When the truth hurts, fire them.
The spokeswoman for the Republican Party inNevada’s most populous county was removed from her post Saturday, aftershe said the Democratic Party made black people “dependent on thegovernment.”
Didi Lima, the Clark County GOP communicationsdirector, also was removed from her volunteer role as a Hispaniccommunity liaison for Republican John McCain’s presidential campaignover the remarks made earlier in the day while working at a McCaincampaign booth.
“We don’t want (Hispanics) to become the newAfrican-American community,” Lima told The Associated Press. “Andthat’s what the Democratic Party is going to do to them, create moreprograms and give them handouts, food stamps and checks for this andchecks for that. We don’t want that.”
“I’m very much afraid that the Democratic Partyis going to do the same thing that they did with the African-Americanculture and make them all dependent on the government and we don’t wantthat,” she said.
In August, Lima was named co-chair of McCain’s Nevada HispanicLeadership Team, which aimed to reach out to a crucial voting bloc in astate where polls show McCain in a dead heat with Barack Obama.
“Didi Lima is no longer a part of this campaign,her comments don’t reflect Senator McCain’s beliefs and are nottolerated on his campaign,” McCain spokesman Rick Gorka said afterlearning about her remarks.
Lima is the second Republican Party official toland in hot water this week over comments perceived as inflamingtensions between blacks and Hispanics.
The chairman of the Republican Party in NewMexico’s most populous county resigned Thursday, nearly a week aftersaying “Hispanics consider themselves above blacks” and won’t vote forObama.
Fernando C de Baca had been urged to resign for days by members of his own party.
Clark County Republican Party Chairman BernieZadrowski said he was “appalled” by Lima’s remarks. Lima was appointedparty spokeswoman in late July.
“She was speaking for herself, not the ClarkCounty Republican Party,” Zadrowski said. “And she won’t be speakingfor the Clark County Republican Party anymore.”
Obama campaign spokeswoman Kirsten Searer saidthe remarks were “proof of how out of touch John McCain and Republicansare with the issues facing all Americans today.”