The GOP is in favor of bringing back the BRACERO (LEGALIZED SLAVERY OF MEXICAN LABORDERS) back? WOW, how nice!

It almost makes me want to run and register as a Republican! YEAH RRRRIGHT!!! I dont think so. What is even more disgusting than this lunatic, racist proposal, is that there are MexicanAmericans who actually feel proud to be members of the tea party and its racist agenda. Are they that desperate to be accepted by the establishment? Quite honestly, I dont think Barack Obamas idea of allowing DREAMERS two years of reprieve from deportation with no path to legalization, is much better. What happens If he wins, or even worse, if Mitt Romney wins? If Obama wins will his promise to DREAMERS be as good/bad as his promise to our Rio Grande Valley Veterans (As soon as I become President, I will deliver a full-service 24/7 VA hospital so they will no longer have to travel to San Antonio for the medical care they deserve. Our country owes them.)? Our Valley Veterans need to hold South Texas Valley congressmen (Ruben Hinojosa, Henry Cuellar, Charlie Gonzales and other legislators) accountable to in turn hold Obama accountable for his political sales talk of three years ago to get the Veteran vote. As a matter of fact, Hinojosa is still using the same tired sales pitch, to once more entice Veterans to vote for him. All Hinojosa and Cuellar (or Lloyd Doggett since he used the same line when his district stretched to The Valley) need to do, is to bring out South Texas Veterans Health Act legislation onto the floor, for a vote. Plain and simple.. at least to show its not just political bull. If these congressmen cannot help our Veterans who loyally served our country, then we need to replace all of them. Not one of them, is irreplaceable. The same concept applies to the Immigration problem its time to stop the games and political promises that allow the rich doctors and private detention owners to get richer, while the poor continue suffering. ENOUGH, ALREADY ACCION! Placido Salazar, USAF Retired Vietnam Veteran (Puro Valle de Edcouch/La Villa) Veterans Legislation Liaison Civil Rights Chair Dr. Hector P. Garcia American GI Forum Org of TX Inc - (210) 658-9756

From: WALTER HERBECK [walterhole@gmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2012 4:38 PM To: bcdems Subject: Fwd: Texas GOP Support for a Guest Worker Program

---------- Forwarded message ---------From: Joe Lopez <jlopez8182@satx.rr.com>

All, in response to an article I read (see below), I wrote the following Letter to the Editor. Basically, the issue shows what is terribly wrong with the way that the Texas (& entire national-level) GOP views those of us who are Spanish-surnamed voters. That is, the Texas GOP is throwing in a 1950s Bracero item in their agenda expecting that it will help them attract Hispanics of Mexican-descent voters. ???? (En que cabeza cabe?) The main thrust of the article regarding Mr. Munisteris (Texas GOP Chairman) visit to the Rio Grande Valley is that the Texas GOP has softened its negative rhetoric against Hispanics. Supposedly, after much hand-wringing at their recent convention, they agreed to include in their platform their support for a guest worker program. Anyway, my Letter to the Editor follows with the original article below. Saludos, Jos Antonio Lpez
Letter to the Editor Subject: Rio Grande Guardian Article, If GOP doesnt win over Hispanics, were toast, 8/20/2012 Both Mr. Munisteri and Rep. Aaron Pea sound like two guys whining that the GOP is terribly out of shape. As such, I offer them the following workout schedule that will instantly put them in great physical health. First, get rid of that 1950s guest worker mentality. To the millions of Hispanic U.S. citizens of Mexican-descent thats equivalent to the proverbial carrot-on-astick trick. In all honesty, sirs, that old dog wont hunt. Try including serious issues in your agenda, such as assurances for jobs, fair pay, affordable health care, civil and voting rights guarantees, education opportunities, bilingual education in the lower grades, Head Start, economic development and a fullservice VA Hospital for the Rio Grande Valley; safe, secure neighborhoods, and preservation of Texas unique Spanish Mexican roots. As to Mr. Munisteris revelation that Hispanic Texans are due to overtake Anglos as early as 2014, it is obvious that he chooses to ignore Texas history. Texans of

Mexican-descent were once the majority here and are poised to be so again. So what is so unusual about that natural phenomenon? He must be reminded that Texas is in New Spain, not New England. Second, the Texas GOP needs to shed the following extra pounds: (l) Get rid of the Tea Party and their hate-mongering agenda. (2) Stop the persecution of brown-skinned U.S. citizens of all backgrounds, by pushing for Voter ID, Voter Suppression, Spanish-surnamed voter purges, and racial profiling laws. (3) Get rid of your English Only silly hats. They make you look ridiculous in a state that was built by diverse groups, most primarily the Spanish-speaking founders of Texas (Tejanos). Last, but certainly not least, stop your national team buffoon cheerleaders from embarrassing your party any more than they have already: Joe the Plumber, Joe Arpaio, Joe Walsh, and many others, too numerous to list here. Follow these instructions explicitly, and I guarantee that you will not only feel much better, but you will start to win so-called Hispanic votes. Thank you. Very Respectfully, Jos Antonio Lpez Universal City, Texas

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Rio Grande Guardian By Steve Taylor

EDINBURG, August 19 - If the Republican Party does not significantly increase its share of the Hispanic vote in Texas in the coming years it is toast as a governing party. That is the view of Steve Munisteri, chairman of the GOP in Texas, as well as an unnamed member of the partys congressional delegation. Munisteri explained: I made about a 30 minute presentation to the congressional delegation as to the importance of outreach to the Hispanic community. One of the congressmen said, Let me put it this way, what you are saying is if the Republican Party does not successfully outreach to the Hispanic community its toast. I said that is a good way to put it. It is extremely important. Munisteri has made outreach to the Hispanic community one of his top agenda items. He gave his views on the issue to reporters at a news conference at UT-Pan American last month.

There will not be a future Republican Party of Texas as a majority party unless the Republican Party of Texas is successful in getting a very high percentage of the Hispanic vote, Munisteri said. It is estimated that by 2040, which is 28 years from now, the Hispanic population will almost be seven out of every ten and the Anglo population will be less than one out of every five. As early as 2014, we might see citizens of Hispanic descent in Texas pass the Anglos. Most Hispanics in Texas have traditionally voted Democrat. So the political implications of the demographic changes sweeping the Lone Star State are pretty clear. It doesnt take a mathematic genius or even an Aggie to figure out that we cannot maintain a majority unless we get a significant percentage of the Hispanic vote, Munisteri said. The good news for the Republican Party of Texas is that it has a history of being successful at increasing the Hispanic vote when attention is paid to the Hispanic community, Munisteri claimed. He gave some examples of this. John Tower, in 1972, got roughly 31 percent of the Hispanic vote but by 1978 had increased that to roughly 38 percent of the vote because he made a concerted effort to reach out to the Hispanic community, Munisteri said. The Pew Research Institute believes that George Bush, in 2004, got 49 percent of the Hispanic vote in Texas to 50 percent for the Democratic Party and one percent for the Independent. That means eight years ago we were roughly splitting the Hispanic vote in Texas and had increased it dramatically from the 70s. Things have worsened since Bushs heyday in Texas, Munisteri acknowledged. Now, we have slipped back some and the challenge is to make sure we arrest that problem, he said. Munisteri pointed out that the GOP in Texas has elected more Hispanics statewide than the Democrats have. We elected two new Hispanic congressmen two years ago and six Republicans of Hispanic descent to the Texas House. Hispanics have now gained a significant increase in influence the State Party, both on the board of directors as well as the number of delegates so we feel we are showing signs of progress. But, there is a long way to go, he said. Speaking of his visit to Hidalgo County, a bastion of the Democratic Party, Munisteri said he had not had as warm a welcome for a long time. As well as participating in the news conference, he held private meetings with leading Republicans in South Texas. The news conference was organized by young Republicans at UTPA. Among those in attendance was state Rep. Aaron Pea, R-Edinburg. Pea is not seeking re-election and his successor in the Texas House has already been chosen by voters - Terry Canales, a Democrat. Pea had nothing but praise for Munisteris work as party chair. I have seen the outreach Chairman Munisteri has made, not only in getting other Hispanic Republicans to join the fold but also in making outreach to our community, Pea told the Guardian.

Also in attendance at the news conference were state Rep. Raul Torres, R-Corpus Christi, who is running for state Senate in District 20, a seat held by Democrat Juan Chuy Hinojosa of McAllen, Jessica Puente Bradshaw, a Republican from Brownsville who is running for the new, open, Congressional District 34, and Miriam Martinez, a Republican running for the open Texas House District 41 seat. The Guardian asked Torres how Texas Republicans can make inroads into the Hispanic vote. We took a big step in the right direction when we changed the party platform at our convention this year in Fort Worth. That was huge. It sent shockwaves across the country. Other states look to Texas for direction, Torres said. The new party platform embraces a guest worker program, accepting that Texas and the nation needs immigrant workers. Most of these workers come from Mexico. Because of what we did with the platform we firmly believe that it is going to set the tone for the national convention and other states will follow suit. The new platform addressed the guest worker program and took away all the aggressive language, what some people called anti-immigrant language. This new tone is a step in the right direction, Torres said. Torres said there is no question the United States needs to pass a comprehensive immigration plan. It is something many Republicans in Congress have blocked. Most talk about the need for border security but few have come out and said there must be a pathway to citizenship for the 12 million or so undocumented immigrants in the United States. Embracing such a plan would likely boost the GOPs success rate with Hispanics because immigration is one of the most important issues to them. Most Americans are in the middle, they want immigration. They want public safety. Once we have that from the majority, the country will deliver; whoever the president is, Torres said. He also made the point that Texas is very different to Arizona, which has passed what many Hispanics believe are tough anti-immigrant bills. Governor Perry has said Texas is not Arizona. We have learned to assimilate with one another. We depend on one another for the quality of life we enjoy in South Texas. We still have to deal with federal law and those who make this a bigger issue than we in South Texas do. However, in the near future, within two to four years, someone will have the courage to say, lets do comprehensive immigration reform. It is the right thing to do, Torres said. Puente Bradshaw also pointed to the change in the Texas GOPs platform on immigration. We adopted a fresh new policy for immigration. We will be at the forefront of dealing with this immigration problem. Many people here have established lives and businesses. We must welcome them into the fold and incorporate them as American citizens, as Texans, as business owners, as students, Puente Bradshaw told the Guardian. We need a guest worker program that is fair and we must push the federal government to get this through because many people are getting frustrated waiting in line. It encourages illegal immigration because people cannot go through the normal methods.

Puente Bradshaw said she is an example of an immigrant from Mexico who had to take an age before she was allowed to become a U.S. citizen. I have been through the process. I took 20 years to get there. I say it is time to start reforming it. Lets get it done. Latinos are hard workers. They do not want it to be free. They just want it to be fair and fast. That is what the Republican Party is ready to start working towards, she said.

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