Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) recently included an endorsement of Puerto Rico statehood in his statement celebrating the 75th anniversary of Senator Margaret Chase Smith’s Declaration of Conscience. Yet this announcement was not the first time the congressman spoke on the topic of Puerto Rico status, nor was it his most forceful speech on the matter.
In a COVID-era video sent as a message to the Democratic Party of Puerto Rico, Rep. Raskin was more urgent and compelling. “Democracy means consent of the governed,” began. “Nothing about us without us,” he continued. “And that really is the meaning of America’s great experiment in democratic self-government.”
Raskin, a former Constitutional law professor who gained national recognition as Lead Impeachment Manager during the House of Representatives’ decisions to impeach Donald Trump and is now the leading Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, emphasized that self-government and self-determination in America takes place at every level – federal, state and local.
“Ultimately, in America, self-government and self-determination has meant being able to have your own state, being able to govern yourself…but also getting to participate on an equal basis in all national decision making under the Constitution.”
An equal basis for national decision making
Raskin explained that equality in national decision-making relies on representation. Without senators and congressional representatives with voting rights, Puerto Rico does not have equal participation in American democracy.
“If you’re not at the table,” said Raskin, “you’re going to be on the menu.”
“Equal rights, self-government, self-determination for Puerto Rico, to my mind, means statehood,” the congressman continued, “being admitted as a new state on equal footing with every other state in the Union.”
States are subject to the Equal Footing doctrine, requiring equality among all the states in the United States. Territories may legally be treated differently from states.
A champion of statehood
“That is why I am a champion of statehood for the three million patriotic American citizens who live in Puerto Rico right now,” Raskin concluded. “I’m sending you all of my best wishes and my gratitude and my solidarity for your hard work on behalf of the people of Puerto Rico and on behalf of the United States.”
The post From the Archives: Rep. Jamie Raskin Endorses Statehood for Puerto Rico appeared first on PUERTO RICO REPORT.
