October 29, 2024

On a cool, dry Saturday what seems like a thousand years ago today, a child was born in North St. Louis, Missouri, USA. 

That man-child would overcome asthma, street gangs, Nebraska's 1997 flea kicker against Mizzou, a really terrible Subway sandwich one time in Colorado and more to be the writer of this newsletter. 

That child was me. Please no pricey gifts. You've already given me the best present by opening today's Reckon Report and being a loyal reader. 

(Although I would greatly appreciate if you'd respond to this email and let me know you received it. We're trying to see something)

Like many journalists, being born into a family that was far from wealthy or powerful drew me to this profession and, when I've been at my best, is where I've focused my work. 

That's also why in recent weeks, the focus of this newsletter has been immigrant communities that have come under political attack. This week, we're again talking about another community of hard-working, devout people of color becoming the butt of a political joke. But given their collective strength, they might also have the last laugh.

Let's talk about it. 

Read the room!

There's no way the Trump campaign is reading the room right now. 

Here's a sampling of headlines that tell the story of the mainstream reaction to a Trump rally that took place at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday.

→ Trump’s Madison Square Garden event features crude and racist insults 

→ MAGA speakers unleash ugly rhetoric at Trump's MSG rally

→ Trump Rally at MSG Marked by Racist, Lewd Jokes

→ Trump at the Garden: A Closing Carnival of Grievances, Misogyny and Racism

Those were just the straight news headlines. Commentary and analysis are still pouring in — two days later.

Much of the fury has been directed at a comedian named Tony Hinchcliffe whose set featured Racism's Top Hits: Watermelon-loving Blacks, Hypersexed Latinos, Stingy Jews.

My Lord.

But even though Trump spokespeople distanced themselves from what they're calling dumb joke about Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, being a floating island of garbage, the official campaign literature heralded it as "a scene for the history books" with "energy (that) was unmatched."

By all accounts, in what is already going to be a high turnout election, the episode provided one more reason for a highly influential voting bloc to cast a ballot. 

The backlash isn't just coming from the Dem world. The head of the Republican Party in Puerto Rico, which doesn't officially vote for U.S. presidents, is withholding his support until Trump apologizes for the remarks by Hinchefliff. Several other prominent Republican current and former members of Congress also called Trump to the mat.

Maybe the Trump campaign is hoping the controversy dissipates. After all, although Puerto Ricans are the second largest group of Hispanics in the U.S., they've historically had fairly low turnout in elections. 

That's changing, though.

Four years ago, ABC News reported, "Voter turnout among Puerto Ricans in presidential elections has increased recently -- in 2012, nearly 53% voted, up from a low in 2000 of about 46%, the data shows. According to a report produced by the University of South Florida, that figure rose again in 2016 to almost 55%."

There are 472,000 Puerto Ricans living in the swing state of Pennsylvania, which Joe Biden won by fewer than 100,000 votes in 2020. A surge in motivated Puerto Rican (not to mention other Latino-Americans, who are often the targets of MAGA's racist anti-immigrant rhetoric) could seal Trump's fate in the Keystone State. 

Data points were made

Historically Puerto Ricans have leaned Democratic in national elections, although similar to other communities of color, data show a generational split, where younger Puerto Ricans are slightly more likely to consider supporting Republicans than their elders. 

Although they make up around 2% of the overall U.S. population, on the mainland they are concentrated in four states, including Pennsylvania and Florida. 

Here are more facts about Puerto Ricans from Pew Research Center and the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at CUNY's Hunter College: 

—Puerto Ricans are the second-largest population of Hispanic origin living in the U.S., accounting for 9% of the U.S. Hispanic population in 2021. An additional 3.3 million people live in Puerto Rico. They are U.S. citizens. (Pew)

—The Puerto Rican-origin U.S. population increased 71% between 2000 and 2021, to 5.8 million. (Pew)

— During the same period, the population of those born in Puerto Rico and living in the 50 states and Washington, D.C. grew by 25%. (Pew)

—The median age of Puerto Ricans (31) is lower than that of the U.S. population (37.8).

—The median household income for Puerto Rican households in the mainland U.S. is approximately $38,000, lower than the national median. 

—Puerto Ricans in the U.S. have a poverty rate of around 20.4%, higher than the overall U.S. rate.

—However, the workforce participation rate for Puerto Ricans aged 16 and older is around 64%, mirroring the national rate. 

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