"What... shattered hopes among Latinos... was Obama's pandering to anti-immigrants"

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Forum Name General Discussion: Primaries
Topic subject Chicago Tribune: "What... shattered hopes among Latinos... was Obama's pandering to anti-immigrants"
Topic URL http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4499866#4499866
4499866, Chicago Tribune: "What... shattered hopes among Latinos... was Obama's pandering to anti-immigrants"
Posted by bidenista on Sat Feb-09-08 11:29 AM

When they were useful, they were used. And when they stopped being useful, they were thrown under the bus. An article in the Chicago Tribune explains why many Latinos don't trust Obama:



Latino vote a big loss for Obama

By Maria De Los Angeles Torres
February 10, 2008

Last week's primaries were dubbed "Hispanic Super Tuesday," and indeed the Latino vote proved pivotal to Hillary Clinton's gains. She received an overwhelming majority of Latino votes despite Barack Obama's last-ditch efforts to differentiate his position on immigration. The support Obama had enjoyed in Illinois' Latino communities even slipped significantly since the last time he ran for office. Some have speculated that Latinos support Clinton because she is better-known. Others say Obama's advisers just don't get Latinos. Still others speculate that Latinos will not vote for an African-American. In reality, Latinos have supported African-American candidates for decades. That has been true across the country, in many races, including the 2004 U.S. Senate contest that Obama won. Though the Democratic primary in that race included a popular and prominent Latino candidate, Gery Chico, 70 percent of Illinois Latinos voted for Obama.

Why? Issues.

Obama campaigned against the war, at the time a top issue for Latino voters. Most importantly, he embraced humane and comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to legalization. He pledged his support for issuing driver's licenses regardless of immigration status. He supported the Dream Act, which would give all high school students qualified to enter universities a shot at financial aid regardless of immigration status. On the foreign policy front, Obama also supported policies aimed at strengthening Latin American economies, a key component of a sound hemispheric immigration policy. Latino support for Obama continued—and indeed grew. Like so many Americans, Latinos were moved by Obama's speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, and especially by his reference to his own immigrant roots. Latinos everywhere held major fundraisers for him.

Once in Washington, however, Obama disappointed many of them. There were many unexpected votes, including his vote to confirm Condoleezza Rice as secretary of state—his first chance to truly act on his expressed opposition to the war. But what truly shattered hopes among Latinos across the nation was Obama's pandering to anti-immigrant sentiments during the 2006 congressional races, and his vote to build a fence along select stretches of the U.S.-Mexico border. For Latinos, and for many people around the world, the fence symbolizes backward and bigoted thinking, particularly in a modern era committed to bringing down walls, not erecting them....

More: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-latinos_thinkfeb10,1,6612604.story