GOP Outnumbered At Hispanic Chamber Of Commerce Convention

It's not a good sign for the GOP when even an avowedly pro-business gathering is stocked with far more Democrats than Republicans.

On Thursday morning, the Web site Right Wing News noticed an embarrassing omission on the speakers' list for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce's 19th Annual Legislative Conference: not a single Republican Senator had signed up and only two GOP House members -- both Cuban-Americans from South Florida -- were listed.

Meanwhile, the page went on and on with high-profile Democratic congressmen who were planning to attend. Blogger John Hawkins called the Chamber, and spokesman Dale Crowell confirmed that there had been no additional confirmations, though many more had been invited.

Hawkins highlighted the GOP absence, and his post was picked up on by other blogs, conservative and liberal, as a glaring example of an out-of-step party. "It's not like they're being asked to go visit the NAACP or speak to an immigrants' rights march," wrote liberal blogger Jonathan Stein of Mother Jones. "This is the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, an organization filled with business leaders who presumably have wealth, oppose regulations, and want to see lower corporate taxes."

"My hope is that this post may embarrass Republican Senators into showing up for some of these events," wrote Hawkins.

It appears to have worked.

"Since that came out, we absolutely have had a number of Republicans" say that they will appear at the conference next week, Crowell told the Huffington Post. "Yesterday, we had a lot of Republicans come in."

"The USHCC is a nonpartisan organization, so we always try to have a balance at any of our events and activities," said Crowell. "It just happened to be at that point everyone who was up on the list was a Democrat, almost everyone."

The Republican confirmations since yesterday afternoon: Sens. Johnny Isakson (Ga.), Mel Martinez (Fla.), Orrin Hatch (Utah), Lamar Alexander (Tenn.) and Rep. Mike Pence (Ind.). Crowell declared himself pleased at the response. Did they sign up out of embarrassment?

"I couldn't really say," said Crowell. "Who knows? Maybe they did." He noted that Congress has been extremely busy and members often wait until the last minute to confirm.

While the new attendees brings the GOP number to seven, they're still wildly outpaced by Democrats in terms of both power and numbers.

Crowell said that Labor Secretary Hilda Solis had just confirmed on Friday, and Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will be attending, as will House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.), along with five other Senators and five other House members.

Comments

[Navision]

Mel Martinez, State Senator from Florida and Jeb Bush are planning to further exploit the Cuban people.

[somsoc]

If a hispanic person wants quick token movement up the ranks get involved in the GOP. If you note, the GOP has just over 3% black members but leadership is about 12%. That is not to say that there are not a huge number and overwhelming percentage of qualified minorities, it is only to point out that the GOP "uses" the ethnicity as a showcase to claim they are a 'big tent' organization when in fact they would have a sign on the front door reading Whites Only, All Others Enter Through Service Entrance In Back, if they could get away with it.

[vesaversa1]

The republicans ignore any one who is not of the white race .

[ladydragon]

vesaversa1
you stole my line! I have always said that "Hispanics" don't get it, Republicans could care less about you if you're not white. they do the same thing to hispanics that they do to blacks; and that is they suck up to you as long as they have something to gain (your vote), once the campaign is over, the outreach to you is over. If you remember when Obama and others started campaigning this time, republicans ran that old "red herring" that "illegal aliens" were taking jobs from American born blacks, hoping to cause a riff between poor blacks and poor hispanics, that didn't work did it? we all saw the okey doke and we elected a Black man anyway.

Did I mention that white Democrats do the same thing? those days are over. Politicians can no longer pee on our leg and tell us it's raining.

[JRsNana]

I think they should have just let them not show up and THEN point up their absence. That would have made a much bigger statement ultimately. That being said, it should be a bit uncomfortable for all the goopers who "signed up late".

[NorVaGal]

I agree that the non-caring Repubs' absences should have been pointed out only AFTER the conference took place. By being given a heads up, they have gotten busy ginning up their whiney spin machine as to why they just couldn't have cared less. After all, this isn't an election year, you know. They're out chasing loosey-goosies, and kissing King Rush's ring.

[Raymond Hernandez]

No doubt, the Dems are the masters of racial politics.
R. Hernandez

[Catjya]

RAY,GO TO Wikipedia and or Google,search two things:

1. LEE ATWATER and what he did for the GOP with the use of race .

2.THE SOUTHERN STRATEGY,a vehicle used first by Richard Nixon,once the civil rights bill was passed,for people like yourself.

After looking up just these two things,as a minority,if in your brain you still reason that the Dems
use race,you're HOPELESS.

TO THIS DAY,in any REPUGNICAN,campaign to keep the old confederate states RED,they Still employ the southern strategy!!

[JRsNana]

The R's do not read. They listen to Rush and Hannity. They get all their information from those two which does not make it one bit surprising that they then know very little in the way of facts.

[SeanGardner]

They ignore blacks. They ignore Native-Americans. They ignore Arab-Americans. They ignore Asian-Americans. So its not surprising that they also ignore Latinos. All of these groups voted overwhelming for Barack Obama.

But Latinos, unlike any other group, is growing by leaps and bounds and dramatically changing the regional cultures of this country. After the 2010 Census numbers come out, they'll wish they had not scapegoated Latinos during the immigration controversies. Democrats aren't perfect, but at least they're not taking Latino concerns for granted.

It also helps that President Obama named Gov. Tim Kaine as the DNC Chair. Kaine is fluent in spanish, and showed off his linguistic skills on Telemundo last Summer. That's huge because he can go to Spanish-speaking TV with an interpreter and engage the interviewers and their viewers in their language.

Plus, when Obama names a Latino to the U.S. Supreme Court (which everyone expects him to do), that will be huge!

[SeanGardner]

Mistake above...I mean he can go on spansih tv "without" an interprete­r...sorry!

[bitterindependent]

hispanics are the one minority group that the republicans may have a strong chance to recruit, but they still managed to f*ck that up by constantly disrespecting them......

[Catjya]

They had the older Cuban generation,because of the Cuban boy ELIAN GONZALES,JANET Reno had taken back to CUBA,THE REPUGNICANS MOVED IN. GEORGE BUSH has an HISPANIC sister in law JEB'S wife,and he used that angle throughout his stump in 2000.

The ads showcasing the LIMBLAH hatred toward them, that Pres OBAMA aired was eye opening for Hispanics.­.
OLDER CUBANS,may be repugnican,but this year's election was an eyeopener for HISPANICS.

If you look at the totally messed up district map in Florida,one would see how the repugs,held Florida as long as they did,and why Pres OBAMA worked so hard in Florida. www.dailykos.com this week did an expose on the FLORIDA districting.

Gerrymandering, means to divide a geographic area into voting districts,so as to give an unfair to one party in elections. DAILY KOS shows the screwed up Florida districting map.Then you'll further understand why Greg bowed out,he wasn't going to control the the gerrymandering,and keep the Repugs in safe districts.­PRES OBAMA ISN'T STUPID!!!

[petphotos]

What a bunch of bumbling losers. This is one group they should be kissing up to.

[KataVideo]

I for one would like to congratulate the Republicans for further alienating the fastest growing demographic group in the country. Looking forward to the self-actuated GOP extinction!

[IntelligenceQuantifier]

Michael Steele glossed over their website, realized it wasn't Hip Hop related and passed.

[endex05]

Maybe it's a smart move that the GOP did not show up. One can imagine what might have occurred: Rep. Tancredo demanding to check green cards at the door, the GOP's outreach specialist, Michelle Bachmann, praising business leaders with "You the hombre!", Mike Steele doing what he does best -- grovel on behalf of the GOP, Joe the Plumber trying to hawk his memoirs translated into Spanish, Bush Senior talking about his "brown grandson." No, the GOP still does not get it....

[Zen0469]

There are many things that Gee oh Pee er's don't give a sh*t about. The above article about the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is just one of them.

Isn't it delightful to witness this tone deaf gaggle of re.pugs stumbling in late, falling all over themselves just to sign up for this important legislative conference?

Re.pug.ni.cant's, the Party of NO blows chunks again! Don't you just love this irrelevant bunch?

[BarackstarObama]

Beautiful, keep up the bad work, GOP. LOL

[gcallaghan]

The repubes had to be embarrassed to show up, Must remind them of having to attend their illegitimate childrens' birthday parties.

[JungleRoses]

Diversity is calling…….