Mitt Romney Repeats Criticism Of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor In Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Campaigning in Puerto Rico ahead of Sunday's presidential primary, Mitt Romney refused to back off criticism of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and encouraged residents to speak English.

The justice, nominated by President Barack Obama in 2009, is beloved by local Democrats and Republicans as the high court's first member of Puerto Rican descent.

"In looking at Justice Sotomayor, my view was her philosophy is quite different than my own and that's the reason why I would not support her as a justice for the Supreme Court," Romney told reporters Friday afternoon, just minutes after his plane touched down in San Juan. "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 philosophy, that comes first."

The issue puts Romney at odds with a majority of local voters and his most prominent Puerto Rican supporter, Gov. Luis Fortuno, standing at Romney's side as the former governor or Massachusetts made his remarks. It also underscores the challenges facing Republican candidates as they bring popular conservative rhetoric to an area packed with Hispanic voters ahead of Sunday's GOP president primary.

Romney and his rival Rick Santorum have supported the conservative push to formalize English as the official language across the country. On Puerto Rico, an American territory that will vote on its political status, including statehood, on Nov. 6, most residents speak Spanish as their primary language.

Santorum made headlines earlier in the week after saying that Puerto Rico would have to adopt English as its main language to attain statehood, a dominant political issue here.

"I have no doubt that one of the requirements that will be put forth to Congress is a requirement that English would be universal here on the island," Santorum told a local newspaper. "That doesn't mean that people can't speak Spanish in their homes, or in their business, or on the street, but that everyone would have a proficiency in English."

In a January presidential debate, Romney suggested that English should be the official language for all states.

"I think our position on English in our schools and in our nation is the same, which I believe English should be the official language of the United States, as it is," Romney said in the debate.

He appeared to back off that position Friday in regards to Puerto Rico's statehood, which he said should have no preconditions regarding language.

"English has been an official language of Puerto Rico for 100 years," he told local reporters. "Selecting the words of your governor, Spanish is the language of Puerto Rico's heritage; English is the language of opportunity. I would hope that young people would learn both languages, but particularly English."

Hours later, Romney was the featured guest at a boisterous evening rally in Old San Juan, where virtually no English was spoken in the four hours before he took the stage. Fortuno sat at Romney's side periodically translating.

As the music blared, a visibly uncomfortable Romney clapped his hands as people on the stage danced around him.

"What a wonderful people you are – citizens of this great land, citizens of America," Romney declared in a speech that spanned last less than seven minutes. "I respect the people of this island."

Puerto Rico is set to hold its GOP presidential primary on Sunday. While there are 20 delegates at stake, Republicans want to make inroads with Hispanic voters, a growing voting bloc across the country, but are complicating their efforts with such talk.

Romney was also forced to defend a New York Times report suggesting that Romney profited from his former company's role in expanding the Chinese government surveillance programs.

"I'm not familiar with that report and so I really can't respond to it," Romney said, adding that he left his former company, Bain Capital, in 1999. "Any investments that I made are managed by a blind trust. I don't make investments in Bain or anywhere else."

Romney had planned to spend three days in Puerto Rico, but will return to Illinois – which hosts its GOP primary Tuesday – after only about 24 hours on the island.

In a conference call, a prominent Romney supporter, former New Hampshire Gov. John H. Sununu, suggested that Santorum's language comments "doomed" his campaign here, allowing Romney to cut short his Puerto Rico visit

"Santorum embarrassed himself so badly in Puerto Rico that it's quite easy for Gov. Romney to be in Illinois these days," Sununu said.

Comments

[revr]

01:26 PM on 03/18/2012

Santorum and Romney decide to go to Puerto Rico just to insult the local populace? Talking down to those residing on the island. Neither one of them expects, or, cares if they win there. They just stopped by to let them know that they weren't really Americans in their way of thinking. Neither one of them is qualified to be President. The wrong policies and the wrong people skills.

[cosomono]

11:40 PM on 03/17/2012

I like how Romney and Santorum decided to go to Puerto Rico to "campaign" and all they do is insult everyone to their faces...they probably would have been better off staying at home. But at least they're providing more entertainment, and hopefully scaring off as many voters as possible :)

[Spike5]

04:56 PM on 03/17/2012

I'm old enough to remember when the US flag had 48 stars. But I don't recall any discussion about whether everyone in Hawaii or Alaska needed to speak English as their primary language. Granted I was a child but I think I'd have remembered the adults talking about it if that had been an issue before statehood was granted.

Puerto Rico became the first US unincorporated territory in April of 1900. In 1902, "the Official Languages Act (under the Foraker Act) was instituted which declared that in all insular governmental departments, courts, and public offices, English was to be regarded as co-official with Spanish, and when necessary, translations and interpretations from one language to the other would be made so that all parties could understand the proceedings."

And of course nowhere in the Constitution is there any requirement that the people of a state speak English or, for that matter, be able to speak at all.

But suddenly, 110 years later, we hear politicians deciding that a century's precedent should be tossed aside. For the political party that gives lip service to the primacy of states' rights, it's ironic that they want the federal government deciding that English is the requirement for statehood. What's next? Will they insist that everyone earn at least $50,000 a year in order to vote on the issue?

Sometimes I think the good old days WERE better, before bigotry and jingoism became the rallying point of one of our formerly responsible political parties.

[97034Leftofcenter]

03:28 PM on 03/17/2012

Share your philosophy? Really? Just one more reason not to vote for Mitt.

[Sieggy]

03:22 PM on 03/17/2012

. . . which philosophy? Today's? Yesterday's? Last week's? Last month's? Last year's?

Or the one you're going to adopt if you get the nomination? And if you do, will your philosophy be the same if you win the general election?

You see, Mitt, that's the problem with flip-flopping all over the place. No one knows quite WHAT you believe, other than that you believe you want to be president. And apparently have for quite some time, which I suppose you can consider a good thing.

Sort of.

[Clevelandinwi]

02:47 PM on 03/17/2012

roMONEY must be a 'clarencethomas' style of Regressive.

[kuewa]

02:40 PM on 03/17/2012

Fortuno and his ilk need to be booted out of office. Puerto Ricans deserve better.

[annie s]

02:29 PM on 03/17/2012

Any Hispanic, any minority, any gay, any member of the working class, any woman who votes Republican is voting against their own best interests....unless of course they are millionaires who earn their money through investments instead of actual work.

[nana-anne]

03:02 PM on 03/17/2012

Amen Annie, F&F

[97034Leftofcenter]

03:29 PM on 03/17/2012

The problem is, that when you try to tell someone this they just stick their fingers in their ears and say "la la la"

[Stoptheworld]

02:29 PM on 03/17/2012

Mitt, not too many people share your philosophy. Most people are caring.

[Barbarian At The Gate]

02:17 PM on 03/17/2012

The US Constitution created the Separation of Powers: Legislative (Congress), Executive (President), and Judicial (Supreme Court). The reason -> to create a system of checks and balances.

Romney wants everyone to agree with his own philosophy. No concept of cooperation just, "you are either with me or against me".

[mrJJ]

02:51 PM on 03/17/2012

ROMNEY: snip

"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 philosophy, that comes first."

Kinda says it all

[webwzrd]

02:06 PM on 03/17/2012

NO ONE shares Mitt Romneys phylosophy. No one CAN. It's too hard to pin down and changes every day.

[Spike5]

04:57 PM on 03/17/2012

LOL. Best laugh of the day. Thanks.

[abbadabba]

01:44 PM on 03/17/2012

Well, I am offended. I stopped calling SCOTUS "Burritos Supreme" when Sonia joined the team.

But Mitt tell PRs unless you hold his values, you are unworthy of his selection. They're Spanish speakers, not stupid, Mitt!!!

[zorba4422]

01:41 PM on 03/17/2012

Justices of the Court have to share the Phylosophy with Romney and that comes first he said,
Maybe he don't understand that Justices of the Court have to be impartials and work for Justice, not particularly for the President or any one in Congress, but rather for the people, and I don't mean the Corporations

[feelingdisposable]

01:40 PM on 03/17/2012

The GOP candidates want the votes of Puerto Rico, just not the language. Maybe the candidates should learn to speak Spanish instead of having the citizens learn english?

[Ismael Coffee]

01:32 PM on 03/17/2012

"...but they (sic) would have to share my philosophy, that comes first."

Which philosophy would that be, and how can he expect anyone to hit a target that moves as much as his "philosophy"?