Ivan G. Marte, chairman of the Rhode Island Republican Hispanic Assembly, says he has quit the GOP out of embarrassment at South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson's outburst during President Obama's address to Congress last week.
Wilson shouted 'You Lie,' when Obama remarked that illegal immigrants would not receive benefits under his health care plan.
"I do not want to continue being a member of a party in which the members of the party express themselves in that way," said Marte, 59, of Cranston. In a phone interview, he called Wilson's behavior "shameful" and "uncivilized."
http://politicsblog.projo.com/...
(AP) The chairman of the Rhode Island Republican Hispanic Assembly and member of the Republican Central Committee says he has quit the GOP because he was embarrassed by South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson's outburst during President Obama's address to Congress on Sept. 9.
Wilson shouted "You lie," when President Obama said illegal immigrants would not receive benefits under his health care plan.
Ivan Marte tells The Providence Journal that Wilson's behavior was "shameful" and "uncivilized."
Marte says he has been disenchanted by the GOP since Gov. Don Carcieri ignored his advice concerning the 2008 executive order cracking down on illegal immigration.
State party chairman Giovanni Cicione says Marte's contributions to the party were valued and he's disappointed by the resignation.
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
This isn’t anything new, as Republicans in Rhode Island and throughout the country have a hard time synthesizing the demands of conservative nativists and/or immigration restrictionists within the Republican Party and the greater (and growing) Latino population in the U.S. As a case in point, Marte replaced David A. Quiroa as chair of the GOP Hispanic Assembly when he left after Gov. Carcieri issued his executive order on illegal immigration. This will eventually turn into a long-term political problem for the Republican Party.
http://www.rifuture.org/...
Just on a side note, this guy is a fellow Cranstonite and you have to know that this small city has some of the most interesting characters. Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane has stated that the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode Island is modeled after Cranston.
Check out some of other notables.
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
Everyone from Senator Jack Reed to Elizabeth Hasselbeck to Sergei Khrushchev. All in a town that you could easily walk across in a few hours.