DNC Chairman Howard Dean blasts Bush for scapegoating Hispanics
By SCOTT LINDLAW, Associated Press Writer
Last Updated 12:32 pm PST Friday, March 31, 2006
http://www.sacbee.com/state_wire/story/14237509p-15058174c.htmlsnip
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean charged Friday that President Bush was exploiting the debate over immigration laws for political gain, "scapegoating" Hispanics with an eye to this year's elections.
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Nevertheless, Dean accused Bush and fellow Republicans of demagoguery in the immigration debate, saying it fit with a long-standing pattern. He cited the president's opposition to the University of Michigan's affirmative-action program and Bush's decision to "pick on" homosexuals - an apparent reference to the gay-marriage issue in the 2004 election.
"In 2006 it's immigrants. That's what their strategy is on the Republican side: divide people, scapegoat them, set them aside, point the finger at them," Dean said. "Well, that may be good for the Republican Party, but it's bad for America, and we're not going to do that."
A spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee did not immediately return a call seeking reaction to Dean's remarks.
Dean was greeted with chants of "si se puede" - Spanish for "it can be done" and a frequent rallying cry at political events in California. He spoke on a day when Bush was in Cancun, Mexico, talking border security and immigration with Mexican President Vicente Fox.
During his remarks denouncing Bush, Dean was interrupted by a shout of "Impeach!"
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