But Blunt’s dis on White was hugs and kisses compared to the insult his Chief of Staff Ed Martin launched on Mexicans at an Aug. 17 Missouri Housing Development Commission meeting, which Martin attended in Blunt’s place.
In an argument over undocumented immigrants on jobsites, Martin said, “Every frigging developer can figure out who is illegal, and when he says … there’s a bunch of Mexicans out there, I guess some of them are probably not legal.”
And the EYE would guess that if a State official – the man who, in effect, runs State government – gets caught saying something that offensive, then “a bunch of Mexicans” will probably get really mad.
Jim Torres, the commission’s secretary and legislative liaison, is of Mexican descent. He got really mad. He sent a letter to Blunt asking him to order Martin to apologize at the next commission meeting. “I am extremely proud of my Mexican heritage, culture and especially my family and I will not let anyone demean or degrade it, least of all Mr. Martin,” Torres wrote, according to AP.
Torres resigned the next day. Blunt and company won’t say whether he was forced to do so.
Given an easy set shot on this one, Missouri Democratic Party spokesman Jack Cardetti said, “Only in the Blunt administration does the person offended by racially insensitive remarks lose their job, not the Blunt aide making the remarks.”
The Coalition of Hispanic Organizations is calling for “Mex” Martin’s head now. Locally, Jorge Riopedre, an officer of the Hispanic Chamber of Commercer of St. Louis, and Joe Palm, committeeman for the 26th Ward, are joining forces to make some political capital out of Mex’s racist remark. Black and brown unite!