Change the Course

November 9, 2010 07:12


Campaign promises were quickly tossed aside as Obama and the Democrats in Congress embarked upon a highly partisan agenda to radically expand the government’s control over our economy and society. Spending has skyrocketed, and new programs have been imposed that will cost trillions of dollars that must be borrowed from future generations of Americans, as well as from the Chinese who already mock us for our inability to curb our out-of-control spending.

By Adolfo Franco at The Americano

The historic Republican victory in the 2010 mid-term elections sent a message from the American people as clear as a GPS recalibration: Change course and get the country back on track. Let’s hope President Obama and the Democrats in Congress were listening.

In 2008, a majority of the American people, including Latino voters, thought they had voted to bring about a new era of cooperation in Washington that would be focused on tackling the growing problems facing our country. Candidate Obama promised to bring about a “post-partisan” America, one where there were “no blue states, red states, just the United States of America.”

But these campaign promises were quickly tossed aside as Obama and the Democrats in Congress embarked upon a highly partisan agenda to radically expand the government’s control over our economy and society. Spending has skyrocketed, and new programs have been imposed that will cost trillions of dollars that must be borrowed from future generations of Americans, as well as from the Chinese who already mock us for our inability to curb our out-of-control spending.

Convinced that super majorities in the House and Senate gave them unlimited power, the President, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid brushed aside repeated Republican offers of cooperation and ignored all proposals aimed at compromise. Pelosi set the tone from the outset by making clear that Republicans would have no role in shaping legislation, stating that “We won the election. We’ll write the budget.” Unwilling even to discuss alternative approaches, the Democrats rammed through bill after bill, many of which passed without a single Republican vote. Even rank-and-file Democrats were taken aback by the demand that they fall in line and keep their doubts to themselves.

Faced with rising discontent, the Democrats resorted to sowing fear and hatred. The President even called on Latinos to “punish our enemies” – meaning Republicans — at the polls, thereby revealing his assumption that Latinos would automatically fall into line when given orders by the Commander-in Chief. This attitude reveals a surprising lack of respect for our community’s ability to think for ourselves, just like other Americans.

President Bush reserved the word “enemy” for terrorists who attacked our country and aspired to destroy our way of life; President Obama uses it to refer to Americans who do not share his views. The irony of advocating “punishing our enemies” is that the President has failed to fulfill his campaign promise of proposing comprehensive immigration legislation, something President Bush did on two occasions and almost succeeded in accomplishing in the twilight of his second term. In 2008, candidate Obama referred to many members of our community as “undocumented workers” but then resorted to “illegals” once elected. This is the same President who professes compassion for our community while proudly touting that he is deporting more Latinos than any other President in history. Not surprisingly, many Latino voters are confused as to who really is the “enemy.”

Despite the Democrats’ cynical efforts to slander Republicans as anti-Latino, many in our community joined with millions of their fellow citizens to elect an array of Republican Latino leaders such as Florida’s new senator, Marco Rubio, as well as Congressmen Bill Flores, David Rivera, Jamie Herrera, Raul Labrador, and Francisco Canseco. The election of Republican Governors Brian Sandoval in Nevada and Susana Martinez in New Mexico is in sharp contrast to the record of the Democrats, who have none at all.

These new Latino leaders in the Republican party have pledged to fight for smaller government, job creation, and immigration reform that respects the rule of law and ensures that the United States exercises control over its borders.

For Latinos, November 2nd was an opportunity to send a clear message to the President and his allies: Republicans are not “the enemy.” Our community is a diverse one that cannot be taken for granted, and we prepared to defend, along with other Americans, the principles and values that have made us the great nation we are today.

Adolfo Franco is currently Vice President for Global Regulatory Affairs at the Direct Selling Association, a global trade association representing over 200 direct selling companies.



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