The Battle For Latino Voters (California Hispanic Conservatives: Great FREEP Opportunity!!)

NDOL.org ^ | May 10, 2002 | Democratic Leadership Council

[Recovering_Democrat]

One of the most significant trends confirmed in the 2000 census was the growing Latino population not just in California, but around the country.

Sen. Lieberman to Address DLC Forum on 'The Battle for Latino Voters'

New National Analysis of Latino Electorate to be Released at Los Angeles Event

For Immediate Release: Contact: Karin Kullman/Eric Wortman (202) 546-0007 / (800) 546-0027

Washington, D.C. -- Sen. Joe Lieberman and the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) will host a forum on "The Battle for Latino Voters" in Los Angeles, California on Wednesday, May 29. Lieberman and DLC founder and CEO Al From will be joined by California Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, L.A. City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, L.A. City Council President Alex Padilla, and Dr. Harry Pachon of the Claremont Graduate University and the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute and others for a discussion of the policy and political implications of the growing Latino electorate.

One of the most significant trends confirmed in the 2000 census is the growing Latino population around the country. With nearly six million Latinos voters casting ballots in the 2000 election, the political tremors of the surging Latino population are clear, if little understood. The major political parties are beginning to battle for this increasingly important group of voters. The Bush White House has made no secret of its effort to woo Latino voters, and this week the national Republican Party announced it will run 30-minute "infomercials" in Spanish in six major media markets. In California, where Democrats have long counted Latino voters as part of their "base," the tendency among Latinos to register increasingly as independents is seen as a worrisome trend.

In a continuing effort to promote an ideas debate within the Democratic party, the DLC-hosted forum will include discussion of the political issues arising from this demographic shift and the effect it is already having on elections across the country. In addition, the forum will feature the release of a new national analysis of the Latino electorate by Dr. Pachon, examining the characteristics of this growing population and the political implications.

As space is limited, media should RSVP to Karin Kullman at (202)546-0007.

Who:

U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CT)

Al From, founder and CEO, Democratic Leadership Council

California Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante

Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo

Los Angeles City Council President Alex Padilla

Dr. Harry Pachon, Luther Lee Professor of Public Policy, Claremont Graduate University and President of the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute

What:

DLC Forum on "The Battle for Latino Voters"

When:

Wednesday, May 29, 2002

9:30 a.m. -- 12:30 p.m.

Media Registration will begin at 9:00 a.m.

Where:

The Biltmore Hotel, Emerald Room

506 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA

[Recovering_Democrat]

Location and phone numbers for this conclave of liberals who want to make Latinos as dependent upon the government as their other constituencies provided for your information.

FREEP away.

[PatrioticAmerican]

"Latino" or Mexican illegals who vote through the motor/votor scam created by the democraps?

[cutlass]

Wouldn't it be great to have a 90% percent White California, as it was in 1960! That way, Repubs wouldn't have to stab their base in the back in order to mollify illegal Mexican Invaders! OOPs sorry, I'm talking 40 years too late!

[nomad]

Securing our borders for any number of reasons such as, moochers on the leftist`s "social safety net", drug smuggling, the potential entry of criminals 9/11 related or not, and last but not least simple national sovereignty, does make excellent sense, but what is wrong with conservative Brown Californians?

Oops, maybe I`m 40 years too soon, but then again without any recruitment efforts, and with your blanket attitude, we`ll never know.

[Munson]

Of course not. We have to deal with the cards we have now. Maybe we can learn from our western european anti-immigration breathren and see if we can start a movement towards sane and limited immigration. Even some conservative latinos agree on the idea of assimulation period before we accept any more people in.

Deal with who we have now. Deport law breakers. And stop coddling illegals.

[daviddennis]

I know you won't get too much support around here, but I think you're right. And note that the Republican establishment, including Bush and Simon, agrees with you.

Simon is a heavy participant in Catholic Charities. Since Latinos are mainly Catholic, this is a back-door path he can take to push them towards our side.

We're used to thinking minorities are Democrats thanks to blacks. Hispanics do not have the dedicated relationship to the Democratic party blacks do. In the last election, 30% of hispanics voted Republican. That doesn't make them allies, at least not just yet, but it's a far cry from the blacks' 90% plus Democratic voting record.

In short, it's probably not possible to persuade more than a tiny minority of blacks to vote our way, but I'm betting hispanics will move in our direction - and note that this chance has Democrats scared.

D

[conserve-it]

"Hispanics do not have the dedicated relationship to the Democratic party blacks do. In the last election, 30% of hispanics voted Republican"

Wonderful! 70% OF THE LEGALS VOTE DEMO....99% of the illegals vote demo...Woodland Hills will be a ghetto in 5-7 years.

[BlackElk]

Do you also think there are too many blacks, Jews, Catholics, Tasmanians, Montenegrans, etc.? Which chapter of Planned Parenthood do you belong to? Don't you wish you still had Pete Wilson around to give the Mexicans a piece of what passed for his mind and the Democrats a hefty slab of actual and potential GOP votes?

[daviddennis]

My point was that they might be reachable by persuasion. It's a lot easier to persuade another 21% of hispanics to go over to the republican side than it would be to persuade a much lower percentage of blacks to go over, because blacks are conditioned to thinking only Democrats are willing to help them.

What makes you think Woodland Hills will become a ghetto? That's a pretty extreme statement and deserves at least some backup.

D

[conserve-it]

When you have an inordinate number of unskilled, uneducated people move in on any city, you have slums. Once all the cheaper housing in Van Nuys and Panorama City spills over, they will go to Sherman Oaks, Encino, On in to Woodland Hills. I exaggerated. It may take 10-12 years."

Also, there is no longer any impetus to learn English, as even the purchase of a car must be in Spanish, with Spanish credit applications and a Spanish contract. That coupled with white flight of 15000-30000 per month, and you have a recipe for disaster.

[daviddennis]

But if they're unskilled and uneducated, how could they afford housing in such high-cost areas?

I haven't noticed wages for the unskilled getting significantly higher.

Also, won't skill levels of immigrants improve over the years? In South Florida, there are plenty of rich Cuban immigrants. I remember seeing ample supplies of high-end Mercedes and Lincoln Navigators when I visited "Calle Ocha" (8th street, centre of the Cuban community) a few years back.

For that matter, why is it that Cubans seem to like America and appreciate the opportunities here, while Mexicans don't?

This was a major difference between South Florida and Southern California, and the advantage is definitely on Florida's side.

D

[Gophack]

I think that there is a definite misunderstanding about Hispanics in California. In southern CA, Hispanics ARE far more liberal. However, up here in northern CA and the Central Valley, Hispanics are more conservative. Long-time Hispanic families are more likely to vote Republican than new immigrants. What we need to do is reach out to THOSE voters, pulling them in on issues we all agree on. The long-time Hispanic families ARE concerned about taxes, our failing education system, and the distribution of birth control to their daughters.

We can't just lump them all in together. California is a diverse state. And while 30% of Hispanics -- which many people seem to like to bash -- voted Republican, only 8% of blacks did. Obviously, I would rather work on the Hispanic voters than the black voters.