Archive for July, 2011

Added $1.7 billion in spending and created a $1.4 billion deficit.

From the Maclver Institute:

A comprehensive analysis of Assembly Democrats’ proposed amendments to the recently passed state budget shows that had their amendments been adopted, spending would have increased by $1.7 billion.

Our analysts consulted with the nonpartisan Legisaltive Fiscal Bureau as they went through the amendment packages line by line. Their findings: If the Assembly Democrats’ twelve major packaged amendments to the budget bill had passed, Wisconsin would be looking at a $1,779,098,700 spending increase.

None of the amendments offered by the assembly Democrats passed and many of the later amendments containing similar provisions of earlier packages.

In our analysis of the twelve major amendment packages offered by Assembly Democrats we did not ‘double count’ proposed expenditures: If a specific spending proposal was included in more than one amendment, we only counted the spending once.

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From NPR:

With the 2012 sweepstakes for Hispanic votes under way, President Obama and the Democrats tout a decided advantage. But as more Latino Republicans run for state and local offices — and win — they could persuade Hispanic voters to reconsider their party loyalty.

For many years, the overwhelming majority of Latinos in elected office have been Democrats, due in part to the party’s advocacy of social programs and pro-amnesty immigration policies.

Today, elected Latino Democrats outnumber elected Latino Republicans by an 11-to-1 margin, according to the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO).

But the ranks of Latino Democrats have thinned over the past five years, while their Republican counterparts have gained.

Since 2006, the number of Hispanic Democratic officeholders has shrunken by nearly 2 percent. Meanwhile, the number of Hispanic Republicans in office has increased 22.5 percent.

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From the Wall Street Journal:

As the Republican field jockeys for position in the 2012 presidential primaries, it is no surprise to hear the candidates trying to bolster their authority by invoking the name of Ronald Reagan. Yet one critical demographic group will not automatically respond to Reagan’s name: Young voters of the millennial generation, so named because they are the first to come of age in the new millennium.

The oldest members of this generation were just 8 years old when Reagan left office, so Republican candidates can’t assume that invoking his name will win them over. But the eventual Republican nominee should strive to emulate the Gipper by finding a way to connect conservatism to this rising generation of voters.

Reagan brought an entire generation to the Republican Party in 1980, and in 1984 he won the youth vote by 20%. The GOP needs this kind of revolution again if it hopes to recapture the White House and create a sustained majority.

The millennials—born between the beginning of the Reagan era and the end of the Clinton presidency—are the largest age group in America today, numbering approximately 80 million. There are 17 million more millennials than Baby Boomers and 27 million more than Generation Xers (ages 31-45).

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From The Politico:

The Republican State Leadership Committee debuted a new initiative Monday aimed at attracting more Hispanic candidates to run for office.

The Future Majority Project — which also aims to recruit women and younger voters to the GOP — is a response to the country’s changing demographics, and seeks to build Republican support among minority groups at the state level, RSLC chair Ed Gillespie said Monday. The new project will work to recruit, train and support Hispanic candidates for legislative seats and attorney general and secretary of state posts across the U.S.

The FMP has three major objectives: recruit at least 100 new Hispanic legislative candidates across the country, increase the number of female Republican legislative candidates and partner with the College Republican National Committee for a national youth training and mobilization program.

Gillespie said the FMP’s top goal is connecting with Hispanic voters.

“If we don’t adapt now to changes that are taking place in the country, we will face a very different electorate in a couple cycles,” Gillespie said during a conference call with reporters.

The project will cost around $3 million, RSLC President Chris Jankowski estimated.

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Alexandria, Va. (July 18, 2011) – The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) announced, today, the launch of the Future Majority Project (FMP), which works to recruit and support qualified Hispanic and female candidates for legislative seats, Attorneys General, and Secretaries of State across the nation. The FMP will coordinate with party officials and Hispanic leaders to identify qualified candidates, recruit them and support their campaigns for office.

“In the next decade, elections will feature an electorate that is substantially different from that of today and is vastly different from the electorate that decided a major US election as recently as 2000,” said RSLC Chairman Ed Gillespie. “The Future Majority Project views the changing demographics of America’s electorate as a unique opportunity to build the strength, reach and appeal of the Republican Party.”

The FMP will consist of three core initiatives aimed at enhancing the Republican Party’s competitiveness among key constituencies in the face of changing demographics:

• Hispanic candidate recruitment, training and support initiative: In 2012, the FMP has set a goal to recruit at least 100 new Hispanic Republican legislative candidates across the nation.
• Female candidate recruitment, training and support initiative: The FMP will work with in-state party leaders to build up the number of qualified female Republican legislative candidates.
• Youth training and mobilization initiative: The RSLC, in partnership with the College Republican National Committee, will launch a national training and mobilization program to energize political participation among young adults.

The RSLC will provide these candidates with direct and indirect training and support, within the bounds of each state’s campaign finance regulations.

The FMP will be advised by a board of advisers that will provide recommendations for potential Hispanic and female candidates and help construct a state-by-state plan to build support for the project among party leaders, donors and Hispanic and female leaders. The initial board includes:

Hector Barreto

• President, The Latino Coalition
• Administrator, Small Business Administration (2001-06)
• Chairman of the Board, Los Angeles Latin Business Association
• Vice Chairman, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

George P. Bush

• Partner, Pennybacker Capital
• Co-founder, Hispanic Republicans of Texas
• Chairman, MAVPAC
• Board of Advisors, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria
• Lieutenant, U.S. Navy Reserves

Hon. Quico Canseco:

• U.S. Representative, Texas’s 23rd Congressional District (2011-present)
• President and Director, FMC Developers (1988-2010)
• Chairman, Texas Heritage Bancshares Inc. (2001-2007)

Hon. Luis Fortuño

• Governor of Puerto Rico (2009-present)
• U.S. Member of Congress (2005-2009)
• Chair, Congressional Hispanic Conference (2007-2009)
• President, Puerto Rico Statehood Party

Hon. Jamie Herrera Beutler:

• U.S. Representative, Washington’s 3rd Congressional District (2011-present)
• State Representative, State of Washington (2007-2010)

Hon. Alci Maldonado:

• National Chairman, Republican National Hispanic Assembly (2009-present)
• Commissioner, State of Florida Commission on the Status of Women (2008-present)
• Executive Board, Lakeland Vision (2007-present)
• Commissioner, Polk County Efficiency Commission (2005-08)

Hon. Rosario Marin:

• 41st U.S. Treasurer (2001-03)
• Executive Board Member, Hispanic 100
• CA Secretary of State and Consumer Services Agency (2006-2009)
• Mayor, Huntington Park, CA (1999-2000)
• City Council, Huntington Park, CA (1995-2001)
• Co-Founder and Past Chair, National Association of Latina Leaders

Hon. Mel Martinez:

• U.S. Senator, Florida (2005-2009)
• Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (2001-03)
• Chairman, Republican National Committee (2006-07)

Hon. Susana Martinez:

• Governor, State of New Mexico (2011-present)
• District Attorney, Dona Ana County, State of New Mexico (1997-2010)
• 2011 Hispanic Woman of the Year, Hispanic Business Magazine

Hon. Lionel Rivera:

• Mayor of Colorado Springs, Colorado (2003-2011)
• City Council, Colorado Springs (1997-2003)
• Chairman of the Board, Colorado Springs Utility (2003-11)
• Founder and Past President, Colorado Springs Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (1989-92)
• Captain, United States Army

Hon. Brian Sandoval:

• Governor, State of Nevada (2011-present)
• Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada (2005-09)
• Attorney General, State of Nevada (2003-05)
• Assemblyman, State of Nevada (1994-98)

“The RSLC believes that cultivating change is best achieved through a bottom-up, state-level approach,” said RSLC President Chris Jankowski. “Over the last decade, the RSLC has built a record, state by state, of electing the GOP’s farm team whose members go on to be elected to Governorships, seats in Congress, and we believe one day soon — the White House.”