Thread: Anti-immigrant rhetoric hurts GOP's standing with Hispanics

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Anti-immigrant rhetoric hurts GOP's standing with Hispanics
Kent Hoover
Washington Bureau Chief
Republicans will lose the gains they've made among Hispanic voters under President Bush if they allow "partisan radical demagogues" to control the immigration reform debate, says Latino Coalition President Robert Deposada.

A new survey of Hispanic registered voters found that a majority support increasing the number of border patrol agents and making sure that employers only hire workers who are in the United States legally. But they also overwhelmingly support a program to allow immigrants to work temporarily in the United States.

The House immigration reform bill focused on tough enforcement provisions, including making it a felony to be in the United States illegally. But it didn't include a guest worker program.

Hispanics were offended not only by the content of the House bill, but also the anti-immigrant rhetoric of many Republicans, Deposada says.

The message that these Republicans sent to Hispanics was "you're against me as an Hispanic, you're against me as a community," Deposada says.

The good news for Republicans is that most Hispanic voters are conservative on economic and social issues, the poll found.

Business groups also were offended by the House immigration bill, including small business organizations that support Republicans on most other issues.

Karen Kerrigan, president and CEO of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, says workers in a global economy need to be able to go back and forth between countries.

"If Republicans suffer because of this issue, that's their own problem," Kerrigan says.

Meanwhile, the National Federation of Independent Business, which stayed silent during the House immigration debate, is concerned about the bill's requirements to force employers to verify the Social Security numbers of employees against a government database. The bill includes stiff fines for violations.

NFIB Executive Vice President Dan Danner says a mandatory verification system could disadvantage small businesses because they don't have the resources to hire lawyers to challenge the government when there is a dispute over a worker's legal status.

The Senate plans to take up immigration reform next month, and NFIB will "have a role to play," Danner says.

"People will care how it affects small business," he says.

For more information on the Latino Coalition poll, see www.TheLatinoCoalition.com.

Well, if LEGAL HISPANIC AMERICANS are in support of a Guest Worker Program it is because they do not understand the cost or consequences.

When they do, which they will, they will be with US.

Rest assured.

What about the clout the GOP will gain when they side with America in general? I never understand the stupidity behind this concept of forsaking the American vote by appeasing illegals. It didn't win Bush anymore Hispanics votes and now he's losing his base. The Republicans think that they can appease illegals and us conservatives will have no other choice, but to vote Republican because their isn't anyone out there that's good. Yet they fail to grasp a simple concept. Us conservatives if we don't want to vote third party will just simply stay home and watch the Republicans lose their power. I know alot of Republican voters who are doing exactly that this coming election because they already feel betrayed by Jorge Bush and his gaggle of LaRaza minions. The hispanics will never vote for Republican because most hispanics whether they favor illegal immigration or not are almost always in favor of big government which is why they heavily vote Democrat.

If Bush would do his job, secure our borders and enforce our immigration laws his popularity would rise to unheard of proportions. I think alot of politicans would really be surprised, but just like always they don't have the damn balls to make a decision because they are afraid of losing their campaign dollars.

Get these traitors out of office and bring in some patriots who put their country ahead of their paycheck who actually have a damn backbone.

Let me give you another example of how foolish Republicans are. Chris Cannon Republican Rep of Utah won reelection in 2004. He campaigned on an open borders ticket. Challenger Beau Babka Democrat campaigned on border and immigration enforcement and even though he lost overall, still won the hispanic vote despite Beau Babka campaigning on closing the borders and enforcing immigration laws. The only reason Arnold even won the recall in California was because he promised to deny drivers licenses to illegals while Gray Davis handed it to them on a silver platter. Yet the Republicans still won't wake up and the stupid idiots will be scratching their heads and wondering why they just lost their majority after the election this year.

Go ahead Republicans, go appease the hispanics then the rest of your base will stay home or vote third party so you'll be out of a job in about ten months. If you Republicans did your job you wouldn't have to worry about appeasing anybody, let alone hispanics.

Republicans will lose the gains they've made among Hispanic voters under President Bush if they allow "partisan radical demagogues" to control the immigration reform debate, says Latino Coalition President Robert Deposada.

So does this mean that by defending the borders the GOP will now lose the hispanic vote by 70/30, instead of the 60/40 they lose it by now?

Any way you look at it, the GOP doesn't have the hispanic vote, and it is working overtime to lose the conservative vote as well.