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| Ted Cruz |
FOX News Commentator Chris Wallace brought up the growing question among politicians and pundits: how will the Republican Party shed its "Mad Men" mode, which has up to now reached out only to white voters, and propertied interests, without providing a game plan for courting voters of diverse backgrounds. Cruz voices the growing concerns of many Americans: government must leave within its means and stop spending money that it does not have. He also shares the need for more communication with every segment of the United States population.
Cruz' response to Wallace's skepticism about GOP outreach to Hispanics was both stunning and inspiring: "When's the last time that you saw an Hispanic panhandler?" That question stuck with me for a while, but it's a worthy observation. He also identified the high enlistment rate among Hispanics in the United States Armed Forces. Commitment to faith and family are also prominent
He then explained that the Hispanic culture regards with shame anyone who does not get on his feet and get out there and work. The expectation in the Hispanic community is not sloth, but effort and thrift. The integrity of the family and the primacy of private enterprise for wealth creation instead of the state: this message resonates with Hispanic voters, Cruz continued, and the Republican Party platform supports these values more than the Democrats.
Refusing the hyperpartisanship of the current Congress, yet also refusing to dismiss the values of his party, Cruz' insight on the proper message for future elections can be summed up with: "Our ideas work: theirs' don't." British Prime Minister advance the same slogan just before her Conservative returned to power, not only putting the left-wing labor party into opposition for nearly two decades, but also forcing the Labour Party, under Tony Blair, to abandon one of their key platforms: the complete redistribution of wealth.
On another segment, Cruz went on the attack after Romney's discouraging loss in November. "I think that Romney actually French-kissed Obama" during the third debate, Cruz quipped. In a sense, his sardonic frustration speaks to many disappointed GOP voters. Romney's problem was not just the moderation of his tenure as Governor of Massachusetts, but the untenable transition into fiery conservative over the subsequent six years. He had money, he had the Establishment, but this same Establishment tried to coast to victory by defining Romney as "not-Obama" without a clear, positive vision of what he would bring to a country fraught with fearful division.
Along with US Senator Ted Cruz, New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez shares an inspiring story which will very likely reflect the trend among Hispanic voters as they learn more about the limited government agenda. A native of El Paso, Texas, Martinez descends from a lively history of Mexicans and Mexican Americans. Despite hollow attacks that her great-grandparents were undocumented immigrants, she established that her ancestors followed legal protocol to become naturalized citizens. While serving as County District Attorney in her state's third judicial district, she met with friends, who shared their views on a wide number of issues political, moral, and cultural. When they revealed that they were Republicans, Martinez realized that in spite of being a registered Democrat out of tradition, she was in fact a Republican. After serving as DA in a heavily Democratic judicial district, Martinez ran for Governor, becoming the first Republican Hispanic female to hold a governor ship. If more Republicans shared their views, not their party, more likely a growing number of Hispanics would join the GOP.
Along with Cruz and Martinez, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval of Nevada, and US Senator Marco Rubio of Florida are more than mere tokens for a "whites only" club. They represent the broad appeal and the broadening tent of a political world-view which believes in prospering all by instituting less government, lower taxes, less spending, and local control.
Hispanics belong in the GOP camp, the leadership must detail a sensible policy on immigration, one which honors the opportunity for individuals in impoverished and oppressive countries looking for a better life without upending the rule of law. After removing standard-bearers who have failed to define themselves, who announce laughable and disrespectful policies such as "self-deportation", while demeaning half the country as dependents who would never support, the GOP can exercise to their advantage an outreach that will welcome all races, infusing them with recognition that their respect for individual liberty and private enterprise can thrive in the United States.
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