POLITICO.COM : Beyond Mariachi and Piñata Politics - Norm Coleman ( Fmr MN Sen ) and Jeb Bush ( Fmr FL Gov ) are making calls and working hard for a more inclusive Republican Party and are organizing Latinos - Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty will speak at conference

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POLITICO.COM
GOP spells Latino outreach J-E-B
By CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN
December 2, 2010


GOP spells Latino outreach J-E-B



Some excerpts :

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has teamed up with former Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, who served in former President George W. Bush’s Cabinet, and former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.), a one-time supporter of comprehensive immigration reform, to restore the Republican Party’s standing with this fastest-growing segment of the electorate.

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“When Norm called me to tell me he was doing this, I almost broke into song, I was so happy,” said Ana Navarro, co-chair of McCain’s National Hispanic Advisory Council. “We all know it’s been a problem, but nobody has been leading any real concerted effort to address the problem.”

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Outgoing Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty confirmed his attendance at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Fla., and “the interest level is high” among the rest of the field, said Rob Collins, a spokesman for the group.

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Rubio and New Mexico Gov.-elect Susana Martinez advocated a border-security- first, no-amnesty position on immigration during the campaign, similar to most Republicans, “but there is a different tone,” Coleman said.

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Coleman, the chief executive officer of the American Action Network, has been consulting with a roster of key Hispanic Republicans: Ana Navarro, former Florida Sen. Mel Martinez, and Alfonso Aguilar, president of the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles.

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“This is a response to a realization that we need the support of Latino voters if we are to prevail in 2012, if we want to win back the White House,” Aguilar said. “We have to move away from piñata politics.”

The involvement of Jeb Bush signaled to Navarro and Aguilar that the effort was a serious one, installing the Republican Party’s most trusted emissary to the Latino community and a credible conservative voice in the role of co-chairman.

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One session will take stock of the relationship between Republicans and Latino community, and how the tone of the debate affects their perception of the party. Immigration will be another top-tier discussion.

“It is an issue, it has to be addressed,” Coleman said.

But he was reluctant to prescribe a solution ahead of the conference.

“Do I believe there is a path out there that Republicans can follow that will allow us to continue to grow support in the Hispanic community? Yes,” Coleman said. “The point of the forum is to address many issues and immigration is one of them. I’m a believer that ultimately people of goodwill can come together. We’re not going to be afraid to have that discussion.”

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