Why are Republicans having trouble reaching out to Latinos?

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I have no idea. (Link opens a radio ad.)

This is from Vernon Robinson, who recently won the GOP primary in his North Carolina district, and is running for Congress. Robinson also supports a return to “sound money” (e.g., the gold standard or its equivalent), opposes “special rights for homosexuals”, and, in a strikingly original turn of phrase, writes that “God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.” One of his most striking claims can be found on his Issues page, under the heading “The Feminization of the Military”:

“The feminists’ theory is this: all male cadets are chauvinists and misogynists who are susceptible to becoming rapists if they gaze upon words that are not gender neutral. As God is my witness, I am not making this up. If I am, may a two-foot aluminum letter “M” (as in “Men”) fall from the sky and strike me dead.”

Meanwhile, in Florida, another GOP congressional candidate worries that “‘the lesbian community’ in Fort Lauderdale was buying restaurants and bars, making it difficult for non-gays to shoot pool.” The Palm Beach Postasked for elaboration: “‘They’re not as sweet as everybody perceives,’ said Heeney, 50, of Boynton Beach, whose campaign has spiraled into a forum on lesbians and billiards.” Later he added: “I’m not homophobic. I’m homo-nauseous.”

There are also a surprising number of Republican Congressional candidates who claim that the income tax is unconstitutional. Only one of them notes that the sixteenth amendment (“The Congress shall have the power to lay and collect taxes on incomes”) seems to contradict this idea, and he insists that “despite the 16th Amendment, income and payroll taxes are unconstitutional (they require violation of at least three amendments, and a total of at least nine guaranteed freedoms in our Bill of Rights).” If any of you can figure out which amendments and freedoms he’s referring to, do let me know. (I imagine the 4th must be one of them, but what are the others?)

I know, I know: picking on one party’s loonier candidates is a cheap shot. I really just wanted an excuse to link to the radio ad.

41 thoughts on “Why are Republicans having trouble reaching out to Latinos?”

  1. That radio ad’s a hoot!
    I like the way the background voice keeps repeating “illegally” (maybe it’s “illegal aliens”…it’s hard to tell). But it sounds like after the announcer says that an immigrant raped and killed a nun the background voice chants in “illegally” (making me wonder where that would be legal).

  2. More of the sweet dividends of a two-party hegemony. Numerous whack-jobs disturbingly close to the reins of power.
    “If any of you can figure out which amendments and freedoms he’s referring to, do let me know. (I imagine the 4th must be one of them, but what are the others?)”
    Not sure about his particular theories, but the whole gamut is covered nicely here.

  3. But it sounds like after the announcer says that an immigrant raped and killed a nun the background . . .
    I guess he prefers that our nuns only be raped and killed by good red-blooded Americans.

  4. I guess he prefers that our nuns only be raped and killed by good red-blooded Americans.
    That’s what it sounded like. ;-]

  5. More of the sweet dividends of a two-party hegemony. Numerous whack-jobs disturbingly close to the reins of power.
    Could we possibly create a third party for the sole purpose of dumping our respective nutjobs into? It would solve a hell of a lot of problems as long as everybody ignored them…
    Of course, this harkens back to an idea I had a few nights ago: Keyes-Larouche ’04. The Unity Ticket is back, and this time it’s personal.

  6. Samantha Bee of the Daily Show scooped the Sentinel on the “homo-nauseous” candidate.
    It’s exactly as hilarious as you would expect.
    Go here and click on “Tropical Repression”.

  7. I think Samantha Bee is a great addition to that show.
    I am quite disappointed, though, that Comedy Central has switched to Windows Media for their clips.

  8. Way, way off topic:
    We’re about to get spanked, directly, by Hurricane Charley. We’re far enough inland (Orlando) that the winds will be substantially reduced, but…put in a good word with whatever Deity, Force, or whatever. This should be an interesting night.
    Needless to say, I’ll probably not be conversing much late this evening.

  10. Slart (is there a preferred shorter version of your name?): I hope you come through Charley safe and dry. Take care.

  11. Good God. Is that a real clip? Because that would make an excellent comedy piece. On a side note: is the Twilight Zone theme public domain already? ‘Cause I think that’d make a great theme song to a ton of political campaigns.
    And while knocking the crazies may seem like just cheap fun, remember it’s your civic duty, too. Thirty years ago we had Republican presidents who supported the ERA; now we’ve got one that endorsed a constitutional amendment to make one tenth of the population officially second-class citizens. The problem isn’t mocking the crazies; the problem is we started taking them seriously.

  14. Just a thought: one theory concerning Latinos and the Republican Party is the Party’s ability to discuss and vocalized things that really are the business of the Church and the Family. Federalizing morality means someone is going to have to enforce laws that intrude on intimate family stuff. Many old Roman Catholic no-nos’ still exist in Latin America, not just because of the Church’s influence but because many folks just, really do not want to deal with them, unless there is an urgent emergency. This is bad because many subjects just get ignored. However, economics and politics go hand-in-hand, there is no Libertarian streak in Latin America.

  15. Unable to view Samantha, so I may be repeating her, but on behalf of the Department of Linguistic Nitpicking I would call attention to dictionary.com‘s usage note that “nauseous is properly used only to mean ‘causing nausea’ and that it is incorrect to use it to mean ‘affected with nausea’,” and thus observe that Heeney is quite correct in calling himself “homo-nauseous.”
    Although, and not just to avoid any bias with respect to sexual orientation, I would opine that I’m sure he makes straight people sick as well.

  16. Yikes — what did I do to my comment?
    Vernon Robinson’s website is here. Click on ‘Vernon’s latest ads’ at the bottom right; ‘The Twilight Zone’ is second from the bottom. The other file was my second favorite ad, which incorporates some of the same material, and adds a few little flourishes all its own.
    I wonder if this time it will come out right … I told you all I didn’t speak html :&

  17. Oh…but as some Latinos begin to convert, becoming evangelical Protastants, they tend to be more open to the Republican seduction of “better private morality through federalism.”
    But that is a sliver and Cuban’s have a whole other meta-narritive to work from.

  18. That sounded exactly like Firesign Theater. I knew they were back together but I didn’t know they were doing commercials.

  19. “income and payroll taxes are unconstitutional (they require violation of at least three amendments, and a total of at least nine guaranteed freedoms in our Bill of Rights).” If any of you can figure out which amendments and freedoms he’s referring to, do let me know.”
    The Second Amendment for one. Because of these unconstitutional taxes I am unable to afford as many guns as I might otherwise bear?
    This guy is a legal genius. I am sure he is on the President’s short list for the federal bench in his second term.

  22. “On a side note: is the Twilight Zone theme public domain already? ”
    No. But if you use a sample of a few seconds length only (it doesn’t hurt that it’s purely instrumental), that’s “fair use.”

  23. “…”nauseous is properly used only to mean ‘causing nausea’ and that it is incorrect to use it to mean ‘affected with nausea’,….””
    Adhering to traditional usage, when people say they “are nauseous,” they are not saying what they think they are saying.
    On the other hand, much as I’ve always enjoyed this distinction — one should properly refer to being “nauseated” — one must face the fact that in popular usage this battle is essentially lost.

  24. Hilzoy: I know, I know: picking on one party’s loonier candidates is a cheap shot.
    Nothing wrong with cheap shots, if they’re expensively gift-wrapped.
    Gary: one must face the fact that in popular usage this battle is essentially lost
    *nods* One of the pickiest people I know, a born copy-editor, who thinks Strunkenwhite is God, uses “nauseous” for “nauseated”… and if she does, well, no hope for the rest of us. (I count you in as “one of the pickiest people I know”, Gary: it’s a compliment.)
    Slarti, I share the wishes that you stay safe and dry.

  25. If any of you can figure out which amendments and freedoms he’s referring to, do let me know.
    The amendments to which tax cranks frequently appeal are the third, fourth, fifth, and perhaps the ninth. I believe their gripe is with withholding tax i.e. the required reporting is equivalent to quartering troops and is a warrantless search. further the taxes deprive one of property without compensation. And the right to keep your sources of income from the government is one of the rights retained by the people and the states.
    The opinions expressed in this comment are not necessarily those of the management.

  26. Heard this before, I’m sure I’ve heard those words before (and in that order, before someone gets sarky)… some time back, too. Months. Well, certainly several weeks. So either this is an old ad, or I’ve been time-travelling. I deny neither possibility.

  28. Could we possibly create a third party for the sole purpose of dumping our respective nutjobs into?
    I thought that was what the Reform Party was supposed to be for.

  30. Wow. What a ride.
    I’m going to post pics on my blog (such as it is, these days) tomorrow-ish; I’m pretty exhausted now and we have some friends over who don’t yet have power.
    Once upon a time, there were two very large oak trees next to my house. Then one day, 105 mph winds swept through (fortunately much earlier than scheduled, and much more quickly) and damaged one so severely it had to be removed. The other just needed to have about half of it cut away. We lost shingles, trees, and had a large quantity of shredded leaves and twigs lying about, but we’re healthy and the house is secure and dry, and that, my friends, is something to appreciate. The eye pretty much passed right over my neighborhood.
    Orlando’s been damaged pretty badly for where we are, but we have power now (we didn’t expect it for another couple of days) and, as I said, we’re all well. Thanks, all of you, for the concern.

  31. Oh, BTW, major props to mayor Buddy Dyer. I’ve regarded him as a minor-league buffoon in the past, but he had the city emergency services ready to roll, and our neighborhood was only out of power for about 20 hours.
    This, when the power poles were being snapped like toothpicks. I wish I had gotten pictures of that, but I drove down one road where ALL of the poles had been shattered and blown into the backyards just to the north. We were very, very fortunate.

  32. but we’re healthy and the house is secure and dry, and that, my friends, is something to appreciate.
    *grabs Slarti in a quick virtual hug and lets go again before Slarti can do more than raise a virtual eyebrow*
    Good you’re okay.

  35. 8)
    No eyebrows raised. Thanks again, Jesurgislac, Edward, and hilzoy. It’s nice to be reassured that some things are still more important than politics. Now, off to play cards with some friends.

  36. I blame the hurricane on John Kerry, whose traitorous, cowardly, acts during the Vietnam War led hurricanes to believe our country was vulnerable.
    Glad you and your family are good to go, Slartibartfast.

  38. “I’m going to post pics on my blog (such as it is, these days) tomorrow-ish;”
    GOOD to hear from you again and email the site when you’ve got the pics up. 🙂

  39. It’s nice to be reassured that some things are still more important than politics.
    Hell yes.
    I got a major lesson on this earlier this year: a not-especially-close friend with whom I’d long ago achieved a basic pattern of arguing about stuff like Buffy, and staying away from arguing about politics*, got activated and sent to Iraq.
    She’s been there about five months and is coming home next month.
    Believe me, I grasped the point very rapidly (as I recollect, the first time she wrote about what it felt like to be shot at) that I profoundly wanted her to come safe home again so that I could continue to resent her for having such dogblamed backwards, reactionary, grrr-grrr-grrr political views, yet still being such a likeable person. 😉 No, really. Plus, she likes Spike. Urk.
    I don’t give a damn if she comes home and starts organizing Vote Bush/Cheney parties (or even Spike girlfan conventions) – I just want her to come home alive so I can keep silently disagreeing with her. About Spike, and other things.
    *Because she didn’t enjoy arguing politics with someone with whom she profoundly disagreed on seventy percent of everything. And I see arguing politics as a consensual activity. No fun if the other person doesn’t want to do it too. Like sex, though it bears absolutely no other resemblance to it.

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