – DID YOU KNOW? )
Will Puerto Rico really be able to decide everything as suggested by U.S. News and World Report’s Michael Barone ?????
Are the 55 delegates going to be chosen on an all-or-nothing basis thus making Puerto Rians the biggest swing voter population in the United States ?
Michael Barone of U.S. News & World Report aparently suggest these are all strong possibilities, right?
GOOGLE: BARONE PUERTO RICO
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/barone/2008/2/6/puerto-rican-poll-power.html
Even though past Democratic Puerto Rico caucuses have been winner-take-all, the 2008 Democratic Puerto Rican presidential primary will NOT be winner-take-all.
Wouldn’t it be intersting if those who can not vote for president end up casting the deciding votes to choose the candidate for president.
IN 1980 PUERTO RICO CELEBRATED A DEMOCRATIC AND A REPUBLICAN PRIMARY. IN 1980 JIMMY CARTER WON AN OPEN PRIMARY AND EVEN HAD SPANISH ADS AND JINGLES IN SPANISH. TED KENNEDY ALSO DID A FAMOUS TV AD CALLED ” A LA VICTORIA!” “TO THE VITORY!” THAT LATER WAS USED IN NEW YORK. BUSH SENIOR WITH A FAMOUS SONG IN SPANISH WON THE OPEN REPUBLICAN PRIMARIES IN PUERTO RICO IN 1980
Thanks to commenter #5. My original post was wrong. The original post said Puerto Rico had never had a presidential primary. I made this mistake because I relied on Congressional Quarterly’s America Votes, and it omitted the earlier Puerto Rico primaries. But America Votes was wrong. Puerto Rico had primaries in 1980, and a Democratic one in 1984, and a Republican one in 1996.
Why is US so interested in PR primary votes when islanders do not have the right to vote for US president? Can someone help me understand, please?