Another interesting note. Washington D.C. did the same thing. They even went so far as to propose a new name, along with their statehood constitution, New Columbia. But Congress has yet to vote on their statehood proposal also. Too small, too liberal, too black, lets just give it back to Maryland (even though Maryland doesn't want it.) goes the not so explicitly said yet well known republican reasoning. FYI, I was born and raised and am originally from Maryland.

You're probably right. Many years ago Guam voted in a referendum to adopt a new constitution for a change to commonwealth status. But Congress simply ignored it and never voted on the subject. Still, I think in Puerto Rico's case, there would be a lot more pressure to act if a successful referendum were held. Just an interesting side note. The last time we admitted a state, Hawaii in its referendum on statehood, voted between 93 and 94 percent in favor.

Gabby Giffords is a great spokesperson, but even she still doesn't have enough star power or stature to be really an effective leader. There are probably still enough people out there who will either ask or say, Gabby who? and then when told who she is say, oh yeah, she's the one with a personal agenda because of what happened to her. It's tragic and all that, but she's not going to take away my constitutional rights and freedom as an American to own a gun to protect myself. And you need someone who has enough appeal to get past that barrier.

Good point, but I think it just would never come up for a vote at all. Previous states have had to wait for Congress to admit them (although I can't remember exact specifics... Alaska statehood was fought by Washington state, I know that... there are others though).

As for your second point, what about Gabby Giffords?

-CW

"But if PR did vote, even in the election you posit, do you really think Congress would let them become a state? It's their final say, and the GOP isn't going to go along with adding two presumably Democratic senators to the mix...

We'd probably need a Dem Congress before they ever actually were accepted as a state..."

Very likely true. But you probably have to admit, if republicans in Congress did vote against and deny Puerto Ricans statehood, it would give them and their outreach to Latino or Hispanic voters even more of a black eye than it already has. Especially since Puerto Ricans are already American citizens. That would be very bad optics.

"Just to be fair, considering the article I wrote on her today... how about Dianne Feinstein? She's been the leading Dem on gun control since the 90s, after all...

Just curious..."

Diane Feinstein was great after the shooting of the mayor and Harvey Milk many years ago. But as of today, she simply doesn't have the power or the stature or celebrity following of a person like Princess Diana or Martin Luther King, the kind of leadership aura I guess is what I am getting at, that is needed for an advocate of gun control, in my opinion. Like I said to Elizabeth, I don't see anyone who does at this point.

Can't say I disagree with any of that, in fact it was pretty well put, especially your list (right up to when your fingers got tired)...

ListenWhenYouHear [3] -

Yeah, but there's a positive side to that coin. Puerto Ricans can move to any US state, and as soon as they establish residency (rent an apartment, in other words), they can register to vote. So Maria might actually change the face of Florida's electorate next time around...

PRcans are close to passing Cubans as FL's biggest Latino demographic. That's going to change things a bit!

MHorton [6] -

What PR needs is a "clean" vote on the issue of statehood. The past few referenda have been flawed in one way or another...

And, now, the electorate on the island may have shifted in unpredictable ways.

Don Harris [8] -

Like it or not, one of the chief responsibilities of congressional partisan leaders is to raise a lot of money. Debbie Wasserman Schultz was a master at it, which is why she lasted so long. Again, I hear your feelings in railing at the system, but to deny it's part of the job description is to deny reality at this point. Fighting to change the reality is one thing, but denying it is another. I can't deny it, whether I hate it or not.

John M [15] -

Excellent comment. I agree totally with all the points you've made. The only change I'd make:

One is to vote fully and unequivocally by a substantial majority in a referendum in favor of statehood

Should really be:

One is to vote fully and unequivocally by a substantial majority in a clearly-worded and unequivocal referendum in favor of statehood

The ballot needs to be crystal-clear.

But if PR did vote, even in the election you posit, do you really think Congress would let them become a state? It's their final say, and the GOP isn't going to go along with adding two presumably Democratic senators to the mix...

We'd probably need a Dem Congress before they ever actually were accepted as a state...

John M [18] -

Just to be fair, considering the article I wrote on her today... how about Dianne Feinstein? She's been the leading Dem on gun control since the 90s, after all...

Just curious...

neilm [22] -

OK, now that was funny!

:-)

ListenWhenYouHear [24] -

Got up to see the 49ers lose again, but didn't catch the national anthem. Pence, according to many, cost over a million bucks for his political stance. Should have stayed, was an exciting game for Colts fans...

Balthasar [26] -

Nice "frequent flyers" quip. Haven't heard that yet, but it is brilliant. May have to use it myself soon...

:-)

Also, thanks for pointing out that even the football players could see that it was nothing more than a PR stunt. Good point.

Don Harris [29] -

Actually, since you mentioned it, I have been largely ignoring the NFL/Trump distration in an experiment. Trump wants to distract us with this? Well, I'll ignore it and concentrate on other things!

The jury's still out, but that is indeed what I've been trying to do. I see it as a "red meat for the base" distraction from what's really going on.

-CW

BEFORE I even read any of these comments, I have an announcement to make. It was a late-breaking story, which I often miss on Fridays, but I am hereby retroactively awarding this week's MDDOTW to Harvey Weinstein. He's not an elected official, but he's a known heavy Dem donor, so that's good enough. Again, the scandal really broke too late for me to notice when writing this, but he certainly seems to have earned his award.

So, just in case anyone nominated him, I agree before the fact -- Harvey Weinstein is indeed this week's Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week.

-CW

Landing On The Sun

Kim Jong-Un announced at a news conference today that North Korea would be sending a man to the sun within ten years!

*LOL*

And all this science, I don't understand
It's just my job five days a week
A rocket man, a rocket man
~ Elton John

Well, when I said that if THIS isn't the right time, I was referring to the last several mass shootings and particularly the one at Sandy Hook.

I have concluded that it will never be the right time in America.

Well done!

(Thunderous applause!)

“So this is how liberty dies…with thunderous applause.” – Padmé Amidala - Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

(Take that Michale!)

SHS announced from the podium in a hastily announced press conference that Pence did not leave the stadium at Trumps direction due to protests.

Pence was recalled to the WH to dialog with NASA about immediately commencing planning to land on the sun before the DPRK.

SHS indicated Trump would be twittering " that we must not let "rocket man" win the race to land on the sun". Trump is of the mind that we can land on the big orb surrounded by light, big light, space light and show how great America was by landing on the sun.

Today, Mike Pence went to an Indianapolis Colts game, flying to Indy from Las Vegas, where he was consoling victims of the mass shooting, and unlike Trump, sorta trying to be sincere about it. When, during the National Anthem, a few players knelt, Pence left the stadium, tweeting just minutes later, "I left today's Colts game because @POTUS and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem."

This was big breaking news, but only for about half an hour, after which Trump, apparently unable to stand having his VP have the spotlight for too long, tweeted:

"I asked @VP Pence to leave stadium if any players kneeled, disrespecting our country."

To which Hawaii's Senator, Brian Schatz, replied:

"Wait. This was orchestrated to make a point? That's not an inexpensive thing to do."

As the Huffpo article that I got this story from points out, the prospect that someone would kneel at the Indy-49's game was an extremely likely event given the number of players on the 49ers team who kneel during the anthem before every game.

“He knew our team has had the most players protest. He knew that we were probably going to do it again," said 49'ss safety Eric Reid, "So this looks like a PR stunt to me.” I wonder if Reid knew when he said that, that Trump had pretty much confirmed that it was.

So as Pence flies literally into the sunset, one has to wonder: 1. Did Trump intend to take credit for that stunt all along, or did he just blunder into making Pence look foolish? 2. What instructions did Pence give the flight crew? "I'll be right back" is my guess. 3. Is this all part of a 'government frequent flier miles' scam on the part of the Trump administration? 'Cause they're racking up time in the friendly skies on the taxpayer's dime with the same intense enthusiasm that my grandmother used to fill up coupon books.

Just sayin'...

(Thunderous applause!)

Kim Jong-Un announced at a news conference today that North Korea would be sending a man to the sun within ten years!

A reporter said - "But the sun is too hot how can your man land on the sun?” There was a stunned silence. Nobody knew how to react. Kim Jong-Un quietly answered, "We will land at night”. The gathering and everyone in North Korea watching on television broke into thunderous applause.

Back in Washington, Donald Trump and his entourage were watching the news conference When Trump heard what Kim said, he sneered - "What an idiot. Everybody knows there’s no sun at night.” His cabinet and everyone working in the White House broke into thunderous applause.

"If now isn't the right time and America isn't the right place for leadership on gun violence, then ..."

America is definitely the right place, sine we are the one who has th problem. Other nations, like Australia, have already solved their problem.

But, if after 20 children in an elementary school got shot to death was not the right time, then what happened in Las Vegas is certainly not going to be the defining moment for action right now either.

It might even take a repeal of the 2nd amendment for anything to really happen. Which is unlikely.

The reality is that about 40 percent of Americans are passionate about their guns and are largely single issue voters on that matter to the exclusion of everything else.

As long as that passion holds true, nothing really meaningful will likely ever change.

"Leadership is needed in this situation, as in so many others.

What does it mean to lead?"

It takes an authoritative personality to lead and really effect change. A Martin Luther King on Civil Rights, a Gandhi on Independence, a Nelson Mandela on justice, a John Kennedy on politics, a Princess Diana on landmines, etc. I don't even remotely see anyone like that on gun violence yet.

Leadership is needed in this situation, as in so many others.

What does it mean to lead?

"She still doesn't get what needs to be done about guns in America. She's fiddling around the edges while Rome burns, you know. Like most of her fellow pols and many of her fellow citizens."

While I tend to agree somewhat, I also have to think she is also a realist and looking at what is practical and politically possible overall both for her party and for America.

As we all know, when it comes to guns, ownership and regulation, America is hopelessly divided almost right down the middle. Until some kind of broad consensus is reached about what to do that has overwhelming support, nothing is going to be possible to get done. That is the way America is designed and set up. Public opinion on an issue has to reach a political critical mass, so to speak. We aren't there yet, except for maybe on the single issue of background checks, that's all. And even then, as we have seen, a wealthy well connected minority can still thwart change for a substantial amount of time until the tidal wave of public opinion just becomes too great to hold things back, or the opposition becomes to disorganized, or weak or dispirited to carry on.

"If you or I moved to the island, we’d lose our vote. That makes no sense to me — that our address should determine whether we can vote or not!" "Puerto Rican’s deserve the right to vote for who should fill the office of the President. It’s time to toss the Electoral College and give every citizen a voice in determining who should lead our nation!"

While I don't disagree with everything you said, it actually does make perfect sense given the way the total American system has always been set up. If you are the resident of an American territory, you are subject to the total control and at the complete whim of Congress, who has the ultimate governing authority over your territory. It is only when your area becomes a state and you attain local sovereignty that you also get full voting rights.

There are two well established paths for Puerto Rico to change their current situation. One is to vote fully and unequivocally by a substantial majority in a referendum in favor of statehood, something that they have never as yet been able to accomplish. That is the crucial first step before they can even begin to petition Congress for a change in political status.

The other is to change the U.S. Constitution, as was done to give residents of Washington D.C. the right to vote for President, though they still don't have any voting representation in Congress. The same thing, a constitutional amendment, would have to be done to do away with the Electoral College. The amendment route in and of itself is a daunting task, made deliberately difficult by design.

In reality, for Puerto Rico to be able to vote for President, it's probably going to require at least 60 percent of the island's residents and 60 percent of Americans on the mainland, to be in favor of such a change, before any movement at all on the issue begins to happen.

See Cam Newton.

Indeed. How to sound like an idiot. :)

I prefer 'the hypersensitization of America' because it's not ALL the fault of the fairer sex. But, this comments section does seem to prove otherwise at every possible opportunity ... if you know what I mean and I'm sure that you do. :)

But, it was the men in this crowd that swooned over him.

Sad.

She still doesn't get what needs to be done about guns in America. She's fiddling around the edges while Rome burns, you know. Like most of her fellow pols and many of her fellow citizens.

I don't even know if they've had a referendum on actually becoming a state yet, but I can't imagine it would win a strong majority. In 2012 it was barely a majority that wanted to become a state. And I'm not big on forcing statehood on 10 million unwilling people.

And I kind of get why you can't vote if your only residence is in PR. Because you don't pay taxes when you live there, you don't get to vote when you live there. I'd bet you pay more taxes living overseas as a citizen than you do in PR.

You're right it's pretty weird, but it makes sense in a way.

It's National Manufacturing Day!

And, the manufacturers love Donald Trump. Why is that?

If you or I moved to the island, we’d lose our vote. That makes no sense to me — that our address should determine whether we can vote or not! (I could move to China and still be able to do an absentee vote from my home state, but not if I moved to PR!). Puerto Rican’s deserve the right to vote for who should fill the office of the President. It’s time to toss the Electoral College and give every citizen a voice in determining who should lead our nation!

http://www.investors.com/politics/trump-approval-hits-new-low-of-32-as-support-from-his-base-slips-ibdtipp-poll/

Puerto Rico is such a debacle -- I'm thinking that's the big driver, although it could anything at this point. The "Trump/kids lying about real estate sales" thing that was dropped via a bribe to prosecutor, or the "everyone is using private email in his corrupt/idiotic cabinet" or "Price's phone has been compromised since December" or "Bigshots all wasting taxpayer dollars flying to vacations and fundraisers" or "Revoking birth control" or geez, my hands are tired. This incredible disaster of a corrupt administration and all the ugly sludge it unleashed among the worst of the worst of Americans. Why not have 60 dead and 500 wounded? Maybe this weekend we'll top it coz we're breaking records, institutions, lives, countries…perhaps we have a plague to look forward to. Blotus will explain it was the biggest plague ever!

Sigh.