ARIZONA COMMON SENSE

An Exercise in Aggressive, Non-Partisan Political Activism April 22, 2012 Volume 2, Number 1

IF RUBIO WAS MEXICAN-AMERICAN, HED BE A DEMOCRAT

In his recent effort to court the mythical Hispanic vote and move presidential hopeful Mitch Romney to the center, Florida Senator Marco Rubio shows that republicans can play the politics of ethnic division (aka the race card) as mindlessly as any democrat. Washington insider news source the National Journal reports that Rubio, who once supported Arizonas SB1070, has now taken aim at the nations most successful law employed to discourage illegal entry and to encourage those already unlawfully here to make a run for the border, or perhaps to greener pastures in California and New York. Rubio seems to think: If republicans become more like democrats and denounce SB1070, (maybesomehow) more Hispanics will vote for them. Rubios premise that those with brown skin all think alike is flawed: go ask Arizona Open Border and Amnesty Opponents like activist Anna Gaines, a so-called Hispanic who stumps for Russell Pearce, Claudia White, a naturalized American citizen born in Mexico who is President of Arizonans for Immigration Control, former Minuteman VP Al Garza who heads up Patriot Coalition, Col. Al Rodriquez, the leader of You Dont Speak for Me In 2008 John McCain energetically courted the Hispanic vote by kowtowing to the National Council of La Raza, a major factor in his decline amongst Arizona voters, without showing any increase in popularity amongst Hispanic voters, so called, including members of La Raza. The problem with courting Hispanics on the basis of the perceived common interest of ethnicity, or brown skin color, is simply this: what kind of brown skinned politician, or voter, are you?

Rubio, who doctrinally is more aligned with the democrats, himself is a so-called Cuban-American. Because the left wing media has successfully divided many of our political perceptions on the basis of race or ethnicity, quite naturally Rubio identifies himself as a republican even though his heart isnt in it. The reason behind Rubios choice of party affiliation is simple: In Florida, the so-called Cuban-American community, with their recent memories of Janet Reno and democrat President Clinton sending a terrified Elian Gonzalez back to Cuba, at gunpoint (!!!) and much longer memories of the now sanctified democrat President JFK abandoning thousands of their Cuban born grandfathers, fathers, brothers, uncles and sons to die on the beaches of Bahia de Cochinos in 1961, justifiably, hates the guts of anyone on the ballot with a D after his name. Hence: by necessity Rubio cannot be a democrat, much as he might want to; as long as he lives in Florida he must be a republican, whether he likes it or not. Regarding Rubios courtship of the Hispanic vote I would like to ask him this: show me the political connection between Puerto Rican-Americans, who in Florida are mostly democrats, and the (mostly) republican Cuban-Americans. Can you refer to either group as Latino, or Hispanic, and expect them to vote together as a block on the simplistic basis of ethnicity? I suppose sometime in the distant future, in a parallel universe, someday, Puerto Rican-Americans and Cuban-Americans just might join hands and sing Cumbaya; perhaps it will happen on the same day hell freezes over, which will be the same day Mexicans stop making rude jokes about the ethnic and cultural inferiority of Blacks and Guatemalans. You havent heard that one? Then you havent bothered to read Memin Pinguin or the left wing commentary of Gustavo Arellano, unabashed supporter of La Raza and writer of the weekly column Ask a Mexican! Maybe (someday) rational, non-partisan political thinkers will have the courage to call for an end to the politics of ethnic division, and the beginning of politic affiliation on the basis of shared moral principals, but dont hold your breath: theres still too much money

to be made by supporting racial division, and keeping Americans fighting amongst themselves, as it now stands. As for so called Hispanics like Al Garza and Col. Rodriquez? Believe me: they have nothing in common with politicians like Rubio. They dont lay claim to hyphenated political identities or make use of left wing, made up political labels. Refer to either one of these guys as a Mexican-American or a Latino and youll (most likely) get a fist in your face. In spite of being called Vendidos by members of La Raza, both Garza and Rodriquez simply call themselves Americans. Now, how refreshing is that! roywarden@hotmail.com