Bonilla under fire in House race

El Paso Times ^ | March 31, 2002 | Gary Scharrer

[FITZ]

Sure are getting to be a lot of racists in Texas. They even admit that taxes aren't an issue for the Mexicans ---it's only what government can do for them. I sure hope Bonilla wins.

[montag813]

Bonilla cares more about tax cuts than investing in education, health care, housing, infrastructure and jobs

"Investing", huh? Life must be fun behind the rose-colored glasses of a Liberal. If the government "invests" then the rate of return makes 2001 look like a bull market.

[kdf1]

Gonzalez and Hinojosa supported almost all of Clinton's trash. The Democrats have done nothing for the honorable Mexican worker and immigrant. They, like the PRI of Mexico, have only tried to promote government programs to control votes. The Democrat policies of supporting teen abortions without telling the parents, the advocacy for homosexuals in schools and the getting welfare dollars without working for those who are able is contrary to the work ethic of the traditional value oriented Hispanics that I respect.

[SpringheelJack]

So how good are Bonilla's chances of re-election?

[Holden Magroin]

...U.S. Rep. Ralph Hall -- all conservative Republicans.

Uh, isn't Ralph Hall a Democrat?

[FITZ]

I hope Bonilla can still win but he's under attack by the Hispanics for not being Hispanic enough ---which means he's not a racist who will put one group ahead of the others, he's for lowering taxes which many Hispanics believe is not in their best interests because what they want are more government handouts. There are conservative Hispanics in Texas who want lower taxes but the Mexicans coming over are more inclined to want what they say is their instant piece of the pie. Demographics are changing so fast that conservative Hispanics and others are not likely to win elections.

[FITZ]

You're right but the newspaper doesn't apparently know that he is.

[Holden Magroin]

Not great this time. Bonilla's district is 46% Republican and 45% Democrat. If Hispanics in Bexar County turn out in high numbers for that racial demagogue Tony Sanchez, then Bonilla will lose.

[Free the USA]

Check the Bump List folders for articles related to and descriptions of the above topic(s) or for other topics of interest.

[Holden Magroin]

The other thing is that Bonilla is a Baptist, and that makes the Congressional Hispanic Communists see him as even more of a "sell-out."

[FITZ]

This might be why they don't know Ralph Hall is a democrat. He might not be liberal enough for them:

[Holden Magroin]

Why doesn't he just switch parties?

[FITZ]

If Hispanics in Bexar County turn out in high numbers for that racial demagogue Tony Sanchez, then Bonilla will lose.

People in Texas had better wake up fast ---they don't realize how successful Sanchez is in the border counties with his racist campaign. If these newest arrivals in Texas were really conservative, they'd be asking more questions about Sanchez's drug money laundering businesses ---but they don't care. He's promising an awful lot of taxpayer funded programs.

[Torie]

The Bexar County portion of Bonilla's district is largely Anglo. The Hispanics are in Laredo.

[GraniteStateConservative]

There is no excuse for a Republican candidate from the state owned politically by a historically popular Republican president and in a district that that same president won the popular vote 59-42 to be vulnerable.

It is true that 70% of the district are minorities, but blacks make up less than 2% of that minority percentage. These are the Hispanics that have to vote Republican for the GOP state-wide office seekers to have any hope of becoming victorious this November. This will be a bellwether for the whole state (and probably the country) and would be a devastating rebuke of Bush. Terry McAwful would love to have this feather in his cap. A loss here would be perhaps the biggest upset all night.

Bonilla last won with nearly 60% of the vote. For Bonilla to lose this November, it would be a bigger upset than Dan Rostenkowski's loss in 1994 (who had won 57% of the vote two years earlier)-- and Dan had to commit a felony to get tossed out. In fact, 1994 is the last time an upset like this would have occurred, I believe. Former Rep. Bilbray won in '92 with 58% and then lost to John Ensign in '94 in a similar upset.

[GraniteStateConservative]

Yeah, GWB decided to give him a free pass this year because he's a DINO and he's said this will be his last go-around. The GOP will most definitely take this seat-- especially with Bush running for re-election in 2004.

[FITZ]

I read in the Dallas paper that the incumbent congressman says that he wakes up in the morning and doesn't see an Hispanic in the mirror. Well, that is his problem," Hinojosa said, drawing applause from hundreds of Hispanic supporters standing shoulder to shoulder.

Can you imagine the uproar if a white politician said the equivalent about another white politician? If whites accused each other of not being white enough? They'd be called white supremists or worse ---but these Hispanics are cheering these racist politicians of theirs on for this.

[GraniteStateConservative]

Another upset in 1994 that would be similar to a Bonilla upset was Neal Smith's loss to Greg Ganske. Smith had won with 62% of the vote in '92, and lost in '94 because he had been in Congress since 1958 and Ganske ran against his being a creature of D. C. and his support of the Hillary-care failure. Ensign was able to win with huge fundraising hauls.

All of these upsets have striking explanations and none fit the Bonilla-Cuellar race.