Group seeks to define Obama as "worse than Joe Arpaio" on immigration
A screenshot of Spanish-language Obama for America ad.
/ BarackObama.comThat's the bold claim being made by conservative Latino strategist Alfonso Aguilar, who is spearheading a new effort designed to diminish Latino support for Mr. Obama in the key swing state of Nevada ahead of the November elections. He and his allies have a lot of work to do: A NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Telemundo poll out this week found that Mr. Obama leads presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney 61 to 27 percent among registered Latino voters nationally.
The percentage of Latinos in the national electorate has increased in each of the past four elections, rising from two percent in 1992 to nine percent in 2008. Dating back to 1972, Republicans have won more than 40 percent of the Latino vote just once: In 2004, when President George W. Bush took 44 percent. Four years later, Sen. John McCain won just 31 percent of the Latino vote to Mr. Obama's 67 percent. No wonder that Romney himself was overheard at a closed-door fundraiser last month saying that if Republicans don't turn around their performance with Latinos, "it spells doom for us."
A common benchmark, used this week in the Los Angeles Times, is that Romney needs 40 percent of the Latino vote in November. His effort to get there is complicated by the fact that during the Republican primary, he staked out a position to the right of his rivals on illegal immigration - attacking rival Rick Perry for backing in-state college tuition for illegal immigrants, dismissing Newt Gingrich's support for allowing some illegal immigrants who have been in the country for a long time to gain legal status as "amnesty." Romney's positions prompted Aguilar to tell the Washington Post in December that "[i]t pains me to say this, but if we have a negative narrative on immigration, it's because of Mitt Romney."
Aguilar's group, Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles, is spearheading the new "Nevada Hispanics" project, which will involve outreach at Latino supermarkets, churches and other public spaces. Latinos made up nearly 27 percent of the Nevada population as of the 2010 census; a survey from Democratic-leaning pollster Public Policy Polling last month found that the president leads Romney 69-30 among Nevada Latinos.
The effort - which Aguilar says will come at a cost of up to $1 million, provided by conservative donors he will not identify - is designed to provide "education" on around three main areas: "Free enterprise," social conservative values and immigration. "Nevada Hispanics" technically isn't officially backing a candidate, but its pro-Romney, anti-Obama agenda is clear.
Aguilar argues that Latinos should reconsider their support for the president over his having overseen a record number of deportations of illegal immigrants, which he describes as "a policy of massive and systematic deportations that is much more punitive than the Arizona law." He argues that Mr. Obama has been "worse than Joe Arpaio" on immigration, claiming that the president's record is worse than that of the controversial Arizona sheriff and hard-line opponent of illegal immigration who has been sued by the Justice Department over allegations of racial profiling.
"It's pretty clear that the president is using this issue for political expediency," said Aguilar, pointing out that the president promised to use his political capital to push through immigration reform, but then focused on health care and other issues instead.
The Obama administration's deportation policy has prompted anger from other Latino leaders, and a Pew Hispanic Center poll released in December found that Latinos disapprove of the Obama administration's deportation policy by a two-to-one margin. The poll also found that just 25 percent of native-born Latinos knew deportations were higher under Mr. Obama than under his predecessor - something Aguilar says his effort is designed to change.
Administration officials say they have focused on deporting illegal immigrants who are criminals while allowing compassionate treatment of illegal immigrants who otherwise follow the law, a claim that Aguilar says doesn't hold up to scrutiny. "If you look at the [Department of Homeland Security] numbers, almost 60 percent of those being deported have no criminal record whatsoever," he said. The Obama campaign did not respond to a request for a response to Aguilar's comments.
As for Romney, Aguilar says he is encouraged by the fact that the presumptive nominee is "clarifying" his positions since the primaries, noting Romney's flirtation with a GOP version of the DREAM Act and his support for a guest worker program. Still he admits that "because of his comments, which were unnecessary, he begins handicapped."
Meanwhile, the Obama campaign is not taking Latino support for granted. It has released two sets of Spanish-language television and radio ads, with a focus on Hispanic media outlets in Colorado, Nevada and Florida, and its "Latinos for Obama" initiative is focused on reaching out to and registering Latino voters. And on Thursday, a left-leaning super PAC released an ad spotlighting some of Romney's past comments on immigration and tying him to Arpaio and Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, who signed the controversial S.B. 1070 immigration law that is now under Supreme Court review.
Aguilar argues that Republicans can win back Latinos, noting that they are far from a monolithic group. "It's an ethnic group with a diversity of characteristics - racial, religious, socioeconomic backgrounds," he pointed out.
"The only thing that Republicans need to do is engage Latinos, show up, and have a constructive position on immigration," argued Aguilar, who said that they needed to move "beyond enforcement-only solutions."
"The question is," he added, "how soon will Republicans get it?"
Popular in Politics
- Obama and Berlin: Faded echoes meet new realities
- Senators: U.S. must take "more decisive" military action in Syria
- House Republicans pass 20-week limit on abortions 252 Comments
- Immigration reform would cut deficit, analysis shows
- Smooth, on-time Obamacare rollout no sure thing: GAO
- Obama renews push for a nuclear disarmament legacy
- Bill Ayers: Obama should be tried for war crimes
- Treasury secretary's loopy signature is now less loopy
The Right cannot believably accuse Obama of being (1) too tough on illegal immigration and (2) too leanient on illegal immigration (hence the AZ suit) at the same time.
It is simpy ridiculous. Pick one.
He's not getting our votes this time around.
----
"The Economist" magazine - an unbiased foreign news source - says that while the Hispanics cling to their churches and families and therefore agree with the Repubs on many social ideas, most have indicated that they have felt "attacked" by the Republicans.
I still find that odd, as Reagan himself is the only president in our lifetimes to give illegals amnesty - 4 million of 'em.
.
He keeps dangling the "Dream Act" to try and get the illegals and their anchor babies to vote for him with the parents using fake IDs like ACORN provided in 2008.
He and the Democrats are against the voter ID laws for that reason.
Then after he gets their votes he deports them.
I'm all for deporting as many illegals from Mexico but this exploiting of illegals and also Hispanic citizens for votes is the typical Liberal and Democrat M.O.
Using minorities to get and say in power.
We here in New Mexico and my relatives in AZ who have been here since the 17th Century are sick and tired of Obama and the Democrats using us.
He's not getting our votes this time around.
2- ACORN NEVER "provided anyone with fake IDs", get a clue. There is a HUGE difference between a miniscule number of bogus registrations (which were flagged and thrown out) and "providing someone with a fake ID".
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/elections/article852295.ece
3- If you are an American citizen, do us all a favor and educate yourself in regard to the United States Constitution. Authority to enforce Immigration law is and has ALWAYS been left to the FEDERAL government, NOT that of the STATES.
----
Just as everyone knows what the Catholic Church has been doing.
First the President isn't doing enough. Now he is doning too much.
I got some bad news we don't like monkey logic right wing nuts. Ask the former Senator Coleman.
The hypocrisy is hilarious!
Alberto Gonzales was found not guilty of Obama's fraudulent accusations. It is appearing more and more Democrat Barack Obama accusing someone is doing wrong is Obama making it look like he isn't or wouldn't when he is or planning to. The premeditated gaming of practice of deceiving by concealing or misrepresenting the truth to proxy one-self in others, is indicted though in TXE appointment of Eric Holder. I am thinking the gaming delay, delay, delay, to subpoenas about "fast and furious" is about the re-election attempt for Democrat Barack Obama and so is the lawsuit against Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
It was premeditated on Obama's part, he stated before the appointment of Alberto Gonzales, he saw and only he saw the potential crime in Gonzales to re-elected G W Bush and that is why he didn't vote for him for DOJ- I am thinking it was Obama doing his staging then - Obama calls on Gonzales to step http://youtu.be/TlUmruKGAAc
occupy_cbs: Why would I support a discriminatory law like SB1070 or obviously discriminatory practices like old, senile joey arpaio practices?
The "papers please" law stopping motorists or pedestrians is highly discriminatory, but raiding companies and work sites is a good idea.
=====
handout: "This is called an opinion, and not a very accurate one at that. If I get pulled over, I produce an ID. If I do not, the police will investigate while I sit there until they can determine to their satisfaction who I am.
If I have to produce an ID, then a minority should have to as well. If they can't there is nothing wrong with the officer trying to determine their immigration status.
=====
Again, this is definitely a COMMENT section for everyone to post their OPINIONS, and for some, even the latest fox/rush talking points like your post.
I'm so glad you took my comment out of context, just to prove your wrong point, since it was two-fold, and included the old, senile joey arpaio that has been under federal investigation on discriminatory practices since bushworld. The DOJ has said he and his sheriff's department conducted egregious discrimination on hundreds of cases. Hopefully, we'll see his sorry butt in court very soon.
As far as SB1070 goes, there's only certain ID's that will work with law enforcement, and I'm just betting you are like me, and don't carry around your Passport while in the U.S. Also, since you're so misinformed about SB1070, I'm also willing to bet that you don't live in AZ, nor do you have an AZ driver's license.
So, when driving through AZ, your state's driver's license won't work, and if you don't have your Passport, Military ID, immigration papers or AZ driver's license, they can cart you off to jail for a lengthy stay, no matter how much you whine and scream.....too bad!
Just like your comments and everyone else's in this COMMENT section full of OPINIONS, so what's your point today? Just more attacks?
Didn't you forget the "regurgitated lib drivel" part of your post?
LOL!
You certainly aren't very well informed, but this is exactly what I've come to expect from the fox/rush parrots of endless propaganda.
GEE....I wonder why they don't put stories like this on the fox political network? Oh, that's right, they like you misinformed!
Take your choice:
Fresh Raids Target Illegal Hiring
Obama Administration Seeks Employment Records From Hundreds of Companies
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304868004577378042369495780.html
-----
Companies pay millions for hiring illegal immigrants
When U.S. immigration agents scoured the hiring paperwork on file at Advanced Containment System Inc. last year, they found identification cards supposedly issued by the "Texas Department of Safety."
http://www.chron.com/news/article/Companies-pay-millions-for-hiring-illegal-2684214.php
-----
A Crackdown on Employing Illegal Workers
TUCSON -- Obama administration officials are sharpening their crackdown on the hiring of illegal immigrants by focusing increasingly tough criminal charges on employers while moving away from criminal arrests of the workers themselves.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/30/us/politics/30raid.html?pagewanted=all