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After debate, Romney campaign launches immigration ad (Video)

crosspost — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:34:54 +0000

The debate was a chance to see the candidates go toe to toe on the issues, including their different views on immigration and how to address undocumented immigrants in this country.
Today, the Romney campaign and the Republican National Committee launched a new ad entitled “Solutions to Immigration.” In the ad, the Romney campaign shows past video of President Obama saying he would pass immigration reform in his first term, followed by a video in which the President says he did not promise he would get everything done.

The Romney campaign then says the Republican candidate’s immigration plan is to focus on ‘family reunification’, ‘work visas’, and ‘permanent solutions for undocumented youth.’ The ad says Governor Romney and the Republicans will fight for bipartisan immigration reform that unifies families.

Read more at NBC Latino

Latinos weigh in on debate: Obama, Romney skip important issues

crosspost — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 16:43:16 +0000

Latinos around the country sat down in debate parties or in the comfort of their own homes to hear the two men who want to be president debate ‘mano a mano’ at the first presidential debate at the University of Denver tonight. The verdict? The debate dragged out on some issues, but did not touch on other issues voters wanted to talk about.

“In terms of content, for the average voter, a lot went over their heads; they spent too much time on specific terms like Dodd-Frank, and did not touch on other issues,” says political scientist Sylvia Manzano, of Latino Decisions.

Marisol Bolaños, who works in the Denver public schools, says she wishes they would have spoken about the DREAM Act. Alvina Vazquez, of the progressive but non-partisan non-profit Strong Colorado, says though the economy is important, so is immigration, which was not talked about.

After the debate, many political analysts said Governor Romney seemed to give the better performance, and Manzano agrees. “I think Romney was certainly stronger, he did have a higher burden, he had to maximize the opportunity, and in that respect there is no question he gave a stronger performance,” Manzano adds.

Read more at NBC Latino

President Obama calls immigration reform his ‘biggest failure’

crosspost — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 16:26:11 +0000

President Obama appealed to Latino voters for a second term at a Univision-sponsored event today, and blamed Republicans for his failure to make good on his 2008 promise of immigration reform.

Univision news anchors Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas repeatedly grilled Obama over whether he broke his promise to bring up an immigration reform bill in his first year in office, which he made to Ramos in 2008.

“My biggest failure is that we haven’t gotten comprehensive immigration reform done … but it’s not for lacking of trying or desire,” Obama said during the event at the BankUnited Center Field House on the University of Miami campus.

“I haven’t gotten everything done that I want to get done,” Obama added. “That’s why I’m running for a second term.”

The president said that his first years in office was consumed with attempting to rescue the collapsing economy through his stimulus and auto bailout, leaving little time to address a sweeping comprehensive immigration overhaul.

Romney joked that being Latino would give him better chance of winning (Video)

crosspost — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 15:55:40 +0000

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney joked in a fundraiser that he would have a better chance of winning the election if his father would not just have been born in Mexico, but had actually been Latino.

“My dad, as you probably know, was the governor of Michigan and was the head of a car company. But he was born in Mexico… and had he been born of Mexican parents, I’d have a better shot at winning this,” said Romney at a fundraiser, adding “But he was unfortunately born to Americans living in Mexico. He lived there for a number of years. I mean, I say that jokingly, but it would be helpful to be Latino.”

The liberal magazine Mother Jones released the video, which was recorded surreptitiously, and the story, saying they had verified it. The video was immediately disseminated by other media outlets, as well as the DNC. Apart from his comments on being Latino, Romney was asked what his thoughts were on how to win in November. Romney told the crowd at the fundraiser about his priorities, and described those he thought would vote for President Obama.

“There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it. That that’s an entitlement,” said Romney in the fundraiser.

Read more at NBC Latino

Latinos play pivotal role in the 2012 political conventions and election

crosspost — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 12:30:27 +0000

For the first time, latino politicians were keynote speakers at both national conventions, illustrating the growing power wielded by those politicians and latino voters, who make up a critical portion of the population in three swing states. Ray Suarez reports.

See more at PBS.org

Watch Latinos Play Pivotal Role in 2012 Conventions and Election on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

Rubio and Romney promise economic prosperity, criticize Obama

crosspost — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 16:39:27 +0000

On the last night of the Republican convention, it fell to Cuban Senator Marco Rubio and presidential nominee Mitt Romney to make the two final speeches outlining the vision of the party, a couple of months away from November’s election. In a clear recognition of the nation’s growing Latino electorate, Rubio’s speech focused largely on his vision of the country through his lens as a Cuban growing up in an immigrant household.

“Many nights I heard my father’s keys jingling at the door as he came home from another 16-hour day,” said Rubio. “Many mornings, I woke up just as my mother got home from the overnight shift at K-Mart.” Then Rubio said in both Spanish and English, “My Dad used to tell us, ‘In this country, you will be able to accomplish all the things we never could,’” to applause.

Rubio, widely talked about as a potential vice presidential nominee and a rising star in the Republican party, had the national spotlight as he gave the speech introducing Mitt Romney. Much of his speech centered around Rubio’s family. He talked of his disabled Cuban grandfather, who used to smoke 3 Padron cigars a day and who watched the 1980 Republican convention with Rubio when he was a little boy.

But Rubio got the biggest cheers when he spoke of his father, who was a bartender. “He stood behind a bar in the back of the room all those years, so one day I could stand behind a podium in front of the room,” said Rubio to great applause.

Read more at NBC Latino

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Rubio: I expect Romney will win Florida

crosspost — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 17:20:24 +0000

Marco Rubio, the Florida Republican senator who will introduce his party’s presidential candidate at the national convention Thursday, predicted Mitt Romney will overcome President Obama’s current lead in Florida and win the state.

“Absolutely, I expect he will,” he told TODAY’s Matt Lauer from the convention floor Wednesday. “I think once the argument is clear about the differences between Republicans and Democrats on the economy, I expect to win Florida.”

Romney currently trails Obama by about 4 percent in a recent poll among voters in Florida, which carries 29 electoral votes.

Rubio, who will speak at the convention Thursday night, had been on Romney’s short list for running mates. His selection as prime-time convention speaker reflects the national profile he enjoys as a conservative Republican.

He predicted Romney will be able to cinch a gender gap over the issue of abortion. Rubio has taken a stronger stance than Romney when it comes to the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion but said the disagreement goes beyond the law.

Gov. Jan Brewer: Obama is race-baiting

crosspost — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 17:35:09 +0000

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer says President Barack Obama is race-baiting and pandering for the Hispanic vote, while at the same time accusing Republicans of being “bigots.”

“It’s all the time, that we’re race-baiting; it’s all the time, you know, that we’re bigots,” Brewer said on POLITICO LIVE on Monday.

Asked directly if she thought the president was race-baiting, Brewer said: “Absolutely, I do. There’s no doubt in my mind.”

Latinos will warm up to Romney, conservative Latino says

Oscar Ramirez — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 17:19:55 +0000

The rise of Latinos up the ranks of the Republican Party is momentous, but it’s not enough, said the head of a national group of conservative activists.

“Latinos need to get more involved and show up at the polls,” Al Cardenas, the chairman of the American Conservative Union, or ACU, told Fox News Latino.

The prominent Cuban American lawyer and advisor to presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney expressed concern about Latino voter turnout, but said he is ecstatic about the Republican National Convention speakers lineup that includes U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, U.S. Senate candidate Ted Cruz of Texas, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, and Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval.

“Listen, my heart is bursting with pride…we have never had a lineup like this,” he explained.
The Florida native believes that the GOP convention location in Tampa combined with communicating clearly Romney’s economic platform will spur Latino voter turnout — particularly in the critical state of Florida.

Effectively making the argument that Romney’s economic policies would be more successful that those of Obama’s, Cardenas maintained, could win over diverse Latino groups such as Puerto Ricans and Cuban Americans.

Republicans inclusion of “self-deportation” in GOP platform leads to parody do-it-yourself video

crosspost — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 17:15:32 +0000

The inclusion of stringent immigration policies in the GOP platform for the Republican National Convention, spearheaded by Kris Kobach, who many immigration groups vilify, also includes self-deporation, a term used by Mitt Romney during the primary season.

Romney never used the term again, but now that it has made its way into the party’s platform, a new parody video on Funny or Die is gaining steam by showing how the policy might work.

The video opens with “Arizona Governor Jan Brewer” who explains a new Self-Deportation Station — an over-sized box large enough to fit a person, along with stereotypical items meant to invoke Mexican culture.

“There’s a lot of offensive stuff in here,” the man who was gardening says. “But I’m oddly drawn to it.”

Latino Rebels, an influential humor and culture site posted the video, calling it hilarious and saying it “nails it.”

The video also features a cameo from Mexican-American comedian, George Lopez.

Read more at NBC Latino

Self Deportation Station with Mary Steenburgen & George Lopez from Mary Steenburgen