What a dumb gimmick to try and win the GOP primary.
Tito Muñoz Challenges Jeff Frederick to Debate in Spanish Language
- GOP Nomination Contest Cast as Between Two Hispanics -
WOODBRIDGE – Tito Muñoz, candidate for the Republican nomination for the Virginia Senate in the 36th District, today issued a debate challenge to his primary opponent, former Delegate and ousted Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia Jeff Frederick. Muñoz challenged Frederick to a debate, or forum, to be conducted in only the Spanish language.
Both Muñoz and Frederick can claim a background from Colombia. In a recent piece in the Washington Post, this point is made clear. Muñoz was born in Colombia and emigrated to the United States in the mid 1970s. He became a naturalized citizen in 2008. Frederick had a parent who was born in Colombia, and was himself born in Fairfax County.
“This is a great opportunity for the voters of the 36th District, particularly the Hispanic population,” said Muñoz. “Since we have two Hispanic candidates for the Republican nomination, what better opportunity is there to reach out to our growing population? I hope Jeff agrees that our Hispanic brothers and sisters might like to be spoken to in their native language.”
Muñoz will contact the Frederick campaign to establish a date, time, location and moderator for the debate, assuming Frederick’s agreement.
Muñoz, a native of Colombia who became a naturalized American citizen in 2008, will focus primarily on issues that directly affect the quality of life for Virginians: job creation, economic expansion, reduced taxes on businesses, energy independence, transportation and educational choice.
Tito “The Builder” Muñoz is the founder of the Conservative Hispanic Coalition. He hosts “America Eres TU” (“America Is You”) on Radio WURA 920AM in Quantico, Virginia, and nationally and internationally via Ustream. Active members of the Prince William County Republican Committee, Tito and his wife Deborah support and campaign for conservative candidates and causes locally and nationally.
For more information please visit www.VoteTito.com
Follow Tito “The Builder” Muñoz on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/titothebuilder) and Twitter (www.Twitter.com/TitotheBuilder).-30-
Paid for and authorized by Friends of Tito Muñoz
Filed under: 2011 Elections, Fairfax Politics, Prince William County Politics, Stafford County Politics, Theater of the Absurd, Tito The Builder, Virginia General Assembly
What a stupid idea.
What is stupid about it? either the guy is Latino and speaks Spanish, or he is pandering to the Latino community while in reality he only has a mother that was born in Columbia. Which one is it? If in fact Frederick is Latino and proud of it, what has he done with or for the Hispanic community? All voters have a right to know before we cast our votes. I think it is an excellent idea!
Pandering? This is tragic….we proud Americans of Hispanic decent who fought for our country….as in the U.S.A. in Vietnam are proud of our heritage. But we fight for assimilaton not segregation…..Pander if one needs to in ENGLISH!!! And shame to infer one is not Hispanic enough by being born in America and having a Spanish name or family. We promote America first and formost. That is we who have fought for it. Bottom line…DEBATE IN ENGLISH AND SERVE AMERICA. Have pride in the spanish language…but promote English and America first.
Well said!
It’s a stupid idea, because:
A) We’re in America, and there are people who speak all sorts of languages here
B) They will be representing a very diverse population, not just Hispanics
C) Jeff Frederick NEVER tried to pander to the Latino community by emphasizing his Latin heritage. He would represent ALL his constituents – not just Spanish-speaking ones.
Why is that stupid? Sounds like a good idea.
It sure is, unless he cannot actually debate Tito in Spanish because he cannot speak it…
How about the majority of the residents in the district who cannot speak or understand Spanish? How will this serve them? And what about Tito always talking about integrating into society? My grandparents and great grandparents didn’t expect political debates in America to be held in Polish or German.
I’m kinda straddling the fence on this one. On the one hand, the GOP HAD BETTER be reaching out to all voters, and ESPECIALLY the growing Latino community. They are on course to outvote white folks in a mere 5 years. Yes…. the legal ones.
So, I certainly understand Tito’s frustration with the failure to launch that the present GOP seems to be under.
Didn’t Marco Rubio have a debate in Spanish? Oh snap!!
Yes he did.
As we’ve said before, we’re big fans of Tito, but his consultants are doing him a great disservice in many ways and this is just one of them. The 36th Dist. isn’t South Florida / Miami and Tito isn’t Rubio.
Riley: a debate in Spanish should not exclude one in English. What about the very high percentage of Latinos in the 36th? Why can’t they have the opportunity to hear a debate in Spanish?
Tea party patriot / Real Latina — please pick one name and stick to using it instead of trying to make it look like there are a bunch more Tito supporters here than there really are.
I still think its amazing that no one knew Jeff Frederick was anything other than plain ol American until right about the end of the process where he was drummed out of the state party chairmanship and he wanted to claim “racism” in the decision and now again when its to his advantage in this primary race he likes to throw out his family background. Sometimes you have to call BS when you see it. Just think in Illinois if they would have called BS on a certain state legislator back in 2004 or so our economy wouldn’t be in the crapper either.
VOTE TITO!
Thank you Tallet, I was bit aware if that. In that case, it’s complete pandering, and BS indeed. What I’d like to know is where the premise of this blog is coming from? Why would having a debate in Spanish guarantee a win in the primary for Tito? Maybe you can enlighten us, Riley
That is exactly what I am saying, having a debate in Spanish WOULD NOT guarantee a win in the primary for Tito. It distracts from the issues and will inflame those voters who believe in the American Melting Pot vs. the liberal Beautiful Mosaic.
Lee, those of us who lived in the 52nd and were represented by Jeff knew about his background all along.
This is one of the stupidest moves I have heard from a campaign in some time. Vote Tito- he speaks Spanish better than Frederick? 99% of the voters are going to look at this and wonder how this would make Tito a better Senator.
Another false argument, did anyone say that speaking Spanish would make Tito a better senator? And where, o where, is the answer to the ridiculous claim that debating in Spanish would mean a sure win for Tito? Does Frederick have something to hide? What is his stance on immigration? Is he proud of his heritage, and if so, how what has he done or intends to do as a senator for the hundreds of thousands of Latinos that live in the 36th? All valid questions, no answers yet.
So Riley, let’s have a debate both in English and Spanish. if Jeff supporters are so confident in his abilities, why not go for it? I’m so sorry it upsets you that when I’m in different devices, my alias was different. Funny how you allow others to be anonymous, Daniel C. Which we all know is Daniel Cortez, and all the same bloggers that blast Tito and spew racially insensitive language at the Black Velvet Li blog. I think you all should check it out!
I’m not saying that people can’t be anonymous, just not multiple anonymous.
Aren’t there more important things to be debating than the language in which to debate? I think Tito is taking his eye off the ball here, a debate should be a venue to highlight what his vision and policy goals are for the 36th and Virginia – not how much better he can speak spanish.
I understand all the outreach issues, but it appears that each candidate is trying to outreach the other instead of putting out a clear vision for their constituents to make a decision on voting for them.
This is a primary in a low voter turn out election with just 4 weeks to go, the guy who gets out in front of the issues and gets the most people to the polls wins. A spanish debate – and the ensuing bickering about it – does not do that.
I am proud of my Swiss heritage, however I don’t speak anything except English. Does this make me a hypocrite or not a suitable candidate for office? I expect Jeff is loving this, nothing like having your opponent focused on an issue most voters don’t care about.
And by the way, if there are hundreds of thousands of Latino’s in the 36′th the must be “undocumented” and not registered to vote. Last time I checked there were only 219,000 people in the district and less than 25% of them have any latino heritage.
Marta Saltus aka Real Latina aka Tea Party Patriot- Jeff has a history and a record on the issues. You just don’t want to acknowledge the facts. Like you said on your facebook yesterday, “if you can’t take the heat get out of the kitchen,” you yourself can’t take the heat and deleted an entire post attacking Jeff Frederick. You can’t stand that people might not agree with you. Your own facebook friends have to call you out.
Wow, I didn’t realize my FB page was being monitored by people on the Frederick camp that will not disclose their real name. Why dont you tell us who you are? And Riley? And anonymous? I will delete any post as I wish, and that is none of any of your business. I could not stand the vitriol and intolerance, which is even evident by your attacks at me. good bye and good luck, bigots!!
Marta-I don’t have to monitor you, I’m your facebook friend already! You don’t use your real name either. Pot calling kettle black. You represent Tito well.
With friends like you, who needs enemies. You are a coward if you cannot reveal your identity!
Murtaugh, Marchi, Capelli, and Williams strike again. They are officially the dumbest group of consultants in Virginia. Desumo Strategies should be put out of business.
Amen. They should be called Dumbo Strategies.
Agreed… This pandering is ridiculous and makes Tito look like a Democrat. Jeff is Hispanic, he just doesn’t wear on his sleeve like Tito does, and Tito essentially said “He’s not a real Hispanic because he never lived overseas and spoke Spanish as his first language” in the WaPo piece. Sure you’re in the right party, Tito?
This is the next worst thing to throwing Oreo cookies at Michael Steele. I like Tito, but he needs to can that consulting firm and reconsider why he’s running… not sure he “gets it” about what America’s about yet.
http://thelibertyzone.com/2011/07/29/tito-mu%C3%B1oz-plays-identity-politicssure-youre-republican-pal.aspx
See how you folks like these identity politics, oh wait, Frederick is the one doing it, not Tito!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/virginia-politics/post/tito-the-builder-wants-hispanic-media-to-host-a-debate/2011/08/01/gIQAvK77nI_blog.html?refid=0
“I offered to have a debate in Spanish, to the Hispanic population, so we could introduce ourselves as conservatives with conservative principles,” Munoz said.
Munoz, a naturalized U.S citizen from Colombia, said he has spoken in Spanish to Frederick, whose mother was born in Colombia, on several occasions.
Frederick, who previously served three terms in the Virginia House of Delegates and served as the chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, has taken credit for being the first Hispanic elected to the General Assembly as well as being the first Hispanic to to head the state’s Republican party
“He mentions himself that he’s the first Hispanic in the General Assembly. Also he mentions himself that he’s the first Latino as the chairman of the Republican party of Virginia,” Munoz said.
According to U.S. Small Business Administration documents, Frederick’s IT business, which contracts with the federal government, is registered as a “disadvantaged business enterprise” and minority-owned business.
“He says he wants to shake up things in Richmond, but he takes affirmative action program from the federal government as a Hispanic, but he doesn’t perform for the Hispanic community,” Munoz said. “It’s something that doesn’t fit.”
“I don’t play both fences only for my economical well being because I think that it’s hypocrisy. It is not conservative and I don’t think that’s what the Republican philosophy says,” Munoz said.
Frederick’s campaign manager Mick Bransfield said Frederick hasn’t benefitted from his Small Business Administration status and pointed out that Munoz lists his business, DeBorn Construction, on The Blue Book Building and Construction Network as a disadvantaged business enterprise and a minority business enterprise.
Bransfield said the invitation from the Munoz campaign was disingenuous.
“This is just the latest political stunt by the Munoz campaign,” Bransfield wrote in an e-mail to the News & Messenger “It’s a little odd, though, that Mr. Munoz would attack Jeff Frederick for having participated in the same programs that Mr. Munoz himself has participated in. This distraction has nothing to do with improving the quality of life for the people of the 36th District by lowering taxes, improving Rt. 1, or helping businesses create jobs and grow our economy.”
Munoz’s campaign manager Timothy Murtaugh said that as a sub-cortractor, Munoz has never taken advantage of his status with the Small Business Administration either.
Furthermore, Murtaugh said, Munoz no longer files with the administration as a minority owned business.
“He has removed himself from that category because one, he’s never taken a contract under it, but also, should he become a state senator, he believes it would be a conflict to ever seek business from any level of government,” Murtaugh said.
In response to Frederick’s declining to debate in Spanish, Munoz countered with an offer to face Frederick in an English debate moderated by Spanish media.
Bransfield said that Frederick would be willing to face Munoz in a debate “anytime, anywhere.”
Senior reporter Keith Walker can be reached at 703-369-6751.
How is Jeff playing identity politics? If anything, that article shows that Tito just won’t lay off it, and Jeff is refusing to engage in it.
Let’s see, Robert, claiming to be a disadvantage minority business to get preference treatment when he bids jobs? Maybe you don’t understand how that works, buddy, read up and educate yourself.
They both participated in the program… Tito’s problem seems to be that Jeff “isn’t performing for Hispanics.” What does he mean by that?
There’s nothing here. Seriously, give up trying to push the racial angle in this race.
Not true! Now the criteria to participate in the program is to be “socially and economically disadvantaged” My understanding is that Jeff’s been in the program for 9 years, some during which he was the RPV chairman with a salary of $100,000. I wouldn’t think that salary would qualify under the category, but you seem to know better….
[...] more than ever Tito should sever ties with these consultants who are not serving him well. They have already all but guaranteed his defeat 3 weeks from today in the primary. I do not [...]
Yes, this is a stupid gimmick likely designed to only pander to a portion of the electorate. Regardless of policy, I would strongly consider voting against any person who promoted such a scheme. I’m pretty sure the language used in the VA Senate is English.
Marta you are making stuff up. RPV Chairman pays NOTHING. Where do you get $100,000 from? “socially and economically disadvantaged” is how they classify the 8(a) program. It doesn’t mean you are “poor”. You have not a clue what you are talking about.