GOP Hispanic Strategists Stunned, Outraged By Sotomayor Attacks

[Political Tiger]

Top-ranking Republican strategists who specialize in Hispanic outreach say they are outraged, disturbed and concerned by the type of reception Barack Obama's pick for the Supreme Court has received from conservative activists.

In the days since the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, several prominent conservative voices have leveled unusually blunt attacks at her resume. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and radio host Rush Limbaugh both insisted that the court of appeals judge was a racist for saying that her Hispanic background allowed her to come to better judicial decisions. Former Congressman Tom Tancredo, on Friday, called Sotomayor a member of the "Latino KKK."

The rhetoric has been enough to make Republican strategists in heavily Latino states cringe -- concerned that such slights could cement Democrats advantages among a growing and increasingly influential political constituency.

"Of course this disturbs me," said Lionel Sosa, one of the more influential Hispanic media advisers in the GOP. "I'm not surprised at Rush Limbaugh but I'm very surprised at Speaker Gingrich because he is one of the key people who knows the importance of the Latino vote to the Republican Party. He must realize how his rhetoric, if it does influence any Hispanics, how damaging it could be. This is something that is going to happen anyway. For a senator to have strong opposition to her, they are either not aware of the impact Latinos will have on the next election or they don't care."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/29/gop-hispanic-strategists_n_209240.html

[PretzelWarrior]

1. notice any Republican with accountability is talking in reasoned tones

the far right firebrands like Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, Hannity, and now Tancredo are the ones poisoning the well of public debate on this nominee.

[Marsala]

8. This is a rare example of the media's desire for conflict working against the GOP

The media loves conflict since it drives ratings, so they are willing to give enormous coverage to anyone willing to attack, well, anything. And usually this translates to Republicans getting to air their opinions without limit. However, all of the reasonable Republicans are holding back on Sotomayor, leaving only the truly far right crazies to attack her with unbalanced and downright racist "arguments". So the Republicans are now being hurt by the elevation of their worst elements.

[Raine1967]

28. Except -- these knuckleheads actually SAID these things.

The media isn't really going after them. With a few rare exceptions like Shuster, KO and Rach -- what media is going after them?

It's not like the media is distorting anything they said. I understand what you are saying, but in this case the media isn't creating the conflict-- These guys really said this crap.

[Kerrytravelers]

2. Stunned? Really? Have they had their fingers in their ears all their little GOP lives????

This doesn't surprise me one earthly bit.

[alsame]

5. Really. Sounds like faux outrage. How can they not know how

their party feels about Hispanics? Or maybe they just didn't care while they were cashing the checks from the GOP?

[LiberalFighter]

9. The fewer Hispanics under their tent the more they can charge the GOP.

Money money money.

[alsame]

15. Very true. It's always about profit over people with this gang. n/t

[skepticscott]

32. I guess the same way

that the Log Cabin Republicans don't know that the party they've allied themselves with thinks that every last one of them should burn in hell for all eternity. The human capacity for self-delusion is pretty much without limit.

[RollWithIt]

16. Well, to be fair, the GoP was actually fairly successful with many segments of Latinos....

Take South Florida for example. The Republicans OWNED that segment for decades. Now? Obama WON the Cuban Miami community.

[HooptieWagon]

24. Not quite accurate...

The only solid Republican hispanic bloc in Miami are the original Cuban immigrants (from the early 60s). Each subsequent generation is increasingly divided, and the original Cuban-Americans are dying off. Also, there has been a huge influx of non-Cuban hispanics in South Florida; Nicaraguans, Dominicans, Venezuelans, Puerto Ricans, Colombians - they tend to vote quite strongly Dem.

[Ikonoklast]

3. They are bound and determined to purge their party of

everyone that isn't white, Protestant, and aging.

Permanent minority party as demographics are against them.

[old mark]

4. And they are doing a great job !!!! nt

[Bucky]

19. To be fair....

They're not all that kind to the sound-of-mind crowd either. They still attack John McCain as a "progressive" Republican--McCain who's a true conservative in the Goldwater mold.

[opihimoimoi]

25. Oh Noes...its the WASPy Syndrome

[PretzelWarrior]

6. could it be a case of framing? If the extremists say their outrages

then when the GOP tries to keep their base happy by tough questions of Sotomayor, it will still be seen as genteel compared to these clowns. If so, it is a good strategy.

This is not a strategy for blocking the nomination. It is about throwing their supporters a bone while they go ahead and support this woman with high numbers voting yes.

My prediction in 1 thread was 85 voting yes. We'll see if I'm wrong or not.

[BeyondGeography]

7. Shocked, absolutely shocked that there is crude racism in that establishment

[BlooInBloo]

10. (shrug) Which party they belong to is wholly their choice.

[vaberella]

11. Totally.

Too funny though that they toned themselves when it comes to the Black comments (the Black pundits do as well) and may now feel how racist the GOP has always been towards everyone non-White and non-Christian.

[BlooInBloo]

14. Sounds like a "I didn't speak up when they came for the.... " moment.

[MadMaddie]

23. That's exactly it!! I still don't think they have figured out they

just as other minorities are not welcome in the pointy hat club of Republicans.

[Cha]

12. Shocked Shocked I say!

I wasn't.

[bemildred]

13. Tools ought not be stunned when they discover they have been used. nt

[zbdent]

17. pretty much, if you aren't the token/quota minority for the Repukes,

you've missed out on the cash cow ...

[Bucky]

18. Come on in to the Democratic jacuzi, guys. The water's warm and the beer is cold.

Also, we let you into the club house after the tv cameras leave.

[EquallyExhausted]

20. i wish the author wouldn't further the BS idea that any of these attacks have to do w/ her resume

In the days since the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, several prominent conservative voices have leveled unusually blunt attacks at her resume.

the unhinged BS they've been spouting, has nothing to do with her actual qualifications for the job.

[Duer 157099]

21. I don't see this as a problem for the GOP

I always thought that one of the foundational aspects of being in the GOP is some degree of self-loathing. Latinos who identify with the GOP should not be bothered in the slightest by any of these attacks against Sotomayor.

[Joe the Liberal]

22. I don't see why ANY one who is'nt white would join the GOP...

unless they pay you well to try to better their image for them then I don't see why any minority would join that party willingly. It's either self-hate or ignorance or both that drives them to vote republican.

[opihimoimoi]

26. I like to use the Term::: DELUSIONAL.....ya gatta be nuts to join them dudes

[Doctor_J]

27. I understand the outrage, but why are they stunned?

Stockholm Syndrome? Sosa is surprised by Gingrinch using hate politics? :wtf:

[Nedsdag]

29. Ah yes! Divide and conquer!

Gobama!

[Number23]

30. They ain't the only ones...

K&R'd

[DailyGrind51]

31. Republicans are alienating the fastest growing minority in the U.S.!

As if their stand on immigration wasn't sufficient to make them nothing more than a bad memory!

[Political Heretic]

33. GOP Hispanic Strategists stunned to discover their party is full of fucking racist assholes.

Developing.....

[uponit7771]

34. It's like they think they wont be racist cause they're a part of the GOP?!?!

[Arkana]

35. And yet, Mr. Sosa, you're still a Republican.

Sounds to me like you enjoy abuse--you and the Log Cabin Republicans.

[lunatica]

36. So let me get this right

These are Latino GOP strategists who haven't figured out that the predominantly old white Republican men are racists?

Wow! Just wow! What idiots!