Clinton Promises Guam Full Voting Rights
Guam residents cannot vote in presidential elections. Clinton has pledged that, if elected president, she will support full voting rights and reparations for Guamanians’ suffering during World War II.
It’s important to note here that this is not about the legitimacy of the issues themselves. There is certainly a compelling argument to be made that all Americans should have the same political rights regardless of whether they live in the United States or in a U.S. colonial possession, and that Guam residents should be compensated for suffering that the U.S. government did not adequately address after World War II (see here for details).
No, the issue here is delegates: nine of them, to be exact::
Guam’s four Democratic delegates (not to mention its five superdelegates) are up for grabs in Saturday’s primary, and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., has told residents of that Pacific territory that as president she will work to give them the right to vote for president.
Residents of U.S. territories do not have the right to vote in presidential elections, nor do they have full representation in the U.S. Congress.
In an interview with KUAM-TV, Clinton, asked about giving Guam citizens the right to vote for president, said, “I am in favor of full voting rights for every American and that includes the people on Guam.”
Obama supports reparations, too — the difference being that his stand on reparations is just one part of a comprehensive set of proposed policies to address the concerns and welfare of Guam islanders. Moreover, a large part of Obama’s stated commitment to Guam issues is in the context of the U.S. military base, and the ongoing and increasing military build-up, there and how that affects the lives of Guam residents.
Jake Tapper e-mailed the Clinton campaign to ask how Clinton was going to pull off full voting rights and congressional representation for Guam residents:
“Am interested in learning more about the senator’s plan to give residents of Guam the right to vote in presidential elections. Would that mean making Guam a state? Bestowing citizenship upon these US nationals? Same with Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and American Samoa? Would they get Senators and full voting members of Congress? How about DC? Wouldn’t this require major constitutional changes?”
Joe Gandelman names the problem:
This is called “doing whatever it takes” — and many Americans have often expressed disgust with this kind of politics. Until it’s election year.
And then they reward it.
