Romney supports Puerto Rican statehood without English condition

AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo

(CBS News) SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - After his main rival ignited a firestorm over requiring Puerto Rico to adopt English as a condition of statehood, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney flew to the island territory today and said he would support no such requirement as president.

But Romney faced a hurdle of his own in winning the hearts of voters here and their 20 delegates - his opposition to the appointment of Sonia Sotomayor, who is of Puerto Rican descent, to the federal bench. She was later chosen by President Obama for a seat on the Supreme Court.

On the English and statehood issue, Romney said, "I will support the people of Puerto Rico if they make a decision that they would prefer to become a state; that's a decision that I will support. I don't have preconditions that I would impose."

Romney said that learning both Spanish and English should be encouraged, not for statehood, but for diversity. "Spanish is the language of Puerto Rico's heritage, English is the language of opportunity," he said, adding that fluency would help Puerto Ricans advance their educational and economic opportunities.

Santorum on Wednesday told a local newspaper that he would make adoption of English a condition of statehood, a requirement no other state has had to meet. Neither the Constitution nor federal law designates an official language for the United States. A delegate listed on Sunday's primary ballot, who is also a member of the Puerto Rico Senate, removed his name from list of those committed to Santorum in protest, calling Santorum's position is "offensive."

Puerto Ricans, who recognize both English and Spanish as their official languages, are scheduled to vote in November on a referendum to decide whether they want to pursue statehood or remain a self-governing U.S. commonwealth.

Romney flew into Puerto Rico on Friday, after campaigning in Illinois, and held a brief press conference, where he was asked about the English-language controversy and his opposition to Justice Sotomayor. The Romney campaign is running ads attacking Santorum for supporting Sotomayor when she was appointed to a federal circuit court in 1998. The ad criticizes Santorum for helping put Sotomayor on the path to the Supreme Court, where she is one of the more liberal-leaning justices.

Romney said Sotomayor's views differ greatly from his own, and that he would not have supported her appointment. "I would be happy to have a justice of Puerto Rican descent or a Puerto Rican individual on the Supreme Court, but they would have to share my judicial philosophy. That comes first."

He was also asked to comment on a story in the The New York Times Friday that alleged that Mitt Romney's family blind trust has holdings in a Bain Capital-run fund that invested in Chinese video surveillance used against dissidents. The reelection campaign for President Obama said in a statement that Romney "is not living up to his own publicly-stated values. Mitt Romney seems to play by one set of rules on the campaign trail but has another set of rules for his own finances."

Romney declined to comment on the specifics in the story, which he said he was not familiar with. However, he pointed out that he left the helm of Bain in 1999, and that any investment decisions about his blind trust are made by a trustee, not him.

[BOB-C]

Can't figure out which one is stupider, Santorum or Romney. Both display a dreadful ignorance of constituencies outside their bailiwick and a total lack of sensitivity.

The GOP is trying to attract Hispanics away from the Democratic base and Puerto Rican delegates ( Please see "G.O.P. Strategy for Hispanic Voters" http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/16/us/politics/gop-strategy-for-hispanic-voters-its-the-economy.html?hp ). Santorum hopes to entice Puerto Rican Republicans by attacking their language and culture and Romney attacks Santorum for helping put Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a cultural icon and symbol of Puerto Rican pride, on the path to the Supreme Court.

If they have any time for reading anything other than the Babble or the Book of Moron, suggested reading: Eugene Burdick's and William J. Lederer's "THE UGLY AMERICAN."

[jay1jay1]

Get off your bigoted soapbox. Every child in Puerto Rico is required to speak English in order to qraduate high school.

[DeclarationOfIndependence]

Words were created to communicate ideas. How does the word bigoted apply to this concern?

[empath06]

Stories like this make me pray that Romney NEVER makes it to the presidency. Due to the screwed up welfare system as an example, I take the bus and I can see at least 3 strollers and teenage mothers along with them. Thanks to our wonderful way of politics. Is he going to give a damn about this? Hell no. Not from this story. God help us if he is elected.

[DeclarationOfIndependence]

@empath06. You're out of luck if Willard (aka Mitt) is elected. God just might be p.o.'d at Americans for electing a cult member whose founder Mr. Smith relegated God's Son Jesus Christ off to an unimportant role, certainly not recognized as Saviour. Geez... you Christians who don't know anything about Christianity, please by all means, go ahead and vote for Richie Rich, but please please do not call yourselves Christians. You who have voted and will vote for Richie sure ain't Christians. Call yourselves "whatever's" and stand with the Jews who are pushing for Richie. They do not accept Jesus as Saviour either and it looks like they are planning for Richie to be a foot in the door for them to run one of their own next Presidential election. You can bet on it. Look what the owners of the TV & Print news and owners of the Debate Hosts have done to the real, Christian, Constitution supporter Ron Paul. Better wake up. Anybody who is a Christian better vote for Ron Paul and slap down the controllers, or you guys take the blame for the commie take over and destruction of the USA. No longer "Bush's Fault" will be truthfully, the so-called Christians' Fault.

[esq777]

Fresh off his phony southern pandering tour, Willard moves on to phony Puerto Rico pandering.

[DeclarationOfIndependence]

You got it. And, you are speaking truth using "Willard" as that (unbeknown to most voters) is his real name. Guess he changed it to something more powerful than Willard, which is a good name but not as "up to date" as he wants to look to voters. Tired of these guys who change their names... Barry, Barack, then there is Cohen, Kerry, etc. Always a reason for name changes by politicians. Correction... not only phony southern pandering tour, Willard has been pandering everywhere and for several elections both governor and presidential etc elections. Hey, he thinks if you tell a lie often enough it is believed. Not me. I believe Jesus Christ, not Mormonism.

[joe1022joe]

One of the last things, one of the very last things, this country needs is to make puerto rico a state - with any language.

[nehicks]

One of the requirements, for an immigrant, to be granted U.S. citizenship, is to be able to speak and understand the English language at an 8th grade level. Why shouldn't a "new" state be required to do the same thing?

[AOCGUY]

nehicks, since the the people of Puerto Rico are already full-fledged American citizens there is no requirement that they do anything.

[billgates0001]

You said it right, that only applies to immigrants. Now, if you are trying to imply that American citizens of Puerto Rico are somehow immigrants because they speak Spanish, then I have to say that's a narrow and obtuse view. There's life outside suburbia.