By now, everyone in the free world is aware that Trump is fairly ignorant as a politician and has the social skills of a 3-year-old. However, part of being an American is having the right to support whomever you choose and to voice your political views.
I am in no way a supporter of “The Donald.” But I do respect the rights of those who are. That’s what makes a democracy work.
Adrienne Foster, former Mayor of Roeland Park, Kansas and currently the Director of the Kansas Hispanic and Latino American Affairs Commission is a Trump supporter. She is a third generation Latina. The fact that she is a Trump supporter does seem a bit odd—given Trump’s views on immigration—build a wall and deport ‘em all. He’s also made some pretty derogatory remarks concerning Latin Americans.
So why does she support Trump?
In an interview with Kansas City Star reporter Steve Kraske, she lays out three main reasons why she is a Trump supporter.
- He offers hope. She feels if Trump can’t get things done, no one can.
- She feels Trump’s views on handling immigration aren’t all bad. She feels that the current process is in place for a purpose and immigrants should utilize the process. She explains that she knows of countless Latinos who have gone through the process and are waiting their turn. Some wait as long as 10 years for a green card and then citizenship while others simply circumvent the process—which isn’t fair. She does feel that Trump’s plan to deport over 11 million illegal immigrants is impractical.
- She likes the fact that Trump can’t be bought. She believes that Trump can fight the lobbyists and the “big money” that plagues Washington. This is what really makes her a Trump fan.
She goes on to admit that Trump can be crude, mean and that she does not think he is a great leader. She feels that he is “a work in progress” and while he is not even closed to being presidential materials, he will “grow into the job.”
Imagine her shock, when after the interview was publicized, she was asked to resign from her position as Director of the Kansas Hispanic and Latino American Affairs Commission. Her comments about Trump were viewed as incendiary and a misrepresentation of the people she represents. Democratic Rep. Louis Ruiz from Kansas City is one of the ones who took issue with her comments.
“Look, she can support whomever she wants, but she’s appointed by the governor (Republican Sam Brownback) as a liaison to the Hispanic community, and these comments don’t represent the people,” Ruiz told Fox News Latino (FNL).
Two other Democratic Representatives sent letters to Governor Brownback condemning Ms. Foster’s remarks calling them “inaccurate, highly inflammatory and discriminatory.”
Rep. Ruiz went on to say that he couldn’t understand how a Latina could take a position in direct opposition to her own heritage.
“We can’t be silent,” he told FNL. “As Latinos, we’re too polite for our own good. She needs to resign. I equate these comments to World War II when Jews wore yellow stars but turned in other Jews or like the film ‘Django,’ the Samuel Jackson character who was a slave himself but enslaved others.”
Try as I might, I find nothing inflammatory, grossly inaccurate or discriminatory about her remarks at all.
While I definitely disagree with Ms. Foster, I do respect her arguments. She admits that Trump has issues and does not condone, support or even excuse his bad behavior. She is looking for hope and seems to have found it in Trump.
The funny thing about this situation is Ms. Foster spoke her mind. She expressed herself intelligently and what she said made sense; which is very un-Trump like behavior.
She is the Trump supporter but Rep. Ruiz and the others are the ones ACTING like Trump supporters.
Featured image by Gage Skidmore on Flickr available for use under Creative Commons 2.0 license
