VIDEO: Two Long-Lost Sisters Finally Meet in South Florida

This week, NBC 6′s David Jeannot interviewed my mother, Bettina Rodriguez Aguilera, and her long-lost sister, Fanny Cuervo, as they finally connected after a lifetime apart. Thanks to NBC 6 in Miami, Florida for covering my family’s story. Watch the segment below:

My entire family is overwhelmed with joy to finally meet our aunt and cousins and complete our familia.

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TUNE IN: Join the Conversation on “The Latino Nation”

Tune in and watch Tavis Smiley’s Latino Nation.

I was honored to be asked to be part of the discussion and add my voice to the two part panel. Learn more from going directly to TheLatinoNation.Com. The event is being broadcasted on PBS.

Here is more information on the event:

America’s 50-million-strong Latino community flexed its historic political muscle in the 2012 elections, evidencing the community’s growing influence. Now, as the immigration debate unfolds in Washington, Tavis moderates a national conversation on the challenges and opportunities facing this diverse group.

Hosted in partnership with the William C. Velásquez Institute, “Latino Nation: Beyond The Numbers” panelists examine a full range of Latino social, political, economic and cultural influence on American life, from the economy to politics, healthcare to education, immigration to foreign policy, as well as solutions for economic growth in this vital community.

Guests include:

Antonio González, president of the William C. Velásquez Institute; Rep. Luis Gutiérrez, D-IL; Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF;Stephanie Sanchez, student trustee board member of Chicago State University;Bettina Inclán, Republican political strategist; and others. [Click here to see list of guests.]

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CPAC 2013 – Marco Rubio “The Idea is America, And Its Still Works”

Today, Senator Marco Rubio  (R-FL) addressed an enthusiastic crowd of conservatives gathered for American Conservative Union’s annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC 2013) in Washington, D.C. Introduced by Al Cardenas, ACU Chairman, Rubio addressed a packed room of attendees on a variety of issues facing our nation. 

Senator Marco Rubio:

“There is no tax increase in the world that will solve our debt problem.”  Regarding school choice, he said “Every parent in America should have the opportunity to send their child to the school of their choice.” He went on to say “We do have obligations; obligations to each other through community, not government.”

As he closed his speech, Rubio predicted criticism from the left, saying, “We don’t need a new idea, the idea is America, and it still works.”

The room sprang to its feet in a standing ovation and twitter lit up with his remarks. For more follow me on twitter at @BettinaInclan

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Rand Paul, Marco Rubio and Jay-Z on the U.S. Senate Floor

For almost 13 hours U.S. Senator Rand Paul took over the Senate floor to filibuster President Obama’s nominee for CIA director, John Brennan, and challenge the administration’s drone-strike policy. From the inception of the filibuster at 11:47 am the junior Republican Senator from Kentucky became the focus of the conservative blogosphere and twitter. Eventually various colleagues joined in on the filibuster including Sen. Marco Rubio, Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. John Thune, Sen. Mitch McConnell, Sen. Ron Johnson, Sen. Tim Scott, Sen. Jeff Flake among others.

Filibusters are famous not only for their length but what Senators do/say to extend time. Sen. Rand Paul read from Alice and Wonderland. Senator Cruz read tweets in support of Rand Paul, quoted Shakespeare and lines from the movie Patton.  In contrast, the Miami born Senator Marco Rubio quoted from Jay-Z and Wiz Khalifa and referenced The Godfather.

Quoting Jay-Z, Sen. Rubio made a very important point. Rubio wondered out loud if his Democratic colleagues would have joined the filibuster  if it was Republican President George W. Bush in the White House and implementing these same drone-strike polices, instead of President Obama.

There are many who don’t agree with Senator Rand Paul, saying what he did was unnecessary. Yet, one of the points he did make was a need for transparency in government. A promise made and broken by this administration.

See more outstanding moments from the Washington Post and from National Review.

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Republicans Announces National Pro-Immigration Reform Advocacy Campaign

Republican groups are gearing up efforts to advocate for immigration reform rolling out a national media campaign. Today, the Hispanic Leadership Network (HLN) announced a six-figure national ad buy in English and Spanish featuring HLN Co-Chair former Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez. The ad is part of a new campaign “Be Part of the Solution,” geared to encourage passage of bipartisan immigration reform.” Watch the ad below.

In the ad, Secretary Gutierrez states, “America’s the only place where a little boy who couldn’t speak English can grow up to be a CEO and U.S. secretary of Commerce… Washington must pass immigration reform that grows the economy and respects the rule of law.”

Gutierrez was born in Cuba. When he was six, he and his family fled to Mexico from Communist Cuba. When he was 22 he joined the Kellogg company in Mexico and worked himself up the ranks. In January 1999, Gutierrez was elected to the Kellogg’s Board of Directors and by April of 1999, he was appointed president and CEO. Carlos Gutierrez took the helm at Kellogg becoming the company’s youngest CEO in nearly 100- year history. He also became the only Latino CEO of a Fortune 500 company. In 2004, Fortune Magazine dubbed Gutierrez as “The Man Who Fixed Kellogg” turning around the company’s finances. He went on to become Secretary of Commerce under the Bush Administration.

Read the full press release form HLN after the jump.

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VIDEO: Marco Rubio’s Spanish State Of The Union GOP Response (Full Text English/Spanish)

Watch Senator Marco Rubio’s State of the Union GOP response in Spanish.

Senator Rubio is the first person to provide an opposition response in both English and Spanish. Yet, this is not the first time the GOP provides a Spanish rebuttal to the State of the Union:

• 2012 – Congressman Francisco “Quico” Canseco (R- TX)
• 2011 - Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL)
• 2010- Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL)

Read the full text of Sen. Marco Rubio’s Republican address to the nation as prepared for delivery and provided by his office. Text in both languages – Spanish and English – after the jump.

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A Lively Google+ Face the Nation Hangout on Hispanic voters

Recently, I was invited by CBS to be part of a Google Hang out to talk about the growing Hispanic vote. The two part interview was a lively discussion with a diverse set of characters working in and out of the world of politics.

The hangout was hosted by CBS News’ John Dickerson. He tried to organize our lively group which included Gabriela Domenzain of the Obama Campaign; Executive Director of the Hispanic Leadership Network Jennifer Sevilla Korn; Founder of LatinoRebels.com, Julio Ricardo Varela; Esai Morales, Actor and Co-Founder of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts; America’s Voice Executive Director Frank Sharry and myself.

Watch the video below for see the conversation. A segment of the Google+ Hangout will be shown on CBS News Sunday morning show, Face the Nation.

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VIDEO – Latino Vote 2012: Bettina Inclan vs Alicia Menendez

Watch this interview on FOX’s Happening Now as Alicia Menendez and discuss the importance of the Hispanic Vote.

From Fox News Latino:

Director of the Republican National Committee Hispanic Outreach campaign, Bettina Inclan, and Senior Editor of Politic365.com, Alicia Menendez, debate the Latino Vote 2012.

Inclan and Menendez debate whether Mitt Romney is right about the “doomsday scenario” the Republican party could face if current polls are right about Latino voter attitudes toward the GOP.

Read more: 
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2012/04/19/latino-vote-2012-bettina-inclan-vs-alicia-menendez/#ixzz2MckrqAPb

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VIDEO: PBS Interview on RNC Hispanic Outreach

I was interviewed on PBS News Hour on Republican efforts to connect with Hispanic voters. Debating against Senator Bob Menendez, I discussed President Obama’s failures and the GOP’s proactive plan to engage Hispanics.

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Will Latinos Matter in New Hampshire, the First Primary of 2012?

All eyes are on New Hampshire, the first in the nation Presidential Primary for the 2012 election. New Hampshire’s Latino voting population is small – only 1.9% of Granite State residents are eligible Hispanic voters.

Of the 37,000 Hispanics that call New Hampshire home, about half, 19,000 are eligible to vote. Here is the state breakdown: 73% Native-born, 37% Foreign-born, 35% Younger than 18 according the Pew Hispanic Center.

The GOP candidates are focused on engaging all potential voters, including Latinos. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, held an event on Sunday at Don Quijote’s Mexican Restaurant in Manchester aimed at engaging Hispanic voters. He brought along his daughter, who is fluent in Spanish, to the event according to Fox News Latino. 

Polls show that Hispanic are disappointed with President Barack Obama and his economic policies. Latino unemployment is at 11%, two points higher than the national average. Like many Americans, Hispanics are disillusioned with Obama’s failed promises and looking for an alternative in 2012. The RNC released a new video reminding New Hampshire voters of the promises the President made in the Granite state during his 2008 primary.

 

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