Hispanic vote

[mastein]

We really need to figure out how to appeal to the fastest growing demographic in America, the Hispanic voters. Most are very Catholic and came from corrupt/failed leftist countries (El Salvador and Mexico top my list). Yes, Mexico is a failed state if 10% of its population is crossing the border in the space of just a couple of years. I would like to start a discussion on how to appeal to these new voters over the next generation as they assimilate into the American experience. If we don't think ahead about this topic it could be BIG TROUBLE for the party.

[TheFarseer]

1. I'd appeal to them the old fashioned way

jobs, healthcare, education. I do not want to appeal to them with amnesty a and relaxed border like W seems to want to do.

[Bridget Burke]

2. Where do you get your figures for Mexican immigration?

Ten percent seems a bit high.

Is "leftist" a problem? Should we become more like Republicans?

And--this may be a shock--quite a few Hispanics/Latinos/whatever are native born. In many parts of the country, they were here first. And the "American experience" has not assimilated them--they helped create it. Where do you think all that cowboy stuff came from?

Most Hispanics I know want good jobs, education, affordable health care & decent places to live. How radical!

[bryant69]

3. Yeah I was wondering about that too

I mean of course there is plenty of immigration, but there is also a lot more already here.

Is the origional poster arguing that we should move to the right? If so let him say so.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[mastein]

4. Clarifications

I am not advocating any single position or philosophy. I am saying that we need a cogent plan to keep the Hispanic vote we seem to be losing in our camp.

Yes I realize that there are a) native communities in the SW mostly that share significant cultural and blood ties to the current immigrant communities. b) there are older multi generation immigrants of Hispanic heritage here. I know several families, and that gets to my big question which is how do we keep the kids of immigrants, and subsequent generations? Right now the Hispanic immigrant vote is moving to the right as other immigrant groups have as they become more prosperous. I want to stop that.

The reason I bring up the failed states issue is as a legitimate problem we need to conquer to bring trust and support from that community.

The 10% number came from a report on NPR when Pres. Fox came to Washington last month. I don't remember the time frame (thus the number of years allusion) but do remember the number.

[billbuckhead]

5. ?Failed leftist countries (El Salvador and Mexico top my list). ?

Mexico and El Salavador aren't leftist.

The Crucifixion of EL SALVADOR
Noam Chomsky
For many years, repression, torture and murder were carried on in El Salvador by dictators installed and supported by our government, a matter of no interest here. The story was virtually never covered. By the late 1970s, however, the US government began to be concerned about a couple of things.

One was that Somoza, the dictator of Nicaragua, was losing control . The US was losing a major base for its exercise of force in the region. A second danger was even more threatening. In El Salvador in the 1970s, there was a growth of what were called "popular organizations"-peasant associations, cooperatives, unions, Church-based Bible study groups that evolved into self-help groups, etc. That raised the threat of democracy.

In February 1980, the Archbishop of EI Salvador, Oscar Romero, sent a letter to President Carter in which he begged him not to send military aid to the junta that ran the country. He said such aid would be used to "sharpen injustice and repression against the people's organizations" which were struggling "for respect for their most basic human rights" (hardly news to Washington, needless to say).

A few weeks later, Archbishop Romero was assassinated while saying a mass. The neo-Nazi
Roberto d'Aubuisson is generally assumed to be responsible for this assassination (among countless other atrocities). D'Aubuisson was "leader for-life" of the ARENA party, which now governs El Salvador; members of the party, like current Salvadoran president Alfredo Cristiani, had to take a blood oath of loyalty to him.

-------------------snip-------------
<http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Chomsky/ChomOdon_ElSalvador.html>

[Bridget Burke]

7. Some policies of the Mexican government might be considered leftist.

But they aren't the problem. Corruption has more to do with it--& that's been around a long time.

[billbuckhead]

6. Mexicans created the cowboy?

Next you're going to tell me they invented corn.

[liberalmike27]

8. Hispanics

Votes can be gotten by using the same things that will get other votes. For that matter I'm tired of trying to get interest groups, if we have the right policies, and if Democrats will once again become democrats, Republican will never win again. (unless of course the big show is all fixed, which is entirely possible)

Sometimes it is depressing to think like I do, but the evidence of the elements of control is out there. I don't think it is totally locked down yet, but when you look at Florida, and Ohio, and all of the anomolies that went Bush's way this last election, there is certainly room to worry.

But like the 50 State strategy, if we do the things democrats do, be a little populist, create more jobs, better jobs, or keep them from leaving (a little protectionism for American workers please), if we demand that we only trade with countries that have nearly identiacal and verifiable environmental measures and labor standards, and loudly state that then we'll win.

This whole system is so sick with money though, we need public financing of campaigns, and an absolute minimal influence of money before we can get this thing back to the people. It seems like things have to totally crash in America before we realize how sick laissez faire capitalism can make a country.

[mastein]

10. Spoken like a true Deaniac

Hi Mike,

I agree with what you said, mostly. And let me latch on to your last paragraph with some extra thoughts.

I just got a new job as an OSHA inspector in the Suburban Northern VA doing construction inspections. A large portion of the folks we inspect are recent immigrants. The Hispanic immigrant community here is starting to make some serious strides up the prosperity ladder mostly by doing construction work. They are quite often brought in as 3rd-5th tier sub contractors without adequate background to truly manage their business. As a result they get in trouble with us, IRS and sometimes ICE (formerly the INS). Add that trouble to their experience with the government in their native country who quite often is corrupt (and that is why the governments fail, much more than stated policies) and you have folks who are very suspicious of us offering a hand up.

That is where I was trying to head on this....
Matt

[Lost4words]

9. self delete