Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-Fla.) offends, then dismisses, Puerto Ricans

Lawmaker offends, then dismisses, Puerto Ricans

by Mark Matthews and Victor Manueal Ramos


A Florida congresswoman has gone home amidst some controversy, including a protest outside her Brooksville office on Thursday over calling Puerto Ricans "foreign citizens.''

Just what the GOP needs: Another congressional seat in play this year, in a swing state where growing ranks of Puerto Rican voters with Democratic leanings have been told to go take a jump in the springs at Weeki Wachee by the Republican who first insulted their citizenship.

Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-Fla.) put out a statement this morning:

"At the advice of his doctor, earlier this week I left Congress and returned to Florida to be with my husband, Harvey Waite. While we are still awaiting the results of follow-up medical tests, Harvey has been diagnosed with cancer and will require ongoing treatment. As anyone who has been through serious medical issues with a loved one knows, I plan on spending as much time as necessary to care for my husband."

Dozens of protestors had converged on West-Central Florida's small town of Brooksville in response to her recent remarks about Puerto Ricans. Some left the protest disappointed and perhaps even more upset than they were when they got there.

Brown-Waite not only did not apologize for her remarks, but also made a comment that many saw as a new provocation. In a statement released by her office as the protest was under way, Brown-Waite dismissed the assembly -- organized by Democrats -- as “race-based hysteria” and suggested that protesters take a hike down to a nearby aquatic park where they could “cool off.”

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