Congressman Alan Grayson (D-FL) released the following statement condemning Orange County Republican Executive Committee Chairman Lew Oliver’s derogatory remarks about the Puerto Rican community:
“Lew Oliver served up racially-tinged and inaccurate remarks offered in defense of the Republican Party’s failure to connect with Central Florida’s vibrant Puerto Rican community. Sadly, Lew’s sweeping generalizations about the entire Puerto Rican community demonstrate just how out-of-touch the GOP has become. Apparently Orange County’s Republican Party is pleased with its Chairman offering stereotypical comments such as, “If you like a semi-socialist government where the highest aspiration is a nice secure government job, Puerto Rico is heaven on earth,” and labeling Puerto Rico as a “terrible basket case.” These remarks are not only offensive – they reflect a fundamental disregard for diversity.
“Latino voters will be a crucial voting bloc in the 2014 elections, and Puerto Ricans comprise a large portion of the electorate in Central Florida. It takes a special kind of bigotry to insult a growing population whose vote is critical to the 2014 election, but lucky for Orange County’s GOP, Lew Oliver is up to the task.”
DEAR SR OLIVER..YOU ARE SO WRONG..NOT EVERYBODY IS THE SAME..YOU BE CAREFUL OF WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT PUERTO RICO…AND THEIR PEOPLE…REMEMBER THE ELECTION IS AROUND THE CORNER…YOU WILL PAY…I WILL BE YOU THAT YOU ARE NOT GOING TO WIN
Lew Oliver comments have no racial overtones and what he said is exactly what is happening here in Puerto Rico. I hope he takes his apology back and keep pounding on that message. There is a reason why Puerto Rico is steadily losing population and the reason is well laid out in Mr Lew Oliver comments. Too bad many puertoricans move to the states and vote democrats whithout making the link that it is that same way of thinking about the role of government in society that democrats have that have made of Puerto Rico a living hell in paradise.