Republican chairman is an embarrassment to party

I am a staunch Republican and have been all my life. I have campaigned for many different Republican politicians, had the pleasure of shaking President Bush's hand, meeting Newt Gingrich and when I was in high school, I even went as far as to start a Republican club there. I love the Republican Party, but I have a serious problem with it. That problem has a name, and it is Ken Mehlman.

Mehlman is the chairman of the Republican National Committee. I firmly believe he is a leftist piece of crap and wormed his way into the GOP to tear it apart from within. I believe he supports illegal immigration, which is evident through his condemning of the activities that the College Republican Field Representative to Michigan wanted to do.

On Sept. 12, The Michigan Daily ran an article about the College Republican Field Representative to Michigan. The article said Morgan Wilkins wanted to have the College Republicans host a "Catch an Illegal Immigrant Day" at the University of Michigan's campus.

Not long after the article was published, Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, condemned the actions of Wilkins. Instead of supporting the efforts to end illegal immigration, Dean decided to play politics with the future of our country. He sent a letter to Mehlman demanding the un-American activities of the GOP Field Representative be stopped. I don't really understand what exactly is un-American about opposing illegal immigration — it's illegal and is a scourge to our country.

According to an Associated Press story, Mehlman said in a letter to Dean, "I wholeheartedly agree with you that the activities you cite in your letter are reprehensible." Mehlman failed to state what exactly was reprehensible about ending illegal immigration. Instead of standing up against the issue, he decided to distance himself from a person who does.

The fact that Mehlman "wholeheartedly" agrees with a nut job like Howard Dean shows why he shouldn't be representing the Republican Party.

Mehlman even spoke at a National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials event earlier this year and said, "Immigrants aren't just enriching America … they are America, and they always have been." In addition, Mehlman lacks the mental capacity to distinguish the difference between Americans and illegal aliens, which is troubling.

If it were up to me, Mehlman would be fired and Wilkins would be put in her place. The country, the Republican Party and the American people would be much better off.

Kyle Bristow

international relations sophomore

Published on Thursday, September 21, 2006