As 2017 draws to a close, Univision took one last opportunity to spotlight one of the network's new favorites: Carmen Yulín Cruz, the radical separatist mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The comically biased profile is best summed up in this brief segment, which takes all of six seconds to whitewash her socialism and accuse her detractors of sexism.
LOURDES DEL RIO, UNIVISION CORRESPONDENT: The truth is that Yulín has distinguished herself in Puerto Rican politics by swimming upstream. She's been accused of everything, even of being a communist. The mayor had no qualms with talking about her political positions which, according to her, have been misrepresented by those who simply do not forgive the fact that she is a woman.
Lourdes Del Río's report is an exercise in fake news, and if the name seems familiar to readers of this byline it is because of another one of her glowing profiles of a Puerto Rican separatist: convicted FALN terrorist Oscar López Rivera.
Del Río's attempt to cover for Yulín's radicalism falls flat on its face. As we reported when we first took notice of Univision's efforts to showcase Yulín:
Cruz’s endorsement was widely sought after in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary on the island, and the Mayor seemed to be leaning towards Hillary Clinton. However, Cruz decided to abstain from supporting Clinton, citing her less-than-enthusiastic support for the commutation of convicted FALN terrorist Oscar López Rivera, and her (then) silence over the joint financial control board imposed on Puerto Rico’s government pursuant to the PROMESA congressional oversight law.
Cruz's non-endorsement was then splashed on the Daily Kos, and Cruz has subsequently been prominently endorsed by Bernie Sanders’ Our Revolution organization, which belies any suggestions of non-involvement with stateside politicians. Socialists of a feather tend to flock together.
Speaking of socialists, there is also the matter of Cruz’s involvement in the effort to secure the release of convicted FALN terrorist Oscar López Rivera (who, incidentally, isn’t around to assist with Puerto Rico’s recovery after maiming people in the island’s name. But I digress.)
Last time we checked, Bernie Sanders (who once praised food lines) doesn't endorse laissez-faire free marketeers.
The sexism trope also falls flat, given that the island has already elected a female Governor and Resident Commissioner. There has also been a female Speaker of the House, not to mention the current Chief Justice and countless mayors and heads of state agencies. In fact, Cruz isn't even the first-ever female Mayor of San Juan. There is no glass ceiling to hold Cruz back or support a charge of sexism.
Cruz' unpopularity (-22% net approval) stems instead from other things, such as her granting of a 24-hour police detail to convicted FALN terrorist Oscar López Rivera upon his release from federal prison and her material support of the May Day riots (which caused over a million dollars in damages in the Hato Rey financial district), but those didn't make it into Del Río's piece.
It's a given that opposition to Donald Trump is the glue that binds Univision and Cruz together. But given what we know, it's worth asking why Univision insists in shoving her down its viewers' throats.
