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Losing the Latino Vote [former Bush advisor calls amnesty opponents "extremists"] [hurl]
The Washington Post ^ | 2009-10-07

Posted on 10/07/2009 11:26:33 AM PDT by rabscuttle385

In the Long Run, the GOP Must Be Inclusive.

BY MICHAEL GERSON

Mel Martinez's recent resignation from the U.S. Senate was for personal and family reasons. But the departure of the Republican Party's most visible Hispanic leader crackles with political symbolism.

Martinez does not consider himself disillusioned, but he is "frustrated." "There are lots of Hispanics to the right of you and me on immigration," he told me, "but they think, 'Republicans just don't like us.' " Martinez makes clear that a number of his Senate colleagues were "conservative, but not inflammatory." Other elected Republicans, however, made "pretty divisive use of immigration policy. It is more a matter of tone, of how you talk about immigrants. It has made Hispanics feel unwelcome, unwanted."

In ethnic politics, symbolism matters. And recent Republican signals to Hispanics have often been crudely unwelcoming.

. . . . .

Most elected Republicans bring serious arguments and good motives to the immigration debate. Fewer leaders, however, are willing to confront the extremists in their midst.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Mexico; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bush; hispandering; hispanicvote; idiot; latinovote; mccain; michaelgerson; moron; pandering; rino; rinoparty; tool
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To: rabscuttle385
Martinez does not consider himself disillusioned, but he is "frustrated." "There are lots of Hispanics to the right of you and me on immigration," he told me, "but they think, 'Republicans just don't like us.' "

I'm not Hispanic and I don't think Republicans like me either.

21 posted on 10/07/2009 12:40:06 PM PDT by Moonman62 (The issue of whether cheap labor makes America great should have been settled by the Civil War.)
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To: sportutegrl

Nope. Sure, latinos are pro-family but only to their very own extended family. You could be starving in front of the tall wall that surrounds every single home in Mexico and they’d only want you moved somewhere else. Never lift a hand to help.

Sad but true.

And they do start their own businesses and hire only among themselves - it’s good to see enterprise and WE ALL CRAVE Mexican food!!!!! - but they hide their income so as not to pay taxes and they underreport their income SO AS TO RECEIVE EIC and other aids from our taxpaying funds.

There’s a reason heavily latino states (California) see a lot of hospital closures and are heavily indebt - it ain’t an accident.

If you read the article, Sen. Martinez talks and uses the same ethnocentric pabble wabble that one usually hears from the latino working minimum wage - up and down the socio-economic ladder the same language is used.

Hey, maybe in a generation or two some (10%) of latinos will become independent minded but the millions from Mexico every year will drown out that voice and quick.

I’m a fan of Mexico and I like Mexicans but I also accept the truth.


22 posted on 10/07/2009 12:50:52 PM PDT by BertWheeler (Dance and the World Dances With You!)
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To: rabscuttle385
It is more a matter of tone, of how you talk about immigrants. It has made Hispanics feel unwelcome, unwanted

well, when all the major networks (including a few commentators on FOX), all the major newspapers, and darn near 90% of elected officials on both sides of the aisle calling those who oppose open borders racist, that gonna happen.

And during the campaign, the media and many "conservative" talk-radio folks would only talk to and give air time to the RINOs.

The only Reagan conservative in the bunch (IMHO), Duncan Hunter, couldn't even get more than token air-time on conservative talk radio, and in the debates, the mods kept giving the mike McPain, Ramney and Julie.

23 posted on 10/07/2009 12:59:51 PM PDT by PsyOp (Put government in charge of tire pressure, and we'll soon have a shortage of air. - PsyOp.)
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To: BertWheeler
One final note, and the most important one of all, latinos are only 5-7% of the vote. The GOP can live without the black vote, it can live without the latino vote too.

That is correct. I Married a Latina. Their are legitimately conservative latinos that vote Republican, but they are on par with those blacks that do. They are derided within their community and make up a small minority. But as a group they do tend to get active and vote, which makes their influence seem greater than it really is. And the ones I know are vehemently anti- open borders and anti-amnesty. They abhor the attitudes of those that come here illegally.

So there vote is not lost because of the immigration issue. They want the borders enforced.

24 posted on 10/07/2009 1:07:05 PM PDT by PsyOp (Put government in charge of tire pressure, and we'll soon have a shortage of air. - PsyOp.)
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To: rabscuttle385

btt


25 posted on 10/07/2009 1:40:36 PM PDT by Cacique (quos Deus vult perdere, prius dementat ( Islamia Delenda Est ))
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To: oldbill
It's in their DNA, just like with African Americans.

It's in my DNA?

I learn something new everyday!


26 posted on 10/07/2009 4:15:21 PM PDT by rdb3 (The mouth is the exhaust pipe of the heart.)
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To: rdb3

Political DNA, not biological.


27 posted on 10/07/2009 4:17:57 PM PDT by oldbill
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