LatinaLista — Last week, we saw where GOP Rep. Bob Dold took on his party to do something right for women in defending Planned Parenthood from efforts by members of his own party to get it defunded.
More and more, moderate Republicans are finally pushing back against the insane stances that Tea Party and far-right GOP members are dictating the rest of the party follow. The latest GOP politician to take on her party, and in particular the highest profile Republican in the nation today, is New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez.
Martinez has not always been considered an ally on Latino issues — she wanted to revoke granting undocumented immigrants driver’s licenses — but she took on Mitt Romney recently in a surprising way.
Being interviewed by Newsweek’s Andrew Romano, she surprised her interviewer when he asked her about Romney’s plan for undocumented immigrants to self-deport. Martinez replied, ““‘Self-deport?’ What the heck does that mean?”
Taking his marching orders from the Tea party and far-right, Romney’s suggestion of self-deportation, probably would have sounded just as off the wall to him in more reasonable times.
But these aren’t reasonable times and it’s going to take more of the party’s own members to push back against ideas and proclamations that aren’t just unrealistic but insane.
Comment(10)
Javier A. Trejo
I live in NM and I think if it was up to her she would probably enact harsher policies against the immigrant community.
Cristina Parker
Javier is right, she has been on a warpath against immigrant families here since her term began.
Brenda Avila
She is a racist individual with a racist agenda. I lived in NM for several years too and Javier and Cristina are right.
Latina Lista
I don’t say that she doesn’t follow the GOP platform (I did in the post) but it’s an important start when GOP members, like her, speak out against GOP ideas floated as part of the platform.
Javier A. Trejo
I guess I believe she is saying its a dumb policy because its not harsh enough and she would choose to take a more active/cruel deportation approach
inevitablemexicana
I’ve only lived in NM and I crossed party lines to vote for SM. I am a first generation immigrant and believe that all immigrants should enrich their lives by submitting residency applications to the US. Kudos to our first Latina Governor who knows where to draw the line.
inevitablemexicana
I’ve only lived in NM and I crossed party lines to vote for SM. I am a first generation immigrant that has worked in immigrant law offices. I believe that all immigrants who would like to work and live in the US should enrich their lives (gain legal rights) by submitting residency applications to the US. Kudos to our first Latina Governor who knows where to draw the line.
Latina Lista
Is she that cruel? Maybe it’s the Pollyanna in me but I would hope she’s not that bad.
La Hora de la Voz del Barrio
Interesting read. Luis Fortuño, Republican governor of Puerto Rico, also recently went public about his party´s unfair treatment towards the island. A link to his comments is on my page. Thanks for the story.
Javier A. Trejo
She sold out her own people for political power. She serves the interests of ALEC and private detention centers. The community has constantly advocated for her to stop her agenda of trying to take away licenses, mothers, fathers, students, workers who need them. She keeps her racist agenda intact even though it keeps being defeated. She is using all her political leverage and national clout to bring money into the state to be used to oust progressive politicians in NM come this fall. Her grandparents came here without documents! You would think she would have some perspective? Is she that cruel? I think so.