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.

[Sabertooth]

I'd say write off the black vote, that's been lost for 70 years.

We don't need much...

20% to 30% of blacks breaking for the GOP would be lethal to most Democrats.

As far as Asians, this is another constituency that will become more important in the future, so pubs need to attack that opportunity.

Agreed.

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.

I only meant it in the sense that "we" aren't all white now, and that there are white moderate Democrats who will swing their votes for a principled, clearly non-bigoted stand against illegals.

[Dane]

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

Exactly.

Fitz has quite a following on FR, where he reports everyday form around El Paso I surmise (who knows he could be posting from the DNC basement) where he reports daily on the "horrors" that hispanics are causing in "his" area.

[Diddle E. Squat]

See #85. Again.

[Sabertooth]

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.

I 100% agree with your post here. See my #121.

I would only add... We shouldn't be ashamed of our principles.

[Dane]

You are Fitz's worst nightmare, IMHO.

[FITZ]

Also the Democrats have a strategy too:

Democrats have big plans for Sanchez

March 15, 2002, The Dallas Morning News
By RUBEN NAVARRETTE

Well, the fat cat is out of the bag. Even before he had his first election victory under his belt, Tejano tycoon A.R. "Tony" Sanchez Jr. had become a national sensation. Yet when Mr. Sanchez won the Democratic nomination for Texas governor Tuesday, he didn't just make history as the state's first Hispanic atop a major-party ticket. He also made fast friends in the national Democratic Party.

It didn't hurt that in politics, the best calling card is ready cash. The oil, gas and banking mogul spent $20 million of his own fortune to defeat a better known opponent - former Attorney General Dan Morales. On election night, Sanchez aides said he is prepared to spend another $20 million to $30 million in the fall to battle Gov. Rick Perry. The Republican will reciprocate - albeit with other people's money - and, when it is all over, the cumulative price tag for this year's race for Texas governor could be in the highly exclusive neighborhood of $75 million.

If you think this race matters only to Texans, think again. Excited Democrats across the country already are looking past November and imagining what the world of politics would be like with one of their own at the helm in Bush Country. The theory is that - should Mr. Sanchez succeed and become the state's first Hispanic governor - the trailblazer will become a sizable thorn in the side of the other famous Spanish-speaking politician from Texas.

How much trouble could a Gov. Sanchez make for President Bush and his crusade to woo Hispanic voters to the Republican Party? Mucho.

http://www.tonysanchez.com/news/pressclips/March02/031502.htm

[Bob J]

Pubs will get 10-20% of the black vote by just being conservatives. They are 12% of the population and generally vote in much smaller numbers per capita. Any pub candidate could spend 50% of his time appealing to an entrenched constituency that may only move his numbers one percent. That time would be better spent solidifying the base and then going after hispanics and asians.

[FITZ]

I would guess Night Hides didn't see much of El Paso politics. It's very democrat in El Paso, the Republicans often don't bother running a candidate.

[janetgreen]

Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO), head of the House Immigration Reform Caucus, will definitely be a guest on the Terry Anderson Show, tonight at 8 PM Pacific Time.

LISTEN IN WITH WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER
http://theterryandersonshow.com/
Call-in (866) 870-KRLA

[Diddle E. Squat]

Well I'll add that there are lots of problems in El Paso. Check out the auto insurance rates. But I think often too many issues are wrapped up under the banner of race or immigration, without a proper attribution to poverty and class. Most anyplace with a large amount of poverty, low education, and high unemployment will experience crime and other problems, regardless of race.

Further, many groups of immigrants regardless of origin initially vote Democrat(though it does vary by background). Some for the same reason simple-minded white leftists do(Hollywood), on the face of it Democrat ideals SOUND good and appealing. For some it takes awhile to actually see through the lies, to experience the reality. And being poor, often it is simply out of self-interest. If you are struggling and someone offers you a handout, the temptation is to take it and not ask too many questions. I think many here forget that for some there is a political learning curve. That doesn't mean excuse it, but rather factor it in when explaining conservatism and deciding whether or not to reach out to 'other groups'.

[Bob J]

"And if Republicans have to sound like liberals to get their vote, then they aren't Conservatives."

Conservative candidates are hurt more by bigots masquerading as conservatives than anything they do. The reason they have to sound liberal to get hispanic votes is to make up for the bigot label attached to them by this group.

BTW - Since when did immigrant bashing become a conservative principle? I love it when people proclaim their beliefs then demand that you believe the same or you're not "really a conservative".

[Sabertooth]

Second your hysterical rants painting all Hispanics with the same brush get tiresome, especially when Sanchez outspent Morales 18 to 1 and won only 2 to 1 in a very low turnout demo primary.

I read many of FITZ's posts, and he is frequently careful to distinguish between Latino citizens, legal immigrants, and illegals.

Check out his post at #75 on this thread:

I also live near the border and have Hispanic friends and Hispanic doctors etc. The problem is --- someone like Sanchez didn't have a chance before the recent massive immigration of people from Mexico ---who are not the same type of people at all as the long-time Hispanic citizens of the US. Most of the Conservatives of Mexico abandoned Mexico at the time of the Revolution. Those are very good conservative people. Mexico is mostly a Socialist country and these new arrivals like Socialism quite a bit. Hispanics voted in higher percentages for Reagan than for Bush because the conservative votes are being diluted out.

Dane, the broad brush and hysteria are yours... again.

[FITZ]

I think many here forget that for some there is a political learning curve.

Now all that I agree with. We've had a huge influx of immigrants in the recent decade, sometimes that learning curve is over a couple generations. You've also got an unemployment rate over 20% in some of the border counties and those counties are growing in number. You've got millions of people who are easy prey for the Sanchez type politicians because they don't speak English even though their grandchildren may eventually speak English and won't be pandered to as well. But in the meantime we could lose Texas to the Democrats and then the problems begin.

[Diddle E. Squat]

El Paso is a liberal hotbed. But I blame the local GOP to an extent for 'writing it off'. Even if the candidate has no shot, at least having a candidate provides an opportunity to repeatedly vocalize the conservative message. Recruitment is an educational PROCESS.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Your use of the word 'prey' in explaining Democrat actions is right on target.

[Sabertooth]

Conservative candidates are hurt more by bigots masquerading as conservatives than anything they do. The reason they have to sound liberal to get hispanic votes is to make up for the bigot label attached to them by this group.

It's my observation that there are far more preening dillettantes in the GOP eating their own by unfairly calling other Republicans "racist," "xenophobic," etc., than there are actual racists.

These RINOs speak from Dem talking points, and are all over FR.

[FITZ]

I don't immigrant bash. Illegal immigrants are citizens of another country and they don't have automatic rights just because Fox said to have access to everything in the US. They have a right to go back home and obey the laws the next time they come over ---legal immigrants are another matter obviously ---provided they are self-sufficient and don't use SSI and Food Stamps. I'm very against bringing in the types who fill up our housing projects. We need to question how much 3rd world conditions we really want to bring in to the US ---come to the border counties and you'll see 3rd world conditions. Try colonias with no running water, outhouses, open sewers ---housing codes are another law many don't choose to follow.

[Dane]

Dane, the broad brush and hysteria are yours... again.

No Sabey, the hysteria comes from you and Fitz. No one has argued against the fact that Sanchez won a primary with a very low turnout spending $18 million of his own money. He should have gotten 90% of the vote. He didn't.

JMO, but you all have a knee jerk reaction(which the demo's and the press exploit) when faced with a candidate with a Spanish surname.

[Night Hides Not]

Not trying to be anybody's nightmare - except to my daughter's future boyfriends.

Tony's really going to have to spend his money, now that he's the Democrat nominee. He's got a lot of baggage, and Morales didn't have the money to get that message out. Morales' main backing came from trial lawyers, who are not held in the same esteem as TLs are held in California.

Tony's going to have to answer over and over again for the inconsistencies in his record, such as his absences from the UT Board of Regents meetings. How can education be his top priority if he can't find time for these meetings?

I don't know much about his failed S & L (yet), but there'll be plenty of reporting on that. Nevertheless, the Republicans have great candidates across the board, and it will be to the Democrats peril to underestimate Rick Perry.

Don't forget that Sanchez, Kirk, and the others will have to do it on their own. Any outside help, such as visits from Gephardt, Hillary!, etc. will not be viewed favorably by fence-sitters. Henry Cisneros' advocacy of Ron Kirk was NOT favorably received in Hispanic circles, according to my sources.

Seven months is an eternity in politics...relax, the Republicans will do fine in November. Besides, as we get closer to November, the outrage will grow with the shenanigans in the Democrat-hijacked Senate! The motivation to send Jeffords back to obscurity will (hopefully) light a fire in recalcitrant Repub. voters.

[Diddle E. Squat]

I would only add... We shouldn't be ashamed of our principles.

Agreed. I recognize that we have different interpretations and ideas regarding how to solve the illegal immigration problem. My main beef with these threads is on the tone and the message. I think there are ways to discuss the issue without alienating. (Which I guess suggests the question, "Can an alien be alienated?!"