Janet Murguía: Multiple Amnesty Failures Have Unglued Her—Will She Lose Her Job, Too?
06/06/2008
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In my April column about the then-looming illegal alien May Day marches, I wrote that the other side had suffered such a series of staggering defeats that some of its leaders are becoming visibly unglued and appear on the verge of a total stress-induced mental collapse.

The abject, utter failure of this year's May Day events—a more complete bomb than even I dared to imagine—cannot have helped them regain their balance.

One of the most visibly shaken: La Raza's Janet Murguía who, with the cameras rolling on three recent occasions, demonstrated an increasingly distanced position from reality.

Murguía's demeanor indicated that she's teetering on the edge.

Analyzed in reverse order, the high-visibility events were:

  • Murguia's April 16 speech to the National Press Club.

Fascinating for a host of reasons, Murguía's speech counted on the gullibility of her MainStream Media audience to get away with her outrageously absurd remarks.

Among them were, if you can believe it, Murguía's accusatory tongue-lashings of the liberal press for misrepresenting and under-reporting the so-called merits of illegal immigration.

Murguía made multiple references to how "vigilantes" and "hate groups" "demonize" and "dehumanize" what she referred to as "immigrants."

She cited, without any sources or statistical references, that  "…hate crimes against Latinos are up 35 percent over four years…." And naturally, she touted the "Latino vote" for its power to determine the outcome of all future elections.

Then came her corker.

Whining about how "personal" the perfectly appropriate national immigration debate is, Murguía reached deep into her sob story bag of tricks for this one:

"When your 10 year-old nephew who was born in Kansas is told by a schoolmate, 'Mexicans are stupid, and I think you should go back to Mexico.'"[Full Text]

Was Murguía suggesting that federal immigration policy should be established based on what one fourth-grader in Kansas allegedly said to another?

If that's not crazy, what is?

Here's an interesting observation on Murguía's speech. She never once mentioned La Raza instead referring to her employer as "NCLR".

I take that as a solid indication that Murguía knows that even in the most liberal circles, "La Raza" rubs people the wrong way.

(Read and watch Murguia's speech here.)

Murguía opened this dinner ceremony with an attempted joke about Lou Dobbs that did not generate so much as a chuckle from the all-Hispanic crowd.

Said Murguía to open the evening: "Lou Dobbs sends his regrets. He's home looking at our website so he can get it right."

What the audience didn't find funny is that Dobbs—as well as other patriotic immigration reform organizations and websites like VDARE.COM—have enjoyed a much better 2008 (as well as 2007, 2006 and 2005) than either Murguía or La Raza.

Murguía hasn't learned that if and when you grind your opponents into dust, then you've earned the right to make them the object of your ridicule, assuming that's your style.

But when the reverse is true and you're the one who year after year has his pants beaten off, the best course of action is to remain silent.

Then Murguía droned on about how La Raza, during its forty years as "America's leading civil rights organization for Hispanics," has watched its "…tree of ideas and influence grow taller and stronger…"

Again, the reality is quite different.

La Raza's "influence" has dramatically diminished during the last several years.

Just look at this year's three La Raza Capital Award "honorees," two Treason Lobby U.S. Representatives, California's Hilda Solis and Florida's Lincoln Diaz-Balart, and the cravenly anti-American Univision Spanish-language television channel.

Time was, when La Raza's influence was waxing, its award recipients included Representatives Chris Cannon, John Boehner and Senators Tom Harkin, Lindsey Graham and Olympia Snowe.

But now, given America's public outcry over La Raza endorsements, and the fact that receiving its awards may eventually cost Cannon and Graham their jobs, astute non-Hispanic U.S. elected officials politely decline such "honors"  (Are you listening John McCain?)

(See Murguía's speech here starting at 0:58. A constructive criticism aside to Murguía: a bright salmon pink, sleeveless dress with a plunging neckline does not become you.)

  • Murguía on Lou Dobbs Tonight, February 4, 2008

Memorable for a host of reasons, including her continuous references to "hate speech and its consequences," Murguía's appearance here offered many critically important insights into our side's strong position.

The following exchange is the most significant:

Murguía: "We are meeting—I already have a meeting with CNN worldwide president..."

Dobbs: "Jim Walton."

Murguía: "... Mr. Jim Walton..."

Dobbs: "Right."

Murguía: "... to talk to him about this."

Dobbs: "He's a good man to start with."

Murguía: "Well, we're going to hold you accountable. We're going to hold the other networks accountable."

Dobbs: "And what are you going to do?"

Murguía: "We're going to ask them to remove these kinds of representatives..." 

Dobbs: "So you want me—you want me fired?"

Murguía: "Not you. I said these representatives, who are tied to vigilante and hate groups, as documented by the ADL or by the Southern Poverty Law Center. They have no place on the airwaves." (Complete transcript here.)

In fact, of course, Murguía would love to get Dobbs fired—if only she held the hammer.

But she doesn't.

What's crucial and what proves just how little influence Murguía has is that her meeting with Walton was scheduled for February 21st. And, to no rational person's surprise, Dobbs is still on the air.

Furthermore, Dobbs has added a three-hour daily radio show.

And, in what must be a bitter pill for Murguía to swallow, Fox News, as reported by James Fulford, refuses to meet with her.

Murguía has serious credibility problems that should put her own position as La Raza's president and Chief Executive Officer is deep peril.

Appointed with major fanfare in January 2005 to replace Raul Yzaguirre, Murguía came to La Raza with big time credentials.

After receiving three degrees from Kansas University—a B.S. degree in journalism (1982), a B.A. degree in Spanish (1982), and a J.D. degree (1985) from the School of Law—Murguía worked for seven years in Washington, DC as legislative counsel to former Kansas Congressman Jim Slattery.

Then Murguía worked at the White House from 1994 to 2000, ultimately serving as deputy assistant to President Clinton. Finally, Murguía was appointed as deputy campaign manager and director of constituency outreach for the Al Gore/Joe Lieberman presidential campaign.

No wonder La Raza gobbled Murguía up.

An insider! Murguía knows the players! She can deliver an amnesty!

Wrong! Wrong! And wrong!

After more than three plus years as La Raza's chief, Murguía has not moved its agenda forward one millimeter.

Worse, during Murguía's watch, the amnesty effort has moved significantly backward.

When you realize that because Murguía did work at the White House and does know the players, she should have an insurmountable advantage—something akin to a football team that starts every drive on its opponent's ten-yard line—in winning her "personal" battle.

But that's not what happened. Murguía has been soundly beaten at every turn. So it's little wonder that she's increasingly shrill.

In the private sector, Murguia's repeated and very public failures would get her fired.

As fully warranted as Murguia's dismissal would be, based on her inability to deliver the coveted "comprehensive immigration reform" goodies, if La Raza were to can her it would be yet another open admission of its ineptitude.

So, because La Raza has had plenty of failures lately and doesn't need to admit to another, Murguia's job is probably safe—for now.

Joe Guzzardi [e-mail him] is the Editor of VDARE.COM Letters to the Editor. In addition, he is an English teacher at the Lodi Adult School and has been writing a weekly newspaper column since 1988. This column is exclusive to VDARE.COM.

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