MC Rove!!

Watch Karl Rove

If you missed it, watch rapping Karl Rove at the Radio & Television Correspondents Association Dinner... its AWESOME!!

Florida Pushes Forward

Hispanic Republican Super Star - Marco Rubio - the Speaker of the House of the Florida House has led his colleagues to move Florida's primary to Jan. 29th, reports the Sun-Sentinel.

"Florida is obviously going to be the big enchilada on the 29th. It will immediately become very, very important," said Nicol Rae, political science professor at Florida International University.

The measure passed 115-1 in the Florida State House and now moves the the Florida State Senate for approval. The bill was introduced my Florida House Rep. David Rivera, (R-Miami). (Rivera is also a member of the RNHA)

Florida's move to rush ahead of primary elections calendar is part of a national push by larger states to counter the clout of Iowa and New Hampshire. States like Florida and California complain that traditional early primary states do not represent the real America with their smaller populations and their lack of voter diversity. The move also can be huge for Hispanic voters who represent a stronger voting block in Florida, with a diverse Hispanic community in South-Florida and along the I-4 corridor.

Yet leaders in both the National Republican and Democratic parties DO NOT like the acceleration of the entire presidential nominating cycle.

More Groups Support Gonzales

More groups have come out supporting U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Including the Latino Coalition, the National Latino Peace Officers, the law officers and RNC Chairman/Sen. Mel Martinez. Over 13 groups have come out supporting Gonzales.

U.S. Attorney General Gonzales made a last minute appearance at the National Hispanic Leadership Summit in Washington D.C., hosted by Sen. Hutchinson and Sen. Martinez. Gonzales received a rock star welcome by the over 350 Hispanic leaders from all over the country. Welcomed with roaring applause, everyone was on their feet, clapping and supporting the Attorney General.

Also this is a great read if you want to know more about Attorney General Gonzales.

From US News : 10 Things You Didn't Know About Alberto Gonzales (By Jennifer O'Shea)

1. Alberto Gonzales was born in San Antonio on Aug. 4, 1955. He was the second of eight children born to Pablo and Maria Gonzales, who had met as migrant farm workers. The family settled in Humble, Texas (just north of Houston), in a two-bedroom home, which his father and uncles built. The house lacked hot water and the family did not have a telephone until Gonzales was in high school. Gonzales has said that his father's self-reliance and hard work strongly influenced his own political views. Pablo Gonzales died in a work-related fall in 1982.

2. As a child, Gonzales sold soft drinks to fans attending Rice University football games. The school made a big impression on the 12-year-old, and he dreamed of attending college there one day.

3. At MacArthur High School, Gonzales was an honor student and an athlete. He played varsity baseball and was a defensive back and linebacker on the football team.

4. Following his 1973 high school graduation, Gonzales had no money to continue his education, so he joined the Air Force. After two years stationed in Fort Yukon, Alaska, he entered the Air Force Academy, hoping to become a pilot. He was the first in his family to attend college.

read the rest of the list at US News and World Report

George P. Bush Joins Navy Reserve

The Politico.com announced that George P. Bush, the son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and the nephew of President George Bush, has been accepted in the Navy Reserve as an intelligence officer.

Read the full story: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0307/3251.html

McCain Might Rethink Immigration Stand

On a recent campaign trip to Iowa, presidential hopeful, Arizona Senator John McCain stated "Immigration is probably a more powerful issue here than almost anyplace that I’ve been,” Mr. McCain said after a stop in Cedar Falls.

According to the New York Times, the Senator is rethinking his position on immigration.

"As he left Iowa, Mr. McCain said he was reconsidering his views on how the immigration law might be changed. He said he was open to legislation that would require people who came to the United States illegally to return home before applying for citizenship, a measure proposed by Representative Mike Pence, Republican of Indiana. Mr. McCain has previously favored legislation that would allow most illegal immigrants to become citizens without leaving the country."

Senator Brownback also came under attack by Iowans over his position on immigration. The state who plays a large role and historical role on who will be the presidential nominee has seen a large influx of Latinos, who have come work in the state's factories and meat packer plants.

President Reinforces Support for Gonzlaes

Today President Bush expressed his strong support for U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

The White House also stated that rumors about replacing Gonzales were false. "Those rumors are untrue," White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino said.

This morning the President called Gonzales at 7:15 am EDT to show his support and talk about the scandal surrounding the dismissal of eight US Attorneys. The White House disclosed the call between the President and his long time friend, whom they still call "The Judge" from his Texas days.

"The president reaffirmed his strong backing of the attorney general and his support for him," Perino said. "The president called him to reaffirm his support."

Tom Delay stated on the Today Show "... this is a made up scandal. There is no evidence of wrongdoing whatsoever... They out be fighting back."

You can show your support for Alberto Gonzales through the RNHA action center.

White House Seeking Gonzales Replacements

Rumors are flying around Washington D.C. that the White House is looking for a replacement for embattled U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

The fate of Gonzales will probably be decided this week with likely Congressional Hearings. Democrats want to subpoena Karl Rove and Harriet Miers over the dismissal of eight U.S. Attorneys. The Democrats say the dismissals were politically motivated but supporters of Gonzales and the Administration point out that the U.S. Attorneys are politically appointed, and serve at the leisure of the President. By law, they can be let go at any time.

The White House is under increased pressure to make the controversy around Gonzales "go away." Among the front runners to replace Gonzales is Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

Currently Alberto Gonzales is the highest serving Hispanic in the administration and is the nation's first Hispanic attorney general.

The RNHA is one of the few organizations that has come out publicly to support Gonzales. Some conservative groups are nervous about endorsing him and some Senators don't want to "waste" political capitol on Gonzales, who they feel is under too much scrutiny. Democrats smell blood in the water. Sources state other people in the Department might be let go.

The seceret for campaign success

Apparently there is a hidden secret to winning elections - get skinny!... It was Mike Huckabee's plan and now Bill Richardson is on board...

Rommney bungles speech to Cubans in Miami

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, former Gov. of Massachusetts, has been working hard courting Hispanic voters.

He created a Latin American Policy Advisory Group. He was the first candidate to launch Spanish radio ads and has a full Spanish web page.

It also doesn't hurt that he has some good people on his staff, including Al Cardenas, former Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida and Alex Burgos, former Deputy Press Secretary for the NRCC whose specialty is Spanish Media.

But much of his work with the Hispanic community might be in jeopardy because of one bad line! During a recent trip to South Florida to strengthen support withing the Cuban-American community Romney said the wrong thing. During his trip in Miami he kinda minced words and possibly alienated some in the hard-line Cuban American voting block, who take all things related to Fidel Castro very seriously!!

The Miami Herald's article "Presidential candidate bungles speech in Miami" clearly details the slip of the tongue that went down harder then Castro's falling on his face.

"But when mistakenly associated Fidel Castro's trademark speech-ending slogan -- Patria o muerte, venceremos! -- with a free Cuba, listeners didn't laugh. They winced.

Castro has closed his speeches with the phrase -- in English, ''Fatherland or death, we shall overcome'' -- for decades.

'Clearly, that's something he was ill-advised on or didn't do his homework on,'' said Hialeah City Council President Esteban Bovo. ``When you get cute with slogans, you get yourself into a trap."

for the full article read: http://www.miamiherald.com/569/v-print/story/45794.html

Babalu Blog has a great take on it - check him out at www.babalublog.com

Campaigning in a New World

A new video is making its rounds on the internet and some political pundits are saying it may be a "watershed moment in the 21st century media and political advertising."

The anti Hillary Clinton video is a play on the classic 1984 television ad that introduced Apple computers to the world. The internet only, 74 second video is suppose to be a pitch for Democratic Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

Yet according to the New Politics Institute, a think tank in San Francisco, they state the video is really the introduction of "a new era... a new wave of politics... because it's not about Obama... It's about the end of the brodcast era."

The article posted by the SFGate.com states:

The compelling "Hillary 1984" video recently introduced But some say the ad is just the latest attempt by outside activists to influence political campaigns -- or the newest way for campaigns to anonymously attack their opponents.

The video is a sophisticated new take on director Ridley Scott's controversial Apple ad that caused shock waves with its premiere during the 1984 Super Bowl, and shows the same blond young female athlete running with a sledgehammer toward a widescreen -- where an ominous Big Brother figure drones to a mass of zombielike followers.

But this time, the woman is wearing an iPod -- and has her candidate's slogan on her chest. And the Big Brother -- whose image she defiantly smashes with a wave of her sledgehammer -- is Clinton, the Democratic presidential front-runner.

The tagline for the attack: "On Jan. 14, the Democratic primary will begin. And you'll see why 2008 won't be like 1984."

An updated Apple symbol -- transformed into an O -- is followed by the dramatically emerging logo: BarackObama.com.”

Interestingly enough the person who posted the video on Utube is called ParkRidge47, Park Ridge is a suburb of Illinois and 47 (as in 1947) is the year that Hillary was born.

Watch it for yourself at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h3G-lMZxjo

What will be next??