Posted on 06/28/2007 11:48:59 AM PDT by Ultra Sonic 007
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Republican presidential candidates made a major miscalculation this week by skipping the nation‘s largest gathering of Hispanic elected officials, local party representatives and event organizers said.
Friday‘s Republican forum? Canceled. Only Rep. Duncan Hunter of California agreed to show. The other candidates cited scheduling conflicts, including a Saturday debate in Iowa, which Hunter also planned to attend.
Zapata hoped the conference would provide a plum opportunity for candidates to court Florida‘s Hispanics. Instead, he and others say it has become an embarrassment for the party.
"I‘m somewhat offended because this is about Hispanics, not about politics," said state Rep. Julio Robaina, also a Republican.
During a recent campaign swing through the state, Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani even thanked South Florida Cuban-Americans for handing George W. Bush the 2000 election.
But the Florida Hispanic vote is no longer guaranteed for Republicans. Many of the Cuban immigrants who fled the communist country post-1980 came more for economic rather than political reasons. They are now voting and are less loyal to the Republican Party than their predecessors, as are second-generation Cuban-Americans. Meanwhile the numbers of Puerto Ricans and Mexican-Americans in the state continue to grow.
Since the 2000 presidential election that Bush won by 537 votes in Florida, other states such as Ohio and parts of the Southwest (where the Hispanic vote is also growing) have emerged as swing states. Yet Florida remains the biggest prize, with a tenth of the electoral votes needed to win the White House.
Republican National Committee regional spokeswoman Amber Wilkerson disagreed.
Among the top GOP White House hopefuls, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, a key sponsor of the immigration bill, said Republicans have alienated Hispanics in the debate and must work hard to win back votes. But he sent his regrets to the debate organizers.
If I'm reading this correctly, I guess this means Hunter will be in Orlando tomorrow.
Also saw this in USA Today, but can’t post due to copyright complaint: this quote he told the Tampa Tribune was great.
HUNTER: “I am running for president to represent every citizen in this country.”
Our elected representatives our servants of the people. Many of the Senators have forgotten. Thank God for the House, who are more in-tune with We The People.
I’d follow Hunter to Hell and back.
And I actually would love to see what he will say... This is a good test to find out if he means what he says.
As a "hispanic" (former republican, now an independent), I don't blame hispanics (Mexicans and others) for being smart. I blame the government of the U.S. for not having a clear concise policy on Immigration. Notice I don't say "Stupid," NO. The government of the U.S. simply likes to get "slave labor," for their big $ contributors. That is why THE LOOKED THE OTHER WAY for so many years!!.. They did on purpose... nothing stupid about it.
“Republican presidential candidates made a major miscalculation this week by skipping the nation‘s largest gathering of Hispanic elected officials, local party representatives and event organizers said.”
They did no such thing. Personally, I’m sick of politicians pandering to every racist organization out there.
This event earlier this week was touted as being for the RATs with a token nod to the Pubs. This explains why there weren’t any Pubs besides Hunter. Why give a forum for the RAT sponsors and the other RATS to condemn a Pub? (rhetorical)
It sounds like Hunter is no coward. :)
Never has been, never will be.
Given the defeat of the amnesty bill today, and the fight that’s been raging for weeks over this issue, the most important domestic issue that we are currently facing, every single Republican candidate should be lined up at this conference...with bells on! Shame on the lot of them for preening for the cameras instead of speaking to the Hispanic community.
LOVE YA, DUNCAN!!
If it's not about politics maybe that's why they skipped it.
Yes, I joined them a while ago. But again, as expected, the MSM try to portray all of us as lefties. It’s part of their process (program?)to brainwash the American people that this is a fact.
What the article fails to note is that the group in question (NALEO) has a direct link to the Mexican government. They’re also working with Univision on a citizenship drive.
I think one of President Bush's greatest errors in thought in this was a seeming inability to separate the good influence of legal immigrants from Mexico with mass illegality. It almost seems that in his mind a Mexican is a Mexican legal or illegal, which really is the worst sort of racial stereotyping whether you were for or against amnesty.
..Col. Rodriguez sounds like a great man...
Well, when’s the last time a Hispanic spoke at a Caucasian conference? Oh, that’s right...
Immigration ping of interest.
“GOP candidates skip Hispanic confernce”
GOOD. I’m tired of politicians pandering to any one ethnic group. Either run as an American, for ALL of us, or don’t ask for my vote.
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