Thread: Ca.'s GOP Spilt on Anti-illegal immigration ballot measure

The jest of this LA Times article: Republicans are doing what Republicans do best, which is tap dance and jig on illegal immigration trying to play both sides of the fence.

CALIIFORNIA'S GOP SPILT OVER PROPOSED ARIZONA-LIKE LAW:

A nascent California ballot measure that seeks to replicate Arizona's controversial crackdown on illegal immigrants is dividing the state's Republicans, with a number of prominent strategists and leaders fearing that it could further harm their party's already fraught relationship with Latinos — the fastest-growing segment of the electorate.

It's unclear whether the ballot's backers will have the financial resources to gather enough signatures to place the measure on the 2012 ballot.

Several Republicans said that even the effort to do so has the potential to increase the chasm between the party's candidates and the voting bloc whose record-breaking turnout tilted races in November and delivered a clean Democratic statewide sweep in a year in which Republicans celebrated major victories in the rest of the nation. They equated it to 1994's Proposition 187, which would have stopped illegal immigrants from receiving any state services had it not been largely voided by the courts.

"It's completely counterproductive to the future of the party as well as counterproductive to the immigration debate and coming to a real solution," said Rob Stutzman, a GOP strategist who advised failed gubernatorial nominee Meg Whitman. "It allows those who make a living off the demagoguing of immigrants to continue to do so."

Supporters of the measure counter that the party's nominees suffered deep losses because the party has no clear message on immigration.

"I think a greater damage to the future of the party in this state is that we have no position or message on immigration," said Mike Spence, a conservative Republican activist. "That to me is the bigger problem. I don't see how we can be damaged more than we already are."

The debate mirrors one taking place at the national level. Several prominent GOP candidates who were successful in recent elections have taken a hard line on immigration. Party operatives and leaders who have grown worried about alienating Latinos this week announced a major outreach effort, led by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

But while national leaders are looking toward an approaching demographic shift, the clout of Latinos already is in full bloom in California.

In November, one in five voters was Latino; 80% of them cast ballots for Democratic Gov.-elect Jerry Brown, while 15% voted for Whitman despite her multimillion-dollar effort to woo them. Their participation, driven by labor unions who used the Arizona immigration law to pull Latinos to the polls, was nearly double what it was in the last gubernatorial contest. And those numbers are expected to grow.

In California, Republican candidates have long faced a quandary when dealing with immigration, frequently touting their "tough as nails" credentials as they seek the GOP nomination from the party's most conservative voters, then modulating their tone as they try to sway moderate Republicans, independents and Democrats in the general election.

The next elections will be conducted with an open primary, but it's unclear what effect that will have on the tenor of the immigration debate or which GOP candidates might have an advantage.

The California proposal, known as the Support Federal Immigration Law Act, is modeled on Arizona's suspended law, SB 1070, but has tweaks that supporters believe will allow it to survive legal challenges.

The proposal would require law enforcement officers to swiftly check the immigration status of those they stop whom they suspect are in the country illegally, as long as such verification does not hinder an investigation. It would create new hiring requirements for businesses and new penalties for those who knowingly or negligently hire illegal immigrants.

The measure also addresses prospective employees, day laborers, immigrant smugglers and sanctuary cities.

Backers need to collect 433,971 valid signatures by April 21, 2011, to qualify the measure for the ballot, which they hope to do with a combination of paid signature-gatherers and "tea party" volunteers, said Michael Erickson, the initiative's proponent and a former member of the state Republican Party's executive committee.

A key question is whether Erickson will be able to raise at least $1 million to hire signature-gatherers. Another crucial question among Republicans is what effect the effort will have on Latino voters. The issue has become a staple of newscasts in the Spanish-language media.

"What message does that send to Latinos in terms of our commitment to represent their values?" asked GOP strategist Adam Mendelsohn, adding that, based on shared values related to social issues and the economy, "Latino voters should be our voters."

Tony Quinn, a GOP demographer, said that in addition to harming the Republicans' prospects in statewide races, the measure could damage their "last vestige" of power in Sacramento — being able to stop tax increases, which require a two-thirds vote in the state Senate and Assembly.

Legislative districts will be redrawn before the 2012 election, resulting in an increase in competitive contests. Democrats and Latinos will probably be drawn to the polls by a ticket with President Obama at the top and would be further spurred by such an initiative, he said.

"It could contribute to Democrats' winning a two-thirds majority in both houses, which would then make Republicans totally irrelevant on tax matters," Quinn said.

Erickson said these are flawed arguments and said immigration issues cut across party and demographic lines.

"Hispanics who live here legally understand viscerally the necessity for immigration reform. They understand Hispanic communities are the first victim of the violence that is perpetrated by drug cartels and human smugglers and violent gangs," he said.

Polling earlier this year does not bear that out. The May survey by the Los Angeles Times/USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences poll found that 24% of registered Latino voters in California favored the Arizona law, while 71% opposed it. Overall, 50% of voters supported the law and 43% opposed it.

Party leaders have argued, without much luck, that even without a change in the party's position on illegal immigration, a respectful tone would help repair their relationship with Latinos.

"Nobody cares what we think their capital gains tax rate should be if they believe we want their grandmother deported," said Ron Nehring, chairman of the California Republican Party, who declined comment on the proposed initiative.

Other party leaders also have not weighed in on the ballot measure, a lack of reaction that some find troubling.

Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado said he had little faith that party leaders would oppose the measure, a stance that he believes will be a fatal mistake.

"You can pull the life-support machine off the party, just pull the plug," he said. "Because there's no secret, if you look at obituaries and you look at the birth notices in any newspaper, I can tell you what California is going to look like in the next 10, 15, 20 years. If you continue to alienate the fastest-growing population, then you can continue to be a party that is successful in certain areas, but you won't be able to run the state."

seema.mehta@latimes.com
Copyright © 2010, Los Angeles Times

If Meg Whitman would have spent her money on town halls, took my advice and went into more upper income 3rd generation latino areas like La Punta and upper income black areas like Baldwin Hills, Ca like Gov Arnold Schwartzeneggar than she should be gov but NOooooooooooooo this blond bimbo didnt want to speak for months and had New Jersey Gov Chris Christy coming out and acting like a grease ball from Jersey and yelling at Republican voters, who simply needed to know who the hell Meg Whitman was.
I am so fed up with Republican women candidates that it aint even funny.

If Palin had not come in with this carly firoina, who went around talking about her open borders and free trade mess, and we got another candidate-Ca. would have at least a republican gov or senator.

If I see Palin or Gov Christy of N.J. I will simply spit in their faces. There should have minded their business and let the Ca. Republican voters and independants that got other Republicans into office like Ronald Reagan and Arnold Scwartzenggar to do their thing

Obviously the writer doesn't know that the GOP picked up a number of new Hispanic and Black seats in the Congress and the first Hispanic women Gov (New Mexico).


By CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN | 11/1/10 11:26 AM EDT Updated: 11/1/10 1:12 PM EDT
In an election year when Democrats are accusing the GOP of being anti-immigrant, Hispanic candidates are poised to make historic gains Tuesday – on the Republican ticket.

It’s an unusual twist on one of the dominant narratives of the election: The party that reignited the immigration debate by writing the Arizona enforcement law, pushed for repeal of the 14th Amendment, and produced hard-hitting ads against illegal immigrants is likely to wake up Wednesday with a bench of Hispanic Republicans who will be instant celebrities in the political world.


Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/11 ... z17LfdZc3j

Minority candidates ride GOP wave to groundbreaking wins
Published: Wednesday, November 03, 2010, 8:37 PM Updated: Wednesday, November 03, 2010, 8:46 PM

JESSE WASHINGTON, AP National Writer

WASHINGTON — The Republican wave produced groundbreaking results for minority candidates, from Latina and Indian-American governors to a pair of black congressmen from the Deep South.

In New Mexico, Susana Martinez was elected as the nation's first female Hispanic governor. Nikki Haley, whose parents were born in India, will be the first woman governor in South Carolina, and Brian Sandoval became Nevada's first Hispanic governor.

Share 11 Comments Insurance company owner Tim Scott will be the first black Republican congressman from South Carolina since Reconstruction, after easily winning in his conservative district. Scott, a 45-year-old state representative, earned a primary victory over the son of the one-time segregationist U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond.

In Florida, veteran Allen West ousted a two-term Democrat to a House seat. He is the first black Republican elected to Congress from Florida since a former slave served two terms in the 1870s.

Latino Republicans defeated incumbent House Democrats. In Texas, Francisco Canseco beat Rep. Ciro Rodriguez. Jamie Herrera became the first Latino congressman from Washington state.

http://www.cleveland.com/politics/index ... gop_w.html

It's way past time for the so-called "leaders" of the Republican Party to sit down and shut up. The long-standing members of the Republican Party, the ones who have been Republicans their whole lives, who are from families who have been Republicans since there were Republicans need to stand up and start screaming at the tops of their lungs to any politicians who wants to pander to any ethnic, race or religious group based on their ethnicity, race or religion, "YOU'RE FIRED".

Republicans don't care what your religion is so long as it doesn't hurt, harm or kill US citizens. Republicans don't care what race you are so long as you don't discriminate against any other race. Republicans don't care what ethnicity you came from so long as you and/or your ancestors came to our country legally.

For Republicans to pander to any vote by race, religion or ethnicity defies the very principles upon which the Republican Party was founded and for which millions have risked and thousands given their lives fighting for the liberty and prosperity of American Citizens and Friends.

So any Republican "leader" concerned about alienating the Hispanic vote over illegal immigration is full of crap and needs both an enema and a pink slip.