GOP strategist speaks on drought policy, women in politics at UC Merced

Political analyst and author Leslie Sanchez was at UC Merced last week to share her thoughts on major issues facing the nation, including immigration, drought policy and women’s challenges in politics.

She was joined and interviewed on stage by nationally syndicated columnist and Central Valley native Ruben Navarrette.

During the second Opportunity in Action summit, Sanchez shared with Navarrette and the audience how her humble beginnings helped her connect with “regular folks” during her stint as an adviser on George W. Bush’s 2000 presidential campaign.

As a teen, Sanchez sold encyclopedias door to door to help her mother make ends meet. Selling candidates is not that different, Sanchez said. “You’re really just selling hope.”

Sanchez is credited with being an integral part of helping attract Latino voters in key states for the Bush campaign. After Bush’s victory, Sanchez was appointed executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans.

On Capitol Hill, Sanchez and Navarrette said, women spend a lot of time impersonating men. Sanchez said this is because a woman’s ability to lead is constantly under scrutiny. “Women get questioned about their competence much more than men,” she said.

For example, when men in politics cry, she explained, they are portrayed as human. When women cry, they are labeled as weak.

Regarding California’s drought, Navarrette shared with Sanchez, who is relatively new to the state, that the current drought is “as bad as it gets.”

Navarrette told Sanchez that the current solution being tossed around is to stop watering lawns and take shorter showers. “That’s because no politician wants to come up with the tough response, which is, ‘By the way, we need your taxes to go up to help build reservoirs or something,’” he said.

One of the key problems, both speakers agreed, lies in the lack of understanding of how the water system in California works.

Sanchez said the solution has to come from the agricultural community, which truly understands the battle over limited water supplies.

“There is a very vast agricultural coalition that can come together and look at the long-term approach,” Sanchez said. “The water woes are not new, but the understanding of the depth of this issue gets lost in Washington.”

When Navarrette asked Sanchez why many Republican politicians have flip-flopped on their stance on immigration, Sanchez said the answer is in trying to find a balance.

She said Republicans seek a measure that will keep everyone on track. “To let (immigrants) know they’re on a time frame, to either stay, move through the process, get a green card or go back home,” Sanchez said.

Based on her experience, Sanchez said, not all immigrants have a desire to become U.S. citizens. The plan for many, she explained, is to take their earnings and go back to their country of origin to be with their families.

“I always tell people, ‘Why are we giving out citizenship like it’s a lollipop at the dentist office? Why is that the default?’ And that’s the Democratic default,” Sanchez said.

According to Sanchez, there has to be a more measured approach to naturalization. “People have to earn it,” she said. “If you devalue citizenship in this country, you are on a slippery slope.”

This was Navarrette’s third appearance at UC Merced. He was a guest speaker at last year’s Opportunity in Action summit, where he interviewed Julian Castro, then-mayor of San Antonio and current secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Navarrette also headlined UC Merced’s first commencement ceremony in 2008.

Opportunity in Action 2015 was organized by the College Republicans of UC Merced. The event’s purpose, according to organizers, is to provide students with a valuable insight into politics.

This story was originally published April 10, 2015 at 10:13 PM with the headline "GOP strategist speaks on drought policy, women in politics at UC Merced."