Thread: GOP Leaders: Anti-immigration Stance Hurts Party

GOP Leaders: Anti-immigration Stance Hurts Party

Friday, 14 Jan 2011 06:58 PM

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Republican speakers at a conference on reaching Hispanic voters urged the party to tone down its rhetoric on immigration and to take up comprehensive reform in Congress, warning that the party could lose ground with the country's increasingly diverse citizenry if it doesn't.

"(Hispanics) will be the swing voters as they are today in the swing states. If you want to elect a center-right president of the United States, it seems to me you should be concerned about places like New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Florida, Texas, places where but for the Hispanic vote, elections are won and lost," said former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who co-chaired the conference organized by the new Hispanic Leadership Network.

But those gathered at the South Florida conference seemed split over whether the GOP's lack of Hispanic support is simply because of the party's tone, or if there's a more substantive problem with the GOP's policies.

"If you think it's about tone, you have missed the point," independent columnist Ruben Navarette told the audience of more than 300 at the Biltmore Hotel in the Miami suburb of Coral Gables. Other speakers blamed a liberal bias in the media and a few extreme voices in the party.

Lincoln Diaz-Balart, the Florida Republican who retired from Congress this year and has long championed immigration reform, suggested Republicans need to work their tone and message.

"The decibels have to be lower," he said. "It doesn't' matter how good are policy positions are, if we are perceived as being anti-immigrant, we cannot be the majority party."

Diaz-Balart also urged congressional leaders to quickly take up a comprehensive immigration bill that a bipartisan group of legislators has quietly worked on for months. Diaz-Balart promised the new proposal would address previous concerns about people in the country illegally earning residency before those who follow the rules.

"It solves many impossible-to-solve issues," he said, "including making sure people waiting legally get preference."

The daylong conference is the latest of several new Republican efforts to reach out to Hispanics, who have voted overwhelmingly for Democrats in recent presidential elections. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a possible 2012 presidential candidate, announced a similar effort in Washington, D.C., last month with his Americanos group. The conservative Heritage Foundation also now has a Spanish website, Libertad.org. Meanwhile, Alfonso Aguilar, former President George W. Bush's first citizenship and immigration czar, runs the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles.

The Hispanic Leadership Network is backed by former Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman, whose American Action Network funneled more than $30 million in campaign funds to Republicans in about 30 congressional races last year.

Bush did not speak on immigration Friday, though he has repeatedly supported comprehensive reform. He focused on the need for Republican officials to reach out to Hispanics in other ways, such as improving public education and appointing more Latinos to state offices and judgeships "even when nobody is watching."

Conference co-chairman and former U.S. Trade Secretary Carlos Gutierrez urged support for expanding free trade agreements with countries like Colombia and Panama, which he said is in line with the views of most Hispanic voters. He described those in the party who oppose the expansion as "extremes."

Although a moderator sought to steer the discussion away from the controversial issue of how to deal with illegal immigrants in the U.S., several conference panelists repeatedly returned to it.

"We can't ignore that there are about 12 million illegal immigrants in the nation, and we have to address that," said Aguirre, an ambassador to Spain under President George W. Bush.

Aguirre said doing so will take pressure off the nation's borders and allow law enforcement to focus on serious threats like drug traffickers.

"We need to be more proactive in being proud to be pro-immigration reform. There's no need to shy away from that," he said.

But U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, addressed the issue of what do with those in the country illegally in only one line of his 1,600 word speech on U.S. border security.

"We must find a credible and compassionate solution to the 12 million illegal immigrants who are living in this country," said the senator, who has repeatedly voted against comprehensive immigration bills that have reached the Senate floor. Cornyn was the only U.S. senator to speak at the conference.

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, considered a potential 2012 GOP presidential candidate, said during a break he supports tackling border security first, but believes the country should address the status of those in the country illegally within the next 10 years.

Coelman called the conference a productive first step.

"obviously there's a thirst for this kind of discusion. tone i part of it," he said "but the fact is at the end of the day you get measreud by yours aciotns."

http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/Seek ... /id/382953

Anti-illegal does not equal anti-immigration. Cut the double talk.

If they got rid of the illegal aliens then they wouldn't have to worry about the Miexican vote. If they solved the illegal problem we wouldn't have this debate everytime there is an elelction. Let's put an end to this crap once and for all. I wish the Repbulicans would get a backbone and deport them all. Problem solved.

We'll be happy to prove you folks wrong AGAIN in 2012!!

If these hispanics in question don't support the rule of law and the American way of life, they're in the wrong place, and should not become voters.

These RINOS disgust me. We need to be represented by people that are not easily brainwashed by the open borders nutters.

The RINO's feel safe to jump out of the closet again.. get your pink slips ready in BULK and ready to pass them out

Yep, I am so ready.

It's pathetic to see our politicians allow themselves to be held hostage by illegal immigrants and their handlers.

Related and Duplicates

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-224545.html

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-224471.html

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-224664.html

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-224663.html

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-224588.html

The CONS are as bad as the DEMS. To the foolish RepubliCONS at this conference: you traitors have allowed this invasion, and now you want to pander to the invaders instead of the American people. Go ahead, you will lose most of your conservative constituents. How the he!! do you think you will win elections then? We don't need you. We will elect our own Tea Party candidates. You will be finished. Seriously, you are imbeciles.

Actually Jeb Bush is the one who's out of step with Latinos and other minorities on the illegal immigration issue. I suspect that, like his father, Jeb is not a heavy reader. If he'd done any research, he'd probably know about a Zogby poll in 2010 which showed that the majority of Asians, blacks, and Latinos actually believe that immigration is too high and that they favor enforcement.

That poll is on the NumbesUSA site: http://www.numbersusa.com/content/news/ ... nesty.html and was linked to in an earlier ALIPAC thread: http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-189392.html

Repubs who think that they have to pander to illegals advocats would do well to find people who are willing to do some research. Maybe someone could point them to ALIPAC?
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Fair trade, not free trade

Another shallow Democrat talking point: Anti-immigration Stance Hurts Party

Should be Democratic pro-illegal immigration stance removed them from the House in 2010 election.

Dixie