A CALIFORNIA HISPANIC EARTHQUAKE?

The military leader of the Contra anti-communist guerrillas in Nicaragua back in the 1980s was Enrique Bermudez. “003” as he was code-named, arranged for me to cross into Nicaragua from Honduras a number of times with Contra groups. I came to have tremendous admiration for his extraordinarily courageous struggle against the Soviet and Cuban take-over of his country, and the Communist tyranny established by the Sandinistas. I also came to have a great affection for him personally, as a man of unpretentious warmth and straightforward integrity.

Enrique was assassinated in 1991 on orders from the head of the Sandinista Gestapo, Tomas Borge, but the US left-wing Sandinista-sympathizing media assassinated his character way before then. The smears were unending as the left spared no effort to demonize him and the Contras. Now the left is busy doing the same to Enrique’s daughter.

Claudia Bermudez was born in Nicaragua, grew up in San Francisco, and while her father was fighting for freedom in Nicaraguan jungles, she was in college in Hawaii. She clearly has her father’s moxie – because she’s running for Congress on a boldly conservative platform as the Republican challenger of the most left-wing House Member there is, Barbara Lee, in the most left-wing Congressional District in the country, California’s 9th centered on Berkeley and Oakland.

Just to give you an idea of how hate-America left-wing Barbara Lee is, three days after the Atrocity of September 11, 2001, on September 14, Congress passed HJ Resolution 64 entitled “To authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against those responsible for the recent attacks launched against the United States.” It won by a vote of 420 to 1. That lone no vote was Barbara Lee’s. She is Marxist Blame-America-First anti-white racist to the core. Naturally, her campaign features vicious smears of Claudia.

Given the district – Berkeley! – Claudia’s chances are slim. Yet she is an indication of how Hispanic Conservatives are challenging California’s liberal status quo – and our preconceptions of what motivates Hispanics in general.

Many people think that California Hispanics are knee-jerk Democrat and fanatically opposed to any restrictions on illegal immigration. Sure, this is true for many – but the number for which it is not is growing and dramatically. So much so that I’ve had California Congressmen tell me the most important House race in the country is Tim Escobar’s attempt to unseat Linda Sanchez in Orange County’s 39th District.

The Sanchez Sisters, Linda and Loretta, are Democrat incumbents in adjoining districts. Loretta got elected first by defeating B-1 Bob Dornan with illegal alien votes in 1996. She’s über-liberal but is smooth and savvy, attractive and cooperative on a number of issues with her Republican colleagues. Her Republican challenger, Alexandra Coronado, can point to various outrages of Loretta’s, such as her friendship with Fidel Castro, but Alexandra is fighting uphill.

Tim Escobar is not. Linda Sanchez is Loretta’s opposite, in looks, in brains, and political acumen. She’s uncooperative, arrogant, and as overt in her radical leftism as Loretta’s is disguised. That’s why Tim is raising lots of money and the national GOP is behind him.

A Conservative Hispanic Republican defeating an incumbent Liberal Hispanic Democrat in California would have repercussions all by itself. But it’s much more than that. While Alexandra Coronado and Claudia Bermudez focus on other issues like taxes, Tim Escobar is running straight up against illegal immigration, saying if elected he will propose a raft of legislation to curb the flood of illegal (and mostly Hispanic as we all know) aliens into America, California in particular.

There are lots of Hispanic-Americans, it turns out, who resent what the illegal flood is doing to their communities, their schools, and their taxes. Tim is appealing to them. If he wins, his victory changes the entire national debate on immigration. It will be proof that Republicans don’t have to pander to illegal immigrants to gain Hispanic votes. Are you listening, Mr. President?

I encourage you to support Claudia Bermudez’s brave effort against Barbara Lee. Her website is goclaudia.com.

I also encourage you to consider helping Alexandra Coronado via coronadoforcongress.com.

I’m rooting for them both. The race to watch more than any other, though, is Escobar’s. If you want to change America’s entire perspective and direction regarding illegal immigration, he’s the guy you need to get behind. He’s at timescobar.com. His victory would register an 8.9 on the political Richter scale.