Posted on 11/09/2003 7:33:42 AM PST by Theodore R.
Ciro surprised, disappointed by Cuellar's bid for Congress
BY TRICIA CORTEZ Times staff writer
If the federal courts and U.S. Department of Justice approve the new Texas redistricting map, half of Laredo will fall under the congressional district represented by Ciro Rodriguez (D-San Antonio).
Rodriguez, a six-year member of Congress and chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, spoke with the Laredo Morning Times this past week about his current and future legislative priorities.
He also spoke about the current political mood in Washington and what he described as the difficulties of working with the Republican administration and Republican-held Congress on issues affecting the elderly and working class.
Rodriguez will be in Laredo Tuesday for several Veterans Day functions and will also attend a speech by former Gov. Ann Richards at Texas A&M International University.
During interviews last week, he also shared his thoughts about Laredoan Henry Cuellar's intention to run against him.
"The first time I heard about it, I thought 'No, it can't be'," he said.
Rodriguez explained he was one of the first to reach out and welcome Cuellar back to the Democratic Party when Cuellar accepted a state appointment by Republican Gov. Rick Perry.
"I also helped him get some money from the DCCC (Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee) when they abandoned him and didn't want to fund him," he said, referring to Cuellar's unsuccessful race last year against Republican Congressman Henry Bonilla.
"I campaigned for him in Bonilla's district, brought Congressman Dick Gephardt (D-Missouri) and worked at the polls all day on Election Day," Rodriguez said. "I stuck with him and also got the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to endorse him and send him money. So, yes, I was surprised and disappointed."
A social worker by trade, Rodriguez is known for his grassroots approach to politics and legislation. His style is often described as down-to-earth and straightforward, and his votes are closely aligned with the interests of minorities and the working class.
In Congress, he has focused his efforts on veterans, health care, nursing homes, mental health, federal grants for higher education, safeguarding the Rio Grande and getting minority representation in the federal court system by way of judicial appointments.
Rodriguez, 56, grew up on the south side of San Antonio where he graduated from Harlandale High School. He received a bachelor's degree in political science from St. Mary's University and a master's in social work from Our Lady of the Lake University, where he taught for nine years.
He also served 10 years in the Texas House as a state Representative from 1987 to 1997, and previously worked as a counselor and caseworker at the Bexar County Mental Health and Mental Retardation during the 1970s.
Rodriguez shared his alarm and frustrations with the highly partisan and conservative U.S. Congress, which wants to privatize Social Security and dismantle Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program and other social programs.
"As for what's going on with education, it's devastating. In his first year, (President George W.) Bush's priority was tax cuts and he cut $1.3 trillion right away. Everything is determined by the budget, so if you don't have that money, you have to cut programs," Rodriguez said.
"People need to understand that we have 70 to 80 Republicans in Congress who believe that government should play no role in education and health care," he said. "When they talk to you, it's all about personal responsibility and personal obligation, and they have this mentality of 'I've got mine. You find yours'."
He noted that Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) has vowed to do away with the Department of Education and added, "While this president has talked beautifully about education and his No Child Left Behind Act, he has failed to deliver on the resources."
Rodriguez added that Democrats are also fighting the administration to not put Head Start and Title I monies into a block grant system.
"Right now, that money goes directly to school districts with low income and disadvantaged children," Rodriguez explained.
He argued that Republicans often take a hypocritical stance when cutting programs and complaining about mismanagement and fraud.
"Why don't they take the same approach to the private sector and mega corporations like Enron and World Com?" Rodriguez asked. "You never hear them raise hell about the scandalous way they committed fraud. Instead, they target things like the free and reduced lunch program, which is happening right now."
As for the president's war on Iraq, Rodriguez said many Democrats in Congress did not support going into Iraq.
"But we're there now, and we need to protect our troops," Rodriguez said, arguing that the U.S. must take a multilateral approach and work with other countries to rebuild Iraq.
"This president wanted to do it alone, and he now finds himself in a hole," Rodriguez said, referring to the growing number of U.S. casualties and the president's declining support in the polls.
"We went in ill-prepared, and this war could become another Vietnam. This is the first administration that doesn't allow the media to cover caskets as they come home, so we have a problem," Rodriguez said, who attended the burial of a soldier in Somerset Saturday morning.
"If Bush wins, he will make decisions that will impact the rest of my life. He will appoint another 100 to 200 Republican judges to the federal courts, and his administration will destroy education, Medicare and Social Security as we know them now. I don't want to leave that legacy to my daughter," Rodriguez said.
"There is too much at stake for us to lose this presidential race. We've got to win, but the sad thing is that it's almost obscene that Bush and the Republican Party will raise close to $1 billion for his presidential campaign," Rodriguez added.
Democrats, he said, will be lucky to raise $250 million.
He said Republican efforts to court the Hispanic vote "are little more than a façade."
"They invite us for photo ops, mainly," Rodriguez stated.
The 20-member Congressional Hispanic Caucus, he said, has repeatedly asked for meetings with President Bush.
"But he has only given us one since he's been there. Yet, we have met with (Mexican President Vicente) Fox four times," he said.
"It's sad, but we are reaching that point where we cannot blame those in power anymore. We have to vote and build strong political and economic leadership within our own community," Rodriguez said. "We have just been identified as the country's largest minority group but that comes with obligations and responsibilities."
As chairman of the Hispanic Caucus, Rodriguez said he is trying to forge closer ties with the African-American and Asian-American caucuses. He has also created three new task forces to focus on international trade, Wall Street and economic development.
(Staff writer Tricia Cortez can be reached at 728-2568 or tricia@lmtonline.com.)
11/09/03
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That'd be nice.
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