Is the hispanic vote a dead issue?

[chrismatthews]

I live in Texas. The hispanic voting bloc is a huge part of the electorate here, and in California as well.

Given Paul's stand on immigration, is the hispanic vote a dead issue for us?

All of the other issues line up flawlessly with the typical hispanic values voter; antiwar, prolife, low taxes, personal freedom, are there any Paul supporters that are involved in the hispanic political community that can help outline a strategy for approach?

[jpa]

hispanic vote is actually against illegal immigration. That's a common misconception.

They are tired of getting a bum deal because they immigrated the legal way.

[FrankRep]

Ron Paul supports legal immigration.

.

[chrismatthews]

hispanic vote is actually against illegal immigration. That's a common misconception.

They are tired of getting a bum deal because they immigrated the legal way.


Good point, thank you. I'm working on a "diversity" campaign idea for my meetup group, and i want a smart issues based approach rather than the typical pandering stuff. I'm hoping someone from my area, or at least someone better educated than me on this voting bloc can help inform me.

[IHaveaDream]

The hispanic community is loudly protesting US immigration policy. They need to understand that the right to dissent is a priviledge that may be at great risk for ALL of us if Ron Paul is defeated.

[Lord Xar]

Latinos4ronpaul

there is a group in California called "latinos for ron paul". So no, its not a lost cause. Don't assume hispanic want "illegal immigration" - they don't.

[hard@work]

What we do not have are individuals that understand and can present Ron Paul's positions to the Hispanic and other immigrant communities. His statements are very powerful to any citizen of the U.S. and benefit these communities as much as if not more than others. The idea that the U.S. economy has been brought down over the last century so far that the "powers that be" are "using" the immigrants as "scapegoats" is not only true - it is very powerful if presented properly. It is not their fault that powerful special interests have encouraged this problem and at the same time have used it against the American people as a wedge issue in order to mask the true problem we face economically.

The idea that if the government was not lying or misleading the public on this issue in the economic regards really is the tip of the iceburg. To put this into perspective, how can we help anyone let alone our neighbors to the south if our own country is being destroyed by illegal labor abuse and subsidization? There is much more to be said and much work to be done with our neighbor and trading partner to the south. And they also have a responsibility to their people, and their people a responsibility to themselves. Unfortunately these root issues cannot be addressed while we are dealing with the symptoms.

The statement that Ron Paul made needs to be promoted: "[if not for the economic situation] we would probably need them and they would be welcome here."

That last statement along with the "scapegoat" theory is what will win the Hispanic community. Add this in with the mixture of individual rights, liberty, etc... and we can win this group. But again the real issue here is the general understanding of how powerful this message is within our own grassroots. Coupled with some xenophobia we're at a roadblock in attracting Hispanic voters.

This can be defeated, and we can win over these communities. And as fellow Americans, we need to win these communities lest we face Balkanization. I wish I could do more to help here than just write up these opinions on this little thread... but I suppose I am leaving this up to you to talk to your meetup groups and see if you can start outreaches to the demographics we mistakenly believe we cannot attract.

Ron Paul is for the rights of all Americans first.

[Santana28]

What Ron Paul loses in hispanic support he will gain from other legal immigrants who are being marginalized by the influx of hispanic illegal immigration. I talk to many Arab and Pakistani immigrants all of the time at work. And while many can't vote, they all know others who can ;) They are a very tight-knit group and they communicate very well.

[KewlRonduderules]

Speaking as a Hispanic person myself, I think many 2nd and 3rd generation Hispanics living in this country support proper legal immigration.

The legal immigrant groups and Latinos that do generally support amnesty are usually from Mexico (mainly), Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua (but to a lesser extent). Moreover, they are usually 1st generation, come from a lower standard of living, lack educational backgrounds, and have strong connections and indentification with their country of origin.

[Primbs]

Many Hispanic legal immigrant's next door neighbors are the Hispanic illegal immigrants. They see it up close and personal.

Many legal immigrants resent paying high taxes to support their next door neighbor illegal immigrants who pay no taxes and receive benefits and don't have to work.

[KewlRonduderules]

Many Hispanic legal immigrant's next door neighbors are the Hispanic illegal immigrants. They see it up close and personal.

Many legal immigrants resent paying high taxes to support their next door neighbor illegal immigrants who pay no taxes and receive benefits and don't have to work.

Precisely what I was saying in my post above.

;)

[AlexMerced]

Yeah, me, and and the younger guard of my family are voting paul.

[Man from La Mancha]

Even illegals should be for Ron. This nation needs their help and labor to a degree. I'm sure under a good immigration policy that all those who want to work will be able to get maybe 6 months work permits and come here to work thus enabling twice as many to work here plus then they can stay with their families for half a year and help reform their own country. This way we can have non criminals and healthy people in the USA that can drive and freely travel by plane or car in the USA when we need extra labor. And they will all be tracked. Please note I'm totally against tracking any full US citizen but tourists and non citizens should be.

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http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/9435/blackwsmallyh7.gif (teaparty07.com)..http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/8947/brighton7gs5.gif (teaparty07.com)..copy,paste,linked to teaparty07.com

[BillyBeer]

There is no such thing as a Hispanic vote. Hispanics are not a monolithic voting bloc like blacks. Talking about a Hispanic voting bloc is as as stupid as talking about a White voting bloc. Hispanics come from diverse and varied backgrounds and their voting patterns reflect that.

[chrismatthews]

There is no such thing as a Hispanic vote. Hispanics are not a monolithic voting bloc like blacks. Talking about a Hispanic voting bloc is as as stupid as talking about a White voting bloc. Hispanics come from diverse and varied backgrounds and their voting patterns reflect that.



That's politically correct nonsense. Most married men vote republican, most single women vote democrat. No one is stating it's monolithic. The use of the word hispanic makes it less specific than what i was after though, i should have used Mexican, as i live in central texas.

[AlexMerced]

let's meet somewhere in the middle, but there are several hispanic voting blocs I guess, they arn't as unanimous as the ntire black voting block that votes quite similarly across the board.

[AlexMerced]

same thing with values voters, except this election is tearing them apart it seems

[Goldwater Conservative]

A lot of Hispanics are against illegal immigration because they realize it hurts people who follow the process and puts a strain on this country, which for most is their home. Count me and everyone in my family among those.

Check out part of this article:


Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Arizona lashes out at illegal immigration

Arizona’s turning point came last November when it became the first state since California in 1994 to adopt a ballot initiative, Proposition 200, that barred social services to illegal immigrants.

The measure, which passed with 55.6 percent of the vote despite opposition from both Democratic and Republican leaders, also makes it a crime for public employees to fail to report undocumented immigrants seeking benefits, and requires proof of citizenship to register to vote.

...

To some, much of the conflict is ethnic: Hispanics in 2003 comprised over 27 percent of Arizona’s population. Of the 449,000 new residents added between 2000 and 2003, more than 53 percent were Hispanic. Census figures do not differentiate between legal and illegal residents.

...

But the sentiment driving Arizona’s backlash can be found even within the Hispanic community. Prop 200 exit polls showed that 47 percent of Hispanics who voted supported the measure.

Rita Montanez, a mother of three who lives in Mesa, Ariz., worries about the effects of illegal immigration on her ability to get health care.

"I'm Mexican-American, and I just believe we are overstretched because of all the immigration," Montanez said. She added that "closing the border" might be the only solution to the problem.

http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=136&languageId=1&contentId=51473

So even in Arizona where the divide is probably at its greatest, 47% of Hispanics voted for a ballot proposition to prohibit social services for illegal immigrants, compared to about 58% of non-Hispanics.

[OReich]

Completely separate of the Mexican issues: Cuban Americans love Ron Paul. They'd been waiting for a real small-government conservative ever since they came to this country, and now they have their chance. Cuban Americans don't love war, they love freedom. Look up "Miami" and "Ron Paul" on YouTube, and you'll see a host giving every statement in English then Spanish; and I met the Miami meetup group organizer, Dean Santoro (dunno if he's Cuban, but probably), he's running for U.S. House marketing himself as a "Ron Paul Republican."

[OReich]

Anyone wanna start Jewbans for Ron Paul? My best friend can be the first member.

[OReich]

Oh yeah, and I forgot: my two Cuban American roommates and one former Cuban American roommate, and his parents, support Ron Paul; one is actually really, really active, the other two are just people who would vote for Paul if he had a chance (though they're becoming more and more involved). We're all college students btw.

[Goldwater Conservative]

Completely separate of the Mexican issues: Cuban Americans love Ron Paul. They'd been waiting for a real small-government conservative ever since they came to this country, and now they have their chance. Cuban Americans don't love war, they love freedom. Look up "Miami" and "Ron Paul" on YouTube, and you'll see a host giving every statement in English then Spanish; and I met the Miami meetup group organizer, Dean Santoro (dunno if he's Cuban, but probably), he's running for U.S. House marketing himself as a "Ron Paul Republican."

That's great news! :)

I'm a Cuban-American, and I know a few others who are supporting Paul, but I worry that he'll have a harder time with some of the older Cubans. My experience has been that they like someone like Giuliani simply because of his image as a strong national leader. Thankfully (in some ways, as vote-splitting is to our advantage), I haven't found that they like any of the others all that much, which I think makes it easier to sell them on Paul instead of just against Giuliani.

[libertarian4321]

I live in Texas. The hispanic voting bloc is a huge part of the electorate here, and in California as well.

Given Paul's stand on immigration, is the hispanic vote a dead issue for us?

All of the other issues line up flawlessly with the typical hispanic values voter; antiwar, prolife, low taxes, personal freedom, are there any Paul supporters that are involved in the hispanic political community that can help outline a strategy for approach?

We have hispanic folks in the San Antonio meetup- some of them are very enthusiastic Ron Paul supporters.

[KingTheoden]

I think with proper outreach, we can make major inroads in the Latino/a community. While I am generalizing, many subgroups like Mexican-Americans tend to be very family oriented, hard working, and religious. There is no reason that Ron Paul should not win this constituency.

It is important to take the time, as I have, to completely explain his position on immigration. He opposed this Summer's 'reform' act, among other reasons, because it would set up migrant classes as defined by corporate lobbyists. Also, the important thing is to get back to a system of liberty so those that come here to use the systems bounty no longer can.

He is not a supporter of a wall (and neither am I); it is completely unnecessary. If we stopped propping up the corrupt oligopoly in Mexico, it would be free to develop as a prosperous and wealthy nation. The same applies to the rest of Latin America. Let's end these fake free trade deals that only enrich the elite in Mexico and the elite here.

[McDermit]

ronpaulparapresidente.com

[dirknb@hotmail.com]

We have hispanic folks in the San Antonio meetup- some of them are very enthusiastic Ron Paul supporters.

Yep, there are plenty of Hispanics that support Ron Paul.

On a related topic, RP is a tougher sell in the border cities which are probably 80% Hispanic. Although NAFTA is horrible for our country it has caused the border cities here to boom. Mention RP is against NAFTA and the door shuts. My wife has to periodically spend a little time in Laredo, McAllen and Eagle Pass for work and has run into this attitude a lot when trying to spread the word.

[Lord Xar]

as others have said, hispanic immigrants (legal) and (american born) are usually against illegal immigration.

also we have : Latinos4RonPaul here is los angeles.