"Presidential primary brings attention, frustration to Puerto Rico" by Susan Milligan, Globe Staff | May 31, 2008
SAN JUAN - .... Senator Hillary Clinton of New York is favored to win tomorrow, owing in large part to the New York-Puerto Rico connection and affection for the Bill Clinton administration. A recent poll by El Vocero, a San Juan newspaper, had Clinton ahead by 51 percent to 38 percent over Obama. But because of the way the 55 delegates are apportioned, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois could add a sizable number of delegates to his count even if he loses.
Obama needs the support of just 42 more delegates to reach the 2,026 needed to win the Democratic nomination -unless the arithmetic changes today when the Democratic Party's rules committee meets in Washington to consider what to do about the disputed delegates from Florida and Michigan....
Many are upset about the $2.5 million the government is spending to hold the primaries, and are planning to protest the outlay tomorrow morning. And while Puerto Ricans fight in US wars, they still don't have the right to vote in the general election....
Politics here have little to do with the traditional left-right construct on the mainland; the dialogue is almost entirely about the future of the island and its relationship with the United States, local and US officials say. Nearly half of Puerto Rico's residents want the island to be a state; approximately an equal number want it to remain a commonwealth, with reduced political rights but also less taxation; and a very small percentage wants Puerto Rico to be an independent country.
Since both Clinton and Obama have supported Puerto Rico's right to determine its own future, voters say they see little difference between the two contenders on the issue most important to Puerto Ricans....
Puerto Ricans enjoy US citizenship but limited benefits from it. They serve in wars, are subject to payroll taxes - without getting the same benefits as state residents - and are not guaranteed all of the rights in the US Constitution, Charles Venator, an analyst with the Institute of Latino Studies at the University of Connecticut said. Puerto Ricans do not pay federal taxes on income earned here, but must pay US income taxes on federal government salaries, or on income earned outside Puerto Rico, he said...."
