Not Snark: GOP Hispanic Organizer Renounces GOP to Recruit for GOP

PHOENIX, AZ -- DeeDee Blase founded "Somos Republicans" to recruit to Arizona Hispanics to the Repubican Party, but not the official state party or the official local party. Somos Republicans (which translates to "we are Repubicans") deliberately distances itself from all official Republican Party entities, citing the dissatisfaction of Hispanics with Republican leaders.

According to the Arizona Republic, Blase believes that it "helps her cause to not be associated with either the state or county GOP." Arizona state and local Republican Party leaders are, according to Blase, "a huge turnoff" to the Hispanic community that Somos Republicans targets with its outreach efforts.

"The people I want to come over to the conservative movement, they don't know what a Republican or a Democrat is, but they know Joe Arpaio," Blase told the Republic.

Blase says associating her outreach efforts with prominent local GOP leaders like Sheriff Joe Arpaio (known for immigration "sweeps" in Hispanic neighborhoods), Senator Russell Pearce (infamous for advocating "Operation Wetback"), and Arizona Republican Party Chair Randy Pullen (a long-time immigration control advocate) are nonstarters in the Arizonan Hispanic community. Though Blase is careful not to use the word 'racist,' Political Latino, a local blog recruiting for Somos Repubicans, is more straightforward,

Are you pro-life? Do you like business/jobs in your community? Will high taxes help keep companies in your city or town? Does Joe Arpio need to go? Latinos from other countries come to the US to run from Socialism not to Socialism Mr. Obama! right?

yes, yes, no, Hell YES!, right! : If these were all your answers to the questions above you are a Conservative my friend. Better yet a Business minded Republican. As far as Joe Arpio he is a racist and that is that.

Ironically, Blase wants the U.S. to allow "law-abiding immigrants" to stay in the U.S., and she was motivated to form Somos Republicans by her disappointment that Obama has not tackled immigration reform just nine months into his presidency, "Obama sold Latinos down the river. It's my mission to call him out on this."

Arizona's Republican leaders reacted to the formation of Somos Republicans:

Party spokesman Matt Roberts said the state GOP was only vaguely aware of the group, but that the party welcomes it as part of the Republicans' "big tent" philosophy.

"I think that just speaks to the diversity of our party," Roberts said.

Tom Husband, executive director of the Maricopa County Republican Party, said he hasn't noted any influx of new applications. He hadn't heard of Somos Republicans. But like Roberts, Husband said he welcomed the group and its efforts to expand the GOP base.

Arpaio said Blase was trying to agitate groups of people who don't like his stance on illegal immigration. But he said he doesn't believe it's fair to blame the entire Republican Party.
"I'll take the heat if she doesn't like what I'm doing," he said. "But let's not bring the political labels into the mix because I don't see everyday Republican politicians - especially the congressional delegation - standing next to me defending me."

According to Blase, Somos Republicans is working independently from the party structure to register Hispanics as Repubican voters, recruit Hispanics to fill vacant Republican precinct committeeperson slots, and recruit more Hispanic candidates to run on the Republican ticket.

Blase says her group has about 200 members.

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Comments

[Jamie Kowalski]

Just a hint here: if you want to distance yourself from the republicans, it might be worth considering droping the word "republican" from your group's name.

[FloresdelaHoz]

Tancredo and Arpaio have done enormous harm to the GOP as a national party. I no longer vote Republican for state and federal officials. At the local level I remain Republican for now.

[DeeDee Organizer]

I agree that Tom Tancredo destroyed Colorado. His tactics made Colorado go from "red" to "blue" within an election cycle, however, the Republican party is not monolithic. Politics are not monolithic.

[Querent]

Another attempt to rehabilitate the Republican brand by distinguishing between "real" Republicans and the ones who actually ruled the nation in the Bush years. "Real" Republicans are not responsible for any of the disasters caused by those Republicans who voted in Congress or ran the administration. The Republicans you can put a name to and actually hold responsible for the actual policies they ruled the nation with are not "real". The "real" ones are the theoretical ones who never make the public suffer the consequences of having conservative "philosophy" imposed on us, since consequences are not "real". Only conservative theory is "real", so only theoretical politicians are "real" Republicans. Except for leprechauns, of course.

[Jamie Kowalski]

Among the several splits in the party, each one claims to be the "real" republicans. For this reason, the term has lost all meaning for the majority of Americans. They hear "we are the real republicans," and still have no idea which segment of the party you represent unless they stick around to listen further and try to decipher it.

If they factions don't find a way to get back together (and my guess is they won't), they need to start thinking about what actually distinguishes them, rather than clinging to a word that isn't serving them. They should know when to cut their losses and rebuild, perhaps as new parties.

[Querent]

I think we all know that the Bush crowd is indeed the "real" Republicans. Even the very same people who now accuse them of not being "real" Republicans avidly and enthusiastically aided, abetted, vociferously defended, and supported everything the Bush crowd did. The only thing they didn't identify with was Bush's dismal failures, which, in my opinion are directly attributable to all of the "real" Republicans.

[AirForce Vet]

I am a bit confused with Ms. Blase agenda. I am confused at who is selling who down the river. It seems as though she is trying to sale the “Bridge to No Where” to someone. How do you separate yourself from the Republican Party if you are still a Republican? That’s like saying I’m not in the fire since I am not in the middle of the flame. Don’t blame the selling on someone else; take responsibility for your own actions.

[DeeDee Organizer]

Those who hold the majority in the House and in the Senate (Democrats) alongside the one who made the promise to pass Immigration Reform this year are the ones who sold Latinos down the Rio Grande River.

[Curandera]

As a Hispanic, I will say that Hispanics are, unfortunately, just as able to vote against their self-interest as the uninsured, elderly and working class of other nationalities in this country.

I guess the lure of acceptance is more important than helping those who came after or for those who were here before the British, they somehow believe their brown skin won't be mistaken for that other brown skin when they walk away from the conversation.

I felt literally ill when I saw the number of Hispanics George W and Arnold were able to pull into their voting block.

[DeeDee Organizer]

Curandera,

I don't know why you fell ill. The prolife Evangelica­l/Catholic­s make up a large voting block of the Hispanic Population. There is a reason why the minorities in the Christian right outmaneuvered gay rights activists.

[mobedda]

"If your answer was yes no yes hell maybe right! then you are a republican!!!!"

Yup. That aughta do it, alright. Keep it up.

[dynwit]

Blase's pathetic attempt to snooker Hispanics amounts to this:

"Pay no attention to those old white Republicans in the corner of the room!!! We are not those Republicans!!! We are the OTHER Republicans!!! You know, the ones with NO POWER in the actual Republican party!!!"

[Smithn]

Blase states: "Obama sold Latinos down the river. It's my mission to call him out on this."
Dawn politely writes: ". . . she was motivated . . . by her disappointment that Obama has not tackled immigration reform just nine months into his presidency . . ."
I'm not so polite: I say: This is yet another tantrum for instant gratification. Instant gratification wrapping the umbilical cord of Hope around it's neck. We must allow Baby Change time to grow and become fully whole before it leaves the womb of gov't. I don't want tiny premie Baby Changes like DOMA and I don't think Obama does either. Also, there's a birth order to our collective family of Baby Changes. Big sisters like Health Care must arrive first to become the pathfinders for Baby Sister and Brother Changes to come.

[JDinBalt]

I'm not so polite, either: It's this kind of attitude - refusing to hold the president's feet to the fire, even if we voted for him - because we are too busy whining that "There are more important things at stake!" to pay much if any attention to anything else.

He's the F'in president. He's SUPPOSED to be able to multi-task! Maybe you didn't get the message?

He wasn't elected to JUST deal with health insurance reform or the economy. He was elected to tackle a lot of stuff. Of course, you'd probably take this as an excuse for Obama to ignore things that don't affect people like you (I'm guessing immigration reform or DOMA). But I don't remember reading that rule that says civil rights always takes a back seat. He's the president, he doesn't have the luxury of dealing with just one or two things at a time. So yes, he HAS TO deal with health insurance AND the economy AND immigration AND gay rights AND Afghanistan AND a lot of other stuff I didn't mention.

Capice?

[JinChicago]

you DO realize that all he can do on almost EVERY issue you are so heated about is press house and congress to do something about it

these are LEGAL issues, and therefore must be LEGISLATIVELY SOLVED

if he could sign his name to an executive order and change the world, he wouldnt need to because clinton would have taken care of it all in the 90s.

[honoursplendor]

Yes, multi-task on an issue that is political suicide? Good luck.

[JHawkKC]

I am 100% pro life except in the case of the baby you refer to. This baby should never exit the womb alive so in that regard we can treat it like rape or incest and that does actually resemble what is going on with this administration. Incest with Wall Street and rape of the American Tax Payer.

[msgirlintn]

You do realize that it was Bush and Paulson that started the bail outs and made all these agreements with AIG, the banks. the whole balout culture. In fact, it was John McCain that fake suspended his campaign to go back to Washington to "fix the economy". Funny how you Republicans tend to forget that when you are blaming Obama for everything. Another point: Bush had a surplus coming in from Clinton (another Democratic president) and left with a huge deficit and the worst financial situation since the Great Depression.

[DeeDee Organizer]

In just nine months into his Presidency­......blah­, blah, blah.

Heck, in just 24 hours within his presidency, Obama signed the Mexico policy for crying out loud. Obama wanted to curb immigrants all right and he did it through the Mexico policy which will prevent more immigrants from being born and is funded by tax paying American citizens.

[Bongborg]

They really should have made an even more decisive break with the GOP and called themselves "Somos Pendejos".

[EdBradly7]

Priceless!

[mcmchugh99]

I've noticed this trend of Republicans who would rather use ANY other name but "Republican", especially in the North and West. That's how discredited and unpopular it is. As a party, they haven't been in worse shape since the 1930s.

[JHawkKC]

Exactly, the republicans have been an embarrasment because the left conservatism behind. Now the conservatives are rising and that is what will bring moderates and blue dogs back into the fold. Conservatism wins over the hearts and minds of those with open minds. A progressive is too close minded so they will stay where they are as a loan voice in the wind that noone pays any attention to. The problem now is that Progressives were put in positions of power when the Democrats took the house and senate and that is not what the American people wanted. That will change in 2010.

[DeeDee Organizer]

Oh please. Obama's rating are plummeting, and don't get me started on Pelosi's ratings. Obama will continue to make decisions that will motivate the "right" back into political activism. If you don't believe me, please attend the next tea party that will be coming near you.

[sociocanuck]

This seems to me a bit like the special interest groups working to garner support for our actually very right-wing Provincial 'Liberal 'party every election season, but they *really seriously* do not actually have anything official to do with the party establishment. Really. Oh no, they'll swear up and down they aren't connnected, to the point where any rational person (even those they convince to vote Liberal) will recognize they're definitely in cahoots. They just won't investigate how directly. Not even after some of the same people get rewarded post-election for their helpful distortions.

These groups are particularly nefarious about how they misrepresent the New Democratic Party as "socialists" (never mind that no Provincial or Federal version of NDP has officially identified itself as such in over half a century) in direct interaction with immigrants from countries where the word has been incorrectly applied by the powers that be.

The only difference is that those groups rarely actually have high-ranking members of the same ethnicities as those whose votes they sway.

[LeftOfCenter44]

I like how the local GOP base said they "welcome them into the tent". I think they'd probably be the ones hammering the spikes in to hold it in place. Then they'd pay them a few bucks and drop 'em back off out front of Home Depot.
As far as Ms. Blase and her comments about socialism, taxes, jobs/business, and Obama are concerned, I think she'd be better off calling herself Somos Libertariano's.
I think it's paifully obvious as an AZ resident that Joe Arpaio is getting ready to make a run at a GOP seat, or office position. Only problem is, with all the scandal attached to his current administration the only place he could fit in would be some rural town in Texas. Maybe a Gubernatorial run there, but here, we're all to keen to his scams and bigotry.

[Bongborg]

Isn't it funny how even the Republicans of color seem to want to segregate themselves?

[Patricia Hanrahan]

Somos Republicans should be a wake up call to the Republican party. Although I'm a Democrat, we need moderate Republicans who can rise above narrow party agendas to deal with issues like immigration.

[Laws456]

This person is obviously not intelligent. And is only looking to make money from Hispanics that don't closely follow politics. I hope it backfires.

[DeeDee Organizer]

Oh please. We are a grass roots organization, and there is no money to be made from getting Hispanics to become Precinct Committeeman.

[mexamerican]

what a bunch of sellout nonsense. latinos aren't id iots. they won't buy this junk.