WP: House May Chill Bush's Wooing of Latino Voters

[kskiska]

Friday, June 30, 2006; A03

By pushing English-only policies and tough measures against illegal immigrants, House conservatives are endangering President Bush's goal of drawing millions of Latino voters to the Republican Party and helping realign ethnic politics for years to come, according to an array of analysts and officials.

The latest blow to Bush's efforts to woo Hispanics came last week, when a band of House Republicans unexpectedly balked at renewing the 1965 Voting Rights Act, partly because of a 30-year-old requirement that many local governments provide bilingual ballots. The revolt, which forced House GOP leaders to abruptly postpone a vote, came as House Republicans are stiffening their resistance to Bush's bid to allow pathways to legal status for millions of illegal immigrants while also strengthening borders and deportation efforts.

"It's sort of a double whammy," said Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.), a Cuban native who is among the GOP's most visible Hispanic leaders. Under Bush's leadership, he said in an interview, "our party has shown a very welcoming approach to the emerging Hispanic vote." However, he said, "there obviously are those who feel that's not important. . . . I think there could be great political risks to becoming the party of exclusion and not a party of inclusion."

(snip)

But the depth of House GOP support for English-only policies was demonstrated Wednesday night, when an overwhelming majority of Republicans voted to end funding for the bilingual ballots provision. The effort, led by Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.), failed only because 192 Democrats joined 61 Republicans to vote against it.

The actions have embarrassed the White House and inflamed many Latinos.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/29/AR2006062902073.html

[Ferret Annica]

1. A Latino or Latina voting for Bush

makes as much sense as Grief breaking out at Auschwitz at the news of Hitler's suicide. He and the Repugs only love them for the money they make business leaders when they cause wages to drop.

I sure as damn don't expect the Chimperor to have much luck with his wishful thinking of registering many Repub Latinos and Latinas.

[Vogon_Glory]

2. Right-wing Latino-Bashing: Yo Tengo Schadenfreud

I confess that I'm watching the extremist right undercutting Buckaroo Bush's efforts to court Latinos with savage satisfaction. What happened in California under Pete Wilson is going to spread elsewhere as Mexican-Americans wise up and realize that the Republican Party is not their friend, and that whenever the far right gets into panic mode, the first thing that they do is play the race card.

I suspect that a lot of the red tinge will fade from border states, although West Dixie is still likely to be under control of--those people--for a while yet.