ShareThisHOUSTON - The question recently came up whether the GOP debates would have benefitted if someone like Ben Fernandez were among the presidential aspirants.
Dig back. Who's Ben Fernandez?
In 1972, Fernandez was responsible for organizing the Hispanic National Assembly for the Republican Party. He was a fundraiser who supported Richard Nixon. When that activity led to a chapter in the Watergate investigation, he changed tactics and began registering more Latinos for the party.
This bit of history reflects on what is wrong with the Grand Old Party nearly four decades later. Assuming its current presidential nomination aspirants reflect where the party wants to go, it has disowned its own history and its building blocks of the past.
While the party cries for national leadership, it is shaped by a myopic, pup tent perspective. Most of the current candidates seem to be trying to convince themselves and the public that they can get away with alienating Latinos with their assaults on Latinos' human dignity.
Rumors back in the 1970s before the Watergate fiasco suggested that Fernandez might be rewarded by Nixon with a Cabinet appointment like Secretary of Commerce for his efforts. Later, Fernandez realized he was being used by campaign hacks when the administration turned its back even on equity measures for Latinos in federal employment.
Fernandez set out next to make the National Hispanic Assembly (note title inconsistency) an influence among Republicans. This happened when Gerald Ford ran and lost for president. In 1978, Fernandez astounded the party by announcing his candidacy for the Republican nomination.
He campaigned in 1980 alongside such formidable contenders as Treasury Secretary John Connally, Connecticut Sen. Lowell Weicker, Rep. John Anderson of Illinois and California Gov. Ronald Reagan.
Fernandez succeeded in drawing the attention of millions of Latinos at least to consider the Republican alternative for their vote. He was probably responsible for the still-current belief that Hispanic Republicans represent an "economic conservative and social liberal" demographic. That slogan still needs definition but it worked for a while.
Fernandez ran again in 1984, extending out to Democrats and independents to draw new people into the nation's political life and to have them considered in the issues and answers. Reagan was known to have liked this.
What a difference this was compared to the current crop of nomination-seekers who value national disengagement, separate and unequal, shameful excesses that border on human rights crimes, family disintegration and educational decline for new populations.
Political leadership is about lifting people's vision to see what is possible. It's about the pursuit of the highest common denominator as a society, not our baser selves.
It used to be the art of the possible, not crass class distinction.
Fernandez was not a hero, but he did lift the discussion during three election cycles so smart candidates had to think twice before trying to turn the electorate into a mob.
Back in the '70s, Fernandez addressed the resistance among some Republicans accusing them of distracting, simplistic answers that could turn the audience mean.
"They're suffering delusions," he said, "not keeping in step with the times...They can protest all they like, but we're coming in with dynamism. We're hoping to be invited but we're not waiting to be. We're moving in."
That was 40 years ago. Maybe, a new leader needs to take over the Republican Party's management, one who understands the lessons taught by good Republicans like Benjamin Fernandez.
If they can't turn it around, the only other story to learn is that of the dodo bird.
(Jose de la Isla writes a weekly commentary for Hispanic Link News Service. E-mail him at joseisla3(at)yahoo.com. For more stories visit scrippsnews.com)
COLUMNMust credit Hispanic Link
