Thread: US Latinos see 2008 vote as their 'moment'

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070617/ts ... 0617081411

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US Hispanic community, galvanized by a drive to reform US immigration law and wooed by presidential candidates, has become a political player ahead of the 2008 vote.

Hispanics mobilized to pressure congressional passage of the most sweeping immigration overhaul in 20 years, hoping to bring some 12 million illegal immigrants, mostly Latin Americans, out of the shadows.

Latinos became key voters ahead of the Republican and Democratic parties' primary elections next year as several states with huge Hispanic populations have moved their primaries to earlier dates.

The rallying cry of Latino organizations has become "It is our moment, we have a voice."

Hispanics have surpassed African-Americans as the largest minority group in recent years, making up 14.8 percent of the 300 million people living in America.

Two-thirds of Hispanic residents live in nine states that will hold primary votes on February 5 or earlier, including California, Nevada, Florida and New York.

The primaries will be "historic" because of the Latino vote, which has become more important than it has ever been, said Adam Segal, director of the Hispanic Voter Project at Johns Hopkins University.

Hispanic groups and the widely watched, Spanish-language television channel Univision are urging Latinos to apply for US citizenship and then to register to vote.

White House hopefuls are well aware of the importance of Hispanic voters.

The campaign website of former senator John Edwards, the 2004 Democratic vice presidential candidate, has a page in "Espanol" with the slogan "El Manana Comienza Hoy," or "Tomorrow Begins Today."

Democratic Senator Barack Obama is getting help from a Mexican-American who created the website "Amigos de Obama," or "Friends of Obama," which is unaffiliated with his campaign, aimed at reaching out to Hispanics.

The website even features a song in a popular Latino-flavored reggae beat called reggaeton, with the chorus: "Como se dice?/Como se llama? OBAMA! OBAMA!" ("How do you say it? What is his name? OBAMA!")

The leading Democratic candidate, Senator Hillary Clinton, has already secured the key endorsement of Antonio Villaraigosa, the Latino mayor of Los Angeles, a city of four million -- nearly half of whom are Hispanic.

One Democrat could make history if he becomes the first Hispanic US president.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, a former UN ambassador who was born to a Mexican mother, has said he was running as "an American, proud to be Hispanic."

One of the top Republican hopefuls, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, has hired Hispanic consultants in Florida, a key voting state where the largely Republican Cuban-American population has a powerful voice.

Although Hispanics tend to vote for Democrats, President George W. Bush garnered 42 percent of their ballots in the 2004 election.

But 73 percent of Hispanics voted for Democratic candidates in November's legislative election, which gave Bush's foes control of Congress.

Republicans face an "enormous challenge" to gain Hispanic support, said Gabriel Escobar of Pew Hispanic Center, a research institution.

Although Hispanics represent just nine percent of the US electorate, their numbers are "already significant and growing" in some states, Escobar said.

Buried at the end of this simplistic article is that US latinos are still a very small % of voters. This article says 9% of the electorate; I believe I heard that for the last prez election it was even less than that.

Originally Posted by Populist

Buried at the end of this simplistic article is that US latinos are still a very small % of voters. This article says 9% of the electorate; I believe I heard that for the last prez election it was even less than that.

Keep in mind that voter fraud is rampant and Hillary, Obama and LaRaza are still trying to get amnesty pushed through before the '08 elections and figure out an airtight plan B that will enable illegals to cast votes in the 2008 elections, if amnesty is put on the back burner.

All Washington wants is cheap votes, and big business wants cheap labor...

If the Republicans stop S1348 I uess they would not have to worry about the Hispanic vote for the Demacrates now would they, just how hard is that to figure out.

What are they all taking that thwarts their common sense, if you want to undermine the hispanic vote and take back the congress STOP S1348 you damn Idiots.

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