So why won’t John McCain allow his national director for Hispanic Outreach speak in front of the press? Maybe the resume of this Juan Hernandez has something to do with it: it includes a stint working for Vincente Fox where he lobbied for health and education entitlements for illegal aliens, something Republicans would likely find revolting. But McCain chose this guy to work for his campaign. Something like this just makes you wonder who might be part of a McCain administration, and what kind of policies they might pursue.
Here’s one possible reason: Hernandez is toxic to many conservatives. “He represents the opposite of everything conservative Republicans stand for,” says a GOP strategist who didn’t want to be quoted by name on a sensitive topic. The blond Mexican-American (with dual citizenship) was a senior official in the government of Mexican President Vicente Fox from 2000 to 2002. His main responsibility at that time was to advocate for undocumented Mexican immigrants in America—to help them get access to education and health services, and then citizenship. In 2006, Hernandez authored “The New American Pioneers: Why Are We Afraid of Mexican Immigrants?” Some conservatives have wanted McCain to deny Hernandez any role in the campaign. “Imagine a tree and people shaking it, trying to get him out,” says the strategist. “Well, that tree went through a hurricane.”
McCain changes his story regarding illegal aliens depending on the audience he’s addressing, which makes decisions like this much more significant than his throw-away rhetoric. Third-party candidates are looking better and better.
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