Hispanic Texas

Arizona Daily Star ^ | March 16, 2002 | Unnamed

[Love America or move to ......]

Hispanics nationwide have a stake in the Texas governor's race. Laredo businessman and millionaire Tony Sanchez won the Democratic primary by about a 2 to 1 margin. If Sanchez unseats Republican Gov. Rick Perry in November, he will become the first Hispanic governor of Texas. Texas, following California, also would become the second state in which Hispanic voters put an end to Republican dominance.

In California, Hispanic voters were something of a sleeping giant. That all changed with the administration of Pete Wilson, the Republican governor who stupidly decided to exploit the state's xenophobes and bash immigrants. Wilson blamed immigrants - legal and illegal - for just about everything from lousy schools and health care to the failure to achieve world peace.

Faced with such abuse, the sleeping giant woke up. Voter registration drives became a favorite pastime in Hispanic neighborhoods. In 1998, Gray Davis became the first Democratic governor of California in 16 years.

He trounced his Republican opponent Dan Lungren, drawing 58 percent of the vote; Lungren got 38 percent. Davis captured just about every voter block except for white men, Republicans and Protestants. He carried Hispanics by a great margin.The Texas primary race, similarly, drew a heavy Hispanic vote in the southern part of the state. Observers said more Hispanics were moved to vote. While the major Democratic candidates both were Hispanic, Sanchez said his opponent, Dan Morales, was embarrassed to be Hispanic.

Sanchez reportedly spent about $18 million to defeat Morales. This is a record for a Texas primary, and it reflects an odd element to the general election. Sanchez is new to politics and wealthy. The family fortune is said to be $600 million. He reportedly threw as much as $13 million of his own money into his campaign kitty.

Hispanics are the fastest growing minority in the country. And as they increase, so too does their political influence. This is the most important political trend since Richard Nixon launched his successful southern strategy in which he urged conservative southern Democrats to switch to the Republican Party. It's a trend that could affect Illinois, New Jersey and some southern states where there is growing Hispanic influence.

[Diddle E. Squat]

LOL. How is Senor PERRY an 'Hispanic ashamed of his background'?

[Bob J]

"No I don't forget that. The only reason the Republican won 2/3 of the Hispanic votes was because he was Hispanic. Do you HONESTLY believe if the conservative had been white or black and the liberal in that race was hispanic that the results would have been the same?"

Hmmm. So, what you're saying is when hispanics were presented with a conservative candidate that did not have the "bigot" lable all over him, they voted for him in a maasive landslide? How come they didn't vote for the dem welfare king as you say they always do?

[FITZ]

and won only 2 to 1 in a very low turnout demo primary.

And you don't believe that some of Morales' votes didn't come from cross-over Republicans?

[Diddle E. Squat]

Descendants of immigrants to recent immigrants: "You're an immigrant."

[FITZ]

I don't think it was a massive landslide and about 1/3 still voted for a non-hispanic liberal. All that election showed was the about 2/3 voted for a hispanic against a black ---we'd have to see how they'd vote if the choice was between hispanic liberal and black conservative before you can jump to conclusions that they are dyed-in-the-wool conservatives.

[Zack Nguyen]

Yes, ransportation, highways, and mass transit is a good issue, but only after your base is firmly with you and you need to reach the independents out there. Right now the Republican base is not with him, and no one seems to have any idea why Perry wants to be Governor. He hasn't give anyone a terribly good reason yet.

[FITZ]

Obviously if Sanchez could successfully portray a Hispanic as undesireable because he pronounced his own name "too anglo" and didn't speak Spanish well enough ---imagine what he'll do with Perry who isn't even Hispanic.

[Zack Nguyen]

Make that "transportation."

[Bob J]

"Why not reach out to Blacks, Whites, and Asians, who all consistently oppose illegal immigration by 2 to 1? Throw in the fairly even split in the Latino vote, quash the Buchananite moratorium calls, and we can put the "bigot" label to rest..."

I'd say write off the black vote, that's been lost for 70 years. As far as Asians, this is another constituency that will become more important in the future, so pubs need to attack that opportunity. As far as whites, I'm not sure what you mean. If you mean going after that vote by being against the others, I don't think that is a good long term strategy.

[Diddle E. Squat]

No. (I think, hard to follow all those double negatives). With many contested local primary elections, why would any Republican bother to crossover vote? Both Sanchez and Morales are leftist losers, I don't see any notable reasons for Perry to prefer one or the other as an opponent.

[ChiMark]

To sink Arizona into the sess pool by hating republicans is foolish. Don't blame the republicans.The independents gave over the country to a tyrant for 8 yrs. The damage he caused should make the independents with their puritanical fantasies blush. Of course only republicans can be biggotts. But it's O.K. for hispanics to be xenophobic racists. I think that the biggest racists are in the democratic party. After all, they are the first to notice racial differences.

[Dane]

I was asking you if you're willing to bet money that Hispanics will vote majority in favor of Perry. Put your money where your mouth is ----I'm willing.

Huh funny you didn't mention Perry winning, only if he gets a majority of the Hispanic vote.

If he got 25% he would win and there goes your theory. Oh well keep up the hysterics Fitz.

Pubbies could build a base, but, IMHO, to Fitz that is sacreligious.

[Bob J]

So the winning strategy is to run conservative latinos? Hard to do when you're driving them all from the party.

[janetgreen]

I wouldn't think of moving either. My town has been multicultural since I went to school here in the 'fifties, with no problems, it was a wonderful place to grow up. There were immigrant Slavs, Italians and Poles, there were black Americans, Mexican Americans, Japanese Americans, and American Americans, we loved it. My family since has become a bit multicultural, no problems.

Again, what we are talking about is ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION in the millions, and their drain on our social services, the bills being paid by us. Where is your problem in understanding that? We have valid complaints of being fleeced of our paychecks with our government applauding it. It's not racism, it simply has to do with invasion.

[Love America or move to ......]

Just one question: Do you think that the recent mass immigration of Latinos, primarily Mexicans had any thing to do with Republicans losing their former Reagan stronghold of California ?

Even a "leftist rag" can print a weather report.

[FITZ]

Would you bet money that Perry will win the majority of Hispanic votes?

[Night Hides Not]

There sure is a lot of hot air out there about a primary election that drew less than 10% of the vote. I voted in the Republican primary, and I was the only one on my page of eligibles that voted, so the Repub primary didn't draw much more.

Having lived in TX for over 20 years (15 in El Paso), and married into a huge Hispanic family (10 kids, and now 15 grandkids), I can only offer my life experience as tangible evidence.

When I started dating my bride, every one in her family was a staunch Democrat, and would NEVER vote for a Republican. A typical Hispanic family is rigidly patriarchal. However, as my brothers and sisters in law grew up, went to school, and went out in the world, they learned that today's Democrat party is decidedly NOT their father's Democrat party.

As a result of their maturation (and hopefully, my vociferous stands on less government and more freedom), none of them (including my mother-in-law!) considers themselves to be a Democrat any longer.

I understand this is but a limited experience. I only offer this as a contrast to our lily white brethren who have already written Texas off as another state of Aztlan. For too many native Texans (sorry, I'm only naturalized!), Texas is unlike any other place on earth. Those who wish to live the Texas experience and share Texas values (freedom, self-reliance, etc.) are welcomed with open arms. Those who are only imposters generally find Texas to be a hard, cold place to live.

That's my view of Texas, like it or not!

[Diddle E. Squat]

I wouldn't write off the Black vote, just don't count on it. Remember, if the GOP can get just 20% of the Black vote, its all over for the Dems. So let's stick with our principles while taking a missionary outlook towards these subgroups.

And that is at the core of the strategy: a missionary effort. It doesn't mean support illegal immigration, but change the tone and discussion of the issue.

[FITZ]

Where are the Conservative Latinos? I know of some ---there's Henry Bonilla and you can find some in Florida. And if Republicans have to sound like liberals to get their vote, then they aren't Conservatives.

As Tuesday's Democratic primary election results hint, that should spell trouble for Republican candidates who only a year ago might have presumed that they would coast to victory.

But now they have to contend with Tony Sanchez, the resolute and very rich oilman-banker from Laredo, who won a resounding victory over former state Attorney General Dan Morales in Tuesday's primary and will have beaucoup bucks to spend in his fall showdown with GOP Gov. Rick Perry.

Sanchez should lure scads of Hispanic voters - who vote heavily Democratic - to the polls this fall. And the millions he spends to generate a heavy turnout of supporters will have spillover benefits for all Demo-crats on the ballot.

http://www.tonysanchez.com/news/pressclips/March02/031502a.htm (from his own webpage)