Buried beneath growing entitlement programs and the liberal push for bigger government are the often-forgotten principles that attracted millions of immigrants to the United States in pursuit of the “American Dream” — but the LIBRE Initiative is seeking to resurrect those principles.
Economic liberty, self-reliance and personal initiative have inspired entrepreneurship and upward mobility in the United States since the nation’s inception. Individuals who embrace these principles along with hard work and fiscal responsibility often find themselves having gone from rags to riches in a matter of years.
The LIBRE Initiative — a non-profit, grassroots organization that aims to empower the U.S. Hispanic community by instilling the importance of a constitutionally limited government — has begun a new campaign that highlights the stories of children of immigrants who found success by embracing such principles.
The new campaign, titled “Share the Dream,” launched this month and will utilize various broadcast, digital and social media outlets to spread a bilingual message from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Miami, Florida.
“We are the largest Hispanic-conservative organization in the country and this is an attempt to change the conversation that the Left has dominated for so long in this country,” Daniel Garza told Red Alert Politics.
Garza is Executive Director of the LIBRE Initiative and one of the four children of immigrants whose stories are featured in the campaign.
Growing up, Garza and his family would migrate each year throughout California, Nebraska and Washington as farm workers following the crop season. In doing so, he gained firsthand knowledge of the difficulties faced by the immigrant community. His experiences and observations, combined with an unwavering work ethic, paved the way for Garza’s impressive career with numerous accomplishments in politics, media and outreach.
Years of experience in media management and public relations inspired the three tools that Garza believes are essential to the “Share the Dream” campaign’s success: utilize social media to spread bilingual messages and emotional stories; host community building events to enable further outreach; and increase the number of volunteers whose hard work and encouragement are used to mobilize voters.
“There’s no one silver bullet,” Garza said. “There’s a comprehensive approach in the way we have to do it. Our point is to become a trusted advocate and to engage one-on-one with the Hispanic community and begin to change the culture.”
Changing the culture begins with a change in conversation — something Garza feels Conservatives have dodged prolongedly.
“The Conservative movement has been absolutely absent [from the Hispanic Community] for far too long,” he said.
Meanwhile, in the absence of a conservative message, the Left has pounced.
“The Left has spent millions of dollars trying to convince Americans, especially minorities, that the American dream is dead or rigged to benefit only the rich and well connected,” wrote Rachel Campos-Duffy, LIBRE national spokesperson and wife of Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wisc.), in a recent article for National Review Online.
The “Share the Dream” campaign promises Hispanics that the American Dream will remain attainable if they help reverse policies of the Left that push for bigger government and wealth redistribution in the name of reducing income inequality and poverty among minorities.
According to Garza, the President’s legacy healthcare legislation tops the list of policies that are hurting Hispanics. With a median average age of 27 years, the Hispanic community is the youngest demographic in the country and will therefore bear much of the costs under Obamacare since it relies on young, healthy individuals to keep it afloat by subsidizing the cost to insure elderly individuals more prone to illness.
“By default, we are asked to sustain the cost of this government program and this is a terrible price to pay when young Hispanics are looking for jobs and facing record unemployment rates and increasing education costs,” said Garza, adding that “policies from Washington should serve to reward Americans who work hard, demonstrate self-responsibility and bring their talents and skills to the market.”
The “Share the Dream” campaign stands on two core goals. First, it attempts to reverse policies that punish those who work hard while rewarding individuals who don’t work with further entitlement programs and benefits. Second, it seeks to change the conversation by replacing the Left’s promotion of state grants and public assistance with the virtues of free market capitalism and personal responsibility.
And this message has already had a profound impact on the Hispanic community.
“We don’t apologize for where we stand on principles, the rule of law, free enterprise and good ol’ American capitalism and the fact that Hispanics are embracing this message and echoing it is what we like to see,” said Garza.
