Posted on 04/23/2014 7:51:03 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Breakups are rough — regrets, pain and bitter memories. As Republicans in the House block immigration reform time after time, American Latinos get the message: It's over, don't call me. Have a good life.
Incapable of producing even one GOP vote in favor of the Democrats' last-ditch gamble at forcing an open vote of the House, the message to Latinos is crystalline. Whatever goodwill the clutch of pro-immigration reform House Republicans won in the last year since the Senate passed its bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill has now evaporated.
Some 15 months after former Gov. Mitt Romney's (R-Mass.) "self-deportation" turkey handed the Latino vote (not to mention the Asian-American electorate) to the Democrats, Republicans are still incapable of effectively dealing with an issue that commands big majorities of Americans – including Republicans.
Great analyses have been written by Greg Sargent, Charlie Cook, and Juan Williams, among others, about the "paranoia" inherent in the Republican Party's refusal put forward a coherent immigration reform policy. Setting the political calculus aside, most Republicans on Capitol Hill seem to have no clue about what immigration reform actually represents to Latino voters.
As I've written previously, immigration reform is not a policy debate for Hispanics. It stands as a proxy for societal respect – even though most Latinos are either American-born, naturalized citizens or have a green card and will not benefit from any reform. While it's not fair to judge the GOP based on people like Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) and his anti-immigrant logorrhea, he and other anti-immigrant Republicans have become the effective spokespeople of the GOP on this issue.
Whatever good intentions may exist in the GOP House to move forward with a bill, the lack of any action by Boehner (not to mention right-wing extremists' wholesale rejection of a reasonable compromise) is now officially the Republican position.
This is what Latinos think.
On my radio show every day, and on social media 24/7, I am part of a conversation where responsibility for both the failure of comprehensive reform, and the acrid discourse surrounding it, is laid at the feet of Republicans exclusively.
New to American politics, organic groups of American Latinos have formed online with the express purpose of increasing Latino turnout in November and dealing the GOP a blow. No longer tied to the traditional activist organizations, still espousing 1960s tactics and attitudes, these new groups are savvy Facebookers and Tweeters that can spread a political message across the country with the click of the mouse – reaching tens of thousands of people in an instant, hundreds of thousands per day.
This political battle is now personal. Just like the Tea Party fervor of 2010, driven by a single-minded focus to oppose President Obama, these online Latino groups share a similar obsession with throwing Republicans out of office.
One such group, organized primarily through the hashtag #TNTweeters, has attracted thousands of active social media "warriors" that engage in a robust political debate – principally calling for a GOP defeat in November.
Will this new kind of political activists succeed in altering the electoral math in the midterms? No one can say, of course. Latinos have historically sat out non-presidential elections. But history is not always prologue. The level of frustration, even anger, now focused on the GOP, combined with the frictionless power of social media, represents a fundamentally new political dynamic in American politics.
Come this November 4, Republicans may just wake up to the ugly reality that breaking up with American Latinos over immigration was an easily avoidable and ultimately very costly divorce.
Espuelas, a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute, is a political analyst on television, radio and in print. He is the host and managing editor of “The Fernando Espuelas Show,” a daily political talk show syndicated nationally by the Univision America Network.
“Come this November 4, Republicans may just wake up to the ugly reality that breaking up with American Latinos over immigration was an easily avoidable and ultimately very costly divorce.”
Let me see, Romney kind of pro immigration...just how much of the hispanic vote did he get. Hummm.
Meanwhile, seems I recall a poll sometime back wherein CITIZEN hispanics were not enthoused with “reform”. Lastly, why would someone having difficulty getting a job find more immigration a happy event?
Just some thoughts.
In other words, let me rob your house or I’ll burn it down.
Frankly Fernando, you're more connected to your distant ethnic cousins than you are to America. And to criticize appeasing simpering RINOs about their lack of action is actually funny.
They're more than willing to capitulate to your 'connection' with these illegals than they are to the founding principles of this country. They don't understand it, but with the misguided notion to try and get your elusive vote (that will NEVER come) they're still 'trying' by damn.
They're willing to give up our sovereignty, our economy and our future to appease you, you twit. Screw you. Go back to your distant homeland if you don't like it.
Since illegals can’t vote (right???), and law-abiding Latino citizens (the ones who went to the trouble of following the law), sort of resent the freeloaders, what’s the problem for the Pubbies? Unless of course illegals DO vote. But they don’t right?
Republicans need to reach out to Hispanics.
But not by selling out on Immigration.
We need to be for jobs. Jobs. Jobs.
Not in China. Not in Europe. Not in Africa, or South America. Not in Australia.
Not jobs in Korea. Not anywhere else.
We need to be for AMERICAN JOBS.
The Republican Party needs to be for American jobs.
Now.
The American government should be working for the benefit of AMERICAN CITIZENS! Those Hispanics that are here legally need to join the family of the greater American population, including adopting English, rather than acting as if they were the first wave of an Hispanic invasion.
Not to worry. Boehner, Cantor, McConnell and McCain are rushing to help shore up the GOPe’s huge Hispanic base, in time for the elections to be lost in November.
The author makes an assumption that all American Latinos want our borders thrown wide and all illegal aliens—at least those that are Latino—amnestied. Where’s the evidence of that? Some American Latinos may want amnesty. It might even be most of them, but I bet a sizable number put America first and do not want to import more crime and poverty.
The author also uses the well worn race card. Well, I’m a Republican, and I have absolutely nothing against American Latinos in general. I don’t like those who aid and abet non-American Latinos who come and stay here in violation of the law, but I’m glad to have American Latino neighbors who follow the law and put America first.
Finally, the author claims Republicans don’t have a consistent police on immigration. I have to agree with that to the extent I don’t support those Republicans who want to reward illegality by letting illegal aliens stay. I do, however, believe there’s a consistent immigration policy in this country, and it’s written into the law. Let’s try actually enforcing that before we claim it doesn’t work.
Hmmm. Latinos want work, so won’t like losing future opportunity. They’re very family oriented. They’re 70 percent of growth of US Catholics since 1960. They’re conservatives at heart, IMHO.
The article is progressive cognitive dissonance on parade, yet again.
RE: They’re 70 percent of growth of US Catholics since 1960. They’re conservatives at heart, IMHO.
Catholics and Conservatives ehh? How many percent of abortions and out of wedlock marriages in this country are from the Latino community?
Also... George H.W. Bush received about 30% of the hispanic vote in 1988, just two years removed from the 1986 amnesty law. If the GOP was "married" to the mexicans back then, those mexis weren't being exactly faithful to the relationship.
The Mexican descended families I know living here for 2 or more generations are not for amnesty. Morons make the assumption that because they speak Spanish they think Spanish.
First off I did not realize we were ever in a relationship with Hispanics???? Suddenly we republicans have broken up with them.
Aren’t we - those of us here legally, Americans? If you come here to become an American then actually be one and be treated like everyone else - you are not special just because you are of hispanic origin and therefore should not get special treatment.
Is being American an ethnic group? If so can I be Ethnic American? What do I get for free? Currently I get a bunch of freeloaders I have to support.
Even posting this tics me off - spell check underlines hispanic - apparently it is supposed to be capitalized. I must be racist since I did not. Thanks spellcheck for confirming my racist tendencies!
So why would the line in sand for them be immigration?
Oh yeah, the overwhelming majority of invaders is Hispanic. So in reality it is not ‘conservatism’ that they identity with but ethnicity.
Imagine that.
Culture is determinative. The American Culture is based upon Judeo-Christianity, the Founding Documents, and the sovereign individual citizen living a life or personal responsibility on his own property where he/she is secure in person & property.
Messican ‘Culture’ is predicated upon a mix of Spanish Christianity laced with a lot of Islam due to Spain's 700 years of being a conquered, slave state under Muslim rule. Factor in the violent and brutal stone age cannibalism of the “Indigenous Peoples (Inca, Maya, ad nauseam) and one has the origins of, and an explanation for, Messican culture and the often brutally criminal behavior of Messicans.
Culture IS determinative and Americans do not want anything to do with Mexican culture, despite Jebbie Boosh’s “illegal immigration is an act of love”. Latrinos are easily identified, and a small minority. As such, they are going to lose any direct confrontation with White America. Same applies to Blacks and Muslims. Those minorities seem unable to understand the first rule of Genocide - "Make sure you are in the majority." Perhaps their behavior is consequential to their IQ relative to the whites.
To the author: You’re a fracking racist! Go to hell!
If Hispanics want to see what it’s like being married to the Democrat party, they should take a real close look at the Blacks who have done so well in America thanks to the Democrat party.
Yes, my brother in law who is 100% Mexican extraction from El Paso is a total conservative and he has no use for the illegals. His family was in Texas before it was a Republic. He is an American and has no sympathy for Mexican nationals breaking into our country.
The GOP needs to just concentrate on getting out the 6 million Republicans who stayed home in 2012 and geting the majority of the independent vote and they will be winners. The black vote is a waste of effort and as has been pointed out the illegals are not supposed to be voting.
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