The Daily 202: Trump's Katrina? Influx of Puerto Ricans after Hurricane Maria could tip Florida...

[DonViejo]

The Daily 202: Trump’s Katrina? Influx of Puerto Ricans after Hurricane Maria could tip Florida toward Democrats.

By James Hohmann September 28 at 7:22 AM

THE BIG IDEA: More than 50 million ballots were cast by Floridians in the seven presidential elections from 1992 through 2016. If you add them all up, only 18,000 votes separate the Republicans from the Democrats. That is 0.04 percent.

Florida is rightfully considered the swingiest of swing states. Control of the White House in 2000 came down to a few hundred hanging chads — and one vote on the Supreme Court. The past four statewide elections — two governor’s races and two presidentials — were all decided by a single percentage point.

So it could be quite politically significant that tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans, maybe more, are expected to permanently move into Florida as the result of Hurricane Maria. The Category 4 storm has wreaked havoc on the U.S. territory of 3.4 million. Most of the island still doesn’t have power a week after Maria made landfall. There are shortages of fuel, medicine, food and running water. Infrastructure that was already crumbling is in ruins.

Puerto Ricans are American citizens, thanks to a law passed in 1917. As a result, all they need to settle in the mainland is a plane ticket or a berth on a boat.

Their citizenship entitles them to vote, and they tend to overwhelmingly support Democratic candidates.

Florida-based Republican operative Rick Wilson thinks the hurricane might be a game changer. “If you put an influx of 100,000 Puerto Ricans who vote Democratic eight times out of 10 in the Orlando area, there you go,” he said. “Nobody can afford a big change in the registration pattern or a change in the voting pattern that offsets Florida’s narrowness. You could end up with a big advantage for Democrats in 2018 if they play it right. The Puerto Ricans would be coming here because they feel like Donald Trump left them high and dry. That won’t fade away. … It could be a very, very big deal.”

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2017/09/28/daily-202-trump-s-katrina-influx-of-puerto-ricans-after-hurricane-maria-could-tip-florida-toward-democrats/59cc037c30fb0468cea81c2f/?utm_term=.be6fefa00315

[riverbendviewgal]

1. Cool

Maybe they can also go to Alabama, Mississippi, Texas and Louisiana.

[DownriverDem]

7. For sure

That would really help the country if they did move to those states.

[dawg]

10. No it wouldn't.

There aren't enough of them to make a difference because those states aren't even close to being blue.

Better they should concentrate in Florida. (And if a few of them want to move up to Atlanta or Charlotte, that might not be bad either.)

[ATL Ebony]

20. Atlanta could certainly use them -- as seen in the recent GA6 Special Election.

[keithbvadu2]

2. Possibly why Donald reversed his Jones Act decision?

[DK504]

17. He was getting his ass kicked over his loyalty

to the shipping lines.

[HAB911]

3. Projection: as many as 100,000 coming to FL

Our crook governor on his way there.

snip

The suburbs around Disney World are home to the state’s largest Puerto Rican community, and many local residents have relatives and close friends trying to get out.

snip

In Kissimmee, Scott also said the state is prepared to take a number of other steps, such as providing in-state tuition to arriving college students. Media reports in Puerto Rico suggest that as many as 100,000 people will eventually resettle in Central Florida over the next few months.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/weather/hurricane/article175771861.html

[kydo]

4. I welcome it!

This is why the orange dotard is trying to make it look like he is doing something. Puerto Ricans are US citizens and they vote. It's one reason why Orlando lately swings blue. But more important, this trend also has turned a once solid deep red Seminole County (which is where I live), a bluer shade of purple. We had a flip in my district. Got rid of stupid red mica and got a beautiful blue Murphy. It was a big deal in DC. Pelosi even came down here to congratulate Murphy. That's how I got to meet her. It's the Hispanic vote.

[dhol82]

5. Wonder why Rick Scott is going to PR?

[DownriverDem]

6. Hope it happens

This is exactly why repubs are against immigration too. They don't want more Dem voters. I hope Florida gains a ton of Puerto Ricans. We are being run by the most mean spirited folks (repubs) around. As a white person, I am ashamed of white repubs.
I go out of my way to make sure folks know I am not one of them.

[Scurrilous]

8. K&R

[mcar]

9. I'd welcome our PR brethren with open arms

[Honeycombe8]

11. What's the difference if they vote in Puerto Rico or FL? More meaningful in FL?

Trump missed an opportunity to garner favor among Puerto Ricans. Yuge opportunity. (Aside from the humanitarian fail.)

[eShirl]

15. florida in the electoral college

[IronLionZion]

12. Watch dipshit try to cancel their citizenship and cut off travel from Puerto Rico

"until he can figure this out", you know "for security reasons".

They'll invalidate all documents from Puerto Rico and declare them to actually be from Mexico or Dominican Republic or somewhere else.

But most of all, they will come up with even more creative ways to prevent people from voting. They'll screw over all Latinos at the risk of alienating their Republican Cuban-Americans in South Florida just to spite the Democratic Puerto Ricans in Central Florida.

Meanwhile, our party needs to recruit and run good Puerto Rican liberals in every little local election in that area and build up a constituency that will vote for our candidates at the next presidential election.

[ATL Ebony]

21. I bet he finds tons of $$ to rehab PR and send them all back quickly -- way before 2018.

[IronLionZion]

22. Rebuilding PR would be great

[ATL Ebony]

23. Yes it would -- it's their home. Unfortunately for GOP they're short-sighted and

it won't happen before 2018. By the time they realize the effect on elections it will be too late. So it seems like a sure win for Dems.

[greatauntoftriplets]

13. I'm in suburban Chicago and have neighbors from Puerto Rico.

Winters here must be a shock to their systems, but they're better than living in hurricane devastation. They're welcome here.

[Ligyron]

14. Try and build a wall to stop that Trumpy!

More of your type "help" for PR and they will all move here.

[jayschool2013]

16. Lots of room in Iowa

And we don't get hurricanes, tornado season is short, and the tornadoes that do hit tend to inflict damage on very small, isolated areas.

Come on up and help turn around this state, too.

[DK504]

18. The country has been wiped out they can not support the citizens

of PR. They have to leave so they can live. They will have ot move to America or another US territory while the country is rebuilt from the ground up.

I'm sure the governemnt will hand out sweet deals like they did for the Katrina debacle, thanks Halliburon, sadly people can actually make money rebuilding, citizens included as they rebuild. While I'm sure the contractors will freeze local workers out and import workers from South and Central America like they did with Katrina. Those workers never went back after the work was done, but deport all the brown people, right?

I hope at least 1/2 the population relocates and turns a few state blue. Such sweet revenge.

[denbot]

19. Hmmmm.. A gofundme for booking ships with container space for belongings.

We could attract to Florida thousands citizens that have seen republican compassion will tip that state for generations.

It worked for the GOP regarding Cubans, it would work for us as well.

[meow2u3]

24. Pennsylvania could use some more Puerto Ricans

especially since PA has several Latino communities in the Lehigh Valley.