The failure of liberalism in Puerto Rico

Miami Herald:

Puerto Rico Gov. Aníbal Acevedo Vilá tried to make his stroll down Old San Juan for an afternoon cup of coffee the other day look casual, but the gaggle of reporters and photographers following him gave it away: The U.S. commonwealth is in a political tailspin.

A recent 27-count indictment of Acevedo and 12 allies capped three years of political turmoil, further dividing an already fractious political scene.

It put the last year of Acevedo's term in doubt and raised questions about whether the superdelegate at the Democratic National Convention -- who is a Barack Obama supporter -- can be a viable candidate in November's race for governor.

For now, the leadership of Acevedo's Popular Democratic Party is standing behind him -- and even announced a special legal defense fund they hope will reach $2 million. Already, some are griping that Acevedo can't possibly win the election. And although he said he would return to work this week as governor and candidate, Acevedo also suggested he would do whatever it takes for his party to win -- including step aside.

For now he is back at work, announcing new infrastructure projects and meeting with the chief of police.

But Acevedo already faced a difficult battle: The island is in a severe recession marked by an exodus of its middle class. A budget crisis two years ago forced him to shut down the government for two weeks. A teacher's strike just ended, and Acevedo enacted the first sales tax and raised water fees. Unemployment is rampant, and inflation is at 15 percent.

''He won't be the candidate. He's dead meat,'' said political commentator Luis Dávila Colón. ``But he also definitely won't resign; he needs the governorship to mount his defense.''

Just seven months from an election, the incumbent candidate has been charged with 19 of the federal crimes in the 27-count indictment, including using campaign funds to buy $57,000 worth of suits. Opponents have called for his resignation, and others have said it's time for impeachment.

But the governor with some of the lowest approval ratings in Puerto Rico's history is determined to stay in office and run for reelection. A few hours after he was fingerprinted at the FBI's San Juan bureau, his office put out a news release about global warming.

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Global warming?

This guys is an example of the Democrats embedded culture of corruption. He has run the island's economy into the tank while getting a free ride from the US. He is with a party that has made the US military unwelcome at a time when they could use the money. With the economy in decline, like a good liberal he raises taxes. Maybe Obama can find a job for him on his Senate staff after the election.