A conservative Hispanic group is coming to the defense of Republican Sen. Marco Rubio after Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid questioned the Cuban-American lawmakers commitment to Hispanic issues given his early opposition to an ambassadorial nominee who is Puerto Rican.
Reid made the remark in an interview with Politico. Reid criticized Rubio for initially opposing President Obamas nomination of Mari Carmen Aponte for ambassador to El Salvador.
In Nevada this woman is seen by the Puerto Rican community the Hispanic community as really somebody who is an up-and-rising star. ... I just think its a mistake for someone who is supposedly representing Hispanic issues to do what (Rubio) has done Reid said.
But Alfonso Aguilar executive director of the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles called the criticism by Reid and others appalling.
This blatant attempt at racial identity politics is offensive and condescending to all Latinos he said in a statement Thursday.
Its insulting for Reid and Obamas minions to imply that all Latinos support a persons nomination to federal office just because he or she is a fellow Latino. Many Latinos and Puerto Ricans opposed the nominations of Mari Carmen Aponte and (Supreme Court Justice) Sonia Sotomayor Aguilar said.
Aguilar who is Puerto Rican said he opposed Aponte for her advocacy of gay rights issues in El Salvador not because she is a fellow Puerto Rican.
Aponte served briefly as Obamas ambassador to El Salvador until her recess appointment expired at the end of 2011 and she was denied a Senate confirmation.
Some conservatives were upset with a gay-rights op-ed she wrote over the summer for an El Salvador newspaper. Her nomination from the start also was burdened by speculation dating back to the 1990s that a former boyfriend had possible ties to the Cuban government -- though the FBI reportedly cleared Aponte of actually being targeted for recruitment herself.
Rubio initially opposed Apontes nomination but later relented to support her.
Reid complained to Politico though that the Florida senator was not able to deliver the votes for Aponte at the end of 2011.
