Angry Hispanic Caucus withholds party dues

The Hill ^ | March 8, 2005 | Hans Nichols

[RWR8189]

Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus are withholding their party membership dues until they receive assurances from House Democratic leaders that the party will make a concerted effort to engage Hispanic voters and better serve the needs of the Hispanic community.

Lawmakers withholding their dues said that their decision was the culmination of several years of frustration with what they view as the Democratic Party’s failure to reach out to Hispanics and include them in the decision-making process. They are also increasingly concerned by results at the ballot box and of post-election surveys showing that President Bush won 44 percent of the Hispanic vote.

Caucus members last week demanded meetings with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chairman Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) and told The Hill that they would use their pending party dues as leverage to secure an audience.
Pelosi is scheduled to receive the caucus in her office tomorrow, and Emanuel will host members one week later at DCCC headquarters.

Party leaders are levying dues — which range from $100,000 to $600,000 — on a quarterly basis this cycle, and the Hispanics’ threat that they might not comply by March 31 is the first instance of lawmakers chafing under the new deadline.

It was unclear how wide and deep Hispanic disenchantment with their party leaders ran, with several members saying that their threats on dues was a caucuswide initiative. But Emanuel said he had already received dues from at least two Hispanics, Reps. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.) and Hilda Solis (D-Calif.), and his staff later added Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.) to that list.

One Hispanic lawmaker, who requested anonymity, said, “We’re withholding our dues until we get some agreements.”

“We’ve made that very clear and will make it clearer,” the lawmaker added. 
A spokeswoman for caucus Chairwoman Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) said that this week’s meetings were not officially brokered by the caucus but rather by individual members. Napolitano, however, was not in Washington last week and missed the Wednesday meeting where some of the plans to withhold dues and seek meetings were hatched. 

“We don’t take a stand on members’ personal meetings,” Imelda Aguirre said. “It’s not a caucus meeting.” However, both Pelosi’s office and the DCCC had the meeting scheduled as a caucus event.

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said, “It’s not a single person. It’s a group protest to say there needs to be a serious discussion on strategy, on the integration of staff, and more attention paid to Latino issues.”

“We are saying that we have the money and that until we have an honest, serious and frank discussion, we’re not going to give it to you,” Grijalva said. 

“We want to feel fully vested in the effort,” he added.

Rep. Solomon Ortiz (D-Texas) said that Hispanics wanted the meetings “to sit down and talk about more participation in the community.”

“Not enough money has been spent” on reaching out to Hispanics, he said.

Caucus anger with the party first bubbled to the surface in December when congressional leaders wrote a bristling letter to Democratic National Committee delegates that they would ignore Hispanic concerns at their own peril.

Solis confirmed that she had paid her dues and said that she was unaware of any caucus plan to withhold them. But she added, “I missed the last two meetings.”

“I was invited to their regular Wednesday morning meeting and I am going to attend like I’ve been invited to other groups,” said Emanuel.

Greg Speed, spokesman for the DCCC, later said that the meeting had been scheduled at the committee’s headquarters.

The DCCC has launched some new Hispanic outreach initiatives. A senior member of the DCCC met with Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) to identify key leaders at the grassroots level, a Democratic leadership aide said.

[Semper Paratus]

I guess having a free taco night at the Convention wasn't enough.

[RoseofTexas]

RIPE for the picking!! I hope the RNC is listening!!! The Hispanic group is a counter balance voting block to the RATS black voting block! The pubs must act fast though!!

[Ruth A.]

Wake up and smell the coffee. Cross the hall and visit the Republicans!

[federal]

I'm sure the partizan trashing the democrats laid on Alberto Gonzales helped open some Mexican-American's eyes.

[jmaroneps37]

More trouble in the evil donkey's barn! Hee hee hee!!!!

[Owl558]

"RIPE for the picking!!"

Indeed! Like so many democrats these days, the caucus represents the most radical, socialist, America-hating people out there. Most "normal" hispanics out there, like myself, recoil in horror from their positions on the various issues.

[Red Badger]

The Party de Burro is having problemo in el Norte.......

[HolgerDansk]

I have felt for years that the hispanic immigrants would ultimately find Conservatism more attractive politically than Liberalism (Bill Bennett has said much the same thing).

[ElPatriota]

Here we go again... What in HELL is a "latino" or a "hispanic."

Can anyone define these terms? Is it someone who comes from a country who speaks Spanish? Regardless, political views or economic status? bilingual or not?

Or is it someone who comes illegally and cleans dishes or do lawns for a living?

Does the country of origin matter? Is an Argentinian, Chilean, Spaniards, a 'Latino?'

Is a Republican against practically all the democratic party stands for (homosexuals, abortion, criminals, welfare, bilingualism...) a 'Latino.'

The thing that bothers me, is that I see these two terms used everyday indiscriminally... Maybe is time to start 'hyphenating' the terms, like:

Latino-mexican illegal.
Latino-Argentinian illegal
Spaniards (Latino?) - legal-professional.
Hispanic-Salvadorian- Republican.
Hispanic-Latino-illegal-democrat-to-be....?
Latino-Cuban-Doctor-legal-Republican...

Who I am I? I don't know....

American-Latino?-Republican-bilingual-Catholic in crisis [smile]- moral values fanatic.. what else..

:)

:) see my point?

[Calusa]

Luckily the Dems promise minorities the world on a silver platter, but the give'm nothing except their perverted progressive social values, anti-war and no nukes. I think many immigrants want to participate in the healthy middle class American dream and ownership society type values. But they get gay marriage and abortion in exchange for their vote. They don't this Hispanic's vote.

[catpuppy]

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chairman Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.)

How does a very junior congressman, serving in Congress for little more than two years, become Chairman of the Congressional Campaign Committee? Could it be his ties to the Clintons?

[thoughtomator]

Since when do slaves get included in decision-making processes? If they wanted a say, they should have joined the GOP. With the Democrats, your choice is support the agenda or shut up.

[retiredcpo]

Dues are $100,000. - $600,000.???? Am I missing something here?

[CyberAnt]

And .. I believe stats have shown that Hispanics have now passed blacks in population.

[11Bush]

Am I missing something here?

Yeah, your tax dollars.

[IonImplantGuru]

Dues are $100,000. - $600,000.???? Am I missing something here?

You, and me too, Chief! This is the first time I've ever heard of representatives having to pay extortionate 'party dues', and I ain't no spring chicken. Where does this money go? Where is it supposed to come from? Out of pocket? Out of electee's campaign fund? PAC bribes?

Can anyone out there give Retired and me a cogent non-sarcastic answer?

[monkeywrench]

I know a couple of Cubans and several Puerto Ricans that hate those terms, too. The media better buy a clue.

[BobS]

"Here we go again... What in HELL is a "latino" or a "hispanic."

Yup, here we go again. Latin language-speaking people are so different from region to region in culture and society. Get someone speaking high Portuguese from Lisbon down to south Chile and they won't understand each other. Get somebody from Sicily over to nordeste Brasil and they won't understand each other and do the wave-around communication attempt as well.

This is the democrats' problemo, not ours. All those old blanco guys that run their party think they can pigeon-hole these languages into another one of their lovely "groups", just like they did with Blacks- and that is also quickly falling apart.

The GOP looks at people as individuals. New groups of people are naturally forming from all sorts of folks that are moving forward. We want those people. Civil Rights have been achieved for everyone. It's the poverty industry that holds that ageing old crowd back.