When the Democrats Abroad tallies were published, the Dominican Republic result stood out like a sore thumb. While Obama carried the Americas region, Clinton won the Dominican Republic with an astounding 90% of the vote. Because I live in Latin America and was unaware of any factors that could account for this unusual result, I started asking around. A couple of explanations came back. One was that a local superdelegate is a big Clinton fan (and may even expect a State Department position in Clinton's administration if she is elected). The other was that the Clintons spend a lot of time in the Dominican Republic and recently purchased beachfront property there in a very exclusive community, with a value upwards of $1,000,000. Join me across the jump as we look at some lovely Dominican beaches and explore what it takes to turn one village in a developing country into an idyllic Hillary hideaway.
It Takes a Gate
The Clintons have long vacationed at Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, and, as a matter of fact, Hillary snuck away from the campaign trail to spend a few days in her village just last year, according to CNN:
Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton has stepped off the presidential campaign trail for a few days, heading to the Dominican Republic to spend Easter weekend at the swank Punta Cana Resort and Spa.
She was joined by her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and their daughter Chelsea at the home of fashion designer Oscar de la Renta, a Dominican native.
The Clintons have vacationed numerous times at the Caribbean resort since 2000, when Bill Clinton was closing out his second term in the White House.
Yes, hard as it may be to fathom, the Clintons eschewed the lovely Ozark Mountains of their native Arkansas, swaddled in the new blooms of Easter dogwood and rosebud, for a holiday romp in the Caribbean. The Corales development in Punta Cana is particularly exclusive:
Corales is a very exclusive and private residential area located within the PUNTACANA RESORT & CLUB gated community. Now under construction is the new Tom Fazio Corales Oceanfront Golf Club that is expected to open in 2008. Also under construction is the Corales Clubhouse where both guests and golfers will enjoy the beauty and tranquility of the scenery.
Corales is a small enclave, home to international personalities like Oscar De La Renta, Julio Iglesias and Mikhail Baryshnikov as well as to important entrepreneurs and socialites.
Let's take a look at this wonderland of exclusive white beaches upon which gloriously tanned white people casually stroll:
No matter how much Hillary may know about weaponry, parts of the Dominican Republic are just naturally unsafe, a condition liberals might ascribe to poverty, poor education and the presence of unsightly Haitian refugees. We may as well see that, too, although it's not very pretty. Here are some photos of homeless children taken by Dominican photographer Pedro Guzmán. (Just turn it off if it begins to interfere with your enjoyment of the Dominican village experience.)
So if you're going to claim a swath of beach for your private village and charge a fortune for oceanfront real estate while ensuring that only certain people have an opportunity to stroll there, you'll have to keep the locals out. Needless to say, a gate is an essential component of Hillary's village and her community is naturally off limits to everyone except residents, guests and those natives who work as employees. You don't even have to learn Spanish to live in this special village!
It Takes a Tax Break
Needless to say, you don't want to pay taxes in your village, which would just be used to educate, feed, clothe and provide medical care for poor children who don't even live there. No, you'd want every cent going back to the New York developers who made this dream community possible. So, I'm pleased to report that property in Hillary's village is completely exempt from local taxes for ten years after purchase. How's that for a sweet deal? There's no responsibility at all to the local community. If you want to do something nice, just tip generously or have your private foundation make a contribution to the local AIDS hospital (somewhere outside your village, naturally). It's bound to be less than the taxes.
It Takes a Golf Course
One of the buzz words in Punta Cana is "eco-friendliness", meaning that the airport, mansions, concrete walkways, hotels, spas and highways have all been kept just as God made them, in their pristine natural state. So Hillary, who frequently worries about how to put the tops back on strip-mined mountains, needn't bother herself about pesky environmental issues in her eco-friendly village.
And seriously, what could be more eco-friendly than a golf course smack dab in the middle of your village?
It Takes a Fashion Designer
Have I mentioned that Oscar de la Renta, a good friend of the Clintons who has contributed $4,600 to her campaign, is one of the developers of the Corales community? As a matter of fact, the Clinton property reportedly adjoins the lot where his own mansion is built.
NOW HERE'S a little flash! Bill and Hillary Clinton have their eyes on the ball when it comes to 2008, but in the meantime, has anyone noted that they bought a piece of beach property in the Dominican Republic right next to the beautiful domain of designer Oscar de la Renta and his wife, Annette?
(Annette has also contributed $4,600 to Hillary's campaign.)
Now, I know I'm running the risk of looking like what in Spanish would be called a resentido social. But, I have a few questions about Hillary's village that would almost certainly come up if she were our candidate. First, what kind of "vetting" has she been through if the Dominican Republic property hasn't even been mentioned? Second, how does it look to have a Democratic candidate outsourcing his or her vacation home? Third, will anyone believe our candidate truly identifies with starving, impoverished, neglected Americans if she seeks an exclusive gated enclave in a developing country for her holidays? Perhaps the Republicans would never mention it, but I'm betting it would become an issue, especially with John McCain retreating to the solitude of a rustic lodge in an Arizona canyon for his vacations. Are Americans ready for a globalized presidential retreat? I'm guessing no.