MCCAIN CAMPAIGN RENEWING CALL FOR HAYWORTH TO DISAVOW ENDORSEMENT OF GROUP CONDONING REFERENCES TO “WETBACKS”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Brian Rogers

Friday, March 12, 2010 (602) 604-2010

STATEMENT BY MCCAIN CAMPAIGN RENEWING CALL FOR HAYWORTH TO DISAVOW ENDORSEMENT OF GROUP CONDONING REFERENCES TO “WETBACKS”

PHOENIX, AZ -- U.S. Senator John McCain’s re-election campaign today released the following statement by campaign Communications Director Brian Rogers renewing the McCain campaign’s call for former Congressman J.D. Hayworth to disavow the endorsement of ALI-PAC in the wake of new revelations by an Arizona Hispanic Republican organization that ALI-PAC condones references to “wetbacks” on its website:

“Last month former Congressman J.D. Hayworth refused to distance himself from ALI-PAC, a group that the Anti-Defamation League reports is backed by white supremacists, neo-Nazis and
anti-Semites, raising questions about his judgment.“

Today, more troubling questions about ALI-PAC are being raised, calling into question why Congressman Hayworth would continue to embrace this group’s support.

This week, Somos Republicans, an Arizona-based Hispanic Republican organization condemned Congressman’s Hayworth’s embrace of ALI-PAC, pointing out that the group condones its members’ support for ‘Operation Wetback’ on its website.

“Let’s be clear: Congressman Hayworth’s continued flirtation with extreme groups that condone racism only opens the door for liberals to falsely paint all opponents of illegal immigration as bigots. Congressman Hayworth should immediately disavow this group’s support and commit to never again associating himself with groups
that accept this kind of hateful and counterproductive rhetoric.”

-- McCain 2010 Communications Director Brian Rogers

Resources:

Phoenix New Times report on AZ Hispanic Republic Group Rejecting Hayworth over ALI-PAC endorsement over “the language ALI-PAC supporters use on the organization's Web site -- namely “wetback,” “taco bender,” “wetback roundup,” and “pepper belly.”

J.D. Hayworth Rejected by Hispanic Republican Group Over ALIPAC Endorsement; Apparently ALIPAC Supporters Used Words Like "Wetback" and "Pepper Belly"

By James King

Phoenix New Times

March 11, 2010

The Hispanic Republican group Somos Republicans says it's "rejecting" Senate candidate J.D. Hayworth over an endorsement he accepted from the anti-immigration group Americans for Legal Immigration.

ALIPAC is a controversial organization for a few reasons: It has the support of cuddly organizations like the Ku Klux Klan and former "Grand Wizard" David Duke, which has prompted Hayworth's primary opponent, Senator John McCain, to call for Hayworth to
"disavow" the endorsement.

Somos Republicans isn't thrilled with the whole Klan association, but its beef is more about some of the language ALIPAC supporters use on the organization's Web site -- namely "wetback," "taco bender," "wetback roundup," and "pepper belly."

Check it out here.

We called ALIPAC organizer William Gheen and had to listen to a blast of profanity and his asking us to contact him by e-mail in the future so he could shove a hard copy of our questions "up [our] ass."

He threatened to "sue the shit out of" New Times for even asking about racist language on the Web site.

Gheen says the language was posted by other people, not members of the group's executive board, although he admitted to using the term "wetback" in the past.

Dee Dee Blase, founder of Somos Republicans, says, among other things, she doesn't trust Hayworth because of his dealings with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff (it should be noted that Hayworth was never charged with any wrong doing regarding his ties to Abramoff).

She says she also doesn't like his stance on immigration, naturally.

"We're pissed," says Blase. "We're pissed at [Sheriff Joe ] Arpaio, we're pissed at [state Senator] Russell Pearce, and we're pissed at this lunatic [Hayworth]."Blase says, by condemning Hayworth, her group is not necessarily endorsing McCain.

She says that it's more about Hispanic Republicans "continuing to reject hate-mongering."

Jason Rose, Hayworth's communications director, tells New Times that Hayworth has no plans of rejecting the endorsement because the comments on the group's Web site don't necessarily come from the group's members.

Somos Republicans 3/10/10 press release citing ALI-PAC condoning racist language on its website:Arizona Hispanic Republicans Reject J.D. Hayworth And Any Hints Of Operation Wetback

For Immediate Release

Contact: Communications

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

http://somosrepublicans.com/2010/03/arizona-hispanic-republicans-reject-j-d-hayworth/

Phoenix, AZ -- Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Hispanic Republicans will not be supporting J.D. Hayworth, who was recently endorsed by ALIPAC.

Hayworth has refused to reject the PAC's endorsement, and has refused to return to them their $1000.00 donation. ALIPAC is an organization whose members have embraced "Operation Wetback."

ALIPAC cites OPERATION WETBACK on their PAC website. (Ryter, Jon Christian (2010, January 27). Operation Wetback.

Retrieved March 5, 2010, from the ALIPAC site: http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-186741.html).

ALIPAC is also an organization that allows their members to make fun of and depict Mexicans as “taco benders” and “pepper bellies.” (93 Camaro (2009, December 16). Ask A Mexican? Retrieved March 5, 2010, from the ALIPAC web site: http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-181814-taco.html+bender ).

Hispanic Republicans will continue to reject hate-mongering and racism against all immigrants.

Arizona Hispanic Republicans will continue to endorse and support strong capitalist politicians and not the politicians with a “dixiecrat” mentality.

Hispanic Republicans believe in the Party of Abraham Lincoln, who was confronted with a difficult labor issue in his day – the Slave Labor issue.

Republicans should continue to deal with our modern day immigration labor issue, too, via the National security way, the Capitalist way, and the humane way.

The Arizona Republican Party cannot afford to have their politicians embrace organizations like ALIPAC who use racial slurs such as "wetbacks," "taco benders," and the like, especially in our State of Arizona where the legal Hispanic population is 30%.

Supporting these types of politicians will thrust the State of Arizona into a Democrat State, much like we recently witnessed in our neighboring State of New Mexico.

Anti-Defamation League’s May 2009 report on ALI-PAC drawing support from white supremacists, neo-Nazis and xenophobes:

White Supremacists Promote ALIPAC and Take Action on its Behalf

Anti-Defamation League

May 26, 2009

As many anti-immigrant groups blur the line between discussions of immigration policy and outright bigotry towards non-white immigrants, white supremacists and anti-Semites have become increasingly supportive of those groups whose rhetoric matches their own anti-immigrant sentiment.

Extremists exploit the legitimacy of these anti-immigrant groups to advance their own hateful ideology and possibly expand recruitment.

Specifically, extremists have voiced support for Americans for Legal Immigration Political Action Committee (ALIPAC), which claims to support "control and reversal" of undocumented immigration but really disseminates its message with virulent, anti-immigrant rhetoric.

White supremacists and anti-Semites have promoted the group by engaging in activity on its behalf and posting links to ALIPAC's Web site on their own Web sites and forums.

br>Taking Action on Behalf of ALIPAC White supremacists and racist skinheads have encouraged their followers to engage in activity on behalf of ALIPAC.

These calls to action have included the promotion of ALIPAC-directed protests, rallies, and citizen lobbying of elected officials.

* The Vinlanders Social Club, a hardcore racist skinhead group based primarily in the Midwest, posted a piece to its Web site in which ALIPAC called for participation in the April 15 Tea Party, anti-tax protests that took place in cities across the country. The announcement on the Vinlanders Web site encouraged "supporters to attend the rallies and to setup tables where possible to circulate fliers…"

The Vinlanders have also encouraged their members and followers to lobby elected officials as a part of an ALIPAC campaign to secure the passage of anti-immigrant legislation. The Vinlander Web site administrator posted the lobbying instructions from ALIPAC in addition to a message which read, "Please take 20 minutes to assist."

* Western Voices World News (WVWN), the news Web site of the white supremacist European Americans United group, featured information about an April 2009 demonstration organized by ALIPAC and two other groups in North Carolina.

In addition to language about the demonstration's purpose, which was to support anti-immigrant legislation, readers on the white supremacist site were given the date, time, and mapped location of the event so that they could participate. WVWN also posted an article from the ALIPAC Web site which called on supporters to contact their Congressional representatives to demand that the Obama Administration close the American-Mexican border in the wake of the H1N1 flu outbreak. Anti-immigrant groups are exploiting the epidemic to advance their demonizing claims against Mexico and its people as disease carriers.

Promoting ALIPAC's Activity and StatementsAdditionally, anti-Semites and white supremacists posting on extremist forums promote ALIPAC, its activity, and Gheen's statements. These extremists look to ALIPAC and use the group's Web site and ideology to fuel their own hatred of non-white immigrants.

* In a post to the forum of the National Socialist Movement (NSM), the largest neo-Nazi group in the country, a Texas-based member wrote that he signed one of the group's petitions (which he referred to as a "pention").

Like other neo-Nazi groups, the NSM has worked to capitalize on anti-immigration sentiment in America, both to spread its hateful message and recruit a larger following.

* The Vanguard News Network forum, run by neo-Nazi Alex Linder who gave the forum a slogan of "No Jews, Just Right," features discussion threads in which individuals posted links to the ALIPAC Web site and other Gheen-related material.

For example, in early 2009, an individual using the screen name "ZOG CONTROL" praised and posted links to two of Gheen's Internet radio shows. He also commented that "Gheen is not able to be openly pro-White." (ZOG refers to the "Zionist Occupied Government," a phrase used by anti-Semites to suggest that the Jewish people are engaged in a conspiracy to control not only government bodies, but several other social institutions.)

* The administrator of the forum of the Vinlanders Social Club posted a request from ALIPAC for individuals to lobby an Indiana government official to facilitate the passage of legislation which would empower local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration law and mandate that employers verify the immigration status of their employees. Forum members responded by taking action and, as one Kentucky-based member wrote, "joining the fight."

* Links to ALIPAC's Web site and support for the group appears in several places on Stormfront, the largest and most popular white supremacist forum. One member provided a link to ALIPAC's site and wrote that the group "holds some of our tenents [sic]."

Another member posted a link to the list of ALIPAC's upcoming events, and under each post made by a Texas-based Stormfront member, a call to "PLEASE SUPPORT ALIPAC" is featured.Featuring links to and Complete Pieces from the ALIPAC Web siteAnti-Semitic and white supremacists Web sites also feature links to and complete pieces from the ALIPAC Web site.

* In early April 2009, the Web site of American Free Press, a virulently anti-Semitic newspaper, featured a front-page link to an article on the ALIPAC Web site. The newspaper's Web site also featured a November 2008 article by Gheen and information about ALIPAC. American Free Press is published by Willis Carto, one of the most influential American anti-Semitic propagandists of the past 50 years. Carto also publishes The Barnes Review, a Holocaust denial magazine.

* The Web site of American Renaissance, a white supremacist journal, has featured a number of articles that either originate from ALIPAC's Web site or discuss the group.

Most recently, the American Renaissance Web site posted an April 2009 piece written by William Gheen in which he described his experience at an anti-immigrant event at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. American Renaissance described ALIPAC as a "non-white pressure group."

* David Duke, an anti-Semite and white supremacist, has featured several pieces from ALIPAC on his Web site, including articles about the group's activity. Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan Grand Dragon, was arrested in April 2009 in the Czech Republic on suspicions that he was spreading Holocaust denial.