Lady Liberty Defended: Culture of Corruption - Sanchez Accuses Democrat of Calling Her a 'Whore,'

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Culture of Corruption - Sanchez Accuses Democrat of Calling Her a 'Whore,'

So which party is it that respects women? Which party is it that accepts diversity? Certainly isn't the Dem/S...

Sanchez Accuses Democrat of Calling Her a 'Whore,' Resigns from Hispanic Group
By: Josephine Hearn
February 1, 2007 01:34 PM EST

Rep. Loretta Sanchez has quit the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, accusing the chairman, Rep. Joe Baca, of telling people she's a "whore."

Baca denied the charge.

In an interview with The Politico Wednesday, Sanchez, a California Democrat as is Baca, also cited concerns about whether Baca was properly elected Hispanic Caucus chairman in November and about his general attitude toward female lawmakers. The caucus represents 21 Hispanic Democrats in Congress.

"I'm not going to be a part of the CHC as long as Mr. Baca illegally holds the chair … I told them no. There's a big rift here," Sanchez said. "You treat the women like shit. I have no use for him."

In a statement to The Politico, Baca said Sanchez "has decided to resign from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), and has chosen to air baseless statements. Let me be clear; her comments are categorically untrue."

The last time lawmakers withdrew from the Hispanic caucus was in the late 1990s when the group's Republican members left over partisan differences.

Sanchez said she had been approached earlier this year to contribute funds from her office budget to support the CHC's shared staff, a requirement for all its members. She refused.

"I told them to take me off the list, take me off the Web site, take me off everything," Sanchez said.

She said she was surprised and insulted when she learned that Baca had made the disparaging personal comment about her to California Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and other legislators last year.

Nunez "is a friend of mine. Did he think he wouldn't tell me?" Sanchez asked.

Sanchez voted against Baca in the election for chairman in November. Four other female lawmakers abstained from the vote, raising concerns about whether the election followed proper procedures.

The Sanchez withdrawal is a blow to Baca and his allies who have been trying to bring the caucus back together after a series of internal spats last year. Many of the more junior members and the women have butted heads with him and senior lawmakers.

Last February, six members withdrew from the group's political action committee after Baca and his allies authorized political contributions to family members who were running for state and local offices.

Sanchez was among that group of defectors, which also included her sister, Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., and Democratic Reps. Dennis Cardoza of California, Jim Costa of California, Raul M. Grijalva of Arizona and Hilda L. Solis of California.

In recent weeks, Rep. Xavier Becerra, Calif., a CHC member who serves in House leadership as assistant to the speaker, had been trying to persuade the six members to rejoin the political action committee, which is known as the Committee for Hispanic Causes/Building Our Leadership Diversity. So far, it appears those efforts have not succeeded. An invitation for a PAC fundraiser to be held Wednesday night continues to omit the six.

Earlier this month, four female lawmakers wrote Baca asking that the caucus repeat his election as chairman because the earlier vote failed to use secret ballots, as required in the group's bylaws.

Sanchez and other female CHC members have repeatedly complained that Baca and some of his male colleagues do not accord them a high level of respect.

"There is a big rift. Hello? Do they not get this?" Sanchez said.

and

Breaking News: Two More Reps. Complain About Treatment of Women in Hispanic Caucus

By: Josephine Hearn
February 1, 2007 01:31 PM EST

Two Democratic congresswomen released statements supporting a complaint that the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus called Rep. Loretta Sanchez a "whore."

Said Rep. Hilda L. Solis, of California, about this rapidly developing story:

"I share Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez's sentiment about the lack of respect afforded to women members of the Hispanic Caucus. If the Hispanic Caucus is to be truly representative of the Latino community, it must give equal treatment to all its members, regardless of gender or seniority.

"I continue to be very concerned about the operation of BOLD-PAC, the Caucus' campaign arm. I withdrew from the PAC last year because it was moving away from its mission of electing Hispanic Congressional candidates by allowing contributions to Hispanic Caucus relatives running for local and state office. The PAC's recently revised by-laws continue to allow this practice. At a time when the public is crying out for a more ethical government, we should be taking every step to avoid any appearance of preferential treatment for relatives.

"We must address these issues and resolve them as soon as possible so we can continue fighting for the rights and the well being of the Latino community, as is the mission of the Caucus."

Added Rep. Linda Sanchez, also of California and the sister of Loretta Sanchez:

"I support Loretta's decision. I was one of several members of the CHC who raised concerns about this issue before the current caucus leadership was determined. I am waiting to see if the Hispanic Caucus leadership will make good on its promise to be more fair and inclusive of its Latina members. It is my hope that the leadership will take the concerns that the Latinas have expressed seriously. Latinas are the fastest growing segment of the minority population, and their perspective deserves to be represented, not denigrated."