Posted on 06/25/2007 4:35:52 AM PDT by Ultra Sonic 007
TAMPA - When 1,000 Hispanic elected officials and community leaders from across the country gather in Orlando later this week, they'll hear from seven major Democratic candidates for president, but none of the major Republican candidates.
All of the GOP candidates except dark horse Duncan Hunter declined invitations to appear at this year's annual conference of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, or NALEO.
Even Arizona Sen. John McCain, a hero to some Hispanics because of his stance on immigration reform, won't be there.
Democrats are portraying that as a snub of Hispanics by the GOP candidates.
"Republicans Giving Up On Latinos" was the headline on a Democratic Party news release about the event. The release called it a "sign of conceding the Latino vote in Florida to Democrats," and noted that in 2006 Democrats won the Florida Hispanic vote for the first time in 30 years.
Leaders of the association say they're disappointed.
But some Florida Republicans, who acknowledge they would prefer that their candidates show up, scoff at the idea that GOP-oriented Florida Hispanic voters suddenly have converted or that the presidential candidates are giving up on them.
The reason the candidates aren't coming, said state Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami, is that NALEO, even though it's nonpartisan, "absolutely is a Democratic-oriented organization - just because most Hispanic elected officials outside Florida are Democrats."
Rivera said he still would encourage Republicans to attend: "There's a case to be made for stating your position in a hostile environment."
He said a mostly Democratic gathering isn't a great place for a Republican to find support in a presidential primary, though.
Another Miami Republican state legislator, Rep. Juan Zapata, a board member of NALEO and chairman of the state's host committee for the conference, has lobbied for three years to hold the conference in Florida.
"To go through all that and then see all the Republican candidates are a no-show, it's a huge loss for the Republicans," Zapata said.
Zapata said the Democratic orientation of most Hispanic political figures "is not going to change if the Republicans don't engage."
Florida Has Unique Demographics The issue emphasizes the demographic differences between Hispanics in Florida and those elsewhere.
In Florida, Republican-leaning anti-Castro Cubans have long dominated Hispanic politics, and most big-name Hispanic politicians are Republican, including Sen. Mel Martinez and state House Speaker Marco Rubio, both speaking at the conference.
Hispanic communities in other states are made up of more residents from Central and South America and Puerto Rico, and leaders are more likely to be Democrats.
Arturo Vargas, executive director of NALEO, acknowledged that most of the group's members are Democrats, but denied the organization was Democratic-oriented.
"The strength of NALEO is that when they come to our events, they leave their party registration outside the door," he said.
Vargas said NALEO's president, former Pontiac, Mich., official John Bueno, is a Republican, as are four other members of its 20-member board.
Only about a tenth of the Latino elected officials who are NALEO members hold partisan offices, Vargas said, which means it's difficult to determine the membership's party breakdown.
Vargas said invitations went out in January, and the Republican presidential candidates who were invited - Sam Brownback, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, McCain, Mitt Romney, Tom Tancredo and Tommy Thompson - cited scheduling conflicts or prior commitments in declining.
"We know scheduling is a matter of priorities," he said. "This clearly sends a message that Latino elected officials are not a priority for the candidates."
Representatives for the leading Republican candidates denied that.
"It's nothing like that from us," said Giuliani spokesman Elliott Bundy, noting that his candidate will meet with Hispanic supporters Thursday night at a Hialeah restaurant.
A spokesman for McCain, Danny Diaz, said the senator likely would be welcomed at the conference because of his work on immigration.
"It would be hard to say he's ducking the Hispanic audience," Diaz said, noting that McCain chose Miami as the site of a major speech on immigration recently.
Romney's Hispanic outreach spokesman, Alex Burgos, himself from Miami's Cuban community, said Romney "chose to honor a prior commitment" for a dinner in Iowa. He said Romney "has campaigned among Florida Hispanic voters and counts on the support of an impressive group of national Hispanic leaders."
Oops. Nevermind, just saw your latest post.
Hunter doesn’t care to go there as he isn’t in a tizzy trying to figure out which message will work the best with this particular group. He has one message and that is the one they will get. I see nothing odd about him attending. I do find it odd that he was the only one willing to show up since the top tier candidates are such great communicators. Hunter took the cases for many Hispanics in his district, pro bono. He isn’t in direct conflict with any Hispanics other than those who would enter this country illegally. He may even win the day because the more they learn the more they are going to like him.
This should be posted on our Florida board.....
Any interest?
http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/profiles?location=57
I can’t post there cause I’m not from Florida. :P
You Floridians keep us updated if this goes off the media radar. It most likely will unless Obama or Hitlery turn in a spectacular pandering performance or Fred writes a speech about it. :)
We do need to consider one thing - and perhaps Duncan Hunter realizes this - not all Hispanics are illegal immigrants. There are certainly a large enough number of them to give that impression, though.
Well Hunter has been repeatedly re elected in a heavily hispanic district without pandering.
Wish someone could go.
I hope that Mel is fired from the RNC. Then the GOP can start to rebuild what they once were. Mel may be a white house pawn and he certainly took the bait every time. He may end up in the administration's scrap heap with Scooter.
stefanbatory, I'm quite sure Hunter understands this.
Duncan Hunter has no problem with LEGAL immigrants, regardless of their country of origin. His issue is with illegals.
I think his presence will help make it clear that building a fence is not a "racial" issue, but a matter of national security.
Why not?
Hunter’s record on discouraging illegal activity while supporting LEGAL IMMIGRATION is very solid. The DEMS wouldn’t debate on Fox News because they are cowards.
I would love to see all POTUS candidates go before the hispanic group and explain their positions.
Is Hunter the only one with the courage to do it?
Isn’t Senator (amnesty) Martinez showing up?
Isn’t Republican Governor Christ showing up?
and they are 100% right, disney even put out the word for employee volunteers for the event.
The event agenda is PURE DEMOCRAT PLATFORM
Essentially, “how the government is the solution for more free stuff for latinos.”
I paraphrase.
Aye, he will be a hero to many here on FR for going.
The solution to Mexico’s problems lie in Mexico and with the corrupt class of rulers who ruining that country rather than in sneaking into the U.S. to be abuse and exploited by criminals who run international corporations.
If the U.S. has any need for more workers we should raise the quotas for legal immigrants and SELECT who we WANT to be here. And those individuals should be people who want to come here because they want to be AMERICANS, not individuals merely seeking a paycheck they can mail back to wherever they came from.
Hunter has a great opportunity appearing here and his decision to do so marks him as a man of principle and courage, in contrast to the run-of-the-mill professional politician types opposing him.
If the Republicans nominate somebody other than Hunter or Thompson (Fred), they will loose. And if they loose, Hunter will be back and will win in four years, just as Ronald Reagan came back after 4 years of that vile scum Jimmy Carter - hardly any better - or worse - than Hillary Clinton.
Go to the home page and look at their topics.
also look at their agenda. It is all big government stuff.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 8:00 am - 3:00 pm Fifth Annual NALEO Presidential Golf Classic
2:00 pm - 5:00 pm Conference Registration
Thursday, June 28, 2007 7:30 am - 5:00 pm Conference Registration and Exhibits
8:00 am - 8:15 am Official Welcome to the Conference and Call to Order
8:15 am - 9:30 am Opening Session and Breakfast - Latinos in 2008: A National Electorate
10:00 am - 11:30 am Breakout Sessions
Pre-K and the Early Grades: A Latino Perspective
Approaches to Expanding Health Care Coverage - Ensuring Latino Access
Expanding American Leadership: Challenges and Milestones for Latinas in Elected Office
Empowering Immigrant Communities through U.S. Citizenship
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm National Leadership Luncheon
2:30 pm - 4:00 pm Breakout Sessions
Beyond Soccer Moms: New Micro-Targeting Strategies
The American Dream—Increasing and Protecting Latino Home Ownership
Ensuring Sustainable Communities - Addressing Climate Change 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Opening Reception - Wonderful World of Disney World ShowPlace Pavilion at Epcot®
Friday, June 29, 2007 7:30 am - 5:00 pm Conference Registration and Exhibits
8:00 am - 9:30 am Opening Session and Breakfast - The Impact and Use of Wedge Issues in Political Campaigns
10:00 am - 11:30 am Breakout Sessions
Reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act—Recommendations and Strategies to Eliminate the Education Gap
Leadership for Healthier Communities: Cross-Juridictional Approaches to Combat Obesity
immigration and Naturalization in 2007: Opportunities and Obstacles for Fair and Effective Policies
Unmet Potential: Building the Latino Electorate
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm National Leadership Luncheon
2:30 pm - 4:00 pm Breakout Sessions
Realities of Fundraising in American Politics
Ensuring Sustainable Communities—Meeting Our Energy Needs While Protecting the Environment
4:30 pm - 6:30 pm NALEO Town Hall - The Future of America
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Assembly of Receptions
Saturday, June 30, 2007 7:30 am - 1:00 pm Conference Registration and Exhibits
8:00 am - 9:30 am Opening Session and Breakfast - The Florida Experience: A History of Latino Political Empowerment
10:00 am - 11:30 am Breakout Sessions
Our Colleges and Universities-Strategies to Ensure Latino Access and Success
Mental Health and the Community: The Challenges of Diagnosis and Treatment
“And Access for All” - Election Reform and the 2008 Elections
Strategies for Family Wealth Building and Economic Empowerment
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm National Leadership Luncheon
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm Democratic Presidential Candidate Forum
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm NALEO Closing Reception
7:00 pm - 11:00 pm Edward R. Roybal Legacy Gala
Conference Special Events
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
5th Annual NALEO Presidential Golf Classic Join NALEO for a premier golf experience at the Fifth Annual NALEO Presidential Golf Classic which will be held at Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Thursday Night Opening Reception The Walt Disney Company’s spectacular conference welcome at one of their theme parks is sure to delight and dazzle all.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Friday Night Assembly of Receptions Filled with wonderful music, good food, and lively engagement, this series of sponsored receptions at The Contemporary Resort is a ‘must attend’ in this pre-election season.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Saturday Night Closing Reception and Gala The Edward R. Roybal Legacy Gala marks the last social extravaganza of the conference where the prestigious Edward R. Roybal Award for Outstanding Public Service is presented.
http://www.naleo.org/downloads/NALEO%20Conference%20Agenda-062007.pdf
Hunter’s got guts. He tells it like it is & doesn’t sugar-coat things or ignore them. He is consistent and acts according to his values, which happen to be the same as mine. He seems to have his pulse on what the average American thinks. He is true to himself & doesn’t follow the RNC like a little sheeple.
No wonder the MSM and the GOP don’t want us to hear about him - he is his own man. He may not win the Presidency, but he is keeping valuable dialogue on the table - more than I can say for 90% of the Republican party. Hunter, and other conservatives like him, are this party’s last hope.
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