Start with a little respect

By Ruben Navarrette, UNION-TRIBUNE COLUMNIST
Sunday, May 9, 2010 at 12:04 a.m.


Republicans in Congress say the most preposterous things about illegal immigration.

In fact, they could use a tutorial on how to talk about border security and U.S. sovereignty without sounding so buffoonish. And until they learn, they’re going to continue to alienate Hispanics and send them into the arms of undeserving Democrats, most of whom take Hispanic support for granted.

I’m no fan of the welfare state, and this idea of Democrats getting something for nothing where Latino voters are concerned is a form of political welfare that is both offensive and unacceptable. Someone needs to tell Republicans to clean up their act so they can compete for these votes.

Let us assess the damage:

• Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, is a vocal supporter of Arizona’s new racial and ethnic profiling law. He’s entitled to his opinion. He just has a problem with his colleague, Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., expressing a different one. During a recent interview on Fox News, King said he wondered if Grijalva’s congressional district in southern Arizona hadn’t already been “cededâ€