Five Mistakes That Cost the GOP Hispanic Support
Meanwhile, Republicans need to re-brand their party and convince Hispanics they’re welcome. If they believe their ideas on education, economics, defense, trade, foreign policy, and other issues are superior, let them make that case to Hispanics. That doesn’t mean ditching their core principles, but it might mean changing their tone. It doesn’t mean alienating core voters, but it does means being more inclusive.
And it doesn’t mean giving up the party’s opposition to illegal immigration. Polling suggests that Hispanics will go along with enforcement measures that seem reasonable such as increasing the number of border patrol agents and giving them resources. The GOP doesn’t need to sign on to open borders. But it wouldn’t hurt to open a few minds within the party.
Specifically, there are five things that Republicans did which cost them Hispanic support.
- They made language and culture the issue rather than illegality, which irked U.S.-born Hispanics who might otherwise have stayed out of the fray;
- They didn’t condemn the racism in their ranks on the part of those who believe that Hispanic immigrants are inferior to the immigrants of old;
- They let the debate digress from one that was anti-illegal immigration to one that was anti-immigrant to, finally, one that was anti-Hispanic;
- They fell into the trap of offering simple solutions to what remains a complicated problem ; and
- They either assumed that Hispanics were not in play or that they could win some of those votes on the cheap with a spattering of Spanish ads.
None of this worked out very well, as some conservative commentators are starting to figure out. During a recent appearance on the Hugh Hewitt radio show, neoconservative commentator John Podhoretz described the GOP’s anti-immigrant saber rattling as a “political and demographic disaster” for Republicans.
He’s right. And you notice Podhoretz said “anti-immigrant” as opposed to anti-illegal immigrant. He’s right about that too. People like to pretend they’re only opposed to illegal immigration. But, when they start to list the reasons why, it usually boils down to the fear that American culture is changing for the worse. And, whether it’s about language or food or customs, it is not just illegal immigrants who bring those changes. It’s also legal residents and U.S.-born Hispanics.
So, not surprisingly, a large swath of the Hispanic community takes offense — and, in the case of an embattled political party, takes names.
Stand in line.
I want the party to win back ME, a white, suburban mom named Sara, who has always voted Republican.
Then the party needs to win back Bob and Brad and Chris and Jim. They’ve all gone away, too.
So, like I said, stand in line.
PS Asking your government to apply laws fairly– as in, writing a parking ticket while the illegal immigrant is loitering on the corner watching– is NOT saber rattling.
Well Ruben, American culture IS changing for the worse. See how well things are going in bi-lingual Canada? Can you say separatist movement that almost split the country? Do we really want to repeat that experience here? No we’ve already got “The National Council for the Race” – you know, the guys who say “For The Race everything. Outside The Race, nothing.” As to anti-immigrant, can you get it through your head that we don’t need more people in this country? Legal or illegal, we’re full up, pal – 300 million Americans is enough, OK?
And regarding Mexico (which is a large and relatively rich county by the way), when does it get held accountable for not building an economy to employ it’s population? Or do you give it a pass? And is that racist? Why yes, it is. The best thing we Americans could do is send 15 million Mexican illegals back to Mexico. There would be a revolution and the corrupt narco-traficant plutocrats who run the country would be thrown out. That would actually improve things. And our economy we benefit, as well – a twofer!
Who have you been talking to, the KKK? The only criticism I’ve ever seen along these lines is that many of these immigrants show few signs of really wanting to integrate into American society the way that a lot of the previous generations of immigrants did.
Democrats do groups. Republicans should not worry about groups. This is especially true with 90 percent of “journalists” being so far left they think Barney Frank is moderate.
In the 80′s and 90′s I worked with African Americans and they would discuss problems in the welfare system with me (this was before welfare reform). I’d tell them “You sound like Newt Gingrich.” They’d get, like, real upset. (They all knew — or thought they knew — who Gingrich was). In fact they did sound like Newt Gingrich when they expressed their ideas. But they absolutely, positively did not want to know this. Why did they constantly vote for the party they basically disagreed with? I think it has a lot to do with your profession, Ruben. Because the media and the activist in their communities — Democrats all — simply portrayed Gingrich as a bigot (the journalists in somewhat more polite terms than the activists, of course).
I’m sure the same is true of Spanish language media.
Republicans are in the opposition now and they should oppose. The media induced “Global Warming” panic is not based on science — it is based on a movie by a liberal Democrat that is full of lies. On the basis of these lies we are suppose to spend 45 trillion dollars. Those “alternative energy sources” that the special interest want the government to force on us (by causing a fear based panic) are expensive. Republican should be for affordable energy and an affordable economy.
The Democrats want to create a health care system that will intensely treat the healthy and speed the death of the sick. The providers will get paid the same regardless, so why lose money on the sick when you can make it on the well? Republicans should be for “power to the patient.” In fact, fight for the McCain bill, which is far superior to what the Democrats have.
As Hispanics begin to leave their “group identity” behind they’ll be more like the Irish Catholic and Italians and break toward the Republicans — if the Republicans stay the home of conservatives.
What he heaven’s name is Ruben Navarrette Jr. talking about? I am utterly unaware of widespread Republican opposition to illegal immigration based on the reasons cited by him.
The vast majority of individuals I have communicated with are focussed on both the illegality and lack of education of these Mexican illegals. I have yet to meet any of these folks who are per se anti-Hispanic. This is a purely slanderous accusation. And if they do indeed exist—they represent less than one percent of the GOP voters upset by illegal immigration. The central reason Republicans get slaughtered on this issue is because left-wing propagandists like Navarrette dominate the legacy media.
I have also personally dealt with the intellectual cowardice of John Podhoretz. He is a politically correct whack job who comes unglued whenever the discussion concerns people possessing dark skins. Podhoretz never directly answers the hard questions, but prefers to simply repeat his accusations. One can only shake their head in disbelief when witnessing such immature behavior.
(Who have you been talking to, the KKK? The only criticism I’ve ever seen along these lines is that many of these immigrants show few signs of really wanting to integrate into American society the way that a lot of the previous generations of immigrants did.)
Thats the new Racism don’t you know?
Hey Ruben, how about the bigots on the other side of the immigration debate, who refuse to deal with that word “illegal” when a Republican claims to be “anti-illegal-immigration”, thus mischaracterizing the Republican’s position? Got any advice for them?
It is a myth that previous generations of immigrants just stepped off the boat and blended right in. Where I live we still go to little Italy, asiatown, or slovak villiage to get some good ethnic food. I can point out neighborhoods that were near entirely Greek, Hungarian or Polish and still have a concentration of those groups. You can still see the foreign language signs on some of the older shops and churches. Even within groups immigrants settle into subgroups. Where I grew up a member of the German-Jewish Synagogue wouldnt step foot into the eastern-Jewish one.
Ruben is throwing out pearls here and so far the comments prove that he has it exactly right. Not only is the general thrust anti-immigrant is is specifically anti-hispanic.
Good point, Ruben. The GOP should zealously embrace granting amnesty to people who have broken our laws immediately upon entering the country. After all, nothing says “Respect for our country’s laws is important” quite like turning a blind eye to those who have no respect for our country’s laws.
Viva La Raza…eh, Ruben?
Also, exactly WHY did Hispanics in America sour on Bush? It couldn’t be because he opposed amnesty for criminal aliens…because he DIDN’T oppose amnesty! Heck, neither did Juan McCain! So much for that theory of yours.
I am married into a latin american immigrant family and I love and respect their culture, so spare me the anti-hispanic or anti-immigrant lines.
The bottom line for me: no one who is in the country illegally should ever be allowed citizenship without returning to their home country and doing it legally. Perhaps we can work something out where they can stay and become legal to some extent – like a worker program, but no citizenship and no voting rights. You cannot reward breaking-and-entering and completely ignoring our laws with citizenship.
We should also reform our welfare state such that the first requirement for receiving any benefits is citizenship.
We should also clarify the 14th amendment. Since illegals are not “under the jursidiction of the United States” then their children should not automatically be citizens.
We just need to throw some knowingly-illegal-hiring CEOs in prison and the problem will take care of itself when he jobs dry up.
The problem for Republicans, especially conservatives is that conservatism only works for ***THINKING*** people. In a nation full of an increasing population of willfully ignorant people, there’s very little hope. For example an Official Language is critical, but not merely because of culture. It’s vital that we have an official language to maintain the rule of law. This is not to say if you want to open a shop, hang your shingle out in Espanol, deal with your clients and customer in your native tongue, you can’t. But when you go to incorporate or do any business with the government, you do it in English. For a contract to be legal, it must be in English. The US legal tradition is in English. Our laws and culture derive from English common law. You can’t arrive on our shores and force us to do business like you did back home. However, we’ll never get the opportunity to have an honest discussion because the radical opposition whose interest run contrary to our national interest will not permit a reasoned discussion of moderate proposals like this.
“It is a myth that previous generations of immigrants just stepped off the boat and blended right in.”
Who said anything to the contrary? You are simply introducing a red herring into the discussion. The immigrants of yesterday, however, arrived in this country via legal means and realized that a certain degree of assimilation was non-negotiably required. They did not believe America owed them anything! Many of today’s illegal Mexican immigrants, on the contrary, have a chip on their shoulder and seek “payback” from the gringo establishment.
Assimilation is critical, too. Not that you can’t maintain your traditions and culture in your hood. However, America has rolled out the red carpet for MEXICANS (can we also be honest about the nationality of the largest group of new arrivals ever and quit calling them “Hispanic”- they’re not (and the MEXICANS I know hate that, by the way)- they are MEXICAN and most actually would like to be known as MEXICAN) in a way we’ve never welcomed any group before. Mexican immigrants need to return the favor and show us some gratitude.
Additionally, while I favor guest worker programs- the road to citizenship requires a higher level of assimilation.
Finally, being BORN here doesn’t make you a citizen. There’s nothing in the Constitution that says the mere circumstances of your birth makes you a citizen. It’s an imaginary loophole that we should CLOSE- along with access to schools, and other government programs for non-citizens.
What sets other immigrant groups apart is that they came here for OPPORTUNITY and with the expectation that they would WORK. I’m all for making that easy. I’m NOT for making it easy to come here and collect food stamps, a welfare check, and send your kids to school.
The author made some very good points as well as did commenter #9. We tend to forget that in the large eastern cities in the late 1800′s and going up through the War there were large numbers of ethnic newspapers that did very well printing in the target populations’ native languages. It is only natural that immigrant populations want to settle and live amongst their own kind at first. But, now where are all those ethnic language newspapers? Gone is where. I live in a southwestern state and the actual fact of it is that the children of Hispanic immigrants assimilate quite fast and become predominately English speakers. By the third generation most can’t carry on a meaningful conversation in Spanish. The Republican Party needs to realize that the majority of Hispanics are, by nature, conservative, and if welcomed into the party will prove to be a powerful pro-life voting block.
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By the way, I hope all you rich liberals out there are going to pay a bunch of taxes because Joe Biden said it’s your patriotic duty to do so and I am waiting for my share of the free stuff Obama promised me.
Could it be that Democrats are largely in agreement with open borders, no enforcement and sanctuary cities? McCain was a champion for amnesty, but still had no credibility? I’m always open to suggestions, but I only see accusations here with no evidence. I do think there are cultural conflicts that arise from the speed and sheer numbers of illegals that have poured into some areas of the country, overwhelming those communities. I don’t think it is only Republicans who have been overwhelmed, either.I liken this discussion with the primary campaign discussion of small-town America, where for the first time it was Democrat officials declaring that Democrat voters were racists and red-necks. Before that only Republicans were presumed to be bigoted. I, for one, know many Hispanics who are industrious, intelligent, and, yes, patriotic, but I just don’t think open borders and no enforcement during a time of war are acceptable, regardless of who objects.
What don’t Ruben and the other knee-jerk leftists not get about the words “illegal immigrants”????
The Republicans will only become Socialists (er-Democrats) “lite” if they copy the far left in America and cater to group rather than individual rights. The Constitution (except for the Radical Republican passed 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments) guarantees individual rights, not group “affirmative action” rights.
personally i’m concerned with all of the racism against white people.
…seriously, the more we waste time talking about race, the more it plays right into the lib losers hands. they can’t live without the notion of racism. there is this thing called the first amendment and it protects all speech, not just speech you (or anyone else) likes. i hate the idea that there are people who are racist, but lets remember, it’s NOT JUST WHITE PEOPLE. as long as you aren’t shoving views in my face i can still be friends if we disagree, libs, take a page from your new president, he made friends with jeremiah wright and pfleger, both of whom clearly hate white people. that’s their perogative.
…as for ruben navarrette, he has never written a piece that had nothing to do with race (ok, never might be a stretch, but, seriously, go look at cnn’s archives on him for yourself.)
stop wasting time talking about race, it’s irrelevant, content of character, now there’s a subject i could go all day on.
Spindok…wow…I’ve never seen such an honest and apropos nom de guerre.
The general thrust is anti-ILLEGAL immigrant…as in, those who BREAK THE LAW and ILLEGALLY enter this country.
And please, spin, point out the “specifically anti-hispanic” posts.
But don’t worry…we all fully understand that the truth finds no quarter in Leftist propaganda. As your post so aptly illustrates.
Spindok,
You are wrong.
There is a clear and definite difference between being both proud of your cultural heritage AND being proud to be an American, and simply wanting to have all the benefits of a society with none of the responsibilities. The Illegal immigrants and their La Raza cheerleaders are NOT INTERESTED in assimilation or pride in America like LEGAL immigrants are. They are here for one thing: “Reconquista”. That is, their PUBLICLY STATED desire to re-take the American southwest as a Mexican colony. See here for more information about that: http://www.firesociety.com/article/10105/Mexico-s–quot-Reconquista-quot–Agenda/
This is not like past immigrations, where people fled the persecution and crushing poverty of their former land, kept their most important cultural touchstones, and blended into America, making us all richer in the process.
Personally, I love Hispanic people. I love Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Mexicans, and Spaniards. I love the language, the variations of culture, and the food. I have NO PROBLEM with Hispanics legally emigrating to America, and bringing their cultural distinctiveness to our shores to blend with our own. Indeed, I welcome all peoples to our shores, provided they commit to being Americans first, and whatever their previous culture was Second.
Ultimately, I want our laws applied and enforced evenly, fairly, and justly, and for all people to obey those laws, with no exceptions for any group. That is ultimately what it is all about. We are a people of laws. when one group is given exceptions to the law we all suffer for it. Make them obey the law or leave. That is all.
Ruben is so typical of the white haters.
He applies one standard of behavior to whites.
And another to everyone else!
Once we come-up with an ACTUAL definition of a “RACIST”, we’ll see a photo of your race-baiting “Hispanic,” Navarrette next to it!
The GOP lost Latinos for the same reason they lost everybody else. They became the party of big government, corruption, and massive deficit spending. It was no longer possible to trust the GOP to keep government small and fiscally responsible. This is why they lost the Latinos and everybody else-no other reasons.
naro – and you CAN trust the most corrupt LIBERAL congress and senate that we’ve ever seen?
“And so it is that sometimes, I’m asked to speak to Republican groups..”
STOP right there. Republicans asking you to speak in the first place is their biggest mistake.
The only way to save this country’s culture is to stop all immigration, especially illegal immigration.
Destroying the existence of a white majority in America will completely change the culture into one of factionalism, ethnic rivalry, and division.
Mr. Navarette is well-intentioned, but this country must remain majority white or we will be spiraling into chaos and civil war.
I don’t care.
English was good enough for Russians, Germans, Dutch, All of the Eastern Europeans, French, Swiss, and every other group moving to the USA for the last 380 years or so. It is still good enough now.
It is the international language of commerce. It is the language one must learn to be really successful in this country–and many other ones.
We won the Spanish American War, and we won the war with Mexico. Get over it.
The are plenty of legal immigrants–and amnesty immigrants from the 1980s–who are of Mexican descent and members of the exclusive club of “the evil rich”.
The most important things a party can stand for are:
1.) Review and reform of the present laws before writing new ones. The maintenance of the body of law in this country–their funding and enforceability–is the PRIMARY FUNCTION AND PURPOSE of the House and Senate. They have not been doing their job.
2.) The creation and maintenance of an economic environment which encourages and rewards the efforts of those who desire success enough to educate themselves and work hard. We are sliding towards a permanent underclass, which will destroy this country.
3.) Reinforce and strengthen property laws so that people’s property cannot be taken upon the whim of politicians (and developers.) Private ownership, and property rights, are the foundation of a Capitalistic Society.
4.) Do not tax the DEAD, or re-tax monies for which taxes have already been paid.
5.) Have legitimate debates–no more spewing rhetoric–a debate is a conversation. It involves listening, responding and interacting with one another. It is the foundation of compromise as well as a means of defining problems with enough clarity to find possible solutions.
6.) Admit errors, revoke McCain-Feingold and restrict fundraising to the actual districts being represented by the individual candidates. No more Washington DC fundraising. Congress is there to do a JOB!!!
7.) 5 years or more mandated break between retirement from: political, bureaucratic or military office and being hired as a lobbyist.
8.) Time limits on the electoral process. Say three months for the Primaries, and two months for the Election. Two YEARS is absolutely insane. Lengthy elections invite corruption–and as we have seen, cost literally billions of dollars.
9.) Completely public studies and debate (NO RHETORIC) as to the reform and costs of health care. It is a complex issue with many branches which cannot be rendered into “sound bites”.
10.) Completely public studies and debate with regard to education. The rhetoric has been a diversion–in reality, no one knows what to do. Again, it is not a “simple” problem. “No Child Left Behind” was in reality, written by Kennedy and McCain. It is not a “party” issue.
11.) Every Primary should have alternatives to the incumbent within the same party, as well as the other party. Every election should have a built-in “vote of confidence” for the incumbent and party. This should have the same effect as term-limits without amending the constitution. (Don’t tell me that Murtha would win against another Democrat candidate–it would not happen regardless of gerrymandering.)
12.) Outlaw gerrymandering. Districts should be a simple grid whenever physically possible. People should know which districts in which they reside as a matter of street and block. Force politicians to be actually representative of the electorate, instead of forcing districts to represent a political party.
The politicians have been allowed to use emotional language and “rhetoric” to divert attention away from the actual issues and problems for which it is their JOB to find solutions. The press have been either retarded or purposeful in their collusion with this.
It wouldn’t matter which party had those planks for an election cycle–they would win by a landslide.
This guy is trotting out the usual straw-man that conservatives hate brown people. It’s so silly, and so insulting, but I’ve gotten used to it. You can say that you’re in favor of legal immigration all you want, guys; but liberals are going to just shout you down, because it’s easier to call us racist.
Btw – What party has consistently promoted the kind of free trade that can raise living standards in Latin America, thus making illegal immigration less desirable?
Troll alert: Indythinker at #25.
Many in the Republican Party are addicted to the divisive practice of exploiting nativist fears to scare up votes……….
Way to reach out to people with whom you have an honest disagreement about one particular policy and engage them in a mutually respectful way.
As soon as I overcome my immature and reflexive response to your condescending and – dare I say – DIVISIVE opening paragraph, I’ll consider responding in an appropriate manner.
The GOP’s biggest mistake on this issue was in allowing the democrat party, the media and the RINOs in this country to get away with labeling opposition to amnesty and support for border enforcement “nativist or anti-immigrant”.
I for one am angry at WASHINGTON over this issue. Not the immigrants who are coming here. The pols in D.C., who are responsible for enforcing our laws, have FAILED miserably in doing so and used the “racist, bigot” language to cover up that fact.
Indythinker,
Go away. We don’t need Liberal trolls posting racist comments here. Your ideas are not those of the GOP or of conservatism, they are the ideas of the discredited left.
Seriously. Nobody here believes that you are one of us, we all know you are a libtard troll. Scat.
Wrong and wrong again, Ruby.
“* They made language and culture the issue rather than illegality, which irked U.S.-born Hispanics who might otherwise have stayed out of the fray;”
Lie. Evidence points to US born hispanics favoring illegals based solely on skin color, regardless of the fact that they’re here illegally. They will gleefully throw their own country under the bus thanks to their OWN racist tendencies.
“* They didn’t condemn the racism in their ranks on the part of those who believe that Hispanic immigrants are inferior to the immigrants of old;”
Lie again. McCain was nothing BUT diligent in chastising such views – and painting anyone who disagreed with his stance on illegal immigration as a “natvist”, which is a cute codeword for racist.
And for those keeping score, whites in general do a far, FAR better job of browbeating their (real or perceived) wackos into silence than hispanics and blacks combined. When’s the last time a prominent hispanic condemned La Raza, which is basically the KKK minus the sheets? Seen any blacks take on the Nation of Islam lately? No?
“* They let the debate digress from one that was anti-illegal immigration to one that was anti-immigrant to, finally, one that was anti-Hispanic;”
You have PROOF of this, of course, right? Or are such conceits as evidence passé at the San Diego Union Tribune? Name names.
If that debate digressed, it was because of a Democrat party that chose to – shocker – cast the law aside, act in bad faith and frame the argument in strictly emo terms to a willfully ignorant electorate, AND a Republican party where Conservatism was bound and gagged in a dumpster somewhere. The latter is surprising, because McCain only got the votes he got BECAUSE he tapped a Conservative – Palin – was on the ticket.
“* They fell into the trap of offering simple solutions to what remains a complicated problem ;”
This is NOT a complicated problem: you throw them out if they’re here without official permission, regardless of national origin in most instances, and you build The Fence. Your side has chosen to MAKE this seem to be complicated in a transparent attempt at gaining sympathy by trotting out women and babies every time the topic of ILLEGAL immigration pops up. The very fact that you sleep in a home with locks on the doors and windows an admission that only certain people should be allowed to roam freely on your property.
“* They either assumed that Hispanics were not in play or that they could win some of those votes on the cheap with a spattering of Spanish ads.”
Hispanics, like most other “minorities” in this country, will vote for anyone but the White Guy if given the option. It’s the only reason why Obama got elected. Again, racism is not limited only to the eeeeevil white man.
Rube’s keys for Republican success are laughable because they’re based on the premise that he really WANTS Republicans to win. He DOESN’T. The article reads in the same tone as a suggestion that Republicans could have gotten the Al Qaeda vote if it wasn’t for their distaste for burquas and their insistence on self-defense.
“People like to pretend they’re only opposed to illegal immigration.”
The same way you like to pretend you know what you’re talking about, you sanctimonious pig.
The feedback is incredible, and surely adds credence to everything that Navarrete says.
Listen to yourselves, you racist jackasses:
Ruben says Hispanic, you say illegal Mexicans.
Ruben says we should be able to keep our language and culture, you say “open borders”
Ruben says “This is how to get Hispanics back”, you say “White hater”.
It’s official: you have lost your minds. Please leave the Republican party, and don your tall, black leather boots. I hear via Johnson that some European parties would love to have the lot of you.
Just get over it: there’s NOTHING you can do about it. We’re here. We’ve BEEN here for hundreds of years.
rodolfo – you see a lot of color don’t you?
A bigot like Navarrette lecturing on nativism…what a joke.
I am a third generation Mexican-American from a border town in Texas. My great-grandparents legally immigrated from Mexico and became naturalized citizens. When I was a girl, my mother told me that the only person who could hold me back was ME. Everyone faces obstacles – what stops you from reaching your goals is whatever you let stop you. Whatever language or custom we practiced in our home was separate from the outside world. We were educated, we spoke English, we paid our taxes, we followed the laws and we moved forward. Whatever occurred because the color of our skin was never an accepted excuse for failure – my parents brooked no whiners. I am a conservative and I expect immigrants to enter this country legally, to follow our laws, to learn our language and to learn to fit in. For all this great country of ours has to offer, it’s very little to ask.
Right on, Tom.
I couldn’t agree more!
If those of Hispanic origen really wanted to be Americans first, this whole argument would be moot.
John McCain did all he could to buy the Hispanic vote. Don’t forget the untrue Spanish language ad put out by Obama linking McCain to Rush Limbaugh. I do not know who you have been talking to, but first, language is one of the things that unites a country. If I want a driver’s license in Mexico, I had better be able to take the test in Spanish. The same should be true of people coming to the United States.
I believe a true conservative could have trumped Obama. The conservatives never really got behind McCain. McCain courted the moderates and look what it got him.
Mcleodt: You are an example of what this country can be. Best wishes.
What is the difference between a Mejicano
and a Tejano?
If you cannot answer that, you are unable to
make a valuable contribution.
Final answer.
This might be a good time in some areas of the country for Hispanics to move in on the Republican Party organizations and run them the way they should be run.
(With apologies to Tom Catron.)
Pauls nails it in #12. The problem is much bigger than the huge ones of illegal immigration. The Founders fully understood that you need a properly educated, as well as moral citizenry to maintain a truly liberal, free society. In the age of relativism where all truth is devalued, nihilsm where the same murder is committed against morality, and materialism where “it’s the economy, stupid,” becomes the stupor of nation, you must either fight a losing battle or acquiesce to the insanity.
To put it simply, most voted for Obama because he promised to give them some money. That is the banality of what we are dealing with, and the half-educated Latinos are as much of the problem as are the half-educated whites and the half-educated blacks. In other words, “It’s the stupidity, stupid.”
I am just curious — given that they are currently in the majority demographic, why aren’t strategists trying to figure out how to increase the percentage of whites voting Republican? I’m sure its already around 55-60%, why not 70%?
I was grew up born in Youngstown, Ohio, and went through elementary school there before my family moved away in the sixties. I remember looking through the bus schedules and wondering about the multiple languages they were printed in. I remember eating dinner with friends who had to translate parts of their parent’s questions for me and sometimes translate my replies. Every one of those older people were working at learning English so they could be Americans. These were for the most part Catholic and Eastern Orthodox folks with a great deal in common with American customs and beliefs.
I see the same things in the Hispanic people I deal with and run into at various places. They, unlike so many from the Middle East, do not want to change America to suit themselves and they, like the immigrants before them, want to be Americans and to do like immigrants before them have done. That is, they want to help build America and in turn share in the American dream of being able to better oneself and leave their children a better life than they have had. Like the earlier immigrants, they have a great deal in common with American values, traditions, and beliefs. There is no reason to not want these people to join the American dream and to help build a better future for all of us. Citizenship, English as the official language, these are things I think are reasonable requirements, but not some kind of probationary citizenship for people who have already been here for years.
Telling millions who came across a border we refused to control and who put up with second class status in many places to try again isn’t right. People who have been here for years and who have their families here are already part of the national fabric whether that’s acknowledged or not. Unless we control our borders, then it isn’t right to demand that those who cross it pay some penalty for our national neglect. Control the border, grant those here citizenship, make English the official language, and enjoy the benefits of these people joining America in building America just like so many immigrants before them have done.
On the one hand we have the self-righteous, self-centered, college brainwashed, fourth and fifth generation offspring of earlier immigrants spouting the theories their forebears fled. A group who on the whole thinks that everything in life should fall into their laps like ripe plumbs and who believe in their right to rule others rather than in live and let live. On the other hand you have hard working people who sacrificed to come here and who believe that they have to work for what they get and contribute to the country if they’re going to benefit from it. Which do you think will help build a better future for your children and grandchildren? I’m betting on the immigrants rather than the self-proclaimed enlighten class. That’s been the winning bet throughout our history and I see no reason why it isn’t the winning bet once again.
Regards
As usual, it has been the media that has framed this issue against the Republicans. Republicans simply supporting an amnesty-type program is not going to win votes (proven by Bush/McCain).
It is the same reason Republicans do poorly with African-Americans; they don’t sell their position to them but instead allow Democrats and the media to sell the Republican position against these groups.
These groups don’t believe Republicans care about the ‘little people’. Start targeting them and ARTICULATING WHY Republican positions are good for them.
Education: Explain that education is KEY to future success and that Republicans WANT THEM TO BE SUCCESSFUL, and you want to challenge the Democrat controlled system that is failing them in many areas through school choice, etc. Start putting the Democrats on the defensive.
Here is an example of the lunacy in education, which also ties in the importance of learning English (again, frame the issue of speaking English around its importance for success, not with speaking Spanish is bad).
A school in Mundelein, IL that has a high Spanish speaking population was first given recognition for raising test scores, but then was found not to be teaching the “legal” way for ESL students and WAS PUNISHED.
“When we monitor the bilingual program, we’re looking at the services they are supposed to legally provide. We’re not looking at how they are doing,” said Matt Vanover, a State Board of Education spokesman.
http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2008/feb/27/news/chi-english-teachingfeb27
That statement alone could be the poster child for Republicans to run with as they make education (especially important for reaching low-income people) one of THEIR issues. Didn’t McCain say the civil-rights fight of the 21st century was education?
I can’t say it enough; Republicans need to start articulating the ‘whys’ of their positions, not simply stating what their positions are.
We have a large uninformed population. “Socialism” and “spread the wealth” were constantly being thrown around. Unfortunately, many people do not know the negatives regarding these ideas. If you’re poor or struggling, “spread the wealth” sounds GOOD, not bad. Explain WHY these policies are bad. Please, PLEASE, everyone start pressing Republicans to explain the ‘whys’.
If we need anymore convincing it’s this. In an article on Political Affairs-Marxist Thought Online, an online magazine published by the Communist Party, USA, leading party member and Rutgers University history professor Norman Markowitz claimed it would be strategically beneficial if the “right-wing propaganda machine” labels Obama’s policies as socialist.
“The right-wing propaganda machine will scream socialism, and that is also a good thing,” writes Markowitz. “Because the more socialism comes to be identified with real policies that raise the standard of living and improve the quality of life for the working class and the whole people, the more socialism will be looked at seriously.”
Once America accepts socialism as a good thing, we could be pulled further to the left.
“A stronger left that follows the tradition of the Communist Party,” writes Markowitz, “in its unbreakable commitment to a socialist future and to educating people about the value and necessity of socialist policies in the present could follow.”
I’ve already seen Obama supporters say socialism is good after “socialist” gained traction (most likely clueless about the failings of socialism). If Republicans keep throwing the word around to an ignorant public, it will automatically be considered a good thing.
We need to start informing the ‘whys’ of positions AND the ineffectiveness of Democrat positions.
Regarding illegal-immigration, my head is going to explode with anger over this issue, but I’ve come to this conclusion; we will never simply just ‘send them home’. The reality is that the starting point is the situation we have NOW and we can’t ‘undo it’ (kind of like a pregnancy).
Our leaders (Republicans and Democrats) have screwed up and we have to pay a price (yes, it’s unfair) for it As much as I hate it, some kind of amnesty is going to have to be part of the solution. I’m willing to go for this IF policies like E-verify and legal status for social programs, etc. are part of the solution. It’s time for Republicans to start dangling the carrot in return for accepting some common-sense amnesty so we can resolve this issue.
I don’t want to see the Republican party thrown in the dustbin of history over this issue by losing the Hispanic vote. The greater good for America is at stake.
“Five Mistakes That Cost the GOP Hispanic Support”
—I can care less about “hispanic” support or “black” support or “white” support. I am sick of tired of targeting groups in politics. Race should be a complete NON-ISSUE! Politics and government should be about individualist idea’s that are predicated on reason. One’s race through an accident of birth is irrelevant to the whole conversation. There can be no progress when men see and judge each other as different “races” with their own unique “needs”.
People need to take a look at this issue in whole. I suggest that some of those who are wondering about the illegal immigration problem and the path people travel for work here in the US and crossing the Rio Grande, please read this link.
The tyranny of one party governments or one rule governments south of the US-Mexico border have forced many to leave their homelands for a better life.
With that said, nothing is going to change this problem more than Mexico adopting a free-market economy, in where the spoils of success are earned, not doled out courtesy of government bureaucrats. Here in the US, the new administration is going to learn that its proposed solutions of rebate checks are fool’s gold to the US Economy.
As someone once said…”The Essence of a bureaucracy is to protect the bureacracy.”
I do agree, however, that there is a sensitivity to new Americans not being like many US citizens, and not speaking the language, but this is nothing new. Immigrants have congregated with those that seem familiar to them since the US was founded.
Lastly…as for the Republicans not being sensitive to Hispanic issues, this is correct. I wonder how many times the Republican leadership must kick themselves now that they didn’t choose a candidate with pro-life views and display him/her to the generally pro-life Hispanic population. Oooooh, right. They did. Governor Palin.
Memo to the RNC… Take your sorry but out of DC and visit the rest of the country. This might actually allow for your leadership to see how stagnant the policies of “make-do” with the Democratic lawmakers was essentially a road to oblivion.
Republicans are vocal against illegal immigration. We all should be. The far left have misrepresented this to protray the Republicans as being against immigration. And the Left controls our media. Their distortion have become the popular belief. It does not help that some on the far right have use this to be against all immigrants.
I have been searching on how to rebrand being against “illegal immigration” with just one word, to make it less easy to be distorted by the left media as being against “immigration.”
Haun
How about ‘pro-Immigration Law’.
pro=positive
immigration=positive
law=positive
“Ruben says Hispanic. You people say Illegal Mexicans.”
That is because WE, unlike (ahem) some people (cough cough) think about this term in terms of the legal, rather ethnic terms.
It is the I-L-L-E-G-A-L part that gets our Neanderthal back hairs all raised up.
I am terribly sorry if we are losing the criminal vote, but I don’t want it.
If Hispanics are – as I am led to believe, but hopefully wrongly – UNinteresting in the whole legality thing when it applies to their fellow Hispanics, then….
Well…
Hmmmm…..
we
I grew up in a Catholic parish in Chicago, so I’ve known families of Mexican descent from day one. In my generation and location, pretty much everyone’s older relatives came from somewhere else. They ate weird things and spoke weird languages to each other over our heads. But like the rest of us, my Mexican-American friends never worried that their families would be investigated or broken up and deported. Their dads had jobs like all dads did, and they never worried about losing those jobs during INS raids. Their parents owned their houses and had bank accounts. The kids enroleld in school and got their inoculations. If the families wanted to go visit relatives in Mexico, they could, and they never worried about getting back in. Because they were here legally.
Legality is the issue.
All this encouragement to resist basic, commonsense assimilation and the misdirection about white racism has one source: leftism.
kelly k – “Legality is the issue.”
Until you have the ability to refuse entry your saying the issue boils down to legality alone is simply putting on your best “high morals” uniform striding about the bridge of the Titanic. Control of the borders is the issue, and control of the borders is one of the definitions of a nation. No border control, no national right to decry actions as illegal. There must be a way for those here to become citizens without the threat of having to return to Mexico first. The government of Mexico loves the current situation, that alone making your statement that legality alone is the issue moot.
I seriously doubt you yourself would live in squalor and poverty when the alternative was to walk across an imaginary line, the crossing of which isn’t contested or difficult. A nation that doesn’t control it’s borders, legally, cannot claim that those borders exist. How does that minor detail fit into your proclaimation that, “Legality alone is the issue”? At best, it leaves your argument hanging in thin air.
Like God, you demand perfect compliance with the law, so like God I expect you to step forward and provide the perfect sacrifice that allows all to avoid the penalty. When will your son be leaving for Mexico?
Regards
The illegal immigrant? Seems to me that We really know who the illegal immigrants really are. First, my people welcomed the first illegal immigrants and helped them from starving to death which they repaid by taking our lands and displacing us to places where we barely survived! I agree with you, maybe we should send back all the illegal immigrants starting with Jamestown and removing all others who came and took our lands illegally. On the other side of my family (mixed ancestry) when the gringo came to the Southwest, they took the lands we had lived on for generations, forced their religion and language on us, practically enslaved us and never offered so much as an apology! So let’s see,just who are the original illegal immigrants? Some came here with charters from their kings in the old land. Hmmm, I wonder if any of the Spanish Speaking settlers had any land grants from their king? Might be somethiing to investigate. Paul, which should be the official Language, Tewa, Navajo, Algonquin? I’m with you brother let’s send back all of the illegal aliens so I can get back the lands of my ancestors. You know, those lands that were stolen from us Native Americans and of all the Spanish settlers. As to the GOP, it needs to listen and respect all citizens and never assume that we are too uneducated, illiterate, lazy, welfare bound, and unreliable free loaders. We do listen and guess what, we vote for those who address our conservative, prolife, family values. Create a party that supports and articulates our values and you will see the support you so crave. Mr. Obama seemed to be saying this with his rethoric and that is why he was supported by the Hispanic vote. (Middle Class tax cuts and Health care for all)Empowering the middle class. Guess what, We want to be empowered, we want to be middle class or better, we want to work hard and be able to keep what we earn. Sound like Obama’s claims? Think about it BBJ
Rashputin, I have no idea what you’re arguing with me about. In fact, I don’t even really know what you’re on about. High morals? The Titanic? God? My nonexistent son leaving for Mexico? I’m just not following.
Legality is the issue. Closing the borders, deciding what to do with people who are already here, etc., all stem from that issue.
“That is because WE, unlike (ahem) some people (cough cough) think about this term in terms of the legal, rather ethnic terms.”
Randall youre so full of bovine droppings.
This thread has made it obvious that you and others like you have MADE this a White-brown issue.
Youre so scared of change you lash out. Youre the kind of nativist that would have put up signs barring the Irish, Italian, anyone who wasnt just like you.
It’s USELESS. You cant do ANYTHING about it. IT IS OVER.
You either accommodate to the new reality, or spill your bile in places like this.
Tough being from the trailer park, huh?
Mr. Navarette, I can’t believe you have a column, let alone ‘hired by Republicans for speaking engagements’ to dispose your drivel! Nonetheless, it’s a positive for I get to read and share comments posted by the likes of Paul, Eric, SWLip, Tom etc., and for this article, mcleodlt. Thank you and your family for your endearing and hopeful response in such a bizarre and ongoing crisis. The preservation of our country’s society is essential in remaining a strong, admired nation and uphold American ideals.. Not brown, black, yellow, etc., but AMERICAN ideals. You want to see an example of a country catering to everyone else’ ideals but their own, check out Belgium, France or England for starters. There but a few countries I’ve been to recently where I not only saw but felt the oh so apparent division of its people. Truly sad.. Oh wait, aren’t these the people who are supposedly ‘ahead of the times’? I forgot.
As someone had mentioned, it’s pathetic not more outspoken legal immigrants calling out their illegal countrymen/women. Living in Santa Barbara County for sometime I made many friends of the Mexican persuasion. Their reasons of being mum were:
Business owners didn’t want to lose business or have repercussions (much like the crazed Prop 8 protesters of today sickenly demonstrate) for speaking up.
Being raised Catholic many felt it isn’t the christian thing to do.
Many of the illegal immigrants are neigbors and were afraid for their family’s safety. Unbelievable. A law breaker in being here alone, but who also has a criminal past and is still in the states, disgusting.
Mr. Navarette, do yourself a favor and do a ‘sit-along in a Southern California city’s Police dispatch area. You’ll sit front row to numerous illegal hispanic gang member related incidents each and every night. The assaults and/or battery calls from 15-20 year old girlfriends/spouses and crying baby(s) in the background. Or how about the spanish only speaking caller who needs a translator. The dispatcher, who may not be able to speak spanish, will have to get an interpreter on the line from Sacramento and have a time consuming, 3-way call. All the while other serious calls are stacking up by legal, law abiding, english speaking citizens whose lives may be in danger. Though don’t take my word for it.
Who have you been talking to, the KKK? The only criticism I’ve ever seen along these lines is that many of these immigrants show few signs of really wanting to integrate into American society the way that a lot of the previous generations of immigrants did.
That would be it exactly. Are you all so ignorant of our history that you do not know this is the same language that was used against the Irish, the Italians and many other nationalities during the previous “great immigrations”. Look, it took these communities a long time to “integrate” as well. It just doesn’t seem that way because, lo and behold, they are today. So you have no historical perspective.
(Like, how many of you know that Sanger’s original “planned parenthood” concept was aimed at the Catholic Italians and Irish who consistently had six to ten children? The original “poor minorities” that someone wanted to regulate the population for were the dirty Irish and Italians living in the slums of New York and Chicago?)
Democrats do groups. Republicans should not worry about groups. This is especially true with 90 percent of “journalists” being so far left they think Barney Frank is moderate.
Don’t let reality spoil your idealism. Look, Republicans campaigning do as much demographic research and calibration of their messages as the Democrats. Who can recall Bush’s win with “security Soccer Moms”? Or why certain messages are always tempered to try to cover as many and as much of specific demographics as possible.
Further, I actually liked Sarah Palin, but her selection was meant to placate the “conservative” base. Which means, yeah, we do identify groups of people to campaign to.
Get over it and start looking at where our message is off and stop worrying about whether someone has a funny last name.
kelly k – those already here can’t suddenly become legal, so the issue is beyond being legal. As for your non-existant son, the analogy remains the same. If you insist that those already here suddenly become legal, then do as God does, send your son to Mexico and all who accept him as their substitute may remain here and be legal. Otherwise, you’re going to have to focus on what to do from here forward rather than insisting that legality is the only issue.
Get busy on that son or focus on how to handle the problem as it exists rather than as you prefer to look at it in a pure theoretical sense.
have a nice day
I agree. As soon as someone starts talking about “illegal immigrants”, the next thing out of anyone’s mouth is “hispanics coming from Mexico are illiterate, unmotivated, end up in prison and have diseases”.
Yes, that is the message we are sending. Which, by the way is not only stereotyping, but we apply to all immigrants. The only thing is, we don’t end up talking about Pakistani or Yemeni or Somoli illegal immigrants that over stay their visas or may pose other security threats. Which, if I remember correctly, was the original concern and reason why suddenly “close the borders” was all the rage in the beginning. But, as usual, it turned into an anti-Mexico thing.
I know Ruben isn’t real popular here, but he’s absolutely right. Without Latino suppport, the GOP is history.
Let me just add that the GOP does not need to win minority votes outright. If you can get around 35-40% latino support(back to Bush level) the party will be competitive again.
As Ruben suggests, republicans only need to soften their appraoch on illegal immigration. They don’t have to sell out to amnesty like Mccain did, whose lax stance on immigration didn’t do him any good. Americans will overwhelmingly reject outright amnesty with no questions asked.
GOP should stand tough on the crime, drug / human trafficking, and other exploitations made possible by illegal immigration, while reaching out to illegal immigrants who otherwise live a perfectly decent lives. The democrats love to characterize the GOP as the hardline party who would randomly raid immigrants and kick out illegals by the busloads.
If you’ve been living here illegally for 7,8 years and you”ve been proven to be a law abiding citizen, you shold be able to turn to the GOP for some sort of compromise, not automatically running away to the democrats so they can protect you from the big bad republicans.
Legality is the issue.
All this encouragement to resist basic, commonsense assimilation and the misdirection about white racism has one source: leftism.
I believe that all of your arguments are the problem, not the solution. Every time I read these comments it gets further and further away from Navarette’s point and goes deeper and deeper into the anti-mexican stuff. Nobody here is apparently concerned with illegal aliens from Canada (which I personally know exist). Because we assume they aren’t brown and that they were educated by the vaunted Canadian educational system as well as had all their shots.
Your immediate focus is on Mexicans as dirty, uneducated, poor, illegal, taking jobs, etc.
Most of you see an Hispanic standing on the street corner or talking with an accent in your local grocery store and assume they are here illegally because you cannot conceive that any one of Mexican deent would be here legally unless they were here before the conquistidors. At which point, you all assume they should speak English and be partly White.
You cannot figure out how to separate your social prejudices. Therefore, you cannot figure out how to separate your political concepts in order to stop alienating the voting Hispanic population.
That’s right: Voting Hispanic population. It may come as a shock to you but there are plenty of Hispanics who are actually citizens and vote. Try focusing on them more and on your prejudices less.
BBJ, you mentioned ‘Conservative, prolife, family values’ and Obama in the same context. Oxymoron, dude.
Or when recollecting on your relatives, ‘not offered so much as an apology’. Uhm, what the h ell are you talking about? UCSB has over 60 Latino History courses. Do you know how many classes there are regarding American History? 1.
Endless parades, holidays celebrated and footed by the tax payer. Thousands of before, during and after school programs to curb kids from joining gangs, committing crime, improving their grades, learning english, ‘free’ babysitting, etc.,. Gee, I always thought that all these lessons are the PARENTS job.. not everyone else’s!
More lax standards for minorities to apply, accepted into college. Specifically hispanic (don’t believe me, look into UC Berkeley and numerous other institutions getting their hands slapped for denying more successful asian, indian (Asian India) etc., students than their hispanic counterparts)
When you or I apply to a job, we have to bubble in our sex and ethnicity. Throwing out the rule of thumb of hiring the more qualified individual as to employing the ‘equal number’ of ethnicities. Why do you think the USPS and other Government run institutions perform so horribly?
The tens of millions of dollars wasted everyday for customer service-type inquiries by individuals unable to speak english (i.e. DMV, Law Enforcement, infinite number of stores like Wal-Mart, Target, etc.,)
So what is it you want, BBJ? Reparations in some manner? I live in Alaska and see the numerous incentives the native groups receive. Is it fair? I don’t stop to thnk about it. For my wife and I are highly motivated and needn’t concern myself with what other people do and do not possess. You shouldn’t be examining what ‘your people’ have or haven’t gotten. But what you have done to improve YOUR situation. Blame is easy to give when you feel you’ve been ‘wronged’ in some manner. Get over it..
aaah
#55 – Rodolfo again
Yes, we are afraid of change, if that change is the breaking of laws going uncontested.
And it is not the right who made this a racial issue. It was the left who did that, and if you empirically and objectively examine the evidence you will realize this. The left doesn’t like evidence though. The left just likes throwing words like “racist” and “nativist” around.
And I love how you call us all a bunch of bigots and stereotpyers, and then refer to us as a bunch of trailer park dwellers.
Don’t you just love the hypocrisy, folks?
The phrase “American Dream” is uniquely American. There is no corresponding French dream, Argentinian or any other. Like no other nation on earth we have assembled a disparate collection of people who have created the greatest nation on earth. We are universally admired for that.
So who wants to throw that away?
Well Ruben, You’ve done it again. You continually lump Hispanics into one group. “honk”. There are Hispanics and then there are Mexican’s. Granted Guatamala,El Salvador, Nigaragua,Hondoras, etc. are all below it. But lets face it. The predominate problem is not Hispanics per se’ its Mexican’s. The reason??
Other foreigners who have landed on our tierra, has all sacrificed leaving their home of origin behind. In most cases forever. This in itself is an incentive to make a go of their new land 100%. Learn the ways of their new homeland, respect its laws, learn its language and if they are illegal BEG for a change of status, and do anything within their means to stay, even if it means paying a huge fine!!. Then their are our problem children, Mexican’s. We in the west are quite familiar with these adolescent revolving door visitors. If they come illegally , “is o.k., eef eye geet caut, eye jes cum back lader”. The attitude is what turns those who are familiar with them against illegal immigration. Mexican’s, not all mind you, but the majority of those coming over do not come to stay. They come to work, work , work, yes, but also to take take take. They do not want to be here as citizens but as permenant visitors free to return home to THEIR LAND when they choose, and not to be Americans first and Mexican heritage second like the rest of the other immigrant decendents, who have now been here for generations. Lets face it their are original Mexican-American decendants who have remained for generations and are outstanding American citizens. But THEY are not in the majority of our visitors. As a result we now have a problem similiar to that of cucaroches, you can spray and you can sweep but you can never get rid of them, they juz keep cumming back. I am for restrictive legal immigration and not for any form of illegal immigration for any reason. No forgiveness no hanging around Go home.Lets adopt Mexican immigration laws and use them as our own. Oh yeah as for the rest of Central America. If Mexico did its job those from below it would either not come at all or apply legally and then my bet is they would adopt our ways. As a rule the harder it is to return home for immigrants the quicker they become Americans.
No…
“We” have not made this a “white-brown” issue.
“We” have made it a respect-the-law issue. You keep pretending it’s not.
Y-O-U have made it a white-brown issue.
Actually I love my trailer park, thank you very much.
By the way, when is Mexico going to get its act together and create an economy that creates something besides emigrants?
(Am I allowed to ask that?)
By the way, when is Mexico going to get its act together and create an economy that creates something besides emigrants?
Any idea why we are okay with having a relatively economically and socially weak Mexico on our southern border? We don’t actually spend much economically there nor do we actually put much policy in place to assist that because we are not interested in having a country with nearly our population and the potential for more to be a competing interest in this hemisphere.
We are more willing to absorb immigrants from that country than to create competition politically, militarily or economically.
Spindok:
La Raza, for one…
Paul_unalaska You missed my point. If immigration and “those others” are of such concern to those who use the immigration issue as a justification for their prejudice I am only suggesting how ridiculous their preoccupation seems to be in light of the past injustices that have been visited upon all who have been chosen as the scapegoats for any perceived discomfort these main stream bigots are experiencing. I will confess that I was beneficiary of the various government programs that allowed me to receive an education, find employment that allowed me to contribute to society, and to finally arrive at a point where I can spend my “Golden years” in comfort and relative safety. No,I do not feel mistreated or slighted by society and I am greatful for all that has been my privilege to experience as a result of the opportunities offered me by this great nation! Once again, I have used what was available to create a life for me and my family and I have given back to this great country what I could when I could. I feel honored to be able to sit here and to be able to express my opinions without fear of reprisal. I don’t blame others for looking at us and desiring the same. In my humble opinion, we need to seek out both the citizen criminal and the illegal alien criminal and apply the rule of law to all equally and compassionately. We must also realize that there is good and the capacity for evil in everyone. I disagree that just because of checking ethnicity or gender on an application is an automatic condemnation to hire the least qualified. Our problems exist because of the wonderful leadership(?) of the likes of Barney Franks, Nancy Pelosi, Chris Dodd,and the likes of all the other “non-immigrants” in our history who actually have been and are in positions to make laws that affect all Americans both the Born Citizen and the Immigrant. Consider getting over your obsession with judging those of us who have been afforded an opportunity and have taken the advantage to build a good life. By the way, when I was young I actually have been in businesses that had signs that read Whites here, Mexicans there. Mexicans being used in a derogatory manner. Did that hurt? After paying taxes, contributing to my country,watching my father and mother ask nothing of anyone and helping anyone who needed help regardless of their ethnicity or color, and wanting to just be a part of the opportunities of our Society: what do you think? Do you even care? BBJ
Ha ha. For a minute I actually thought he wanted ‘change.’
Turns out, he’s just hiring the usual cast of characters from the federal reserve (the group of people that may just understand economics the LEAST).
We have nothing to gain from either these people of the Obama administration. They are the enemies of the free economy; and are just a further part of the problem.
Don’t worry though, at least there are ‘Latinos’ in his tribal administration: http://mediacondom.com/?p=333
There is a strong undercurrent of racism masked by calls for protecting our borders, returning the illegals, lax standards, English Only, saving our American culture, crime, the American dream etc. I gather most of the respondents do not have a deep personal relationships with ethnic minorities, particularly Hispanic.
I am convinced that the following will occur:
1. The extremists, as reflected by many above, will push out moderate Republicans so that the party ideology remains pure to an exclusionary vision of America that is anathema to the majority of Americans.
2. What’s left will be a Republican party built upon division, fear and hate.
3. And that will guarantee Democratic successes in future elections.
Pay attention to the points made by Mr. Navarette. Many Hispanic voters and other minorities, rejected your message and your candidates. If the party wants to win, it must convince voters, especially minority voters, to believe that the Republican Party has their interests at heart, and not the other way around.
Personally, I don’t think you can do it. I don’t believe you want a party that reflects the changing demographics of America and the ideals, values, and cultures of this modern age. You live in a world that has changed. You can’t do anything about it and you don’t like it.
Losing is so painful. What are you going to do? I’ll bet you’ll attempt to destroy the Obama Presidency, because that’s what you and Rush Limbaugh do best. Destroy.
BBJ, I applaud you in your successful and fruitful life, career. i feel the need to comment because you made comments to my earlier post which obviously didn’t reflect my take on the matter.
Your comment, ‘I disagree that just because of checking ethnicity or gender on an application is an automatic condemnation to hire the least qualified’ – I didn’t comment or allude to hiring the ‘least qualified’. YOU said that in comment #73. It’s similiar to people’s reaction when oogling Obama’s ‘Hope’ n ‘Change’ mantra. People added substance or depth to his message. Thus he’d become something they wish him to be.. projecting. In your case, you projected my comment in Government jobs (USPS for example) as hiring ‘the least qualified.’ Again, your words. I’d said, ‘Throwing out the rule of thumb of hiring the more qualified individual as to employing the ‘equal number’ of ethnicities.’ End quote. These ethnicities can be from any demographic, not the worst of each.
Lastly, your commenting of my ‘obsession in judging those who have been afforded an opportunity’ again good for you. The sad fact of the matter is the hispanic population has the highest drop out rate of any ethnicity in both high school and college. And, is the least likely ethnicity to complete a 4 year degree. This doesn’t stop the powers that be to keep accepting mediocre students across the board into their academia. Wow, I wonder why our test scores continue to decline? 60 +% of our nwly elected politicians failed a recent history exam. PATHETIC.
Lastly, my take on employment is ‘eerily’ similiar to what I’d stated before. Employment, and that goes for college as well, should be interested in those who WANT to learn and most apt to succeed in their endeavors. It shouldn’t be to fill quotas. i.e. ‘Equal Opportunity’ It’s an injustice to those qualified and wanting to learn. Spin that however you like..
The Left has been successful in pigeon holing Republicans as “nativists” and “racists” within the immigration debate but, this, like every other issue, is defined by the media and serves to obfuscate the facts. Poll after poll shows the vast majority of Americans do not believe the current crop of illegal immigrants should be granted amnesty, should not receive government benefits and that the federal government has usurped its responsibility to protect our borders. Isn’t is amazing that this issue was not even raised in the general election. That’s because there was no difference between Obama and McCain on the illegal immigration issue. The powers that be wanted it off the table as an election issue because they know the American people do not side with the eilte.
Having said that, I am sympathetic to the fact that there are many illegal immigrants who have been here for years, who have assimilated and who are productive workers who do not rely on government handouts. I have a handyman who fits this bill and who I believe should be granted amnesty if I were the judge. However, relegating to the government the task of establishing standards for who should be granted amnesty and who should not means that the “standards” would be anything but. The Democrats and RINOs are only interested in exploiting an underclass and do not want to establish standards for amnesty. This is why I opposed the Comprehensive Immigration Bill. This bill would have allowed any illegal immigrant the benefit of citizenship without applying any standards whatsoever other than a criminal background check but even that was subject to “legal mumbo jumbo” where illegals would have been provided a taxpayer funded attorney to ascertain the “human rights” issues raised.
Until the government demonstrates that it is serious about controlling illegal immigration by closing the borders and requiring verified documentation from employers, I will stand against allowing illegal immigrants to obtain citizenship until appropriate standards and verification processes are in place.
The original post was not about “illegal immigrants”, but about winning the Hispanic vote. Which, by very definition, currently only means legal immigrants or those of Hispanic descent who are native or “born” to this nation, ie citizens.
The reason I keep pointing out this issue is the very same reason Ruben wrote this piece. The Republican party immediately assumes that winning the Hispanic vote is about illegal immigration, that the “racist” charges are unfounded Democrat or Media propaganda and that the Republican party simply needs to shout louder the separation of the concepts of border security/illegal immigration and legal immigration to the Hispanic voter and they will, by magical default, over look the anti-illegal immigration wing of the Republican party’s tendency to lump anyone who is “Hispanic” into the “dirty Mexican” category.
That is our problem. We refuse to talk about the Hispanic vote as anything else and that is why we sound “racist”. Not because some Democrat lefty said so or the Media made it so. We did. We are. We sound like it.
You don’t like being called a racist, stop talking like one.
Unfortunately the mistakes that the GOP made were exactly what attracted the “good ole’ boy types.” (I know this because I have some relatives with questionable views in Mississippi.) Obama unified his illuminati. The GOP is going to have a hard time doing that without alienating some key old school voters.
Apparently for you to win the hispanic vote you have to bend to them, not teach them what America means. You have to split the US into a multi-lingual pain in the ass like Canada.
Screw that. We need to stop selling our national soul to third world losers and socialists.
I don’t really see where McCain ran on a nativist, anti-hispanic campaign. If Hispanics by your own admission would support reasonable anti-illegal immigration methods, I don’t see much that they’d disagree with in the republican party.
I also don’t see this anti-hispanic tone in general. I do see a lot of repubs talking about closing the borders to stop the flow of illegal immigrants, or making sure that english remains the official language of the U.S. when it comes to government, which makes sense: I don’t immigrate to france and expect not to have to be fluent in french, or even know enough just to get by.
I also didn’t see democrats being particularily pro-hispanic, in terms of policies that benefit their conservative natures. I think you said yourself such, so there are other factors in play.
Paul_unalaska
I am very thankful today that I am privileged to live in a Nation that allows me to succeed without fear of reprisal. That hasn’t always been the case. Equal opportunity helped me get an education and it helped me get a foot in the door but it was up to me to make effective use of my opportunities. I retired from teaching and had a successful career in sales. The drop out rate for Hispanics in 1979 when I went to a community on the Western Slope of Colorado was close to 50%. After three years it was down to 4%. It took two years after I left for the drop out rate to go back up. What made the difference? I like to feel that this was the first role model the Hispanic students had experienced and I also worked long hours in the community to change perceptions and to show them the opportunities avaliable. Why did I leave? According to the non-Hispanic powers tha ruled, I wasn’t qualified to do the job. My list of accomplishmets was ignored and it ment nothing. Of the seven Hispanics hired in that community’s schools, only the one who married a board members daughter survived past three years. The excuse was that we were not qualified. The dismissal included a PhD in Bilingual Education who had a national reputation. She was replaced by a non-Hispanic who spoke only one language, English and the program to bring non English student to proficiency failed miserably. Again, this produced the labor force this farming community needed. I’m not bitter and I say this only because these are the facts. The fact is that in this nation, anyone who wishes to succeed can do so regardless of which background they come from or language they speak. I have been continuously hired because I am qualified, love to learn, and desire to succeed. I wonder whether I would ever have gotten the opportunity without some of the programs? BBJ
I was so angry after reading this article but that’s why I usually read the comments. The majority of people in the comments section seem to have more understanding of illegal immigration and English as the language of the U.S. than the person writing the original article. This does not surprise me. The left and its helpers are not going to give up trying to make people forget about the rule of law and conservative values but fortunately the trickle down effect isn’t working.
What do you mean that Hispanics have soured on Bush and don’t want anything that reminds of him?? On immigration, wasn’t it bush that stood up to the far right of his party that wanted the immigrants all sent back home??
Why must Hispanics be treated as a separate group to begin with? If they have so much trouble integrating here there are tons of Hispanic countries that would be better for them. It’s not like they were our slaves or there was a hispanic Jim Crow to repent for.
so hoads,
we should crack down on illegals, except for the ones you like or are useful to you. Talk about hypocrisy, yet you have the nerve to condemn democrats and republicans who aren’t mental midgets for not cracking down like you won’t.
even here in south florida the mexican population is increasing…actually being of Mexican descent myself, as well as a Republican,doesn’t influence my opinion sympathetically towrds pro-immigration or pro-amnesty or whatever-ILLEGAL is the operative word;if I do anything designated ‘illegal’I'm subject to legal consequences,no? My experience has been that there aren’t many overtly racist Republicans here, stirring up anti-immigrant anger; in my opinion it has been mostly the media who can claim credit for tagging us as racist,etc.We heard a lot about ’47 million uninsured’ Americans during the campaigns-but doesn’t that number include 15 or so million illegals? why didn’t anyone make that distinction?…I’m spending the holiday weekend with my wife’s family-I have yet to encounter a more virulently rabid bunch of frothing-at-the-mouth Bush- and Palin-hating democrats…whew! Be glad to go home…
Their are literally hundreds of countries in the world that have been multi-lingual throughout their history without suffering any damage. All you have to do is travel to England to see that in practice.
This country used to have multi-lingual forms in the 20′s and 30′s for immigrants from Europe and there weren’t any problems. Why is any of this a problem?
Why do people assume that those that prefer to speak Spanish are noncitizens? All you have to do is visit the DMV which no noncitizen has a reason to visit to realize that the studies are right. Most people who converse regularly in Spanish are American Citizens just using a language they are more comfortable in, just like Americans from decades before used their native language for their day to day activities until they became more comfortable in English. (which I know is contrary to the popular myth about prior immigrants not speaking anything but English. Our immigrants never were that way in any significant number).
Why is it a problem that Latino’s have their own games they enjoy like soccer instead of football, just like prior immigrants bought into new games and created cultural icons like Notre Dame football to help them establish their identity.
Our country has never been made up of a culture or a set of beliefs except for the idea that we are all richer if everyone is allowed to go their own way unless their actions cause a direct harm to someone else. Give it time and Latino’s will assimilate just like everyone else and until then, they are filling jobs that no one else will take, providing soldiers to protect our nation overseas, cops and firemen to protect us at home and exposing to new ways of doing things which has always been why America is the most diverse and successful country in the world.
This has been a good debate – though some rhetoric (and not just the troll at #25) has revealed the unfortunate reality to which Navarette pleads us to confront: there is some pure & simple anti-immigrant bias that needs to be acknowledged and dealt with by the GOP. But, for the most part, this conversation itself is the right direction and GOP leaders should follow in its path: DISCUSS the issue HONESTLY, and focus on the WHYs of conservative opposition to illegality, advocace of assimilation, and support for border security.
Though this is late in this discussion, let me throw out an idea that I think might work well. What if the US were to allow illegals to stay with the condition that they either join a work program (with a path to returning home) OR apply for citizenship (and ‘get in the back of the line’)? In the latter case, I suggest that we graciously allow them to do this without returning home, but process their applications AS IF they were home.
I think this could work very well provided we provide a quick 3-month deadline for all immigrants (of EVERY nationality) to register, follow that with a period of intentional, aggressive deportation of all who fail to register (with full and consistent explanation in immigrant communities that this is being done not as part of a new ‘police state’ but only to ensure that the bargain is being enforced, for the sake of fairness and national security for all), and, of course, completing “the fence” and fully funding the increased border patrols passed by the last Congress.
I actually think this could be done and would be helpful to everyone: citizens, illegals, Democrats, and Republicans. Then, with this issue behind us, the GOP would be on better positioned to get 40-60% of Hispanic votes because they would not have to play ball with this issue on the field.
drguya #72
Thank you for your mind-blowing ignorant post.
“You live in a world that has changed.”
Get a clue; the world (and America) has always “changed”.
“Ideals, values, cultures of this modern age.”
You can find America’s “ideals” and “values” in our Constitution.
If you consider breaking immigration laws the “ideals” and “values” of America, then it is YOU who will fail.
“hate” and destroy”?
That would be what Democrats have been doing the last 8 years. BTW, take a look at areas controlled by Democrats and their policies; disasters, particularly so for low-income people.
And love the parroting ‘Rush Limbaugh’, ‘Rush Limbaugh’. Really now, are you so ignorant about the vitriol spewed by liberals on radio, TV, and the web?
Lastly, are you so ignorant that you’re unaware that the majority of Americans are against illegal-immigration AND want our borders secured?
BTW, before the 2008 election, I voted Democrat the previous 3.
Ellis island is a crumbling facility. there is no center to process new arrivals. in case you don’t realize, there were people here in 1491, you know before it was discovered. the rules for getting a visa are stringent, it doesn’t matter as i have always been American. i speak a couple of different languages and one of them is English. we try to keep it real so it is hard be what you aren’t. we hate on those that try, like a white guy trying to be a gangster rapper or Jackie Chan dressed as a cowboy, yeah Chon wane. but why not? only in America, fake it till you make it. there are conservative hispanics, read that, Mexican Americans who have the right to vote.
if it is about closing the border why not the Canadian border? there is a big sympathetic Arab population in Canada. or is it as the media said the terrorist from the south. Al-queda could slip through a porous southern border. oh now i’m scared because all the extras on the movies about terrorist look like Mexicans.
Nonsense!
As a Hispanic I do not see that any of the points you make are relevant. The major mistake the GOP made was not to develop Hispanic constituents. McCain and the GOP focused most of its efforts trying to get rich democrats who were country club mates. McCain did an awful job showing any real connection to Hispanics other than his failed attempt to buy votes.
On a different note Hispanics should know better than support the same type of crap that is destroying their native countries. Obama is of the same ilk as politicians found in Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia, etc. Shame of them for fleeing their native countries and supporting the same lies. Many Hispanics fail to grasp that redistribution does NOT work. It failed in Latin America and is impoverishing entire populations.
As an American of mexican heritage (New Mexico), I disagree. I was a democrat until the 1990′s and have become a republican because it represents my conservative views better (not perfectly). The mainstream media and the Democrat Party (related institutions?) twisted our opposition to ILLEGAL immigration (from whatever country) into an anti-immigrant, anti-hispanic thing. How do you fight a lie that gets repeated over and over and is all people hear? And it is a lie. Yeah, immigrants should learn English as soon as possible….while they keep their native language. There is no reason they cannot do both. My daughter, a certified teacher, teaches math at a Goodwill adult education center. Recently, she had a student who had difficulty saying much more that “Hello” and introducing himself in English. She asked how long he had been here and was surprised to learn he had been here 30 years and his children were all born here. How is that helping people like him? More of a demand that immigrants learn English would have helped, not injured, this man. McCain just about flushed his chances for the nomination when he championed immigration reform with citizenship for those who have come illegally…yet the Dems were able to sell the fiction to Hispanics that McCain was anti-immigrant. My grandmother, who died in 1963, never learned much English but then she didn’t leave the house much at all. Her son, my father, loved the US and was really angered by recent newcomers from Mexico who spoke glowingly about “mi tierra” and disparagingly about their adopted country. He used to say they should go back if that was how they felt about their adopted country. How would new Hispanics feel if we treated them exactly the way Mexico treats illegals on Mexico’s southern border?
C’mon everybody; Ruben went to Harvard so I guess we’re all supposed to swoon with awe at his wisdom. For the last time, it isn’t racism; it’s the rule of law. I don’t want a bunch of Swedish immigrants here either. They’re amoral socialists and God knows we have enough of those already. The US has the right to enforce its borders just as Mexico does. Actually, we’ll never enforce it as brutally as they enforce theirs. All conservatives ask for is an honest conversation.
It’s condescending liberal assholes who extremist bigot hate mongers like me don’t like, drguya
Once again (and this bears repeating, because certain morons who will remain unnamed can’t seem to get it through their thick heads), there is nothing wrong with legal immigrants, wherever they come from.
Most illegal immigrants are good, hard working people who want a better life and who are exploited by corrupt companies into what is basically slave labor.
That doesn’t change the fact that they are breaking American law by coming to America illegaly. It also doesn’t change the fact that the flood of illegal immigrants brings with them a sizable number of hardened criminals and aztlan supremacists. It is a small percentage of the illegal immigrants, but still a large number of actual people.
And in response to the guy who says we have no right to complain about illegal immigrants because the border isn’t controlled:
1: It is the fault of greedy washington folk that the border is closed, not the regular people who actually bear the brunt of the Mexican drug gangs that are increasingly operating on the north side of the border
2: That is basically a non-argument. You are basically saying that if things that are wrong aren’t adequately stymied, suddenly they become right. It’s the same as saying if the laws against murder aren’t enforced, than we have no right to complain about murderers and we should just let murderers run wild. Extreme analogy, yes, but a sound one as well.
There is nothing wrong or racist about “English Only” either. America is an English country. If I moved to any south American country, I would be expected to learn Spanish (Or Portugeuse if it was Brazil). If I moved to an Arab country I would be expected to learn Arabic, if I moved to Japan I would be expected to learn Japanese. So why shouldn’t we expect some reciprocity?
Watch this entire video for an example of Mexicos laws
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHPm_TEQ0PA
Also, note the commenters calling him “racist” despite the fact that he is only quoting Mexicos laws to make a point.
*1: It is the fault of greedy washington folk that the border is ***OPEN***, not the regular people who actually bear the brunt of the Mexican drug gangs that are increasingly operating on the north side of the border
sorry, mistyped
Wearyman:
@ Spindok,
“You are wrong.
There is a clear and definite difference between being both proud of your cultural heritage AND being proud to be an American, and simply wanting to have all the benefits of a society with none of the responsibilities”
True enough, yet I am no defender of the welfare state to begin with so dont pin that on me.
We have failed to prevent illegal immigration from Mexico. This is real-time cost/benefit sort of calculation at this point. Mass deportation is not even realistic on all levels so no realistic political parties are even talking about that.
Spin
In reality, those are not actual Republican positions but the Dem spin that has been sold to the American public. The argument has always been against illegal immigration period but the Dems are masters at making everything a personal race or gender issue. They leverage tribal loyalties and don’t waste useless time with logical arguments. We have to do some of our own community organizing in Hispanic areas and radio outreach that emphasizes commonalities, like the socially conservative values of these heavily Catholic/Christian people(in direct contradiction to the party elite line that we dump social cons) in addition to educating those to whom it is not already becoming obvious (and many are beginning to see it) that bi-lingual education is not truly benefitting their children. I work directly with many poor and illegal immigrants and they have swallowed the Dem party line that all Republican ideas are inherently racist and so can be dismissed out-of-hand. It will require direct, tangible, community-based action to counteract this.
The Republicans just lost 2/3 of Hispanic voters to a not-very-qualified Democratic candidate with no significant personal connection to the Hispanic community. We should be thinking hard about why this happened and Mr. Navarette’s article is a thoughtful contribution which deserves serious consideration. I am disappointed by the tone of some of the comments on this article.
Hey Ruben, everything you say, is just what YOU want, not the citizens of this country. Your tiresome mantra, may appease your followers, but it will do nothing to change millions of US CITIZEN’S minds.
WE want your illegal’s out. It cost us Millions each yr. for their health care at ER’s, education and incarceration.
Ruben, it is not up to US citizens to take care of the world’s people!! But, it is up to your country to take care of their own citizens.
Oh and yes, Ruben, where are your stories about 45,000 US citizens killed by illegals, usually by drunk driving or their crimes?
We have lost more citizens to them, than we have in both wars, including 9/11.
If the Republicans fall for this balderdash, they aren’t worth voting for!
**The Republicans just lost 2/3 of Hispanic voters to a not-very-qualified Democratic candidate with no significant personal connection to the Hispanic community. We should be thinking hard about why this happened and Mr. Navarette’s article is a thoughtful contribution which deserves serious consideration.**
But the GOP ran exactly the kind of Republican liberals wanted and still got thumped. McCain was for a soft and fuzzy immigration plan, and Hispanics didn’t care. Navarette carefully avoided that fact.
*It is a myth that previous generations of immigrants just stepped off the boat and blended right in.*
It’s a myth that anyone argued that was the case.
The critical change is not in the immigrants (from Latin America today vs. Europe yesterday) but our expectations of them. What would happen if a U.S. president said the following today?
“In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American. There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag. We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language. And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”
–President Theodore Roosevelt’s 1907
*I am married into a latin american immigrant family and I love and respect their culture, so spare me the anti-hispanic or anti-immigrant lines. The bottom line for me: no one who is in the country illegally should ever be allowed citizenship without returning to their home country and doing it legally.*
Bingo. We should build a fence across our southern border. But, the fence will have doors for legal entry. Above the doors it will read, “WELCOME.”
“It may come as a shock to you but there are plenty of Hispanics who are actually citizens and vote. Try focusing on them more and on your prejudices less.”
Stop lecturing. Some of us have given this issue a great deal of thought. Stop making it about the illegal immigrants themselves. It’s about US – the citizens. WE HAVE CHANGED. Our expectations for immigrants have changed. To pretend there is no downside to millions of people pouring across the border, into lands they feel are rightfully Mexico’s, is just that: pretending.
Reality is more difficult.
“You don’t like being called a racist, stop talking like one.”
Only one of the two major political parties is supported by a group called The Council of the Race. And it ain’t the GOP, my friend. Please join us in the 21st century.
WHAT IS A HISPANIC??? The Dems pandered to the lower class, poorly educated decendents of immigrants with Spanish surmanes. Mercifully, there is still a sense in the “community of Spanish surnames” that we will vote issues if informed, afterall 1/3 of us voted Republican as opposed to the monolithic (chronically, I might add) trends amoung black Americans. As a “Gonzalez”, please do not link me with those that seek to usurp our sovereignty and to celebrate Cinco de Mayo instead of the 4th of July. Illegal immigration must be squashed and prevented in the future. You libs out there want a government and culture like the ones my ancestors legally left? Move south of the border!!!
**As a “Gonzalez”, please do not link me with those that seek to usurp our sovereignty and to celebrate Cinco de Mayo instead of the 4th of July. Illegal immigration must be squashed and prevented in the future. You libs out there want a government and culture like the ones my ancestors legally left? Move south of the border!!!**
THIS is why the GOP doesn’t need to imitate Democrats and pander along ethnic/racial lines.
I will take ONE Mr. Gonzalez over TWO La Raza types any day. If I lose elections, so be it. At least I’ll know I’m standing with a fellow citizen who shares my values and loyalties.
Ruben Navarrette Jr.,
A favorite trick of the Germans during WW II was to change the road signs in the hope that the good guys would get confused and go in the wrong direction.
Sir, I know the difference between a helpful arrow and one that points people in the wrong direction. And you, sir, are trying to send the Republican Party on a wild ganso chase.
How many times did Obama accuse the Republican Party of using fear tactics to get elected? If I had a dollar for every one of them, I’d be rich enough to buy Chicago’s best Mexican restaurant, Su Casa. Well, you, sir, are simply parroting Barack’s tactics. Raising red herrings like margarita glasses salted around the rims.
You say Republicans shouldn’t focus on cultural or language issues, or be racist. Should, on the other hand, offer complex solutions and be pro-immigrant.
Thanks for the tips.
Now here’s one for you.
Try writing about something you know.
The way one gets votes is to match up what you stand for with the feelings of the people you’re trying to reach. Then you say it in a way that both respects your audience and appeals to their hearts and heads.
“Tone”, (the word in your subhead) which you point out the Republicans have to change, refers to message mood. It can be light, fun, funny, serious, intelligent, respectful, preachy etc.
Your piece, Mr. Navarrette, makes me suspect that not only are you out of your element when you start telling Republicans what they did wrong, but, as I said before, I suspect you’re trying to lead us in the wrong direction. And that, to me, makes you the south end of a north bound horse.
Inmypajamas,
I just read your two cents, and just wanted to tell you that you could be a million dollar writer. Beautifully done. Spot on. Track me down and let’s talk about getting you a writing job.
You’re terrific.
Bravo, Rachel