Puerto Rico, what is happening??

Albert Einstein defined insanity as "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result". If we choose to abide by his definition, then the voters of Puerto Rico are definitely "insane". 4 years ago we voted for a candidate who was clearly inexperienced against a candidate who was able to grow the economy for the first time in 6 years. Although he proposed certain austerity measures such as laying off thousands of government workers to lower costs, he saw the problems facing Puerto Rico and realized that reducing government waste was necessary. Of course, a Republican in a majority Democratic Latin American territory was bound to face obstacles, so he was kicked out after 4 years, despite clearly being the more experienced candidate. 4 years later, after experiencing all the mistakes made by the newly crowned governor, the voters of Puerto Rico finally had the opportunity to redeem themselves by electing a new governor, one more experienced and with the knowledge of how to work with the United States to resolve this crisis.

This election year, the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, Pedro Pierluisi, was running for governor of Puerto Rico after 8 years working in Congress representing the territory in Washington. However, he faced a primary against the son of former governor, Pedro Rossello, known for his role in increasing Puerto Rican debt . His son, Ricardo Rossello, had never held public office and held a PhD in biomedical engineering. Although he was a renowned scientist in his field of stem-cell research, he had never had any political experience and his speeches clearly evidenced his lack of knowledge regarding the crisis and solutions regarding it. It seemed inevitable that Pierluisi would clinch the nomination for the New Progressive Party. However, once again insanity prevailed.

The same day of the Democratic primary of Puerto Rico, the primaries for the parties in Puerto Rico were also underway. In a dramatic turn of events, Ricardo Rossello won the nomination for the New Progressive Party 51% to 49% by a margin of less than 10,000 votes. It seemed almost barbaric and social media imploded with people furious of the outcome. Pierluisi was clearly the more qualified of the candidates and the opposition party immediately celebrated following the results of the primary. Their chances of regaining the governorship was now more probable Rossello as the opponent.

Throughout the debates, Rossello consistently attacked Pierluisi with critiques of his work as Resident Commissioner and his lack of ability to get things done. However, how much can be expected by a Democratic delegate with no vote in a Republican-controlled Congress when not even the President can achieve the goals in his agenda without relying on Executive Power? Although Pierluisi had proposed various bills in order to help Puerto Rico achieve equality, it was never bound to lead anywhere. Unfortunately, the attacks worked in the eyes of the voters apparently, as Rossello won the nomination.

Each election year, the opportunity arises to choose a respectable candidate who can lead the island toward prosperity and economic growth, and each year we show our lack of desire to improve. I was truly disappointed when the election results appeared. As much as I want to continue having faith in the citizens of Puerto Rico, it is becoming increasingly difficult with each passing year. I hope that eventually, we will learn and even though it will be a rigid, painful process, it will arise from the consequences of all the bad decisions made throughout the years. So although I know this won't be the last mistake we will make, I hope this will be one that will allow us to begin opening our eyes and commence the path to recovery.

How this presidential election could be decided

Just 2 days ago, Hillary Clinton clinched the Democratic nomination with a primary win in Puerto Rico, a state she had also won in 2008, against the eventual Democratic nominee Barack Obama. This time, however, the situation was entirely different and the roles were reversed, as Hillary Clinton was poised to overtake Bernie Sanders and clinch the Democratic nominee with only 23 delegates required reach the magic number of 1253 delegates. Hillary won the Puerto Rican primary comfortably and cemented her place as the presumptive Democratic nominee, prepared to face off a difficult challenge against the Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Currently, Hillary is in a position few would have expected her to be. A few months ago, Clinton was significantly ahead of Trump in all national polls and was expected to stride to the White House after a tougher than expected primary contest. However, she currently finds herself behind Trump in the various national polls and others show them to be very close. Bernie Sanders is certainly adding gasoline to the fire with his constant accusations of corruption in the Democratic National Committee and the concept of Super delegates. His consistent barrage of attacks on Clinton for her Wall Street ties and her vote for the Iraq war are alienating democratic voters and turning more of them against her, turning what seemed to be a routine primary into an all out battle on who is the more Progressive of the 2 of them.

By this point in the 2008 Democratic primary, Hillary relinquished her battle for the nomination after it became evident that prolonging the process would only harm Obama for when the general election arrived. Realizing that it was necessary for the Democratic Party to unite, she ended her campaign and endorsed Obama for President, allowing him the freedom to focus on the general action while enjoying the full support of his party. This time around, however, the Democratic party is very much divided and the fate of the party hangs in the balance. The longer that Sanders remains in the race and refuses to express support for Clinton, the more he is alienating his voters and allowing Trump to quickly gain Progressive support by feeding off their distrust of the system and disgust with the economy.

A few months ago, it was the Republican Party which was in disarray and unable to organize themselves to back the Republican nominee. Now, the Republicans have quickly reorganized and put their faith in Trump to fulfill their agenda and the Democrats are scrambling to unite their party around Clinton, who is already assured the nomination. Sanders' supporters could be the key to deciding this election and, as everything else in this election, anything could happen.