Puerto Rico’s plebiscite voted overwhelmingly in favour of pushing to become a full USA state. But the turnout was abysmal with fewer than a quarter of voters taking part, with mass abstentions after charges of corruption. And at the end of it all, there is no legal requirement for the USA Congress to consider the matter. When Puerto Rico was acquired from the Spanish in 1898 it was as a colonial possession (an unincorporated territory) not a future state. One of Congress terms in any event would be national solvency which is certainly not the case for Puerto Rico which has considerable government debts owing.
The constitution for Puerto Rico was celebrated on 25 July 1952 1.36pm, San Juan (astrotheme). That gives a fixed T Square of Mars in Scorpio opposition Jupiter square Pluto on the MC (time being accurate), with Pluto opposition North Node IC – so a country prone to being dominated. It looks exceptionally muddled in 2017/18 with tr Pluto square Neptune; and short financially with tr Saturn through the 2nd. There will be some optimistic moments from July onwards for a few months; but it also looks very high-wire, explosive and in a state of upheaval with the Solar Arc Mars opposition Uranus.
There looks to be disappointment with the US before the end of 2017; with pressures mounting on the relationship in 2018 to 2020. 2019 could see a complete turnaround in the relationship, though it looks more separated than conjoined.
My wife is from Puerto Rico and the vote was 97% because there was 23% turnout. The opponents boycotted the vote. US liberals are all for Puerto Rican statehood but on the island itself it’s a fetish of the right wing. A good half the population fears losing language, culture, and governmental autonomy via stronger, and permanent, ties to the US. It’s a difficult situation to resolve. The idea that PR would be reliably Democratic is bizarre. Puerto Ricans on the mainland tend to vote Democratic, but that’s a very different animal. On the island the PNP (right-wing and tight with national Republicans) win as often as the PPD do in recent years, if not more.
I was really hoping that if Democrats retake the House and Senate next year, they would push statehood for Puerto Rico – considering that even though it was a low turnout, 97% of the voters voted in favor of statehood. Even in all the polls taken, statehood has been favored by most who participated. Here in Florida, most of the Puerto Ricans I’ve talked to or know personally, tell me they also support statehood for their island and they’re tired of the U.S. govt. ignoring them.
If Puerto Rico were to eventually become a state, they would be able to send two Senators to the U.S. Senate and based on the island’s current population of 3.4 million, they would be given 7 electoral votes. Puerto Rico is an overwhelmingly Democrat-leaning island…so, I’m not surprised the Republicans (who currently control the House, the Senate and the White House at the moment) are reluctant to grant the island statehood.
However, if the Republicans keep ignoring Puerto Rico, there could be serious consequences for them. Here in Florida, we have the second largest Puerto Rican community in the United States (after New York). They’re a MAJOR voting block here in Florida and more are settling here as a result of the economic hardships and rising cost of living in Puerto Rico. Most Puerto Ricans are settling in Orlando and in the Tampa Bay Area – two heavily populated metro areas here in Florida. Puerto Rican voters here in Florida tend to vote Democrat and they are helping the state turn blue – they helped Obama win Florida twice.
I think the Puerto Rico issue will certainly be on many Puerto Rican Floridians’ minds in the mid-terms next year….and in the presidential election in 2020.
Chris Romero
Jacksonville, Florida
Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Explains a lot.