The letter from Pablo Pantoja, former FL GOP Hispanic Outreach Director, who switched to Democrat says it all about the rebranding of the GOP and its outreach to minorities -- both are abject failures. Rhetoric of outreach doesn't cut it when you have GOP leaders who still believe in the Southern WHITE Male strategy of the Republican Party.
Former Florida GOP Hispanic outreach director switches to Democrat
By Alex Leary (May 13, 2013)
The DNC tonight circulated this note from Pablo Pantoja, who was at one time employed as the RNC's Hispanic outreach director in Florida but has now switched to Democrat, citing "the culture of intolerance surrounding the Republican Party today." The change was reported on Kevin Cate's blog.
As we reported last August, Pantoja quit his RNC post, apparently frustrated with the outreach effort.
From: Pablo Pantoja
Subject: From Republican to Democrat
Date: May 13, 2013 5:57:11 PM EDT
Friend,
Yes, I have changed my political affiliation to the Democratic Party.
It doesn’t take much to see the culture of intolerance surrounding the Republican Party today. I have wondered before about the seemingly harsh undertones about immigrants and others. Look no further; a well-known organization recently confirms the intolerance of that which seems different or strange to them.
Studies geared towards making – human beings – viewed as less because of their immigrant status to outright unacceptable claims, are at the center of the immigration debate. Without going too deep on everything surrounding immigration today, the more resounding example this past week was reported by several media outlets.
A researcher included as part of a past dissertation his theory that “the totality of the evidence suggests a genetic component to group differences in IQ.” The researcher reinforces these views by saying “No one knows whether Hispanics will ever reach IQ parity with whites, but the prediction that new Hispanic immigrants will have low-IQ children and grandchildren is difficult to argue against.”
Although the organization distanced themselves from those assertions, other immigration-related research is still padded with the same racist and eugenics-based innuendo. Some Republican leaders have blandly (if at all) denied and distanced themselves from this but it doesn’t take away from the culture within the ranks of intolerance. The pseudo-apologies appear to be a quick fix to deep-rooted issues in the Republican Party in hopes that it will soon pass and be forgotten.
The complete disregard of those who are in disadvantage is also palpable. We are not looking at an isolated incident of rhetoric or research. Others subscribe to motivating people to action by stating, “In California, a majority of all Hispanic births are illegitimate. That’s a lot of Democratic voters coming.” The discourse that moves the Republican Party is filled with this anti-immigrant movement and overall radicalization that is far removed from reality. Another quick example beyond the immigration debate happened during CPAC this year when a supporter shouted ““For giving him shelter and food for all those years?” while a moderator explained how Frederick Douglass had written a letter to his slave master saying that he forgave him for “all the things you did to me.” I think you get the idea.
When the political discourse resorts to intolerance and hate, we all lose in what makes America great and the progress made in society.
Although I was born an American citizen, I feel that my experience, and that of many from Puerto Rico, is intertwined with those who are referred to as illegal. My grandfather served in an all-Puerto Rican segregated Army unit, the 65th Infantry Regiment. He then helped, along my grandmother, shatter glass ceilings for Puerto Rican women raising my aunt to become the first Puerto Rican woman astronomer with a PhD in astrophysics (an IQ of a genius as far as I’m concerned). Puerto Ricans, as many other Americans still today have to face issues of discrimination in voting and civil rights.
Regardless of what political affiliation people choose, my respect for some remains. I don’t expect all Hispanics to do the same (although I would hope so) but I’m taking a stand against this culture of intolerance.
I am also making a modest contribution (here: http://bit.ly/12uf3g8) to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for the efforts in helping protect the rights of immigrants and civil liberties in general.
With warm regards,
Not only do we hear the rhetoric of we have to get more whites to vote Republican, but Pat Buchanan, former Reaganite, has a plan to keep the GOP White. Little Green Footballs has this article on Buchanan's strategy, Pat Buchanan Calls for 'Southern Strategy' Against Latinos. You could say that hate against a particular group is an isolated incident from the Republican Party but it is not as former AR Governor Huckabee is saying that Evangelicals will leave the GOP if the Party supports gay marriage. This is the same person who wanted to quarantine anyone with HIV/AIDS. It is all part of the hard right "my way or no way" mindset.-pablo
Members of the Senate like Senator Inhofe (R-OK) are throwing around the "I" word against President Obama on Benghazi and IRS. Someone on Twitter yesterday turned the "I" word back on the GOP to mean Idiot which fits. When you have Senators like Sessions (R-AL), Grassley (R-IA), and Cruz (R-TX) submitting some of the nastiest, heartless amendments to the Immigration bill, the GOP outreach into minority communities is failing by epic proportions. That doesn't even include the whites in the Republican Party who believe everyone should have equal rights and it it not exclusive to white male voters.
Today if President Obama said the sky was blue, the GOP would probably launch an investigation into whether he was lying. This is how insane the anti-Obama rhetoric has become with Benghazi, and now IRS. Why wouldn't IRS investigate all the non-profit applications and use key words to put them in piles. Imagine that, IRS is doing their job while the Tea Party wants tax exempt status when they spend a lot of Koch money to primary GOP candidates who are not hard right. The GOP of the Koch Bros seems to only want purist in the party - the rest of us are not welcome. Only staying GOP for 2014 to vote in the GOP Primary. I would be an Independent in a nano second if I could still vote in a primary but Oklahoma has closed primaries.
Would say Pablo Pantoja is the tip of the iceberg of people leaving the GOP with minority ties or those who are fed up with the 'hate' rhetoric toward our President along with anyone who doesn't look or think like the hard right starting with women. When so many Congressional Republicans voted against the VAWA, you know the Party is in trouble. Out of the OK delegation only my Congressman, Tom Cole, voted for the act. When a Party doesn't see a need to protect children by refusing to even pass a simple background check on guns or stop gun trafficking, you have a Party that is imploding. How many children have to die of gun shots before the NRA is tossed out of Congress as a lobbyist group and huge donors to the Republican Party?
The bills, amendments, and rhetoric coming out of today's Republican lawmakers make me cringe. In some states, the legislatures are passing laws saying they don't have to follow gun laws by the Federal Government and will arrest any Federal Agent trying to enforce them. What would happen to minorities in these same states where the hard right is taken over because they have empathy for no one except their fellow hard right, gun toting, arrogant jerks who don't believe they have to obey the law. GOP now has Klan and the white supremacist movement on their side which says it all about their 'Southern strategy' movement now underway to get more white voters. Absolutely disgusting!
Pablo Pantoja Turns Democrat: RNC Florida Hispanic Director Cites GOP 'Intolerance' In Making Party Switch
The Huffington Post | By Chris Gentilviso Posted: 05/13/2013 11:44 pm EDT | Updated: 05/14/2013 12:07 am EDT
Less than two months after the Republican National Committee announced a multi-million dollar campaign to improve minority outreach, one of its state Hispanic directors is leaving the Republican Party altogether.
In a letter released by The Florida Nation on Monday, RNC State Director Of Florida Outreach Pablo Pantoja announced that he is changing his political affiliation to the Democratic Party.
"It doesn’t take much to see the culture of intolerance surrounding the Republican Party today," he wrote. "I have wondered before about the seemingly harsh undertones about immigrants and others. Look no further; a well-known organization recently confirms the intolerance of that which seems different or strange to them."
Back in March, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus announced that the organization was investing $10 million to send hundreds of workers into Hispanic, black and Asian communities to improve standing with voters. Here in May, questions continue to linger whether a line of amendments proposed by Republican voices will derail immigration reform, and subsequently dampen chances for improving relations with minority voters.
Pantoja is not the first Republican in the Sunshine State to recently change their party affiliation. Back in December, former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist moved over from the GOP to the Democratic Party, hailing how he was "proud and honored" to make the switch. Democrats eked out a 2012 presidential election win in Florida, with President Barack Obama defeating GOP challenger Mitt Romney by less than 75,000 votes.
Pablo Pantoja is a big loss for the Republicans in not only Florida but around the Country. He is an America from Puerto Rico with a stellar background who has finally had it with the Republican Party which could lead to a lot more defections:
When you start losing people with Pantoja's background, you have a Party on life support. Looks to me like that GOP prefers to be the minority party in the Senate so they can block bills at will. After 2014 elections, the 60-votes required to pass legislation needs to be sent to the trash bin of history as an abject failure as the Republicans have abused the system with their stubborness and obstructionism. New rules for filibuster or should say the old rules need implemented. In this case the minority is controlling the agenda and laughing about what happened when Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) actually believed Minority Leader McConnell (R-KY) who has the credibility of a gnat.
Never too early to get involved in the 2014 elections to Keep the Senate Democrat and turn the House back to Democrat in order to move the Country forward.