New Mexico GOP leader: Hispanics won’t support Obama because they think they’re ‘above blacks.’
New Mexico GOP leader: Hispanics won’t support Obama because they think they’re ‘above blacks.’
On Friday, a BBC blogger published comments from Fernando C. de Baca, chairman of Bernalillo County Republicans in New Mexico, on why Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will do well in that state:
The truth is that Hispanics came here as conquerors. African-Americans came here as slaves. Hispanics consider themselves above blacks. They won’t vote for a black president.
C. de Baca’s comments set off a firestorm of intense criticism, including from other state Republicans. Even the McCain campaign said that the remarks were “extremely offensive and insulting.” Watch a local report on KOAT in Albuquerque, which aired yesterday:
C. de Baca has tried to claim that the BBC blogger took his comments “totally out of context.” However, in another recent interview obtained by the New Mexico Independent, C. de Baca said African-Americans “took advantage” of government programs during the civil rights movement, while Hispanics were “left sucking air.”
Sort Comments By: Top Rated | Date
79 Responses to “New Mexico GOP leader: Hispanics won’t support Obama because they think they’re ‘above blacks.’”
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
"Hispanics consider themselves above blacks."
Projection?
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:15 pmlet's look at that quote again:
"The truth is that Hispanics came here as conquerors. African-Americans came here as slaves. Hispanics consider themselves above blacks. They won’t vote for a black president."
i simply don't see what the problem is, nor why thinkprogress sees it necessary to post on it.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:16 pmC. de Baca has tried to claim that the BBC blogger took his comments “totally out of context.”
Meaning, "verbatim."
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:17 pmWhilst "those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it" those who invent history are assholes bound to lose an argument of history with the average publicly educated 8th-grader.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:17 pm.
And cue Tracist... 3... 2... 1...
.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:17 pmWow, another rascist GOP leader? What a surprise!
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:18 pmwhile it's true that (many) hispanics were here long before blacks, and that they were indeed "conquerers," i don't really get the theoretical leap that hispanics won't vote for obama (because he's black, or even half-black).
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:18 pm.
Dear darladooner,
WHO ARE YOU ABOVE?
.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:18 pm2. darladooner Says:
let’s look at that quote again:
“The truth is that Hispanics came here as conquerors. African-Americans came here as slaves. Hispanics consider themselves above blacks. They won’t vote for a black president.”
i simply don’t see what the problem is, nor why thinkprogress sees it necessary to post on it.
David Duke voter, doubtless...
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:19 pmdarladooner Says: let’s look at that quote again:
Something tells me you are being serious. Are you?
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:19 pmcan anyone explain why these comments are necessarily "racist" and not merely "offensive"?
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:19 pm5th estate,
why are the comments "racist"? what does "racist" mean?
the guy never said anything negative about african-americans, per se.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:20 pmyeah, i'm david duke. man.
someone questions why these words are "racist" and suddenly i'm a racist.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:21 pmdarla... Tracist much?
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:22 pm... per se?
let's do a poll: how many hispanics think they're "above blacks"?
would that be a racist poll, or would it be racist for a hispanic person to feel (deep inside) that he/she is "above" blacks?
stupid, i know, but let's really get to the bottom of whether this guy is necessarily racists because he says something sort of silly, meaningless, opinionated....
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:23 pmdarladooner Says:
why are the comments “racist”? what does “racist” mean?
the guy never said anything negative about african-americans, per se.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:20 pm
______
No. He just called all Hispanics "uppity." That's not racist at all, right?
And most Hispanics didn't come here as conquerors. They came here across a land bridge through Alaska, and were here long before the Spanish or the Africans got here.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:23 pm10. darladooner Says:
can anyone explain why these comments are necessarily “racist” and not merely “offensive”?
Oy...If one race considers themselves "above" another, that is racism. If someone (say, a republican pantload racist) claims that another race considers themselves "above" another race, that is the racism trifecta.
Epic Fail...
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:24 pmsure, darla is obviously racist. whatever.
i can question the lameness of this dude's remarks, and suddenly, whammo!, darla is the actual racist.
how stupid is that?
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:24 pmDear darla,
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:25 pmthen please do explain how these words and statements are "OFFENSIVE". If they aren't racist yet offensive, how are they NOT demeaning based on racial viewpoints. I mean, why are they "offensive"... per se?
I wonder what kind of "context" the nice racist believes would render his statement less offensive. Considering that the "Hispanics" for whom he claims to speak include not only descendants the conquistadores but those of the conquered native tribes, those of the African slaves brought to Mexico and other Spanish-governed territories and those who carry the genes of all three, his "we are better because we arrived as conquerers" rap puts him squarely in the GW Bush "don't know much about history" camp.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:26 pmdarladooner Says:
would that be a racist poll, or would it be racist for a hispanic person to feel (deep inside) that he/she is “above” blacks?
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:23 pm
_______
Yes and yes. Furthermore, it's racist and bigoted and wholly ignorant to attribute a single sterotypical worldview to an entire multi-ethnic, multi-racial group.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:26 pmOy…If one race considers themselves “above” another, that is racism. If someone (say, a republican pantload racist) claims that another race considers themselves “above” another race, that is the racism trifecta.
so that's what racist means: thinking you're "above" another race?
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:27 pm.
Nothing like pitting two races against each other and watching the ethnic cleansing take care of itself... eh darla?
.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:27 pmI love how this guy lumps everyone with a Spanish surname into one group. In NM we are talking about two groups - those of pure Spanish descent and Chicanos. Of the first group there are far fewer than there are Navajo and other Native Americans; you know, the peoples that the brave Conquistadors conquered. After slaughtering and maiming the males of the local tribes, the Spanish conquerors took the women as mates and their offspring in NM are known inaccurately today as Mexicans. Chicanos ain't stupid. Though, admittedly, many have an anti-black bias, it's not deeply ingrained like it is among some whites. They will rise above that bias because self-preservation is more powerful than shallow-rooted bias.
McCain will do well in NM because of the racist cretins in eastern NM, oil industry influence, and low info opportunists like Sr. de Baca. Unfortunately for St. John, he's running on a morally bankrupt and fatally incompetent party label - the GOP. He'll do well. He just ain't gonna win.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:28 pmYes and yes. Furthermore, it’s racist and bigoted and wholly ignorant to attribute a single sterotypical worldview to an entire multi-ethnic, multi-racial group.
oh no! pull out all the stops, and report on it immediately! make sure the entire blogosphere knows about this republican shit head's off-the-cuff remarks one day in the summer of '08!
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:28 pmdarladooner,
“The truth is that Hispanics came here as conquerors. African-Americans came here as slaves. Hispanics consider themselves above blacks. They won’t vote for a black president.”
I guess to a Sister of the KKK, that would not sound racist, but to the rest of the world ...... Y E S !!!!!
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:28 pmJust more caca...Skip, ignore, delete and move along....Blessings
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:29 pmkey point:
Though, admittedly, many have an anti-black bias, it’s not deeply ingrained like it is among some whites.
let's go over that one more time : "many have an anti-black bias"
hmmmmmm......so i guess that guy's remarks do ring true for some people..
now, wouldn't it be really stupid if thinkprogress purported to know what chicanos think?
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:30 pm12. darladooner Says:
yeah, i’m david duke. man.
Comprehension Fail.
Never said you were David Duke, I implied you were a Duke voter, or as much of a genius, by which I inferred that only a racist-leaning poster would see nothing wrong with making so blatantly asinine a statement as the republican pantload pinched off.
¿usted entiende?
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:30 pmdarladooner Says:
can anyone explain why these comments are necessarily “racist” and not merely “offensive”?
fair point--Baca is merely observing that in his opinion Hispanics in New Mexico are racist when it comes to blacks.
Quite how his opinion is informed or otherwise by his own Hispanic roots is unclear.
can you explain the difference between an "offensive" position claimed to be held by one 'race' against another, and a "racist" position claimed to be held by one race against another?
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:30 pm"I guess to a Sister of the KKK, that would not sound racist, but to the rest of the world …… Y E S !!!!!
glad you sort of parsed out the differences between the most extremist group in the country and..........the rest of us. thanks. but no thanks.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:31 pmdarladooner asks:
We're all ears darla.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:31 pm21. darladooner Says:
so that’s what racist means: thinking you’re “above” another race?
I'd answer you, but you aren't worthy of my consideration....
Enjoy.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:31 pmstupid, i know, but let’s really get to the bottom of whether this guy is necessarily racists because he says something sort of silly, meaningless, opinionated….
HI TWAJIE!!! LONG TIME NO SEE BUDDY!!!
darladooner Says:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oy…If one race considers themselves “above” another, that is racism. If someone (say, a republican pantload racist) claims that another race considers themselves “above” another race, that is the racism trifecta.
so that’s what racist means: thinking you’re “above” another race?
Oh Twajie, Twajie, Twajie. Now I just KNOW it's you:
This is YOU from tpwatchwatch:
I never knew a racist that loved Black Culture. Me believeing Latins are better, doesnt stop me from admiring and respecting another culture.
And here you are again T-bag, claiming once again that "Just because I think my race is better than everyone else that doesn't make me a racist."
Twajie, Twajie, Twajie...you still haven't learned.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:32 pmcan you explain the difference between an “offensive” position claimed to be held by one ‘race’ against another, and a “racist” position claimed to be held by one race against another?
what this guy says is offensive, but not racist. if he said something racist, he would have had to directly insult black people.
he just said that "some hispanics" consider themselves "above" blacks.
is there anything racist about this? i personally don't think so.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:33 pmi just think it's stupid.
darladooner: so that’s what racist means: thinking you’re “above” another race?
sounds like a pretty good basic definition of racism to me.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:34 pmDo you have a better one?
hanshiro,
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:34 pmROFLMAO...
liberal traitor, that's not me, sorry.
i have one name, on multiple sites. check thenation as well.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:34 pmObama's way ahead in New Mexico, so this may be part of the GOP desperation race play. It dovetails nicely with the recent "uppity" label for Obama and the Blame The Minorities meme related to the mortgage crisis.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:34 pmdarladooner Says:
so that’s what racist means: thinking you’re “above” another race?
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:27 pm
______
No. You're missing the point.
Racism is a system. It's an -ism, like communism or capitalism. Racism is a system by which one race systematically works to keep another race in a position of inferiority. The methods used can be as varied as glass ceilings, predatory lending, disparate education funding, and stereotyped media portrayals.
One who actively participates in and perpetuates this system is, by definition, a racist. Mr. de Baca is not only insulting African-Americans directly, he is perpetuating a stereotype of Hispanics as insular and prejudiced through gross generalization.
That's racism.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:36 pmdarladooner Says:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
liberal traitor, that’s not me, sorry.
i have one name, on multiple sites. check thenation as well.
Why? I know it's you big guy. They banned your old name around here a long time ago, so of course you're not posting as Trajan75. You've been here, as well as your little playground pals, a number of times under other names.
It's ok Twajie, come on out of the closet. No one is going to hurt you...well...at least not physically. Mentally you get hurt in a battle of wits with a bulldog.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:38 pmNo more semantics.
The guy is a racist. You wanted to hear him say something nasty about AA's directly, Twajie? Well look no further:
The truth is that Hispanics came here as conquerors. African-Americans came here as slaves.
By using this comparison he is implying that AA's are inferior to Hispanics due to their origins. You know it, I know it, everyone knows it. For F--K's sake even MCCAIN knows it and has condemned it. Give it up, Twajie.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:44 pmPlease tell me that this fellow C. de Baca's first name is Chew.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:45 pmInstead of engaging with the Troll (or troll-lite), let's look at what is going on here.
Again, the GOP is beginning to throw the race card into this election because they feel that its the only way that they can win. They've tried lying, and they got caught, they tried making stuff up, and they got caught, and they tried insulating themselves from the press, and their spokespeople made ridiculous statements that had to either be recanted, or ignored. The teetering about to crash economy suddenly made this election about issues again, and that's the one area where the Republicans know they have no leg to stand on.
So... let's start throwing mud around and make sure that everyone gets dirty....
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:45 pmliberal traitor, ask TP to do a search, they'll know by my computer's routing numbers or server. seriously. ask them. it isn't me.
look, if you guys wanna locate every instance of "racism" out there, go ahead. you're wasting your time. this guy's comments are fairly weak to merit so much attention.
it is a fact of life that some ethnic groups don't necessarily like other ethnic groups. some members of some groups say stupid shit.
so what?
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:46 pmPleeeeeeeeze. If someone would have said this [[and the DID NOT]] this GOP guy, De Baca, would be livid
Not only that but many African-Americans came over and werent slaves just as many Irish, British, Italian, Jewish, Germans, Polish etc etc etc. And why is De Baca reaching all the way back to that era to defend his inane opinion, which is all it is, and designed to create controvery.
And with that De Bacas opinion doesnt matter. Its ludicrous.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:47 pma) it's hard to decipher your meaning. who's "that guy"? Which remarks? Clarity - important.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:48 pmb) On the off-chance I have interpreted your entrails correctly: weak anti-black bias is not the same as thinking one's above another. In fact, I doubt most Chicanos think about it much at all. Hispanics are a majority in NM. There are v few blacks.
c) got no idea what your last interrogatory refers to. Just to be clear, though: "many" is not "all;" hell it's not even most.
d) pray Obama gets elected. Stem cell research may lead to the ability to grow you a brain
liberal traitor Says
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Why? I know it’s you big guy. They banned your old name around here a long time ago, so of course you’re not posting as Trajan75. You’ve been here, as well as your little playground pals, a number of times under other names.
____________________________________________________________
No, I don't think darladooner = Trajan75. Darladooner has posted under that name for quite some time now, and Trajan doesn't reuse his old names. He's more of a hit-and-run kind of guy.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:49 pmAnd with that De Bacas opinion doesnt matter. Its ludicrous.
precisely my point. the guy's a pinhead who doesn't know his history.
but a racist?
whatever. the term is so over-used, mis-used, etc......
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:49 pm"New Mexico GOP leader: Hispanics won’t support Obama because they think they’re ‘above blacks.’"
The racist hounds have certainly been released to pander to McSame. First, the King of YouTube, Macaca George Allen pandering to minorities and now this clown.
Memo to Fernando: You need a reality check on the definition of a minority. Or have you forgotten what the civil rights bill was really about.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:52 pmAll the latest polls have Obama up by 6-8 points in NM. This clown is just whistling by the graveyard, like the rest of the 23%er Repugs (Yea, you too, darla-traj).
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:53 pmI wonder how de Baca explains how his Hispanic governor, Bill Richardson, is such an enthusiastic supporter of Obama. I mean, since Obama is "beneath" him and all...
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:53 pmdarladooner Says:
some members of some groups say stupid shit.
so what?
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:46 pm
So what indeed? So what if some members of a group of people people say stupid shit about members of another group of people? What's the big deal, right?
And what's the big deal if some members of a group of people hang nooses in a tree that's off-limits to members of the other group?
And what's the big deal if some members of a group of people are imprisoned more often and for longer terms than some members of another group of people?
And what's the problem if some members of a group of people are foreclosed from their houses and removed from voting rolls more often than another group of people?
So what?
And what's the big deal if some members of a group of people round up some members of another group of people and keep them in concentration camps? So what?
What if those members of a group of people decide that they need to just get rid of that other group of people, as some sort of final solution to all their problems? No big whoop, right?
It's just stupid people doing stupid shit. What's the big deal?
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:54 pmLiberty Enlightening the World
La liberté éclairant le monde)
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:54 pm
WEll said, HTH.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:55 pmdarladooner, I'm curious... just what would qualify as a "racist" remark, if this gentleman's comment does not meet your criteria?
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:55 pmAccording to this De Baca , you have to be a conqueror to be respected by Hispanics...that's why De Baca is in love with Bush & McCain, they are true GOP conquerors.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:56 pmdarladooner thinks this is such a non-issue that have the comments here are her's. We get it darly, nothing anybody says is racist but everything anybody says IS sexist because they MUST be referring to Palin. No could you quit your whining.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:57 pmFernando C. de Baca (debacle?) is blabbering about a supposed deep feeling among hispanics toward blacks. Just like white men used to whine and cower in fear about how the black man was going to take all the white women. Fear and bullshit! I don't give a damn who the hispanics vote for or why. If they want to be collectively stupid enough to vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin then so be it. I'm white and I'm voting for Obama. Now that fact could be spun into all sorts of ridiculous arguments like I'm apologizing for slavery or something of that nature. I'm voting for him because he's obviously the smartest of the two but, I also feel he's also the most honorable with a better vision for the future of our country.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:57 pmReading the linked article, I would say that de Baca is a bit desperate. New Mexicans appear to be supporting Obama in numbers greater than for McCain -- including Hispanics, who are more than just a little ticked about border fences, the economy, our various wars, and other carnage left in the Republican wake.
Is de Baca just saying, "Wake up, fellow Hispanics! Remember you are descended from conquerors! And you are above those descended from slaves!"? If so, he might do well to remember that Obama is not descended from slaves (as well as that isn't important to the vast majority of voters).
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:59 pmbut a racist? whatever. the term is so over-used, mis-used, etc… -Darla
I would say its a conquerist attitude. Besides that the hispanics didnt conquer the African-Americans here - so its a rather strange remark. Nor did the Hispanics conquer the colonialists.
Its just political piddle meant to excite, I am going to ignore it from here on.
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:00 pm44. darladooner Says:
..some members of some groups say stupid shit.
So, you joined this group to drive your point home, eh?
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:03 pmThe truth is that New Mexico GOP came here as conquerors. African-Americans came here as slaves. New Mexico GOP consider themselves above blacks. They won’t vote for a black president.
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:09 pmBut, do Hispanics think that they're above supporting an Arab?
/sargasm
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:15 pmWhat do you expect from a Cow's Head (Cabeza de Vaca) who can't even spell cow correctly. His ancestors came here to enrich (STEAL) themselves at the expense of the natives and then to convert whoever was left to their enlighten religion. What a joke.
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:25 pmYou know, every single day I wake up so very, *very* grateful that I'm nowhere near stupid, ugly and racist enough to be a Republican...
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:32 pmHere in the Northwest hispanics overwhelmingly are supporting Obama.
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:42 pmRight with you Leftside Annie
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:43 pmFernando C. de Baca will keep his job as Chairman of the Bernalillo County Republican Party. He received a vote of confidence during a closed-door meeting at Ladera Golf Course this morning.
Doug Antoon, an attorney on the Executive Board, tells us he's satisfied that Mr. C. de Baca gave a full and reasonable accounting of his remarks. Antoon criticized people, including the Republican State Party Chairman Allen Weh, for rushing to judgment.
Antoon says C. de Baca has been at the forefront of the civil rights movement for more than 50 years.
And of course, Mr. de Baca clearly forgotten what civil rights movement was really about. But, then again, that is the GOP party's problem pill.
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:06 pmAren't the hispanics in New Mexico stoned on horse all the time?
http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/states/newmexico.html
Hey, it's not racist to say that, is it darladrool?
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:08 pmIf that's true, they're as stupid as the Republicans think they are, but I don't believe it--it is more of the repugnant divide-through-hate campaigning
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:29 pmSo why are the New Mexico polls showing Obama up by about 7 points?
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:41 pmGOP = KKK
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:48 pmdarladooner Says: "i simply don’t see what the problem is, nor why thinkprogress sees it necessary to post on it."
Gee, maybe because he feels Hispanics, or anyone for that matter, are "above" blacks?
You sound like a real creepy guy.
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:56 pm666lattes Says:"But, do Hispanics think that they’re above supporting an Arab?"
Who's the Arab?
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:57 pmThe vast majority of the *hundreds* of people I've encountered canvassing and phone banking here in northern NM for the past 2 months are overwhelmingly in support of Obama. I've come across a few blatantly racist people, but they are the very rare exception. I'm surprised that Mr. C. de Baca wouldn't know that ancestry is very complex in NM. A lot of people are descendents of Spanish who resided in Mexico and married Mexican spouses before arriving in the Southwest. Interesting how darladooner has taken a page from the Bush 'definition of torture' play book; by narrowing the definition of racism more and more one can simply define racism out of existence.
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:56 pm"Barack Obama has opened up a large lead in New Mexico, according to the newest survey from Public Policy Polling.
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:11 pmObama is at 53% in the state, compared to 42% for John McCain. Key to Obama’s performance is that he is only running behind 49-47 to McCain among white voters. In a state with a significant Hispanic population that level of competitiveness with whites will seal a win. He leads 59-35 with Hispanics."
http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/PPP_Release_NM_922.pdf
I wouldn't say something crazy like 'all Republicans are racist.' But it is the case that all the Republicans who I know personally (some even in my own extended family) are racist. Probably just a coincidence, though.
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:14 pmMary Jane Garcia, a New Mexico state senator and pledged Clinton delegate also made the SAME observation to the Rocky Mountain Post ... I think both are grossly wrong, but all the GOP slamming that has gone on can now be applied to the DNC. Chew on that. Tasty?
September 25th, 2008 at 8:04 pm