#ThatMexicanThing Is Definitely a Thing Now, Mike Pence

Xenophobic vice-presidential candidate Mike Pence brushes off his running mate's history of racism, and his flip response is now a website.

Neal Broverman

Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.

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Neal Broverman

October 05 2016 12:28 PM EST

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Indiana governor and noted homophobe Mike Pence got high marks for keeping his cool during Tuesday's vice-presidential debate, but he incurred one huge blunder.

After Hillary Clinton's running mate, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, repeatedly reminded viewers of Donald Trump's attacks on Latinos, including calling Mexican immigrants "rapists," Pence lost his patience.

"Senator, you whipped out that Mexican thing again," Pence shot back. "There are criminal aliens who have come into this country illegally, who are perpetrating violence. [Trump] also said, 'and many of them are good people.' Sen. Kaine, you keep leaving them out of your quote."

Latinos, who have become the scapegoat of the Trump-Pence ticket, instantly expressed anger and admonished Pence for his dismissal of them and their concerns.

\u201c#thatmexicanthing where we work hard, play by the rules & continue to be discriminated. While .@realDonaldTrump cheats the system #VPDebate\u201d
— Juan Altamirano (@Juan Altamirano) 1475636845

That anger then turned into an opportunity to show Pence and other Republicans how much Latinos contribute to this nation.

\u201c#ThatMexicanThing when my dad was arrested & tattooed in AZ in 60s for status, worked fields/nightshifts, raised 5 college grads...who vote\u201d
— @carlosonhousing@mstdn.social (@@carlosonhousing@mstdn.social) 1475688333

Before the Wednesday news cycle began, ThatMexicanThing.com was a working website -- and redirected to HillaryClinton.com. It wasn't Clinton's team that bought the URL, but an Oregon man named Danilo Alfaro.

"I registered the domain and pointed it at HillaryClinton.com on my own, without any contact with the campaign beforehand," Alfaro told Wired.

Meanwhile, Vox posits that the Clinton campaign will be able to use #ThatMexicanThing to its advantage and overshadow the the Trump campaign's one positive news story -- that Pence put in a competent debate performance -- it's received in over a week.