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McCain has a backer in Rosario Marín

By MARTÍN E. MARTÍNEZ / Vida En El Valle

SACRAMENTO -- The Republican National Convention 2008 will take place Sept. 1-4 in St. Paul, Minn., where John McCain is expected to be nominated as the Republican Party's candidate for U.S. President.

A total of 2,380 Republican delegates from every state in this country will participate in the convention, with the mission of expressing their support for McCain.

In California, one of the delegates charged with that mission is Rosario Marín, ex-Treasurer of the United States. Marín is now based in Sacramento, where she serves as Secretary of the State and Consumer Services Agency.

Vida en el Valle had the opportunity to chat with Marín about the Republican Party platform and issues facing McCain that are of special importance to Latinos, such as immigration reform and unemployment, among others.

Marín considers McCain the standard bearer for the needs of the Latino community. McCain has faced a very high political cost for taking that position, according to Marín, even risking his own political career.

"Senator McCain was the first to propose immigration reform at a moment when the subject of undocumented immigrants in this country was a real hot-button issue," Marín said. "Nevertheless, his determination to help these people drove him forward in spite of the fact that he knew his political career could be affected."

This suggests that McCain genuinely cares about the needs of the Latino community, especially since he comes from the state of Arizona where the majority of the population is of Latino origin, Marín commented.

"He did this (proposed immigration reform) because he has a clear and firm commitment to helping resolve the problem of undocumented immigration. Nobody knows the problem more deeply than he, and for that reason he's uniquely capable of offering solutions," Marín said.

As proof, Marín pointed to the fact that Arizona voters have elected McCain in numbers greater than 70 percent. The state has seen everything McCain has done, not only with regard to the immigration question but in many other areas as well, Marín said.

That's why Latinos in other states should see why the politician is so popular in Arizona and enjoys such broad support there, Marín added.

"In Arizona they recognize the integrity, passion, knowledge and friendship he has with the Latino community; I believe that with this Convention McCain is going to show why he is the best option for the Latino community," Marín said.

Regarding McCain's opponent, Democrat Barack Obama, Marín commented on a moment when Obama showed his lack of political experience and his disinterest in the Latinos of this country.

"In a speech during his tour of Germany, this gentleman (Obama) commented that he spoke not only as a citizen of the United States but also of the world, and mentioned many countries but never México nor any other Latin American country. That tells me this citizen of the world can't remember the millions of Latino people who live in his own country," Marín remarked.

The problem with Obama, according to Marín, is that he can never explain how the world works because he has such limited experience; it's just the opposite with McCain, who always explains why he's for or against the construction of a border wall or immigration reform.

Marín also referred to McCain's heroism and determination to make things work for Latinos as for the rest of the nation.

"I greatly admire Senator McCain's life journey because he's had very difficult moments in helping defend his country. He has an incredible personal history in which time and again he's had to overcome incredible challenges like living in torture for five years as a prisoner of war, and all for the well being of his country and his people."

With regard to the current economic crisis, Marín commented that McCain has always been concerned about the taxpayers' purses.

"McCain has been very clear in stating that a society in which the economy is failing you cannot take more resources out of the hands of taxpayers because that creates other, more serious economic problems that will hurt the working people most of all."

Among the most prominent figures at the Republican Convention are the Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger; former Mayor of New York Rudolph W. Giuliana; U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez; among many more.

Send e-mail to: mmartinez@vidaenelvalle.com