A California pro-family leader says a Democratic mayor is touting the "politics of race" in saying Latinos won't vote for Republicans.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) told reporters at a press conference organized by the Democratic National Committee last Tuesday that the GOP should not invite Latino speakers and expect Latinos to instantly vote for Republican candidates. "You can't just trot out a brown face or a Spanish surname," he stated, noting that a party's policies are more important.
Randy Thomasson, president of SaveCalifornia.com, thinks the mayor's argument is racist.
"For Villaraigosa to say that if you have a brown face, you are not likely to vote Republican is the politics of race, and he is basically disparaging the intellect of every single person who has a Hispanic background," he contends. "He's basically saying if you are Hispanic, you can't think, because you only have to use your eyes and be a racist and vote only for people who have skin color that looks like yours, or who says they're in favor of illegal immigration or something."
During his speech, Villaraigosa pointed out the Republican Party's platform calls for the deportation of 11 million immigrants and also that Latinos flocked to support President Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential election.