HispanicVista Columnists
Sometimes the Water Just Is Not Right
By Steven J. Ybarra, JD
December 13th was my birthday. I know you missed it. It is tough being born in December. There is simply too much going on to pay attention to details - the celebration of the birth of the messiah de jour, the miracles of the lights that would not go out, the winter solstice, saturnalia, Mithras, Fiesta de Guadalupe, Las Posadas, Christmas, and Kwanza. I mean the reason for the party goes on and on. Not to mention it is Yule time, which is the celebration of the god Odin. He is one of my favorites. Odin was the god of intoxicating drink and ecstasy, as well as the god of death. Who cannot love a god of death, drink, and ecstasy, especially in this season?
This leads me to the continuation of our discussion on the race for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair. I had a great editorial all written about Leo Hindery discussing all the issues that I thought would cause him trouble in his race. Little things like the Global Crossing scandal, or the money he gave to the 527’s who trashed Howard Dean, and well, his registration as a Republican sometime in the past. Before I could get it out, he dropped out of the race.
It is one of the reasons I love politics. People find out that sometimes the water is just not right and they quit. Unlike Republicans, Democrats run from a little adversity. Democrats are shamed by the way they may have screwed up and take a walk in order to prevent shame in public. That is unlike most Republicans. Although there have been a few rare exceptions.
Last week, the guy who was chosen to be the chief “stop the Mexicans from crossing the border, so they can raise your kids, pick your fruit, mow your lawns, fix your hamburgers and take care of your old dying folks in old folks homes” backed out of his recent Presidential nomination before I had a chance to write about him. I hate when that happens. I mean so what if he violated federal law by not paying taxes for his nanny who was undocumented. That is no reason not to get up in front of America and defend his acts!
What is up with this guy, in the last four years Republicans have let our troops die without proper armor, arrested and imprisoned folks without due process in the name of stopping terrorism, and finally put god in government where she belongs! I got to hand it to them, they are shameless - sin verguenzas. Doesn’t this guy have the cojones to get up in front of Congress and tell us that it is OK to abuse workers? He should be proud of his Christian act to save someone from poverty, etc. If you are going to be a criminal thug, do not hide it, be proud - rationalize it out of existence like the other Republicans.
Which brings us to the question of the day - who has the cojones to stand up to these thugs and lead us (Democrats) out of the valley of the shadow of death?
Let us talk about what Hindery and the others are going to have to deal with - me.
As you know, I am running for Chair of the Hispanic Caucus of the DNC. However, I will not be the only one in the room. Linda Chavez Thompson is seeking one of the DNC Vice Chair positions, as well as Alvaro Cifuentes, the current Chair of the Hispanic caucus. All of us are experienced campaigners who can go around the block by ourselves on our own big wheels. The new Chair is going to have to deal with us whether we win our own individual elections or not. Simply put, as DNC members, we are not going away.
When the issue came out about Hindery’s previous registration as a Republican, my wife, the good Doctor, said, “So what? Teresa Heinz Kerry was a Republican.” I thought if this non-political person gets it, why doesn’t Hindery. Here was a good candidate who came from the west, outside the beltway, with a concept of putting together a budget and a plan to address the next four years; who got the issue of Mexico and Mexican Americans; and sadly, who bagged it before the fight got going!
It looks like it is coming down to Webb from Colorado, Frost from Texas, and, dare I say, Howard Dean. Unless someone comes out of the woods to deal with the front-runners, it is going to be an interesting Christmas editorial.
©Steven J. Ybarra JD is a retired civil rights attorney who operates a consultant company in California. He is a member of the Democratic National Committee and a long time political activist. Contact Steven at: sjybarra@aol.com. This article is copyright by Steven J. Ybarra JD, originally published in www.Hispanicvista.com but permission is granted for reprint in print, email, Blog, or web media if this entire credit paragraph is attached.