The only people who refuse to celebrate, it seems, are some members of the Republican Party.

In an outrageous move, Senate Republicans blocked a resolution recognizing Chavez's life and work. They quietly blocked the resolution using parliamentary procedure, and gave no reason for doing so. Their votes implied that a man who Robert F. Kennedy called "one of the most heroic figures of our time" is not worth honoring, even with a symbolic gesture.

Unfortunately, this kind of insensitivity is part of a broader pattern in the Republican Party, a pattern of actions that is at odds with the values that Latinos hold dear. MORE