Politics 2021

[DrazharLn]

Well, we don't know, but there are semi-regular referenda in Puerto Rico on the subject. The previous two have had slim majorities in favour of becoming a US state with the most recent one in 2020 having a 55% turnout with 52.5% in favour of immediate statehood.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Puerto_Rican_status_referendum

A 5% margin isn't very big for such a big constitutional change, but it's probably enough given the low level of satisfaction with the status quo in Puerto Rico.

The case in Washington DC is clearer. The 2016 referendum had 86% support for statehood and a turnout of 65%.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Washington,_D.C._statehood_referendum

[Rusty Edge]

My sense is that the people of PR think it's time ( that's just me asking tour guides and bus drivers). However, I suspect that there's a conflict among the Democrats. A sudden change to the $15/hr minimum wage they want would wreak havoc in PR. It might put a lot of people out of work and on welfare, screwing up promises and projections based upon the existing states.

[Elok]

Just noting (a touch ungraciously) that in the politics 2020 thread I predicted that [Sleezebag] would settle into a role as kingmaker as soon as it was clear he couldn't be king.  This has come to pass; he's essentially trying to run the GOP from exile, and Liz Cheney is in the crosshairs for backtalk.  Now, I did not anticipate 1/6, or anything like it, and in fact assumed that things would settle down more quickly; this was partly a failure to anticipate the insanity of [Sleezebag]'s followers, and partly a failure to anticipate the gross incompetence of the police.  On [Sleezebag] himself, my batting average is still pretty good.

Now the GOP is chained to the mast of a sinking ship, and they unquestionably deserve it, even if I can see the cold political logic of every mistake they made along the way.  I do hope they don't gut themselves so thoroughly that they can't knock out the Senate in midterms; Biden seems to have an insatiable desire for wasting money on stupid junk, and that needs containment.

[Buster's Uncle]

Rusty, I do believe Ron Johnson is fired again.

[Geo]

How so?

[Buster's Uncle]

THIS time, he's kicked off YouTube for covid misinformation.

He done messed up too. many. times.

[Geo]

I thought he was an avid denier for a long time now.

[Buster's Uncle]

He's a crook and a screwup, is what he is.

[Rusty Edge]

Yes.

Sadly, my US Congressman, senile Jim "Patriot Act" Sensenbrenner finally retired, only to be replaced by a pro police Trumpster from our nulify-all-Covid-restrictions-but-don't-offer-alternatives state legislature.


So my only representation remains Senator Tammy Baldwin.

[Buster's Uncle]

I got Richard Burr and Thom Tillis, so crooks, thugs, and no representation at all for me.