Posted on 12/16/2011 8:28:07 PM PST by Steelfish
GOP Wary Of Romney’s Rhetoric On Immigrants
By Peter Wallsten December 16
Republicans are increasingly worried that their party’s efforts to win a competitive slice of the fast-growing Hispanic vote in important presidential battleground states are being undermined by Mitt Romney’s heated rhetoric on illegal immigration.
Several leading GOP strategists say Romney’s sharp-tongued attacks have gained wide attention in Hispanic media and are eroding the party’s already fragile standing in that community.
The leaders of one Republican-leaning group, the Hispanic Leadership Fund, are so upset with Romney that if he wins the nomination, they might withhold an endorsement and curtail plans for an extensive voter-contact campaign in Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Florida to bolster the GOP presidential ticket.
Several Republican groups have spent the past three years trying to repair damage from the 2008 campaign, when GOP nominee John McCain won just 31 percent of the Hispanic vote after a bruising primary season in which he was forced to back off his support for a plan that would have put many illegal immigrants on a path to legalization.
Romney, one of McCain’s 2008 rivals, attacked McCain as being soft on the issue. Now party strategists are fretting as Romney — once again — stakes out conservative turf by accusing his opponents of supporting policies that go easy on illegal immigration.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
The post has finally discovered Romney’s fatal flaw - he’s just too darn conservative! </sarc>
This concept of a monolithic group, “Hispanic”, who all vote alike is absurd.
WP speaks in code here. Romney is racist
” - - - as Perry was rising in the polls, Romney blasted the Texan’s support for granting in-state college tuition to illegal immigrants as a “magnet” drawing people over the border. “If you’re an illegal alien, you get an in-state tuition discount,” Romney charged.”
Well, what do you know? I finally found something that I agree with Romney on.
BTW Romney, as President Romney you could create 11 to 12 MILLION jobs with a single stroke of your pen.
All these moderate voices are going to give Barry 4 more years.
Another Washington Post fiction article.
John McCain was even more pandering than Bush to the hispanics, yet he got even fewer hispanic votes than Bush.
That little bit of mathematical certitude seems to escape the Post. Republicans better learn that pandering to the hispanic vote and the Wall Street Journal/Chamber of Commerce demands for cheap illegal labor is a loser. The hispanics will still vote for the welfare state democrats, and Republicans will lose conservative voters who don’t tolerate law breakers and amnesty.
Perry and Gingrich began their fall from the top of the heap when they came out for the illegal alien pandering - cheap tuition and amnesty. Bush lost support when he tried to jam through the Amnesty act in 2006-7.
If the Republican candidate followed the Post strategy it would he would lose 7 out of 10 hispanic voters, like McCain, and he would also lose 3 million conservative voters like McCain.
Not a smart strategy.
They needen’t worry Romney will have illegals cutting the lawn at the white house, if history is any guide.
Perhaps it's better to stop Hispandering and instead simply stand up for American sovereignty.
Elect Romney you’ve chosen AMNESTY..
I'm sick of Republicans wringing their hands over the loss of this potentially huge demographic. If we hadn't allowed such exponential growth, both by illegal entry and birthright citizenship, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Only attrition will lessen the incentives for political parties. Republicans will garner widespread Hispanic support only by making the same indiscriminate promises as Democrats. Rather than adopting a pathological affinity for the "underdog", Republicans need to maintain a balance between compassion and reason.
For all of Romney's faults, I have to give him credit here. I don't know what's in his heart or mind, but I applaud him for publicly refusing to support the idea of "a path to citizenship",or any perks for those not entitled. With the exception of Bachmann, who has taken the same hard line approach, I've been very disappointed in the weakness of other candidates on this issue. I suspect if Romney had his way, few unskilled immigrants would even be allowed in this country. He might very well change his position, but he has consistently come out strongly against amnesty since 2008.
The GOP has become downright bullying in its consensus building efforts here, and it needs to lay off. I guess the message to Romney is, "We've supported you, now get on board". Time will tell.
I agree with everything you say. I know lots of people who can claim the ethnic demographic, “Hispanic”. Two of them are cousins.
I’m a firm believer in the basic dignity of human beings and what they desire for themselves and for their children. Most people who live in the U.S. want their lives to be safe, their liberty assured, and the right to pursue happiness in their own manner as long as it is within the laws.
To me, this translates as law and order being a necessary component of the American way. There are few legal immigrants, or naturalized citizens, who disagree with my assumptions.
Then why does the Republican Party imagine that “Hispanics” support lawlessness and pander to that belief?
That said, lets be serious here, just for a second, does anyone out there, really think he would not flip flop on this issue if he got elected (hell, even if he just got nominated?).
He is going to say whatever the hell he has to say on this, to get votes, he is about as sincere on immigration and Obama is on cutting spending.....
So is Newt pretending to be Liberal by embracing amnesty for up to 1/3 of illegals?
Sadly, even conservatives often take a liberal position on something somewhere.
President Reagan gave amnesty to illegals, and it may have been the worse thing he ever did (I believe he acknowledged that the democrats lied to him to get it).
Bizarre as it may sound, its rare to get a 100% conservative in any race, they usualy cherry pick something to drift on.
Uh, do you think Reagan would do it again NOW if he were a candidate? Of course not. But Newt IS!
“Several leading GOP strategists say Romney’s sharp-tongued attacks have gained wide attention in Hispanic media and are eroding the party’s already fragile standing in that community.”
Then why didn’t you protect our borders so you wouldn’t have to pander to the children of illegals?
idiots.
wakeup YOU destroyed any future of the Republican party. Look in the mirror.
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