NYT: Democrats Reach Out to Hispanic Voters

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/10/us/politics/10dems.html?ei=5088&en=35e32ac8faea9c7b&ex=1347076800&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=print

September 10, 2007
Democrats Reach Out to Hispanic Voters
By PATRICK HEALY

MIAMI, Sept. 9 — Democratic presidential candidates courted the fast-growing Hispanic electorate on Sunday night by debating on a Spanish-language television network, where they promised to swiftly overhaul the immigration system and accused Republicans and President Bush of stoking anti-Hispanic sentiment.

The three leading candidates, Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois and former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, had especially sharp criticism for leaders of the Republican Party. They expressed concerns that Republicans were enabling anti-immigrant feelings and even racist attitudes, or at least not taking a tougher stand against them.

Mrs. Clinton said legislative proposals to overhaul the immigration system, which all the Democrats at the debate endorsed, had been used by Republicans and some in the news media to “bash immigrants” and engage in demagoguery.

“The Republican candidates need to understand that they are doing a great disservice to our country,” she said.

Later, Mrs. Clinton added: “There are many in the political and frankly in the broadcast world today who take a particular aim at our Latino population. I think it’s very destructive.” A spokesman for Mrs. Clinton said after the debate that she was referring to the CNN anchor Lou Dobbs and the radio host Rush Limbaugh, among others.

Mr. Obama, who is seeking strong support from both black and Hispanic voters, recalled a telegram the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. sent to Cesar Chavez when the two men were each involved in protest strikes. The telegram read, “Our separate struggles are one.”

FULL story at link.

[slackmaster]

1. No good will come of this

The mad fools continue to buy the false premise that voters of Hispanic descent are of one mind on immigration issue, "official" language, or anything else. They ignore the lessons of history.

I've lived in San Diego most of my life. I work with Hispanic people every day - Highly educated professionals who are mostly first- and second-generation immigrants. The last thing they want to see is the immigration system "reformed" to give amnesty to people who entered our country illegally. They're people who went through the process legally, they love this country, and they vote. They view the Democratic candidates' latest stage show as pandering, and they see right through it.

You can bank on my words on this.