More anti-Spanish language hysteria from the GOP, and this time it's Illinois Congressman Bobby Schilling (R-IL17) that did the crime.
Quad City Times, Schilling's home paper:
Schilling spokesman Jon Schweppe suggested Tuesday that the congressman’s comments weren’t out of the ordinary.
“Congressman Schilling was clearly talking about what every freshman in high school taking Spanish 1 understands — you must first learn the fundamentals and proper grammar of your own language before learning a second language,” he said. “This is something any foreign language educator would tell you.”
The Raw Story:
Rep. Bobby Schilling (R-IL) on Tuesday faced criticism for claiming that many Latinos had trouble learning the English language because they had not fully learned Spanish.
“One of the biggest problems is — you know, I’ve got some Hispanic friends — is that a lot of those folks that don’t know English, is primarily because they don’t even know Spanish,” he said in April at a town hall event. “They don’t even know their own language. So that’s why you’ve got these teachers coming in helping them to try and get them better with their own language and then kind of teach them. It’s a pretty tough battle.”
Cheri Bustos (D), Schilling's opponent, stated on twitter that he refused to apologize:
If you want an upgrade from Boehner puppet Schilling, vote for Bustos if you want sanity and a Democratic and Pelosi-controlled House.