It’s not true. Patrick Hynes writes at Big Government that her grandparents were not US citizens, but were not here in the US illegally either. Her grandparents, according to an AP story that Hynes quotes, understood the process by which aliens from Mexico could move back and forth cross the border, and they abided by that process. It’s nice to see the mainstream media follow up and correct its errors. It would be better if they didn’t keep making the same “mistake” over and over again. Despite the correction, some on the left will continue to use the bogus story against Gov. Martinez.
Here’s why this matters. Gov. Susana Martinez, like FL Sen. Marco Rubio, is a conservative Hispanic Republican. Like Rubio, she favors upholding and enforcing US law on immigration. Those two facts are major problems for the left. And also like Rubio, Martinez has come under fire from the mainstream media. Rubio recently found himself blackmailed by Univision, and had media swarming after a Washington Post hit job on his family history. Back in September, the Santa Fe New Mexican used Gov. Martinez’s grandparents’ alleged legal status to undermine her strong position on border security and immigration law. In both cases, the media launched race-based attacks to damage strong conservative Republican Hispanic leaders. A similar smear hit conservative Republican Senate candidate Ted Cruz in Texas back in October, and he isn’t even in office yet. Three conservative Hispanic Republicans, three smears based on their family histories. We’re past “Hm, isn’t that odd?” to “Hey liberal media, knock off the intentional and racist smear campaign.”
The media needs to be very, very careful about smearing the parents and grandparents of these politicians.
I’m not Latin, but married into a Latin family over 20 years ago. Nothing gets a Latin family riled up than publicizing anything negative their family.
Does every Latin family have its characters? You bet.
But a stranger will make an enemy for like by saying anything disparaging about a dear abuela or tio.
History is no longer important in this political culture of academia (unless it’s their kind of history), & it has been actively suppressed at that. Many are unaware that this country has had a widely varying approach to immigration throughout our history. Even if the story of Martinez’ grandparents being “illegals” were true (which it isn’t), it would not have the same meaning then & would be basically benign.
This is nothing more than a desperate attempt by the Left to try to hold on to an esssentially culturally conservative Hispanic voter base in the face of such Republican up-&-coming superstars such as Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Raul Labrador, & yes, Susana Martinez. As Republicans together, we can all learn to say ‘venciremos’.
I’m also waiting to see more from the Hispanic young man named George P G Bush, Jeb and Columba’s son, who is deployed to Afghanistan, last I heard.
I,m sure they will also dig up some bogus sexual harassment claims too when the time comes. Works better than real issues!
“Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action.”