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Subscribe to RSSSAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO -- Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum said today Puerto Rico would not have to make English its official language in order to gain statehood, but maintained that the island territory would need to be bilingual.
Santorum drew fire on what was largely meant to be a goodwill trip to Puerto Rico for comments he made to a San Juan newspaper on Wednesday suggesting the U.S. territory needed to make English its official language before it could become the 51st state. But speaking to reporters after here after visiting a local school, the former Pennsylvania senator said he simply called on the island to learn English.
"What I said is English has to be learned as a language and this has to be a country where English is widely spoken and used yes," Santorum said.
However Santorum did say he believes English needs to be taught and that Puerto Rican schools would need to teach the language as a condition of statehood.
"They need to be taught English. That's how you integrate fully into American life. Its the best opportunity for you to be economically successful is to speak English," he said. "One of the important things about Puerto Rico is to be able to be a bridge between the mainland and central and south america, well bridge requires that you be able to speak both languages."
The island was Santorum's first campaign stop since two primary wins in Mississippi and Alabama. It's a place that is largely seen to favor chief rival Mitt Romney, who has won the endorsement of Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuño. But Santorum's trip here is a sign he is hopeful he can earn some of the 23 delegates up for grabs during Sunday's primary.
The candidate visited the governor's mansion for a photo opportunity with Fortuño, his only appearance with the Puerto Rican leader.
Instead, it was the Secretary of Recreation of Sports Department Henry Neumann that was by his side during the two-day visit.
During a press conference on the steps of the governor's mansion, Santorum attempted to downplay the importance of Fortuño's endorsement of the former Massachusetts governor. "The establishment across America has lined up behind Gov. Romeny very early on and I certainly respect that," he said. "He looked like the odds on favorite at the beginning of the campaign. We tend to do that as Republicans -- sort of take the person next in line."
The question the GOP hopeful most commonly faced was regarding his feelings towards Puerto Rican statehood. He has said he favors allowing the island to decide for itself whether or not to abandon their territory status. But, there would need to be a resounding consensus, not simply a majority plus one, Santorum said.
Throughout his campaign stops here, the candidate emphasized the work he did with Puerto Rico during his time in Congress. It is the reason he took exception to local reports characterizing his remarks about a bilingual Puerto Rico as a dig against those living on the island.
"This is my 3rd trip to Puerto Rico. We've worked with the people of Puerto Rico, governors of the past. We've done things to try to help benefit Puerto Rico. For someone to misrepresent and completely fabricate something that I never said or even intimated is very disappointing," he said.
The latest candidate to surge in Republican nominating contest did not draw overwhelming crowds to his campaign stops, until his last event -- a parade throughout the streets of Old San Juan. Walking behind a marching band and an emcee shouting his name, Santorum greeted surprised Puerto Ricans during the march that shut down blocks of the old city.
He has not set an expectations for how he'll finish here on Sunday, predicting only that he'll earn "as many delegates as we can get."
Santorum returns to the continental United State tomorrow, spending the remainder of the week stumping in Missouri, Illinois and Louisiana.
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With all the backpedaling Santorum has been doing of late, he seems to be headed off the cliff backwards, in full reverse.
Forward march - To the rear, MARCH
English is already required for students in Puero Rican schools. Next time, before retracting (backpedaling) a comment, Santorum really study the whole topic first so that he has a clue. Better yet, if a candidate expect votes and visits a territory asking for them, it's wise to learn something about the people before sticking foot in mouth.
It looks as if The Week Ahead will be late. Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! Thanks to our FR hosts for giving us lots to talk about and a place to do it.
An extra thank you to Mark and Domenico for choosing my question on the Boiler Room yesterday. I didn't see it until late. Appreciate the insight, great job, too.
Hey Ricky
Wonder why Willard has the fastest growing religion? They speak English. Your Opus Dei spititual advisors speak Latin and castigate infidels who would celebrate Mass in English.
Are you going to require churches in Puerto Rico to celebrate Mass in English?
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/858256/women%27s_health_supporters_hilariously_flood_republicans%27_facebook_walls_with_sarcasm_%28%22can_you_help_me_choose_a_tampon%22%29
Jody and Red Dev,
this will bring a smile to you both. Women know how to fight back with humor.
The facebook page of the Governor of Kansas has since shut down.
OMG Northstar! That is absolutely wonderful! I highly recommend...
I thought it was great too.
Thanks Norrthstar - those were great and very, very clever. But I do declare, why has he deleted the questions? Since the medical community and women know nuttin' about them woman parts, the only option is to ask Carnac the Guv-Magnificent (envelope please).
.....one of the articles I read about Santorum and Puerto Rico said he made comments about English being the language of success and that per the Constitution, English is the required language to be a state in the USA (not true--and this from someone who calls himself a Constitutionalist!). So now he says that is not what he said? And this guy wants to be a major world leader? How many other cultures and countries will this "candidate" insult before the TPGOP clown train derails?
"We have met the enemy and he is us!" Pogo by Walt Kelly
There's no need for this English-as-official language crap anywhere in the US (let alone PR). As a nation of immigrants--right down to our Native Americans--we are simply in no position to do so. Convenience, current education standards, peers, and TV and the internet make such a law moot anyway--if people who don't know English don't learn it, their sons and daughters will whether they want to or not.
I hope, when Puerto Ricans are watching this Santorum gentleman, that they go away laughing at the disgusting and repulsive stuff he espouses. I don't doubt he's an American, but he tries so hard not to be.
"We have met the enemy and he is republican!" by Forrest Grump
Thank you Forrest! Excellent call! Have a great St Paddy's Day and Spring Equinox!
I always try to follow the nurses orders, the doctors not so much, but those nurses can make or break you! They can be angels of mercy when you cooperate, or merciless angels when you don't. Have a great weekend.
"They need to be taught English. That's how you integrate fully into American life. Its the best opportunity for you to be economically successful is to speak English," he said. "One of the important things about Puerto Rico is to be able to be a bridge between the mainland and central and south america, well bridge requires that you be able to speak both languages."
Wasn't this the same guy who called President Obama a snob? Could he possibly sound any MORE condescending and patronizing?
I'm reminded of a trip my family made to Hawaii back in 1972 for my dad's convention, where my brother and I were seated at a banquet table with our hosts, both native Hawaiians, who very patiently and graciously ignored the repeated displays of ignorance from the other couple at our table (both natives of South Philly), like how surprised they were at what good English Hawaiians spoke and how relieved they were when they learned that Hawaiians even used the same money as we do "back in the States". My brother and I were embarrassed and already black and blue from kicking each other under the table even before the after-dinner dance exhibition was over and the wife turned to our hosts and asked "I've been wondering about something. Like, do youse all know how to do them dances when youse are born, or do youse have to learn them?"
For some reason I've got the same picture of Santorum's hosts kicking each other under the table - I wonder why?
Funny thing - I had my son take 6 years of Spanish for the same reason Santorum says the Puerto Ricans should speak English proficiently - to be a success in business in the future - you'd better be proficient in the fastest growing language in use in the Western Hemisphere - Spanish.
I imagine they are primarily Catholic or he would have told them they must convert, you know as the founding fathers required for application for statehood.
Katheryn -
I actually majored in Spanish in college and took some French and German - mostly because languages always came easy for me, but also because I had this hazy idea of being a UN translator as a career. My hopes were dashed by my favorite professor mid-way through my junior year when he bluntly informed us that most Americans don't even speak ENGLISH well enough to get a job with the UN - not even in the gift shop! - and that in fact, we'd be at an extreme disadvantage trying to compete in almost any field in the global economy with multi-lingual speakers from other countries around the world. And that was almost 40 years ago.
And yet we still cut language courses from our schools and go arrogantly on believing we're somehow superior to the rest of the world in this regard. I wonder when (or if) we're ever going to wake up and realize that while we were so busy patting ourselves on the back for this particular brand of "American Exceptionalism" that the rest of the world has long since passed us by.....
Wow - I am impressed JoAnne in PA. I wish I had a gift for languages, but I am a bumbler in English! I know a little Spanish having been raised in Miami,but really the little I know doesn't even count.
But I felt my son should have two languages. And there is the fact my son's heritage is Latino,so there was kind of a "you should be connected with your roots" thing going on.
JoAnne in the early 90's I was working with some engineers from Germany who all spoke English and could read and write English. I don't know a bit of German so English would be the language we would use to discuss and solve the engineering problems for our common customer. I was having difficulty making my point one day and in frustration I said to their lead man I thought you spoke English, and he said yes I do speak English, but you speak American. By the end of the job I did teach them how to properly cuss in American so they could defend themselves properly when verbally attacked by rude Americans. I realized this was a problem when we were in a saloon after work and one of the German fellows said "you know that Roy I am very pissed off to him" I said "no you are very pissed off at him" and then there were more cussing lessons that followed but I will not go into detail. I could teach them guys at the UN a thing or two about getting your point across, and negotiating in America. Ha.
Gracias, Katheryn, pero hace MUCHO tiempo desde entonces. Su hijo tiene mucha suerte de tener una madre tan inteligente.
(I hope that's even close to what I think I'm saying!)
Forrest - One should always learn proper cussing first! Thanks for the story!
Well I kind of got off track but the point was there is a very real difference between English and American, we use a lot of slang and then if you factor in the way people speak in different parts of the country, I guess we have different dialects of American, Ya'all getting me up in here! Whatever!
he has a long long way to go before he catches up to all the blunders of obama
No, I'd say he has passed President Obama a long time ago. Santorum spends half of his campaign time by making gaffes and he spends the remainder of his time trying to explain them away.
If for some unknown reason Santorum is elected (lol) he would probably have to learn Spanish as a diplomatic jesture of some sort. Then when he travels to the "Islands" he will be right at home and might stay don't you know?
nurse,
The clown train is only picking up speed until it runs off the cliff.
Have a great weekend and enjoy St. Patricks Day!!
Thank you Northstar--I am partying all weekend--what with St Paddy's Day and Sunday for the Spring Equinox. Sunday we will celebrate with the spring fire and sacrificial Peeps! I hope you have a great weekend too! To all my friends on FR--I will raise a glass of Guinness Stout to you all--
Slainte!
How is it that Santorum and Romney never said what they said. They make a statement in English I might add, then they constantly tell you that is not what they said. When I hear what they say am I not supposed to believe my ears. Please fellas stop telling me I did not hear what I heard, when you speak I hear it, don't come back the next day and tell me I did not hear what I know I heard. Hint: It makes you look damn stupid fellas.
Whenever those two bumblers make unscripted comments, they wind up spending the next week or two having to explain themselves. The funny thing is that I believe the original gaffes are their honest thoughts and the followup explanations are all lies. I don't know which are worse.
Is it a crime now to be honest and say yeah that is what I said, and that is what I think, or yes that is what I said, and now I realize I was wrong. I am fine with either one of those, but this business of what I said is not what I said is insulting, BTW I think that is Romneys biggest problem nobody believes a single thing he says anymore. I imagine Romney will be in Branson Mo. soon dressed as a hillbilly playing the banjo riff from Deliverance, while Santorum claims to be the new Shepard of the Hills.
Forrest -
Wow, "Shepherd of the Hills" was one of my grandmother's all-time favorite books! But having been to that neck of the woods many years ago, I think Santorum would see himself more as the Christ of the Ozarks.....
These guys are all talk, their policies and agenda is a far cry from the agenda of Jesus Christ as I was taught.
Whatever happened to "whatever you do for the least of my brothers, so you do unto to me"
Puerto Rican schools already teach English. Who taught Santorum to speak with his foot lodged in his mouth?
It's part of his holier than thou training.
Santorum has a habit of making prouncements that are already evident to everyone else, as if he's the only one in the know.
Being proficient in English is valuable to getting ahead in academics and business, duh, do you think?
Just another stupid statement to add to his already large collection.
But don't worry folks, by tomorrow, Mitt "Cheesy Grits" Romney, will out do him, and the stupid statement race will continue.....
This is a reminder that he is just as wrong about many other things as well and he always acts like he knows what he is talking about.
I guess him and Gingrich have more in common that I thought.
I am really starting to believe Santorum has a sex obsession. This is not sarcastic; it is honesty.
Another idiot with a plane ticket. Just think of what he could do when using his passport! When I think of all the bills, laws, statements made by the GOP, I really have to wonder if they are trying to lose on purpose. Is stupidity really this rampant in the GOP?
Santorum is an ass. His campaign is all about himself: what he believes, what he wants.
He doesn't listen to voters. He doesn't care what voters want or need.
He would be utter crap as a president. There's a very good reason why he was voted out of his senatorial position by 17%--the largest margin in GOP history.
Oh, Ricky, you're so blind. You're so blind you blow my mind.
That was so funny! Ricky first says he said it, then he says he's upset that someone would even intimate that he said it. What a BAFFOON! Does anyone even UNDERSTAND what he says, when he says it? I dont! He litteraly confuses the crap out of me. No, lil Ricky, you will never be President of your own fan club, all 1 of them!
Run for President--- Lose=== Write a book & make millions---- Become a lying shock jock for fox news----Make more millions----Then go on speaking tours----And make more money & don't forget the late night shows.
Palin in must of had a little talk with tricky ricky.
To donate to Rick's campaign
CALL 1800-IHATEHOLES