Posted on 05/29/2007 6:44:49 AM PDT by Cat loving Texan
Several high-profile Hispanic Bush supporters among those now behind Richardson Donors express loyalty to party as well as heritage
By Ken Herman WASHINGTON BUREAU Tuesday, May 29, 2007
WASHINGTON — As a consultant in six Republican campaigns, dating back to Ronald Reagan in 1980, Texas ad man Lionel Sosa tried to persuade Hispanic Democrats to back non-Hispanic Republicans for president.
This year, after serving as a Hispanic outreach consultant and high-dollar fundraiser in President Bush's national campaigns, Sosa is putting his money on a Hispanic Democrat.
"Blood is thicker than party," Sosa said in explaining his support for New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson's bid to become the nation's first Hispanic president.
The lure of heritage and potential political history also moved Houston lawyer Hector Delgado, another former top fundraiser for Bush, away from a lifetime of backing Republican presidential candidates.
"He is Hispanic," he said without pause when asked why he backs Richardson.
Sosa and Delgado are among at least 20 Bush "pioneers" — people who raised more than $100,000 for his presidential races — who have contributed to Democrats seeking their party's 2008 presidential nomination.
A preliminary review of campaign finance data by the Center for Responsive Politics also shows that top Bush fundraisers have contributed more than $50,000 to Democratic candidates and $315,000 to GOP contenders.
Delgado gave $500 to Richardson and says "odds are" he'll back the Republican nominee if Democrats don't pick Richardson.
"If you just look at his record, he is the type of individual we want running the country," said Delgado, who has never backed a Democratic presidential candidate before.
Sosa, who voted for Democrat John Kennedy in 1960 and every Republican presidential candidate since then, has given $2,300 (the maximum allowed by law) to Richardson. He is hosting a June 5 event in San Antonio, with a goal of raising at least $100,000 for the New Mexico governor.
El Paso businessman Woody Hunt, who shows up on lists of Bush pioneers but said he doesn't believe that he ever raised the $100,000 needed to qualify as such, has given $2,300 to Richardson.
In Austin, lobbyist Gregory C. Barnes, also a Bush 2000 pioneer, has given $250 to the presidential campaign of Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del.
Hunt said Richardson is his favored candidate on the Democratic side, though he has not decided who will get his vote. For now, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is the Republican contender who has caught his eye.
Hunt, concerned about economic development issues, said he is impressed by Richardson's efforts on that front in New Mexico.
"He cut tax rates, and he has had some focus on education," Hunt said.
Sosa is a potentially pivotal backer for Richardson. Honored in 2005 by Time magazine as one of the nation's 25 most influential Hispanics, he is well-positioned to potentially help Richardson make inroads among Republicans.
While acknowledging Bush's problems, Sosa remains a Bush backer and a Republican.
He talks about his "responsibility" to back Richardson, a Democrat he said he would not consider supporting if he were not Hispanic.
"We are either the majority or getting close to the majority in the top U.S. cities," Sosa said. "And now we have a responsibility to support each other that goes beyond party."
Sosa, who worked for Democrat Henry Cisneros' nonpartisan mayoral races in San Antonio, rejected the notion that his support for Richardson is a "turncoat thing."
"I am supporting Bill Richardson not only because he is a Latino but because he is a conservative Latino and extremely capable and the most qualified candidate out there," Sosa said.
Sosa's work on Hispanic outreach for Republican candidates began in 1978 as a consultant to then-Sen. John Tower of Texas and successful gubernatorial contender Bill Clements.
Republican Party lore says that Reagan talked Sosa into working for his 1980 campaign by telling him, "Latinos are Republicans. They just don't know it yet."
If Richardson does not get the Democratic nomination, Sosa said, there is a 95 percent chance he would back whomever the Republican Party picks.
Sosa remains a Bush supporter despite the administration's problems.
Bush's mistakes?
"Obviously, the war," Sosa said. "You go just from one to the other. Whether it's weapons of mass destruction, it's 'Mission Accomplished' or it's 'We will be welcomed as liberators' and on and on and on. . . . They were big mistakes."
Delgado said the president has been plagued by "a lot of events that are very, very challenging."
"He is a good man, and he has done the best job possible, and he is my president," Delgado said. "Even good men sometimes face situations that possibly nobody could have handled any better than they were handled."
Several of the Bush pioneers and "rangers" (those who raised $200,000 for campaigns) who have given money to current Democratic presidential candidates also have donated to Republican contenders (including spouse contributions that bring the maximum to $4,600).
They include Stephen Burke of Pennsylvania, chief operating officer of Comcast Corp., $4,600 to Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and $2,300 to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.; Robert Kotick of California, chief executive officer of Activision Inc., $4,600 to Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and $4,200 to former Massachusetts Republican Gov. Mitt Romney; and Sig Rogich of Nevada, a political consultant and McCain backer, $2,300 to Richardson and $2,300 to McCain.
Also giving to both parties are Ivan Seidenberg of New York, chief executive officer of Verizon Communications, $4,600 to Clinton and $2,100 to McCain; Manuel Stamatakis of Pennsylvania, a businessman and state finance co-chairman for Giuliani, $1,000 to Biden and $4,600 to Giuliani; Thomas G. Stemberg of Massachusetts, founder of Staples Inc., $2,300 to Obama and $2,300 to Romney; and David C. Weinstein of Massachusetts, Fidelity Investments' executive vice president, $1,000 to Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., and $1,800 to Romney.
kherman@coxnews.com
The point is these former Republican voters won’t be voting Republican this time. And it will matter in states like NM
Besides, doesn't Richardson get his swarthy features (per his autobiography) from his Welsh/Scottish father? His Mexican mother was muy guera from what I understand.
Well that's where you and I disagree,Pepe.I,a white Irish Catholic Bostonian would vote for Condeleza Rice twenty times before I'd think about voting for Kennedy *or* Kerry even once...because,for me,country is far,far more important to me than is "blood".
Perhaps you,Pepe,belong back in Mexico where *all* the candidates for office are "blood" to you.
Bill should run for President of Mexico. He’s more concerned about Mexican illegals than American citizens.
So, this is where multiculturalism and diversity are leading us?
Bill Richardson is descended from Northeastern Yankee stock on his father’s side, his mother was Mexican with antecedents stretching back to the Spanish conquistidores, as was his grandmother on his father’s side. Which by definition, would make him of three-fourths “Mexican” descent.
Mexicans have their own “bluebloods”, too.
So there is very little of the “common person” in Bill Richardson. Probably less of a “common person” than even that great plebeian, John Edwards.
This is what I was afraid of. Many hispanics who helped sweep President Bush and the GOP to victory in 2000 and 2004 are now going to the Demo-rat Party.
I hope they pass that stupid immigration bill soon, so we can stop this hurtful debate and start building up our party again, and take back the Senate and Congress. That is our only way.
I totally disagree. This is the point. "Blood is thicker than party,"
Welsh/Scottish father? His Mexican mother was muy guera
maybe “Bill” Richardson was planted in swarthy messico and was to be an anchor baby.....
Bush's 7 years of pandering to Hispanics doesn't sound like it will do the Republican Party much good in terms of winning Hispanic votes.
And the GOP chairman still thinks they’ll get their share of the Hispanic vote if Amnesty passes? Good luck.
I'm assuming this was sarcasm.
Yes, it is a stupid bill - and a very dangerous bill for the future of the country and of the party most conservatives call home. This is why I say:
I hope they pass we kill that stupid immigration bill soon, so we can stop this hurtful debate save our republic and start building up our party again impeach stupid-doers and throw RINOs out of the GOP, and take back the Senate and Congress. That is our only way.
hope they pass that stupid immigration bill soon, so we can stop this hurtful debate and start building up our party again, and take back the Senate and Congress. That is our only way.
hahahahaha Thanks for the early morning laugh.
In all seriousness, in his autobiography, Richardson talks about his mother’s family were fair skinned and light eyed, while many in his father’s family had inherited the swarthiness characteristic of many Welshies. See Tom Jones, Ray Milland, and Ava Gardner to see my point.
no-one I know would take a look at him and suspect his name would be bill richardson.......but pedro gonzales or some such is , well....
Yes, and that is why I will never vote for a Mexican. When the Mexican flag is more important than the AMERICAN FLAG it doesn't take a genius to figure out your loyalties.
If that "stupid" bill passes, there won't be much of a GOP left to rebuild.
Bush only obtained 40% of the Hispanic vote at best. If amnesty is passed, at least 60% will vote for the democrats in future elections. The Republican party is doomed if this amnesty legislation passes. Rush has basically said the same thing on his show. The only way is to enforce our border and ensure that people become American citizens through our legal process.
There is no reason to think that Hispanic voters will not follow the long tread path of past immigrants toward the Democrats. The fact that a substantial minority of Hispanics vote Republican can be attributed to the anti-Communist character of the Cubans in Florida, assimilated, middle class Mexican-Americans who are third or greater generation Americans, especially in Texas, and the popularity of President Bush, whose sister-in-law was born in Mexico.
The fact is that the electorate is pretty close to evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats, as evidenced by the narrow margins of the last two Presidential elections and the narrow margin by which the Democrats control Congress. Adding 12-20 million people to the ranks of citizenship has the potential of another 6-10 million voters who will likely vote 4:1 for the Democrats. Since the vast majority of these potential new citizens are low income, they will be greater consumers of public services, including welfare, education, and medical care. The Democrats have a reputation for promising and delivering more of these services than even the most RINOish of Republicans. Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank admitted as such a couple of weeks ago when he stated that the increased flow of immigrants would lower wages, but that these immigrants will vote the Democrats into power, where that party could strengthen unions and improve worker benefits.
Republicans who agree to any plan that places the illegals on the road to citizenship are signing on to the death warrant for conservative economic, social, and defense policies for decades to come.
I was thinking the same thing.
That's the way politics works in most of the world. The interests of the tribe trump the interests of the nation.
Richardson is the only Democrat that I am actually afraid of.
Obama? Lightweight that gets beat in a walk if we have a decent candidate.
Clinton? High unlikables makes her have to run a perfect campaign to win.
But Richardson has all the earmarks of a winnable candidate. Popular governor of a swing state. Tax cutter.(At least he can spin it that way) No huge scandals (well, none that the mainstream media gave coverage too during the fact).
Add the “minority” aspect and you have a candidate who appeals to a large group of the politically unaware middle. That’s trouble.
The reconquista proceeds apace (although everywhere north of San Antonio-and maybe everywhere north of the Rio Grande-conquista is more accurate than reconquista). If you want to support the reconquista/conquista, then support the Ted Kennedy Amnesty Bill.
The double standard still holds for now, but if white men were to start asking questions then this nonsense will be in a world of hurt. I would say this about any ethnic mongering that would hurt my country.
He was concerned about that too. He made sure that all Hispanics know that he is one of them.
"My mission is to reach Latino voters to let them know that I'm Latino and that I'm a candidate with their roots, becaue the name Richardson is not conducive to that," he said.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10378847
This just goes to show that the purpose of “fixing” immigration is to turn the U.S. into a hispanic country. That’s why Hispanics are supporting a Hispanic candidate that’s pro-illegal immigration rather than a party.
This just goes to show that the purpose of “fixing” immigration is to turn the U.S. into a hispanic country. That’s why Hispanics are supporting a Hispanic candidate that’s pro-illegal immigration rather than a party.
So how racist and bigoted is this fool.
I don’t blame him, but not working for a Republican candidate is not the same as working for a Democratic candidate.
When the dems get through trashing one another, we will see who they vote for. Bill Richardson will go down to either hillary or obama..........I doubt it will be that easy to keep them on the dem plantation as it is with the blacks.
My point is a lot of the base is very unhappy.
I think that at this point we are raging at the wind.
Most likely there will be an amnesty plan of some sort; to disentangle ourselves from 15 million illegals and other related parties would be impossible.
By going native on this issue we are insuring that this group remains Democratic forever.
I believe Bush is looking 50 years down the road and is trying to build some bridges.
And an expert at pimping for Bubba,he’s even got a title Bill Clintons mexican pimp.
Even if every Republican, Tom Tancredo and Duncan Hunter included, laid down their arms and surrendered on this issue, the newly minted citizens will vote overwhelmingly Democratic as did the Scots-Irish, Irish Catholics, Scandinavians, Slavs, Jews, Italians, etc. Even recent immigrants from Asia, though far more middle class than the Hispanics, tend to vote for the Democrats.
The Democratic Party has always been the party of the "little man" from the days of Andrew Jackson railing against the Bank of the United States and high tariffs to John Edwards and Nancy Pelosi denouncing the big oil companies and corporate greed. The difference between the immigration waves before 1920 and those who have arrived since 1965 is that there was little public welfare and, other than public schools, few social services, and none on the Federal level, in the first instance and a massive welfare state in the second instance. The new immigrants, being mostly lower income, will be large scale consumers of such services, whereas for the old immigrants, it was essentially "root, hog, or die."
The Democrats have consistently outpromised and outdelivered the Republicans in generous social services, even the most liberal ones like Nelson Rockefeller or Arnold Schwarzenegger. Even such liberal Republicans, who were pro-welfare and vocally anti-racist, have been unsuccessful in winning the minority and low income voter groups away from the Democrats. The liberals believe that they will lock down the Hispanic vote, much as they have the black vote and the American Indian vote, for generations to come, by tethering them to the welfare plantation. When you exclude the Cuban-Americans and third or more generation Mexican-Americans in Texas, their beliefs are reasonable and grounded in American history.
Placing the immigrants on the path to citizenship will cement a new electoral coalition that will place the liberals in power past the 50 year time horizon you claim that President Bush is using. In 50 years, we will have socialized medicine, confiscatory taxation, the end of private ownership of firearms, and every other nightmare conservatives can imagine. At best, this nation will become a European-style socialist democracy, and at worst, a Third World type oligarchy where all government power can be accessed only by those with money and influence. In other words, America will be dead in all senses but that of a geographic space between Canada and Mexico.
Blood is thicker than party
_______________________________________
Remember this my friends.
He has all the makings of an ideal VP candidate for a race-conscious party, so the question is why he was passed over in 2000 and 2004. Whether he can gain any momentum now is questionable, when Hillary, Obama, Edwards, and Gore are attracting all the attention.
Hmmmmmmmmmm
Is your cat for or against the Amnesty for 25,000,000 Plus Illegal Aliens Bill of 2007?
Those dark skinned Welsh are like the “Black” Irish ..descendants of shipwrecked members of the Spanish Armada, 1588...among othe dark ancestors..
The big fix is unfolding before your eyes....GREAT SOCIETY TWO.....all Patriots will get HOSED and pay for all the new victims among us.....welfare, health, college, downward pressure on wages by slave masters, huge inlation caused by slave enablers.....get ready....you want it you get it....
The lure of heritage and potential political history also moved Houston lawyer Hector Delgado...
"He is Hispanic," he said without pause when asked why he backs Richardson.
No white man would ever be allowed to say such a thing. But for non-whites it is not racist but rather ethnic solidarity.
“The Democratic Party has always been the party of the “little man” from the days of Andrew Jackson railing against the Bank of the United States and high tariffs to John Edwards and Nancy Pelosi denouncing the big oil companies and corporate greed”
Huh? “little man” John Edwards lives in a $4 million house, and Nancy Pelosi is a multi-millionaire too...
ROFLMBO
Hey I’m unhappy too, but I’m not voting for a liberal Democrat. If someone I can’t support gets the nomination (i.e. John McCain), I’ll just stay home on election day.
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