The Republicans of River City sent me the following press release yesterday… 

News Release from Republicans of River City
For Immediate Release
Date 02/03/2010
Contact: Carl Burton, President Republicans of River City
phone 916-485-5741
Email carl@rrcgop.org

Senator Maldonado endorsed for Lt. Governor

Republicans of River City Board of Directors passed a resolution praising Gov. Schwarzenegger for nominating State Senator Abel Maldonado to the post of Lt. Governor, replacing John Garamendi who was recently elected to the House of Representatives.

When Senator Maldonado if approved by the Democrat controlled legislature as Lt. Gov., Abel will become the highest Latino elected Republican official since 1871, when Republican Jose Antonio Romualdo Pacheco Jr. served as Lt. Governor and who then became Governor of California in 1875.

Senator Abel Maldonado is the oldest son of Mexican immigrant field workers. Like many other immigrants, his father came to this country with little more than the shirt on his back but Abel’s father believed that through hard work, his family would share in the American Dream. 

Republicans of River City has supported efforts to reach out to the Hispanic community in the greater Sacramento area by supporting Republican booths at Latino community events and by registering voters. Carl Burton, Chairman of Republicans of River City, also serves as Vice-Chairman of the Sacramento Republican Hispanic Assembly.

# #  # 

Abe is one of 3 California Republican legislators who broke ranks with the party and the taxpayers by voting with democrats for one of the largest tax increases in the state’s history during one of our many recent budget messes (they happen every few weeks here.)  They did not get a single dime in meaningful reform or cuts in return.

Two things come to mind upon reading the release.  The first being that the River City (Sacramento) Republicans are one of the state’s entrenched RINO preserves.  The second is that their entire basis for supporting Maldonado is his Latino heritage!  His parent’s nationality (Mexican) in fact takes up 3 of the release’s 4 paragraphs (the 4th dealing with the club’s endorsement of him.)

I just could not believe that at this time any group of GOP functionaries, no matter how dim, could possibly completely ignore the rank & file (including the Tea Partiers) but throw in a race-based endorsement just for good measure!

So I sent off a snarky email to the club’s contact (Carl Burton) not expecting to hear back.  I did hear back and what he wrote has me absolutely aghast.

Feast your orbs on the following exchange:

From me to Burton:

 “Business as usual and the party so-called “leadership” continues to be blissfully clueless and doing all it can to ignore the rank and file.

 Have you been to a tea party?  Are you paying attention?  Of course not, too busy running the party back up onto the rocks again.”

 Burton’s response

 Mark,

I have been to all of the Tea Partys in the Sacramento area. 

I am a member of the rank and file of the Republican Party 

and have been since I was 16 years old.

Before you throw brinks at me check out my persoanl web site

 www.carlburton.com 

I have walk more precinct and managed more campaign 

headquarters then you have.

I don't know if you still live in Arden Park but I have never 

seen your name on a volunteer list for the county and I belong 

to most of the Republican clubs in the county.

I volunteer my work, time and moeny for Republican causes and 

I don't get paid for what I do.

Carl Burton

Okie Dokie, we have a dialogue. Let us see where it goes!

Carl

I am an American, not a republican, and coming into my fourth 

decade, trying to undo the handiwork of elitists and fools 

who have seized control of both the democrat and republican 

parties.

We in are just about to get out from under one of the party's 

biggest and most catastrophic intentional selling out of 

California citizens ever, namely the hijacking of the Recall 

and delivery of us into Arnold Schwarzenkenndy's hands.  The 

CA GOP no more represents an alternative any more than the 11 

guys who sat around a table in New York and coughed up a 

member of ACORN to run as a republican.  Proud to say I had 

no little role in destroying that candidate's chances.

...and what you took away from the tea parties you attended 

and the utter destruction of California as a functioning 

state under the Great Austrian Joke was that we wanted a 

low-rent, stripped down, cut rate Son of Arnold in the 

Lt. Gov office?

Clearly you have not bothered to listen to anything being said 

at the tea parties you attended.

Here comes the innuendo that I am a racist, from a guy whose organization just cited race as their sole reason for supporting a candidate for public office…  Burton writes:

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and you are 

certainly entitled to yours. But you are not entitled to your 

own set of facts. The principle fact is, Abel is the leading 

Republican Hispanic in this state and if the Republican party 

wants to, again, shoot themselves in the foot by opposing him 

for Lt. Gov., they will lose the Hispanic vote across the 

state and thus, lose the slim minority they now have to stop 

Democrat initiatives. If that is what you want, keep up the 

drumbeat denigrating of Abel and that is what you will get.

Fact second: I was born a California American before I became 

a Republican. 

Fact third: For your information, here is what Ronald Reagan 

said about the issue of beating up on Republican candidates:

"The Republican Party, both in this state and nationally, is 

a broad party. There is room in our tent for many views; 

indeed, the divergence of views is one of our strengths. 

Let no one, however, interpret this to mean compromise of 

basic philosophy or that we will be all things to all people 

for political expediency.

Within our tent, there will be many arguments and divisions 

over approach and method and even those we choose to 

implement our philosophy. Seldom, if ever, will we raise a 

cheer signifying unanimous approval of the decisions reached.

And here is the challenge to you. It is the duty and 

responsibility of the volunteer Republican organizations, not 

to further divide, but to lead the way to unity. It is not 

your duty, responsibility of privilege to tear down, or 

attempt to destroy, others in the tent."

I believe in the big tent Republican Party, as apparently you 

do not.

He is quoting Reagan out of context to justify a blatantly racist action, one that is both insulting and demeaning to both Maldonado and Latinos in general.  I called him on it in my next email.

Thank you for confirming that Maldonado snagged your 

endorsement for his ethnic background over his adherence to 

Constitutional principles (upon which the party were founded 

and championed until abandoned after Reagan.)

 Too bad you got it wrong though.  The Senator is an American, 

of Latino descent, which happens to be a group of people that 

the White Europeans known as Hispanic worked overtime for 

some 4 or centuries to exterminate and who still control the 

race-base oligarchy in Mexico.

 If you're going for bleeding heart, affirmative action 

democrat at least get the victims and the aggressors right.

If your idea of "big tent" is compromising principles and 

America's future the same way you have done in California 

then you are correct,  I do not believe in that tent. 

Defeated, Burton takes one last shot at me

Mark,

 I see you have succumbed to the philosophy of Oscar Zeta

Acosta. A sad turn of affairs. But do your buddies in the Tea

Party movement know this about you?

 As a Republican like President Reagan I do believe in the

big tent Republican Party, as apparently you do not.  Im just

glad your not a Republican.

My friends and relatives who live in Maldonado Senate

District think he is an outstanding state senator.

 Carl Burton

Dude will be disappointed to learn that I’ve been registered as a republican for a couple of years now… registration of convenience for the purposes of speaking at several GOP clubs that require speakers to be registered republicans.  I have also been known to register as a democrat for the purposes of helping that party pick the weakest possible candidate to run against what passes for republicans these days.

Comments are enabled….  Please tell me what you think!