Lionel Sosa bids “adiós” to the Republican Party
As a teen 60 years ago, after watching Dwight Eisenhower give his acceptance speech at the 1952 convention, Eisenhower’s message touched Lionel Sosa because “he sounded like my dad, he affirmed, Republicans believe in family, in God, in hard work, patriotism, low taxes, small government, freedom, opportunity for all.” It was then that Lionel became a Mexican-American Republican, an oddity during those times.
Lionel, a well-known advertising executive and publisher, considered by many a “Grandfather” of sorts to Latino Republicans, wrote an opinion piece published in the San Antonio Express-News last month, in which he announced he was leaving the Republican Party.
Sosa was once a fixture of Republican politics and worked with Ronald Reagan and both Presidents Bush. Sosa was key to attracting Latin voters. Time Magazine named him one of the 25 most influential Hispanics in America in 2005, 25 years after first working for Ronald Reagan.
From 1978 until 2008, Sosa worked for Presidential campaigns. He wrote in his opinion piece, “In those days, the Grand Old Party was indeed grand. Reagan and Bush 41 brought down a wall. Reagan gave amnesty to 3 million hardworking Mexican immigrants who, through their strong work ethic, helped our economy grow stronger and our country more secure”, he added, “Bush 41 promoted a kinder, gentler nation. His “thousand points of light” strengthened bonds between churches and communities across America. George W. was the compassionate conservative who believed family values don’t stop at the Rio Grande. He was proud of the Latino blood that runs in the Bush family, referring to his Mexican sister-in-law, Columba Bush, and his nephews, including George P. Bush, Texas land commissioner. He also believed our president should be a “unifier” not a “divider.”
Sosa stated that the GOP has replaced “a thousand points of light” with a “thousand points of anger” and called Donald Trump a “shark”, a “self-promoter” that was “not really a Republican, nor a real conservative.”
Sosa said, “in place of compassionate conservatism, our nominee promotes callousness, extremism and racism. And instead of a unifier, the party now cheers the ultimate us against them proponent. Divisiveness incarnate.”
