Source:
San Francisco ChronicleThe California Republican Party has decided no American is qualified to take one of its most crucial positions -- state deputy political director -- and has hired a Canadian for the job through a coveted H-1B visa, a program favored by Silicon Valley tech firms that is under fire for displacing skilled American workers.
Christopher Matthews, 35, a Canadian citizen, has worked for the state GOP as a campaign consultant since 2004. But he recently was hired as full-time deputy political director, with responsibility for handling campaign operations and information technology for the country's largest state Republican party operation, California Republican Party Chairman Ron Nehring confirmed in a telephone interview this week.
In the nation's most populous state -- which has produced a roster of nationally known veteran political consultants -- "it's insulting but also embarrassing ... to bring people from the outside who don't know the difference between Lodi and Lancaster ... and who can't even vote,'' said Karen Hanretty, a political commentator and former state GOP party spokeswoman.
Read more:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/06/13/BAGKQQF2BU26.DTL