2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumHigh-Profile DREAMer Activist To Endorse Martin O’Malley: “His campaign’s heart beats with ours,”
Gaby Pacheco, one of the original DREAMer activists who rose to prominence during the fight for the DREAM Act, is endorsing him. His campaigns heart beats with ours, she will say in a Univision.com op-ed.In an op-ed that will run on Univision.com provided to BuzzFeed News ahead of its publication, Pacheco said she first noticed that OMalley spoke so much about immigration, then that he confronted the hateful Sheriff Joe Arpaio and later broke bread with undocumented immigrants.
She opens the piece with questions about OMalleys actions that opened the eyes of activists and members of the Hispanic community.
Why does he tweet in Spanish so that my parents can be engaged in conversation? Pacheco writes. Why does he take the 10 seconds given to him at a debate to talk about our fellow citizens on the island of Puerto Rico when he knows their votes, unjustly, dont count.
Pacheco adds that in watching OMalley since 2011, his failures and triumphs as mayor and governor of Maryland humbled him and writes of OMalleys public clash with the Obama administration on the treatment of unaccompanied minors from Central America in the summer of 2014, invoking Hillary Clintons response that most of the minors should ultimately be sent back.
I was there when immigrant advocates e-mailed each other in disbelief that someone would challenge both the President and the Secretary of State on how we were treating refugee children, she writes. We hadnt seen anything like it.
Pacheco also writes that shes supporting OMalley because if it wasnt for him, there would be no discussion of immigration in the Democratic Party.
Pacheco rose to prominence when she took part in the trail of dreams a 4-month walk from Miami to Washington D.C. to bring attention to the plight of undocumented immigrants.
She later played a key role in helping advocates secure Obamas first immigration executive action, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in 2012, leveraging her relationship with Sen. Marco Rubio who was working on a competing plan and repeatedly meeting with the White House to discuss the prospects of the policy.
Because Pacheco has worked closely with Republicans, Democrats have at times whispered that she supports them or will one day endorse a Republican.
But now, she supports OMalley.
His campaigns heart beats with ours, she said.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/adriancarrasquillo/high-profile-dreamer-activist-to-endorse-martin-omalley-ahea#.ta03wyWgL
FSogol
(45,356 posts)elleng
(130,126 posts)Sheepshank
(12,504 posts)I hope this doesn't turn him off for another run in 8 years or so.
elleng
(130,126 posts)on the treatment of unaccompanied minors from Central America in the summer of 2014, invoking Hillary Clintons response that most of the minors should ultimately be sent back.'
askew
(1,464 posts)He also picked up 2 big Latino endorsements the other day & was endorsed by the largest Latino newspaper in Iowa.
Pacheco is right that without O'Malley immigration wouldn't be talked about at all in the Dem Party nomination fight. He pushed both Hillary and Bernie to the left with his platform and outspoken advocacy on immigration and refugee issues.
On a side note, he also picked up the following endorsments in Iowa in the past few days:
Bowman, State Senator
Tom Hockensmith, Polk County Supervisor
Sandy Dockendorff, Des Moines County Democratic Chair
Jordan Pope, Decatur County Chair, the youngest county chair in Iowa
Matt Bemrich, Fort Dodge Mayor
Denise Dolan, Dubuque County Auditor
Jim Schroeder, Mayor of Lost Nation
Grant Veeder, Black Hawk County Auditor
Doug Bailey, County Supervisor
Juanita Zavala, Ottumwa School Board Member
Eric Van Lanker, County Auditor
Bob Schroeder, Allamakee County Dems Vice Chair and Former Postville City Councilor
Pat Harney, Johnson County Supervisor
Ben Stanford, Quasqueton City Council Member
Roy Shwickerath, Floyd County Supervisor
Sue Keninger, Hardin County Dems Chair
Paulette Hammer, Winnebago County Dems Chair
Richard Gruber , Pocahontas Mayor and County Chair
Jeanine Wichman, Floyd County Democratic Chair
Bob Thomas, Appanoose County Democratic Chair
Gayle Tellin, Fayette County Dems Chair
Tim Tracy, Carroll County Chair
Eric Chase, Buena Vista County Dems Vice Chair
Jeremy Brigham, Executive Director of Iowan's For Gun Safety
Patricia Ritchie, Combat veteran, Domestic Violence Advocate, President of South West Latino Association
Roberta Rosheim, Secretary of the Jackson County Democrats
Kay Ciha, Treasurer, Washington County Democrats
Jean-Marie Hall, Former Clayton County Dems Chair
Teresa Meyer, Iowa House Candidate District 63 and Former Bremer County Dems Chair
Steven Erickson, Former Emmet County Chair
Eric Schmitt, Former Floyd County Chair
Lyle Otte, Former Winneshiek County Chair
Greg Simpson, Former County Chair
Peggy Liautaud, Buena Vista County Secretary
elleng
(130,126 posts)askew
(1,464 posts)elleng
(130,126 posts)elleng
(130,126 posts)askew
(1,464 posts)And forced them to talk about it to non-Latino audiences.
elleng
(130,126 posts)but maybe understandable, politics being what it is, I guess.
bigtree
(85,915 posts)...immigration has barely prompted questions or mention. In the last debate, it wasn't even raised by the moderators.
Hell, even republicans had a spirited (if demagogic) debate on the issue.
O'Malley has also leveraged this primary to help propel several issues into the national debate: Making Wall Street reform a centerpiece of his campaign; standing firm on gun safety reform; and taking a moonshot stance on renewable energy, for a few examples.
askew
(1,464 posts)The topic of discussion has been noticed in Latino media. He's getting a lot of credit for being outspoken. Let's hope that translates into support in Iowa and Nevada.