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Posted on 08/09/2008 11:42:33 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez joined local and state Republican political leaders in Ontario on Friday as part of an effort to build support among Latinos for Sen. John McCain's presidential bid.
In his speech to about 100 people at Ontario's Doubletree Hotel, Gutierrez focused on broad economic issues and McCain's experiences as a prisoner of war and in Congress to make the case for why McCain is a better choice for president than Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.
Gutierrez did not stick to Latino-specific themes but talked instead about McCain's proposals on taxes, trade and energy. He said McCain, R-Ariz., has shown leadership by taking unpopular stances
"It doesn't really matter that much what someone says in an interview," Gutierrez said. "What really does matter is what they've done."
Courting Latino Voters
Both candidates are expected to fight hard for the Latino vote this year, especially in battle- ground states with growing Latino populations such as New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado and Florida.
Friday's event ended with music from a five-piece mariachi band playing instruments decorated with "Unidos con McCain" bumper stickers. Gutierrez's campaign swing also included events Thursday and Friday with Latino groups in Seattle and Portland, Ore. Gutierrez is scheduled to go to Nevada today to meet with another Latino group.
Friday's event was the kick-off for California Latinos for McCain.
Arizona, McCain's home state, has a significant Latino population. Before his campaign, McCain co-sponsored a bill that would have allowed illegal immigrants to become citizens after learning English, paying fines and back taxes, and clearing a background check. He now says his first step in immigration reform would be securing the border.
McCain and Obama both addressed the National Council of La Raza, a Latino civil-rights organization that once couldn't get either the Democrat or Republican presidential candidate to attend its annual meeting. At a July meeting in San Diego, the group's leader predicted that the Latino vote will play a big role in this election.
"I promise you America will hear our voice loudly and clearly in state after state across this country," President Janet Murguia said. "It is time for us to stand and deliver."
Mario Rodriguez, former vice chairman of the California Republican Party and chairman of California Latinos for McCain, said the Latino vote is particularly important in California.
"If we're going to make California red, it's going to take every single one of us," he told the audience at the Doubletree.
A June poll showed Obama has opened a wide lead over McCain among Hispanic voters. The nationwide poll, conducted by the nonpartisan Washington-based Pew Hispanic Center, showed Obama leading McCain 66 percent to 23 percent among Latinos.
Obama's campaign has been pushing to shore up his support among Latino voters, who overwhelmingly supported Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., in the presidential primaries.
A Public Policy Institute report last September said about 61 percent of likely Latino voters in California are Democrats. About 20 percent of likely Latino voters in California are Republicans and the rest are decline to state or with a third party.
Clinton carried the Latino vote in California in February, receiving 67 percent to Obama's 32 percent, according to a Pew Research Center study.
Obama's campaign has been holding strategy sessions with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, which is expected to play a major role in getting out the Latino vote.
Many of the caucus members, including Rep. Joe Baca, D-Rialto, previously supported Clinton. Baca, the caucus's chairman, will be the only Inland superdelegate at the Democratic Convention. Superdelegates are not bound to a particular candidate.
Baca said Obama has promised him that he will campaign in the Inland area.
In the Inland area, the Riverside-based National Alliance for Human Rights has been organizing "Viva Obama" clubs in an effort to register and rally Latino voters for Obama.
Fighting for California
Although California has gone to Democrats in presidential elections for the past two decades, McCain has said he will not concede the state without a fight.
McCain plans a visit to California later this month and may come to the Inland area, said Hector Barajas, a California Republican Party spokesman.
Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia, R-Cathedral City, who was one of a dozen political leaders standing at the podium with Gutierrez on Friday, said the McCain campaign is right to focus on bread-and-butter issues in its outreach to Latinos.
"It's about educating your kids, putting food on your table, being able to have the American dream, to own a house," she said.
Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco said events such as the one on Friday help to energize people. But in California, the payoff is raising money to fight in the battleground states of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida, he said.
"I want Sen. McCain to be elected," Pacheco said. "Of course it would be nice if he won California, but that's not the goal."
“Unidos con McCain”
Why?
Shucks. Perhaps McCain can get off the amnesty express now.
off the amnesty express
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haaa.. old dog, new tricks on that one I’m a’feared
McPanderer strikes again!
Why bother? The bay area will still vote 90% democrat. Republicans might make some gains in the other, more conservative areas of the state, but not enough to offset that liberal stronghold.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Hey McCain, Screw California’s latinos. Your only approach with California’s latinos should be to sort out those who are here illegally and get them the hell out of here. Screw them, they bring very little to this region, other than an open hand looking for us to continue putting benefits into.
The only thing that can unseat that Liberal stronghold is a mighty big earthquake.
He’s not gonna carry CA anyhow.
Only about 60% knew who McCain was, but 97% knew who Tom Tancredo was
Poor old MacCain, working over time to insure the complete alienation of conservatives and their support inside and out of his party in exchange for a thin handful of Latino votes. He wasn’t kidding when he said he didn’t understand economics.
...which makes it easier for me to sit out voting for that office in November; if I lived in a state where he had a chinaman's chance, I'd probably hold my nose and do it.
it’s hard to take you seriously when you can’t even spell his name right.
I wonder if they showed pictures of what McCain used to look like too?
W tried this in 2000. It didn’t work.
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Almost as hard as trying to take seriously someone who doesn't know enough to capitalize the first word in a sentence?
When McaCnia becomes a serious candidate in more than just name, I'll learn how to spell his name.
Like amnesty. They all knew what he was talking about.
Hey, now. Wait a minute.
A good portion of my living family is latino and they are good loyal citizens. The problem is, these are not the people that McCain is reaching out to. He's pandering to the leftists who think that they deserve special treatment and benefits, amnesty, etc. That is not the position of many, many latinos who see the illegal immigration problem as just as big a threat to this country as I do. They see both of these transparent pandering fools running for president as totally unacceptable.
Every politician can and should present their positions on issues to all parts of the electorate. The problem is when they do it selectively, saying one thing to one group and another thing to a second group. McCain claims he will close the border in one speech, failing to address his desire for amnesty. On another day, to a latino audience, he will focus on amnesty (using some alternative language so he doesn't get skewered by the conservative media outlets). This doesn't give anyone a feeling that he is a strong leader--it says he is the opposite. A populist who will do and say anything to get elected.
Don’t you ever get tired of polluting this Forum with your veiled liberal comments?
For later.
The left and right wing extremists squealed and squirmed.
How is it legal for California to allow illegals to vote. Why is the rest of America allowing California to participate when California has been taken over by illegals and does not require any voter identification. Why is McCain vying for illegal aliens vote when all he has to do is contest the vote here in California proving that the vast majority of voters are illegal aliens.
Our mayor, Villialagrossaya would not have a prayer of being re-elected if it were not for the illegal alien vote.
Just looking for money....
McCain campaign steps up efforts to win over Kalifornia's illegal alien criminal voters.
There, yet another no brainer fix.
And the Leftists in the Republican and Democrat parties felt a tingle go up their legs...
These people DO NOT vote Republican JohnnyMac, when are you going to get it?? They, like the blacks, are permanent indentured worker bees for the Dems.
Of course there are some conservatives among the two major minorities but groupthink keeps them enslaved as a group to their REAL masters, the Dems.
And you’re the liberal. What’s your point?
The point hasn't changed since #12.
When Mexicans in the US think of the GOP, they will think of Tom Tancredo and HR 4437.
Dumb huh, when Republican “leaders” like John McCain and his “moderate” (read liberal) cohorts are their biggest enablers.
What’s worse than that is McCain ignores the fringe element.
What a sack o’ shit party the Republican Party is becoming. Sheesh.
What’s even worse than that is the fact that he not only ignores but stomps on the Reagan conservative base.
One of the problems with those who invoke Reagan is that they are talking about Reagan the myth rather than Reagan the man. If you look at that in the context of the article at the top of the thread, Reagan the man signed an amnesty bill.
“Reagan conservative base” is a manner of speaking, a generality. You know, pro-lifers. Christians. Hard-working, patriotic folk. FReeper-type people.
The people McCain laughs at and smashes into the ground at every opportunity.
Rampant Voter Fraud by Illegal Aliens Ignored by Government and Media
http://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/33818.html
Actually Nixon was the one who opened the door for the cultural populists to come into the GOP. Reagan was very effective at motivating them to vote GOP, but otherwise, they have not been loyal and dependable.
Now, as many have pointed out, the Reagan coalition is over, The cultural populists are leaving the GOP and the GOP is seeking another "base".
You may try to blame McCain for "laughing at" and "smashing into", but the reality is that you wouldn't vote for him under any condition.
“Cultural populists”? LOL...
The democratic coalition is between the cultural elitists and economic populists.
And nowhere in your construction are simple principled patriots.
Fitting, that.
That's why aware principled patriots are finally awakening to the fact that they have no place in either of the two so-called "major" parties.
The populist-elitist dynamic is the most enduring dynamic in civilization. Earlier, populism surged when the US economy transitioned from agriculture to industrial. Today's populism is a result of the US economy transitioning from industrial to IT/services. Today, populism is complicated because the elitists and populists have each split into 2 groups.
Even the traditional left vs right dynamic is complicated today. In addition to the left wingers and right wingers, a third group, called the radical center, has sprung up.
The radical center is composed of DLC thirdwayers like Lieberman and Compassionate Conservatives, Main Street Republicans like McCain. The left wingers say the centrist democrats are no better than republicans and the right wingers say the centrist republicans are no better than democrats.
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