Thread: Navarrette: Immigration sunk GOP with Latinos

We need to post a comment to set Mr. Navarrette straight!
Navarrette: Immigration sunk GOP with Latinos
By Ruben Navarrette | Sunday, November 12, 2006
(4) Comments | Rate this article | Default | Large

Now that Democrats have taken control of both the House and Senate, questions are being asked about what this dramatic turn of events means for the immigration debate and for President Bush’s chances to get a comprehensive reform package through Congress.

It could mean quite a bit. President Bush told reporters in his post-election news conference that his administration now had “a good chance” at comprehensive reform, which would include guest workers along with a path to legalization for millions of illegal immigrants.

He may be right. The conventional wisdom had been that comprehensive reform — what the closed-border, closed-mind crowd calls “amnesty” — was dead. Then came the midterm elections. Now what is dead is the conventional wisdom.

Political pundits and congressional observers have been telling us for months that any Republican who jumped on the bandwagon of immigration restrictions and anti-amnesty rhetoric would ride to certain victory.

A CNN exit poll found that among voters who listed illegal immigration as their No. 1 issue, 51 percent thought Republicans would do a better job controlling it while 46 percent said Democrats would. That’s not much of a gap, given the lengths to which Republicans went to claim this issue as their own — and at no small cost.

After decades of Latino outreach efforts by Republicans, which culminated in President Bush walking off with 44 percent of the Latino vote in the 2004 election, congressional hard-liners did a good job of blowing up every bridge. Polls taken before the election showed that while immigration didn’t start out a top concern for many Latino voters, the issue was likely to influence the choices Latinos made in the voting booths. Tired of being pushed around by opportunistic politicians, many Latinos seemed intent on seizing the opportunity to push back.

They did just that. In fact, Latinos delivered what President Bush might call a “thumpin.” According to exit polls cited by The Wall Street Journal, more than 70 percent of Hispanics voted Democratic in contests for House seats. Just 27 percent voted Republican — an 11-percentage-point drop from the level of support Latinos gave Republican candidates in the 2002 midterms.

That means that Latinos are an important part of the coalition that helped put Democrats back in power, and that should give them some capital. Now all they need to do is cash it for the sake of achieving what a majority of Americans seem to be saying they want — comprehensive immigration reform and leaders who know the difference between polemics and progress.

Contact Ruben Navarrette at ruben.navarrette@uniontrib.com.

The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the views of the Quad-City Times or Lee Enterprises.
PJ Goober
wrote on November 12, 2006 7:31 AM:
""achieving what a majority of Americans seem to be saying they want — comprehensive immigration reform and leaders who know the difference between polemics and progress." Many Democrats had to take a hardline stance to win over conservative districts. If they go along with earned legalization of undocumented immigrants and a guest worker program with a path to citizenship, they probaly won't keep thier seats. I think the main message of the election was about the war in iraq. Case in point: can anyone point to one Democrat who won a seat from a Republican by heavily campaigned on comprehensive immigration reform? Thats pretty much the exact opposite of how the Democrats won more seats (I am not talking about the liberal-leaning seats they already had)."

not true
wrote on November 12, 2006 9:14 AM:
"Most legal latinos don't appreciate illegal immigration any more than any one else."

Seeking the truth
wrote on November 12, 2006 10:34 AM:
""immigration reform" is one more set of code words from the part of the political spectrum that loves them so much. Rather than encoding, why not tell the citizens what is really meant? You can be certain the "reform" includes leniency, amnesty, hiding, subversion, application for pity, and non-prosecution of law breaking supporters."

Gustavo
wrote on November 12, 2006 11:21 AM:
"Good article and to the point. I was wondering why it seemed no analyst connected the dots between the immigration issue and the Republican "thumpin'". No someone has, well done. Unfortunately, many are still blinded or prefer not to see the connection. Bad for them, perhaps, years from now it will be said that this is when the Republican party started to fade away. 11% drop, who in his right mind could ignore that and think that nothing is brewing here! Also, as you know, most anti-immigration hardliners are now out of office. That must mean something!!"

http://www.qctimes.net/articles/2006/11 ... 106572.txt

No, immigration did not sink the GOP. The President of the Democrats did. He is so arrogant that he can not accept that no one supports his guest worker amnesty but the Democrats. Birds of a feather flock together.

Bush has chosen his personal short sighted agenda over the will of the American people.

The swing voters elected Democrats because of the WAR. The week of the election, immigration was not the top issue on voters minds, the war Bush lied us into was.

Dixie

Sent this letter to Mr. Navarette and Posted it to the comments on the site.



Mr. Navarrette,

“That means that Latinos are an important part of the coalition that helped put Democrats back in power, and that should give them some capital. Now all they need to do is cash it for the sake of achieving what a majority of Americans seem to be saying they want — comprehensive immigration reform and leaders who know the difference between polemics and progress”

I think you are wrong in your assessment of the recent elections.
I believe the Democrats taking the House and Senate were a direct result of the President continuing to support Donald Rumsfeld and his “Stay the Course” in Iraq. I believe if the President had announced before the elections that Rumsfeld was stepping down, there would have been a much different outcome.
That being behind us now. just makes the American people more determined to do something about illegal immigration. The majority of Americans DO NOT want more illegal immigration. The Presidents plan for Comprehensive immigration still means Amnesty for millions of illegal aliens and I believe with all my heart that the American people will fight against that every where they can.

Your idea that this election somehow gave Latinos “capital” and they need to “cash” in on it is ridiculous. It wasn’t just the Latinos who put the Democrats back in power and they have no more or less say than any other American citizen.

I sincerely wish that all of you who choose to write articles about Immigration and Illegal immigration would not interchange the two because I and other Americans approve of Immigration. We do not approve of Illegal Immigration. There is a huge difference between the two.

.

At the first rally, the opposition screamed racist at the Americans.

Dixie

They also called us "ignorant whites" at the Farmers Branch protest.

Nice to Navarette is an informed writer, as well as his amigo Gustavo. Last time I checked about 80% of Americans do not favor any "comprehensive immigration amnesty...I mean reform". They want fines for employers, deportation, etc. The reason for the Dem's victory was, as mentioned, the war. And, as mentioned, many Dems elected tend to agree with the majority of Americans.
I had a caller from Florida on my show the other day who called for Bush's impeachment because of how he has handled the immigration issue. Though I don't agree with impeachment, we must continue to work hard to get his attention on how we feel. I am working on getting a letter adopted and sent to our State Rep and Senator to fight to adopt the laws passed in Arizona this election. Speaking of the caller, he was hispanic. It is always nice to run into a hispanic that does not get caught up in the LULAC, La Raza, ACORN, etc. led radicalism.

One of the comments:

TJ
wrote on November 12, 2006 2:58 PM:
"Welcome news that the red-neck Republican bullies' are out of power and kicked to the curb for scapegoating the weakest amongst us: Undocumented immigrants. These people come to America seeking a pursuit for their happiness. ( I don't even understand this!) Well "they broke the law" so goes the neocon, die-hard Israeli Republican argument. Laws are made for the greater good for the people and if they are NOT serving the purpose, we should CHANGE THEM. I wonder if Jesus was such a "law" "by the books" man, or did he put human beings first? " (No racism here, HUH?!)

And the greater good is done by enforcing laws.

As far as the Jesus comment, he admonished "servants be obedient to your masters". Why didn't he protest this type of slavery? There are dozens of examples of him admonishing people to "follow the laws of the land." He NEVER once told people to protest the laws or try to change them. His mission was not peace but his message divided people. If he were here today, people would be telling him to "shut up" because he was a racist and causing division. Matthew 10:34 "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword."

Ephesians 6:5
"Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;"

Titus 2:9
"Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again;"

2 Peter 2:19 "19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. (This seems to apply to so many players in the pro-illegal movement)

Matthew 5:25-26 ""Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny."

Apparently the judges were corrupt in those days also.

Lamentations 5:1-2 1 "Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach.
2 Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens."

Matthew 22:17 17 Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” .....
And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s."

mr.Navarette
is an illegal alien sympathizer, who uses the words: Closet xenophobe, restrictionist. bigot, intolerant and racist when Americans want the laws enforced, don't want unknown illegals, smugglers, gangs and potential terrorist running around our country and we don't want to be economically drained by people who invaded this country....he has a problem using proper terms like illegal,illegal alien, invaded in this debate and acts like he speaks for all Latino's..he doesn't speak for the legal immigrants, the French, Portuguese, Italians, and Romanians who all speak related Romanic (Italic) or Latin languages
.speaks only for illegals..legal immigrants don't need him to speak for them
his anti-american rights and anti -jingoistic b.s. is getting old ...why doesn't Mr. Nav contact Mr. Fox and ask him why Mexico has deprived it's citizens of human rights, jobs, education, away of life and sends their people here, at the cost of Americans? Mexico is the richest country in central American ,is a corrupt government who tries to interfere with The Sovereignty of our Country. Mr. Bush doesn't seem to have a problem with the human rights violations of Mexico and neither does Mr. Nav ...we have no obligation to take care of illegal alien invaders , nor do we want to...so why don't you tell your amigos/amigas to go home and fight for their rights like we have? I wouldn't waste my time writing him because I did try to debate with him...but he doesn't respond...
WHEN THE LAW IS AGAINST YOU....ARGUE THE FACTS
WHEN THE FACTS ARE AGAINST YOU..ARGUE THE LAW.....WHEN BOTH ARE AGAINST YOU...ATTACK THE PEOPLE..

This guy is a racist traitor and doesn't deny it.

In a way illegal immigration sunk the GOP, because they didn't stop it. Same thing will happen to the Dems if they don't stop it real soon.

By the way at rallies I yell to the opposition "racists go home"!

supports his guest worker amnesty but the Democrats. Birds of a feather flock together.

Both these factions are planning for 2008. So are we. Bring what ya got Dems.

By the way at rallies I yell to the opposition "racists go home"!

I love it Tim.