H2 Note: Liberal hit piece follows trying to make us believe Romney cannot win against Obama unless he dives head first into the Dream Act.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Romney’s Best Bet: Embrace the Dream Act

nytimes
Linda Chavez

May 23, 2012
Linda Chavez was the director of public liaison in the Reagan White House and the G.O.P. Senate nominee from Maryland in 1986. She is the chairwoman of the Center for Equal Opportunity, a conservative research group focused on race and ethnicity.

In an effort to woo conservatives needed to secure the nomination, Mitt Romney took tough rhetorical stands on illegal immigration. He suggested that the 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. should “self-deport,” a fantasy that, if it came true, would devastate the American economy. And he counted some of the nastiest anti-immigrant characters around among his supporters, including Joe Arpaio, sheriff of Maricopa County in Arizona.
Romney has to turn his image around among Hispanic voters, and if he doesn’t his chance of winning in November becomes tougher.

Romney will have to work hard to turn his image around among Hispanic voters, and if he doesn’t his chance of winning in November will become tougher. He needs to win in key states where Hispanics make up a significant portion of eligible voters: Colorado, Florida, Nevada and New Mexico.


But all is not lost. While Romney may favor “self-deportation,” President Obama has actually deported more illegal immigrants than any president in history — and he’s done so without regard to whether deportation splits families that include U.S. citizens. And the president has done almost nothing to advance immigration reform, never making it a top legislative priority or using any political capital even when Democrats controlled both houses of Congress.


Romney’s best bet if he wants to soften his image is to embrace the Dream Act, which would grant legal status to illegal immigrants who came here as children if they join the military or attend college for at least two years. If he doesn’t, he could lose not just the overwhelming majority of Hispanic votes, but also the election.


The Hispanic voting in presidential elections has traditionally been more bipartisan than most people realize. Upward of 30 percent of Hispanics voted for Presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush (198 and George W. Bush, with Reagan and George W. Bush winning more than 40 percent in their re-election bids. But since Republican candidates decided to make illegal immigration a wedge issue in recent elections, Hispanics have been fleeing the G.O.P. This year doesn’t bode well either.




Related Discussions

How Should Obama Appeal to the Disenchanted?

What can the president do to energize those groups who have supported him but are less enthusiastic, as well as those who were always skeptical of him?

How Romney Can Win the Swing Votes

What can the candidate do to win over women, Hispanics and Republicans who are moderates on gay issues?

Does Romney Still Need to Court Conservatives?

Does Romney still need to appeal to conservative Republicans, or should he start focusing on the broader electorate?

What Is It About Mormons?

If Mormons are such responsible people, why are voters turned off?

source: