Hispanic GOP Group to Ron Paul: Apology Not Enough, Paul Should Quit Race

Marshall, MN – Friday, Ron Paul finally apologized for racist newsletters and fund raising letters sent out in his name, but there remain questions to be answered, and answers to be questioned.

We still do not know who wrote the racist material. Though he denied it, Lew Rockwell has been reported as Ron Paul’s principal ghostwriter, raising another important issue. Lew Rockwell was also Ron Paul’s congressional chief of staff. What sort of individuals does Ron Paul surround himself with? What sort of leaders would Ron Paul surround himself with as president?

Also unknown are the ghost writers for Ron Paul’s recent books. Do the books represent Ron Paul’s views, or, as with the newsletters, did Ron Paul hire ghost writers and not even bother to read the material before publication?

We believe Ron Paul when he says he did not write or review the racist material before publication, but there is still an extremely important issue at stake here. Ron Paul asks us to trust his leadership ability as president of the United States, when he has already demonstrated he cannot even manage a newsletter staff of just a few!

During the last election, there was also a scandal about Ron Paul accepting contributions through Stormfront, a thoroughly racist web site. Ron Paul refused to return a contribution from Don Black, owner of Stormfront, or to block incoming fund raising links from Stormfront. Ron Paul remains as popular as ever at Stormfront, and dozens of Stormfront supporters are helping Ron Paul’s campaign this election too. What candidate for public office in their right mind accepts money and support from white supremacists? The highly respected David Horowitz claims Ron Paul is a “vicious anti-semite” and his positions about the Middle East emphasize disturbing questions about Paul and Stormfront.

We don’t believe Ron Paul is presidential material. Not only has he demonstrated a lack of leadership with his newsletters, support from racists, and a notable lack of substantive accomplishments as a Congressman, but he is dangerously naïve about foreign policy, particularly the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran. Long gone are the days when America could be isolationist, hiding behind ‘fortress America.’ We learned that on 9/11, which notably Ron Paul has blamed on America. Iran calls Israel “little Satan” and America “big Satan” and talks about wiping Israel off the map. If Iran, directly or through its terrorist proxies, is willing to use nuclear weapons on “little Satan” then shouldn’t we realize Iran would use nuclear weapons on us too?

We also don’t believe Ron Paul can beat Barrack Obama in the general election, especially with the weight of these racist newsletters, and open support from white supremacists hanging like an albatross around his neck. The GOP will need to attract many more minority voters in the general election to defeat Obama. Obama stands ready to rip apart any GOP nominee with even a hint of a racist past. Ron Paul cannot defeat Obama, and we call on Ron Paul to quit the race.

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About Us – Cafe Con Leche Republicans is a national organization of Republicans who welcome “New Americans”, defined as immigrants and descendants of recent immigrants who are going through the process of acculturation. Our mission is to make America and particularly the GOP, more welcoming to “New Immigrants” through political activism, “in-reach” and education within the Republican Party, and lobbying government to adopt more immigrant friendly policies. We also seek to bring more conservative and moderate “New Americans” to the Republican Party. This combination of efforts will strengthen the Republican Party, and lead more Republicans to embrace more welcoming policies for immigrants and their families. Cafe Con Leche Republicans has chapters in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania, and members in other states including Iowa.

http://cafeconlecherepublicans.com/

Gov. Susana Martinez for vice president?

“Don’t know her, but on paper I think she looks very impressive,” veteran GOP strategist Mike Murphy, a one-time aide to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, told The Daily Caller.

A conservative former prosecutor, Martinez is the most popular of the new Republican governors elected last fall, with an approval rating at or above 50 percent in a traditionally liberal state.

“What makes Martinez’s numbers so noteworthy is that she’s doing it as a Republican in a state that voted for Barack Obama by 15 points in 2008 and appears ready to do so again next year,” wrote Public Policy Polling, a Democratic-leaning firm, on Wednesday. “In addition to universal support from Republicans, an unusually high 32 percent of Democrats give her good marks and independents approve of her by a 48/38 margin as well.”

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/12/22/martinez-mentum-popular-new-mexico-governor-could-be-on-vp-shortlist/#ixzz1hMizI14K

Meet Gabby

Gabriela Saucedo Mercer is running for Congress as a Republican in Arizona’s District 7 because it is time for a representative who will listen to the people and do what is best for Southern Arizona.

Gabriela Saucedo Mercer lives on Tucson’s west side with her husband of 24 years, Ted Mercer. Gabriela, “Gabby” for short, set aside her work career with a defense electronics firm in order to raise her 3 children and continue her education. As the kids were growing up Gabriela became more and more concerned about the direction that her adopted country had taken in recent years. She legally emigrated to the U.S. from Mexico in 1986 in order to live in a nation full of opportunity and Constitutional protections of individual liberties. She became a proud U.S. citizen in 1991.

Gabriela realizes that this country must adjust its current course and become more fiscally responsible while also freeing up businesses and individuals so that they can again grow the economy and regain America’s strong economic position in the world. The incumbent Congressman of 8 years, Raúl Grijalva, has consistently voted against the interests of businesses and families in the district.

More here: http://saucedomercer.com/about-gabby/

Sanchez bows out of Texas Senate race

                                             

 By DAVID CATANESE | Politico

With his announcement that he's bowing out of the Texas Senate race, the candidacy of retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez has come full circle.

Eight months ago, the Democrats included the state on its list of six seats the party would aggressively contest for pick-ups.

But after his lackluster launch in August, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee stopped mentioning the state or their recruit.

That lead to Sanchez's email to supporters Friday, in which he essentially acknowledged the hill was to steep to climb.

More here: http://www.politico.com/blogs/david-catanese/

"I am very grateful for the strong support and encouragement I have received from supporters across the country and the wonderful Texans I have met in every part of our great state," Sanchez said. "However, pressing personal challenges, coupled with the recent loss of our home due to fire and lagging fundraising numbers make a statewide election campaign impractical for me at this time."

Teri Galvez for Republican National Committeewoman for DC

I am running for Republican National Committeewoman because of my desire to grow the Republican Party here in DC and to ensure that our voices are heard at the national level. We have a great opportunity to identify DC voters who are tired of constant stream of lapses in ethics. They often hear the word Republican and immediately tie us to Capitol Hill.

Growing the Republican Party depends on bringing young people and minorities – particularly Hispanics and African Americans - into the party. Given the demographic trends in the country, it will become an uphill battle to win elections without them.

My Hispanic heritage and strong connections to the Latino community cultivated over many years gives me a unique perspective, as well as important avenues to pursue Latino participation in the party and to garner the votes of Latinos currently outside the party who can be persuaded by our message.

The Latino population in DC has doubled in ten years, and the vibrant African American community in DC should be encouraged to join us under the banner of personal responsibility, lower taxes, and school choice, not to mention traditional American values such as hard work, strong families and the desire to prosper.

The Brian Lehrer Show: What's Keeping Latino Voters Away from the GOP?

Recap from It's a Free Country.

Welcome to Politics Bites, where every afternoon at It's A Free Country, we bring you the unmissable quotes from the morning's political conversations on WNYC.

Today on the Brian Lehrer Show, Matt Barreto, advisor to impreMedia/Latino Decisions polling and a professor at the University of Washington in Seattle, discussed the findings of a new poll, which suggests that Latino voters do not care as much about religion or social issues as previously thought.

 

Myths of the Hispanic Vote - NYTimes.com

Ross Gregory Douthat a conservative American author, blogger and New York Times columnist argues Why Latinos aren't likely to put Newt Gingrich in the White House.

In reality, Hispanics are a relatively normal swing constituency: They tilt Democratic overall and then tend to move toward one party or the other in much the same way that the country as a whole does, rather than swinging wildly left or right depending on whether the Republican candidate is willing to whisper the words “comprehensive immigration reform” at the correct frequency.

 For Hispanics as for most voters, pocketbook issues matter more than identity politics, and a candidate’s overall ideological profile matters more than his positioning on a single issue.

 (Yes, a Republican who runs a nakedly xenophobic campaign is likely to have a particular problem with Latinos — but then again a nakedly xenophobic campaign is likely to turn off non-Hispanic swing voters as well.) George W. Bush won a larger-than-average share of the Hispanic vote because he campaigned as a center-right figure in general, not because of his particular focus on amnesty for illegal immigrants.

Read more: http://douthat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/06/myths-of-the-hispanic-vote/

Mitt Romney and Hispanics: His 2012 outreach strategy

In 2008 the Romney campaign had a strong Hispanic outreach strategy. His son Craig, who has lived in Chile and is fluent in Spanish, regularly spoke on his father’s behalf in Spanish to Hispanic media and audiences.

The 2008 campaign included a Spanish-language communications team, a large team of bilingual surrogates and paid Spanish-language media.

As the Florida GOP’s January 31st primary quickly approaches, be sure to expect a stronger Romney presence in Florida, in English and Spanish. Florida is a pivotal state in the race to secure the GOP nomination, but its even more important in Romney’s calculations. Today’s events are a clear indicator that Romney is playing to win Florida and to secure the crucial Latino Republican vote.

(USA TODAY: Romney the 1st GOP candidate to plant flag in Fla.)


Source: http://bettinainclan.com/

Newt Gingrich hires former Rubio campaign chief Jose Mallea

Via The Buzz:  Newt Gingrich is hiring as his Florida director Jose Mallea, who helped steer Marco Rubio’s come-from-behind victory in the 2010 Senate race, reports Beth Reinhard of the National Journal.

Mallea’s move is likely to fuel speculation that Rubio will endorse Gingrich, though the freshman senator has said he would stay neutral in the primary. Gingrich and other candidates have dropped his name as a likely running mate.

Rubio had an autographed picture of Gingrich on his desk when he served in the Florida Legislature and brought it with him to Washington, Mallea said.

“For those of us who came up in politics in the mid 1990s, he’s someone we admired,” Mallea said. “He’s so intelligent on the issues and understands where we need to go as a country.’”

Continue reading here.