Thread: Why Immigration Matters to Hispanic Voters

Why Immigration Matters to Hispanic Voters
By Rosa Martha Villarreal

In the 2008 presidential election, Hispanics represent the key swing demographic in states such as Florida, New Mexico, and perhaps even California. Though early polls show Barack Obama with a substantial lead among Hispanic voters, this demographic is not reliably in the Democrats’ column. Given an attractive Republican candidate such as Ronald Reagan in 1980 or George W. Bush in 2000, a significant number of Hispanic voters---especially Mexican-Americans and Puerto Ricans---will switch sides. With this in mind, both John McCain and Barack Obama have made pitched appeals to Hispanic voters based on the bitter immigration issue. Polls consistently show that education, the economy, and the Iraq war are the issues that most concern Hispanic Americans, so is immigration truly relevant?

Unlike what the strident anti-immigration foes suggest, the reason why immigration matters to Hispanics is not that we want to take over the country in a reconquista or impose the Spanish language as co-equal with English. Quite the contrary. For those of us who are native born Americans, English is our primary if not our only language; we are as thoroughly modernistic as our fellow Americans, and we serve in the military in disproportionate numbers.

The issue is relevant because the anti-immigration rhetoric has taken the tenor of the ethnic baiting of 19th century when the United States “acquiredâ€

Just another attempt to use their "VICTIM CARD" with "anti-immigration" instead of the REAL ISSUE of ILLEGALS invading the United States!

Rosa Martha Villarreal is a member of PEN USA and the author of The Stillness of Love and Exile, a 2008 Independent Publisher Book Award Silver Medalist for Best Fiction in the Pacific-West. Rosa Martha Villarreal,© 2008.

Great. Another "analyst." While conservatives are busy actually doing something about issues like global poverty (there are anywhere from one to three million US citizens volunteering around the world each year) liberals keep on writing their critiques. In our world famous bookstore last night this thought occurred to me: If all the authors who write these thousands of book every year would volunteer the same amount of time and resources--alongside the youthful volunteers from evangelical or other religious groups--they would have an effect. Instead they prefer to act, in effect, as prosecutors with their facts all mixed up besides.

Incidentally, Zeezil, IMO. Why all of the articles from the 'other side' of the immigration issue? Are these practice targets for us to hone our arguments. AS7 likes to put up shocking articles about economic and political calamity on a seemingly constant basis. I think we neeed some hard headed strategy such as: how we are going to win in an unfavorable political climate or dealing with complicated and, albeit, frustrating legal issues.

Alright my answer to Rosa Villareal: After Mexico revolted against Spain they had a string of shaky ineffective governments, which changed on an annual basis. People in the Southwest wanted to be Americans instead. End of story.

30 years ago The United States needed an Anchor Baby Law

Invasion - Invasion of 40 million!

Maybe we should change President annually for awhile? And cut pay check to 100,000.
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However, anti-immigrations foes continue to rant that Hispanics represents a threat to American culture, willfully failing to acknowledge the assimilated Hispanics in their mist. Rather than focus on the economic and moral problems posed by mass illegal immigration, they resort to calumny. Numbers are spun, images are exploited, and political turmoil in Latin America is maliciously manipulated to depict Hispanics as culturally inferior, academic inept, and prone to criminality.

Hispanics ARE a threat to American culture. Worst of all illegal immigrants are a MAJOR THREAT. They have not assimiilated with pride in America but instead try to force their language, consulates, credentials fraud and identity theft, illegal behavior, biased academic mantra, psychodrama, anchor babies, ethno-centric exploitation of our government, exclusion against other races and nationalities, rebellious tendencies, dual citizenship, draining of our public benefits, mass population increases, environmental destruction, encroachment of our jobs, takeover of our cities and states, degradation of our schools, and more and more problems that keep coming out fast and furious.

It's safe to say that Americans DID NOT WANT ANY OF THIS!!!

Originally Posted by ShockedinCalifornia

However, anti-immigrations foes continue to rant that Hispanics represents a threat to American culture, willfully failing to acknowledge the assimilated Hispanics in their mist. Rather than focus on the economic and moral problems posed by mass illegal immigration, they resort to calumny. Numbers are spun, images are exploited, and political turmoil in Latin America is maliciously manipulated to depict Hispanics as culturally inferior, academic inept, and prone to criminality.

Hispanics ARE a threat to American culture. Worst of all illegal immigrants are a MAJOR THREAT. They have not assimiilated with pride in America but instead try to force their language, consulates, credentials fraud and identity theft, illegal behavior, biased academic mantra, psychodrama, anchor babies, ethno-centric exploitation of our government, exclusion against other races and nationalities, rebellious tendencies, dual citizenship, draining of our public benefits, mass population increases, environmental destruction, encroachment of our jobs, takeover of our cities and states, degradation of our schools, and more and more problems that keep coming out fast and furious.

It's safe to say that Americans DID NOT WANT ANY OF THIS!!!

Agreed.
This is more spin from the left. People wonder why it doesn't even feel like America anymore here in CA....

What a far-fetched article LOL. The problem continues to be illegal aliens entering this country with NO skills or intentions of supporting themselves and their nonstop BREEDING! Would they have as many children if there were no entitlements for them? Of course not!

Hispanic/Latino/Spanish voters are not just Mexican or Puerto Rican. Why would someone from latin america care about what happened to mexico or puerto rico a hundred years ago? I don't, so this whole article is pointless, isn't it?

Not certain what she is talking about with her reference to "military uniforms". When I was in the Army in the late 60's the "spanish speakers" in uniform that I served with were from either Puerto Rico or Cuba. The soldiers from Puerto Rico were United States Citizens and all spoke ENGLISH and the soldiers from CUBA were here LEGALLY and working toward United States Citizenship and ALL spoke ENGLISH and were happy to be in the United States ESCAPING from the COMMIES! Speaking of COMMIES there is even more proof that our National Borders need to be SECURED and our Immigration Laws should be Enforced considering that the Ruskies are now invading countries AGAIN. Anyone ever see the movie "Red Dawn", you know ILLEGALS coming in from our Southwest taking jobs Citizens wouldn't do then joining the INVASION from our "FRIENDS" to the south supported by our other "good friends" the Russians("look in to their heart and see someone we can work with" per our President)?