http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/note-to-gop-no-more-chips-and-salsa/
by Sergio Rodriguera Jr.
Republicans still have a long way to go if they hope to win back the Hispanic vote.
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...Ask me what is important to Puerto Ricans and I might say statehood; to Cubans, it might be regime change. However, these are just assumptions because I don't know. What's important to a Mexican-American in Arizona is going to be different for a Mexican-American in North Carolina. We are not monolithic and will never be a voting bloc. Like other voters, we reward candidates who campaign in our communities, present an appealing message, and show respect and affinity for our members.
In 1984, Ronald Reagan captured 37% of the Hispanic vote and in 2004 George W. Bush garnered 44% of the Hispanic vote. He even tried his Spanish at times, which was always good for a laugh. But Republicans can't hide a simple truth: the party has only four Latino members of Congress. Moreover, that number will decrease by one when Senator Mel Martinez retires his seat in Florida in 2010. "It is absolutely abhorrent that we do not have one Republican Hispanic member of Congress in states like California, Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada", says Mario Lopez, director of the Hispanic Leadership Fund, which was created in 2008 to address minority recruitment and training of candidates.
Republicans need to make a concerted effort to recruit candidates that reflect a diverse party. With some help, former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio may be the Senate candidate in Florida in 2010. However, Republicans can't escape the fact that they need to address the issue of immigration. The components of an immigration policy that is both responsible and politically effective aren't difficult to put together. The violence currently taking place on both sides of the border is a national security issue. Rampant kidnapping, narcotics smuggling, and arms trafficking takes place on a daily basis and must be stopped.
Once the border is better secured, Republicans can address the 12 to 14 million undocumented workers in our country. Those who have committed crimes here must be sent back to their home country immediately. But individuals who have been in the country and who have been paying taxes and working hard (and perhaps have children here) should have a way to continue contributing to society. While penalties may be appropriate for illegally entering the country, there is simply no viable or politically acceptable means of conducting a mass deportation. Republicans can also address penalties for employers who hire illegal workers and institute a verification system. Recruitment and development of policy positions with appeal to Hispanics are a prerequisite for better electoral results. And a respectful and constructive approach to immigration must be part of the GOP agenda.
Republicans still have a long way to go if they hope to win back the Hispanic vote. Like General Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, "Pessimism never won any battle". The path will be difficult, but once Republicans manage to construct an effective message with effective messengers, perhaps we will no longer have to listen to mariachi music.
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Great article above. Go read the whole thing at PJTV.
Gov. Huckabee had a great approach to the immigration solution. However, once the border is secure, the process of those who are here and have been, with family American born could be processed and that these accepted naturalized citizens not take away from the opportunity of those who are trying to enter America the legal way.
To further fix our crisis of those who do not pay their share of tax support to the over taxing federal government would be further cleansed by the implementation of the Fair Tax plan, forcing those who are illegal to either sign up for citizenship or leave due to criminal background and who could not afford to be not part of the progressive portion of the Fair Tax Plan.
R. George Dunn
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