Geraldo: Harsh rhetoric doomed GOP presidential effort
by Fernanda Echavarri on Nov. 20, 2008, under Calendar, Local
Geraldo Rivera poses for a photo with Catherine Correia, a UA journalism alum at the UA Bookstore at the UA Mall.
More than 50 people waited in line at the University of Arizona to meet journalist Geraldo Rivera during a book signing Tuesday afternoon, and almost 200 people heard him speak downtown Tuesday night.
Among them was Rosalia Grodzicki, a UA employee of 20 years, who “very proudly” purchased Rivera’s latest book “His Panic: Why Americans Fear Hispanics in the U.S.”
“The title says it all, and that’s why as Hispanics we have to support each other,” Grodzicki said. “We all want to succeed, and (Rivera) is a great example of success.”
Grodzicki said she learned to speak English while working in a UA cafeteria 20 years ago. Now she manages Cafe Sonora at UA’s Student Union.
“Many times in this country when a Hispanic tries to succeed, we get put down, and it’s about time a book like this is written. I can’t wait to go home and read it tonight,” she said.
Rivera’s book focuses on the negative misconception and “hysteria” Americans have about Hispanics living in the U.S., solutions to the illegal immigration problem and personal anecdotes about his immigrant family. Rivera’s father came from Puerto Rico, and Rivera was born and raised in New York City.
Rivera, who graduated from the University of Arizona in 1965, hosts “Geraldo at Large” on Fox News Channel. He talked to reporters after the book signing.
Asked what he thought of the presidential elections, Rivera, 65, said Republicans lost any chance of getting the Hispanic vote because of their “harsh anti-immigrant arrogance and sloppiness.”
“Just look at the anti-immigration talk shows and talk radio like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Lou Dobbs,” he said.
The topic of right-wing talk radio comes up in Rivera’s new book, and he includes e-mails and letters sent to him over the past few years by people accusing him of supporting illegal immigration.
Rivera shook hands and took pictures with fans and wrote a personalized note in each book sold at the UA Bookstore, 1209 E. University Blvd.
At 7 p.m., he spoke to almost 200 people at the Fox Theatre, 17 W. Congress St. He said the demographics in Tucson have changed recently “and with a Democrat in Congress now, we’ll have to see what happens.”
He said one way to “fix” the illegal immigration problem is to end the billion-dollar deportation programs and legalize the millions of illegal immigrants already here whose only crime is to be in the U.S. illegally.
