BASE?:

A boost to his base: Cuban-born CEO seen to help Bush's plan to build support among Hispanics for Republican Party (KEN FIREMAN, November 30, 2004, Newsday)

[B]ush's second naming of a Hispanic to a high-profile administration post since his re-election will have inevitable political ramifications, according to Fernando Guerra, a political scientist at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. The selection of Gutierrez, a Cuban-American, to replace Donald Evans followed Bush's Nov. 10 nomination of Alberto Gonzales as attorney general.

"It's the second cabinet-level appointment, and these are jobs not traditionally associated with Latinos," Guerra said.

"What Bush is communicating is, 'I'm appointing these guys because of substance, not symbolism,'" Guerra said. "Many Latinos are saying, 'We're beyond symbolism. Let's start dealing with substance.' This communicates it."

Simply beginning to speak of Latinos as part of the GOP base will help to make it so.

Posted by Orrin Judd at November 30, 2004 4:23 PM