Battle For The West: NM GOP Foot in Mouth

Bernalillo GOP chair: 'Hispanics won't vote for a black president'

The chairman of the Bernalillo County Republican Party resigned Thursday following comments reported on a BBC blog last week that most observers said fell somewhere between insensitive and poorly articulated to outright racist. The money shot: "Hispanics consider themselves above blacks. They won't vote for a black president," said Fernando C de Baca.

Bernalillo County, New Mexico's most populous with Albuquerque its major population hub, is 44.9 percent Hispanic and 3.0 percent black according to 2006 census estimates.

Though C de Baca contends his comments were taken out of context, members of his own party urged him to step down. "Mr. C de Baca's divisive comments this past Friday were inappropriate, they were offensive and the fact that they were even spoken was poor judgment at best," said state GOP chairman Allen Weh earlier in the week.

In an opinion piece in the Albuquerque Journal, C de Baca insisted he wasn't speaking for all Hispanics or even himself. "I was setting the context of why I believe, as a student of history, culture and government, that some New Mexicans of different ethic backgrounds -- cultural realities -- would view this historic presidential election differently," he said. "I do not believe that Obama shares his grandmother's thoughts any more than I share my grandfather's."

C de Baca pointed to similar comments made by Democratic state senator Mary Jane Garcia earlier this year as reported in the Rocky Mountain News: "I don't know one single Hispanic over 50 who will cast a vote for Obama...there have always been conflicts between blacks and browns," she said in August. Both C de Baca and Garcia are in their 70s.

Barbara Armijo attempts to sift through the comments to find the reality in a piece in the New Mexico Independent headlined "Racial tension between Hispanics and blacks is real." Juan Jose Pena, state commander of the American G.I. Forum of New Mexico and chairman of the Hispano Roundtable of New Mexico, acknowledges there may be simmering resentment among older generations of Hispanics. "It is nevertheless true that there were many disagreements and conflicts between Hispanos and Blacks during the Civil Rights Movement...The newspapers and TV stations were covering Martin Luther King and the Black Movement was bigger and stronger than the Chicano or Native American movements at the time," Pena, an Obama supporter, said in the article.

Sen. Barack Obama's real or imagined Latino problem sparked headlines during his primary battle with Sen. Hillary Clinton, but the Illinois senator holds about a 2-to-1 or better lead with Latinos in most recent polls. The conclusion: the Latino vote was pro-Clinton, not anti-Obama. But this doesn't mean race is not a factor with some voters, Latino or otherwise. A somewhat controversial poll earlier this week concluded that absent racial predjudices, Obama would poll 6 points higher.

Out of a job and still bemoaning the lack of context offered in the controversy over his remarks, Republican C de Baca equates his clumsy (mis)statements with triggering the same type of discussion on race as Obama's landmark Philadelphia speech. "In retrospect, I am glad these issues have arisen. They should be discussed, and openly," ended C de Baca's opinion.

Thanks, Fernando.

Comments

[avalanch112]

I voted for a black guy, and im latino. (its not hispanic)

[cabledave]

It is the height of ignorance to judge someone on how much pigment is in their skin.

I would like to ask some of these hate mongers where on the color chart they draw the line.

Pretty much every racist I have come across in my life is a Republican.

[peaceplumber]

I spoke to a Mexican raido host last week and she told me that she gets about an 80/20 split for Obama

from her callers.

[suvbaby]

Thankfully, one bad apple is gone. A whole barrel to go!

[lennix]

the young people are the ones who are tuning this race nonsence around i am a 55 year old black and as i go though my nighborhood i see young blacks latinos and whites getting alone just find the people my age who still have a chip on thier shoulder are the problem and the main problem that keeps it going is the msm and the politics that pit the races against one another and have been for years but the young are not buying it so the old folks who have been fool by these lies need to step aside and let the young who are the grown ups here and show us what a bunch of fools we have been all these years becuase people are people and i have learn this as i got older but it seems like some will never grow up and thst is the sad thing go young folks keep being the grown ups and show us how its done

[Willow712]

I grew up in Colorado, in a very diverse area with a lot of military people, and we never had any problems between AA, NA, hispanics or white. This man only speaks for himself and what he says at home when the door is closed.

Fact is I would go to my best friend's house for supper, and her Dad would be very quiet, because he didn't want Anglos in his home. However, our friend Sherry (AA) would go to supper and he would actually talk to her. There are all kinds of bias in this world.

[RanceSpergl]

One makes general statements about populations at the risk of political correctness but I have experience with the culture of New Mexico and what this man says is generally true. And I'm no friend of Republicans.

Wasn't a racist statement, just the way it is. Isn't right, just the way it is.

[Petey131]

How can this man speak for ALL Latinos? He needs to learn to keep HIS personal racists feelings to himself. As a Latino I am proud, my family is proud to vote Obama!

[itsme23]

Umm how bout this then...you shut up...yeah that works for me! It's amazing to me...I am of BOTH AA and Latino heritage, and this man must just be speaking for MEXICANS...because the rest of us are already mixed with African Blood....know your history! I think this is a crock and I think younger latinos have their heads on straight. There is far too much that binds us then what separates us....and it's high time minorities get that through their heads! As for the Navtive Pop...as far as I'm concerned they are the FIRST ones that should be disgusted about everybody here in this country...tearing up their scared land...and disrespecting it in the ways that have always been...but I don't know any of them grandstanding in the op ed column of the local papers! Before this whole thing there was a time when people had the good sense to shut up and keep it to themselves....how I pray for those days!