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Eye on the Florida Primary : Mirror on the Wall, Who is the Most Anti-Immigrant of All?

27 Jan 2012

I’m feeling a little dazed from the seemingly endless stream of GOP debates and the incumbent President’s non-statement statement on immigration policy during the SOTU. With the Florida primary just days away, both political parties are targeting the Latino vote that the state allegedly represents. Both parties are playing a spin game, ready to crown an opponent as the most anti-immigrant on one hand, while claiming that the Latino electorate in Florida doesn’t really care about immigration.

In last night’s GOP debate, on again off again front runner Newt Gingrich took a page from the Democratic National Committee, targeting Mitt Romney as the most anti-immigrant. Certainly this attack is related to Romney’s statements earlier this week touting “self-deportation” as a good solution to current problems. Romney, offended by Gingrich’s characterization, demanded an apology. As I pointed out in a piece I wrote for El Diario La Prensa last month, we are heading into dangerous territory when we try to find the “worst” among bad choices. Gingrich’s allegedly kinder, softer approach to immigration amounts to what the current Obama policy is on paper, allowing “non-threatening” immigrants with family ties and a long history in the U.S. to stay in a permanent limbo status.

A new/old Latino target is being pushed by one organization. Today, Presente.org launched a campaign targeting potential GOP Vice Presidential pick, Senator Marco Rubio. The campaign wittingly named “No Somos Rubios” (We are not Rubios/We are not Blondes), hones in on Republicans using a brown face with a brown name to earn Latino votes. This right wing strategy is being called into question not just based on Rubio’s anti-immigrant positions but also because Rubio represent such a specific facet of the Latino electorate. Rubio appeals to Cuban-American anti-Castro demographic. Rubio probably will not appeal to other Latinos, especially in the South West, who according to polls, played a critical role in Obama’s getting elected in 2008.

Casa Blanca Camino 2012: DREAMing of Hypocrisy in Iowa

3 Jan 2012

Many eyes are focused towards the Iowa Caucuses are today, highlighting the Republican U.S. Presidential Nominees and the state of presidential campaigning. High on show. Low on substance.

For many paying attention to the way immigration policy is playing out in this election, recent focus has been on Mitt Romney, a GOP front runner in Iowa and nationally, and recent statements he made. He said that if he were president and the DREAM Act were to pass in Congress, he would veto it.

Enter the Democrat/Progressive words of shock and finger pointing. This is additional proof of how much the Republicans hate immigrants, especially non-criminal college students or potential soldiers for whatever invented global conflict comes next. This is additional proof as to why everyone who loves immigrants, especially Latinos who are the perpetual faces of immigration policy, need to support the Democratic Party and vote for Barack Obama. This is what the Democrats use the Iowa Caucuses for, to knock down potential GOP nominees. Mitt Romney has been especially targeted by the Democratic National Committee who have a website and numerous videos focusing on Romney’s flip-flopping in a number of policy areas.

But hold on and wait a minute. Is it just me or does it seem like the Democrats (as a party, not individually) only really started talking about the DREAM Act after it failed a procedural vote last year? If I remember correctly, there were only a handful of Democrats who were really pushing the DREAM Act, especially as a standalone measure. If I remember correctly, for a long time, the party line was Comprehensive Immigration Reform until New York Democrat Charles Schumer beat that biometric horse into the ground, allowing the DREAM Act to be presented as the “oh well” option. And if I remember correctly weren’t there some Democrats who voted against the DREAM Act in that procedural vote last year?

Con la Vista al Voto : In Arizona Things Get Worse Before They Get Better

9:30 am By Maegan La Mala · arizona|Con la Vista al Voto|Immigration|Midterm Elections 2010|Politics · 8 Comments

4 Nov 2010

Continuing our look at the results of the midterm election, we would be remiss if we didn’t look at Arizona, especially as the media runs wild with the story about the Latino electorate saving the West (mainly Harry Reid). Nowhere was Democratic failure more apparent than in the Show Me Your Papers State, where anti-migrant candidates cleaned up at the polls. But before you blame the Latino vote or lack thereof, Latinos did indeed represent at the polls.

According to a poll done by Latino Decisions and co-sponsored by National Council of La Raza, SEIU, and America’s Voice, the issue of immigration was incredibly important to the Latino voters of Arizona, no doubt because they are being threatened with the anti-Latino/anti-migrant policies of the state.
In Arizona, immigration (45%) polled ahead of jobs and the economy together (41%) in terms of issues that voters want policymakers to address. In Arizona, 40% said immigration was the single most important issue in their voting decisions.

Jan Brewer turned from the Governor select to the Governor elect but not because Latinos bought her cries of “I’m not a racist”.
85 percent of Latino voters chose Terry Goddard over Brewer, with Latinos making up 14% of the voters.

Con la Vista Al Voto : Is Any Latino in Office a Good Latino?

12:20 pm By Maegan La Mala · Con la Vista al Voto|Immigration|Midterm Elections 2010 · 18 Comments

3 Nov 2010

Yesterday’s midterm elections saw the addition of some Latino surnames to the political rosters including Tea Party Latino poster bebe Marco Rubio who won the Senate race in Florida.

But is having more Latinos in elected positions more important than having the right Latinos in office? Have some Latino voters gotten caught up in representational fever based on ethnicity and not on who will best represents our interests?

MicEvHill.Com points out some of the Latino losses and gains and what they mean specifically for the issues around immigration:

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Losses in the House. Two members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) lost their bids for reelection to Republican challengers: Representative Ciro Rodriguez (D-TX) and Representative John Salazar (D-CO). Three other CHC Members were locked in tight races at the time of this writing and could well lose their seats: Representative Jim Costa (D-CA), Representatiive Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) and Representative Solomon Ortiz (D-TX). This is an important development, not just because of the symoloss of these staunchly pro-immigrant Members. But it also is important because it may well have provided immigration restrictionists with a model for winning seats in CHC districts in the furture: recruit conservative Hispanic Republicans to run against CHC Members and then flood the district with massive amounts of television ads and money that CHC Members cannot compete with.

Election of Immigration Restrictionist-Oriented Hispanic Republicans. Six Hispanic Republicans were elected to either the House or the Senate on anti-immigrant platforms. This includes Senator-Elect Marco Rubio (R-FL) who was elected to the Senate. It also includes Representatives-Elect Quico Canseco (R-TX), Bill Flores (R-TX), Jaime Herrera (R-WA), Raul Labrador (R-ID), and David Rivera (R-FL). This is an important devlopment, in that it could enable immigration restricionists in Congress to make some of these new anti-immigrant Republican Hispanics the face of some of their restrictionist legislative efforts, thereby dulling any charges that pro-immigrant Hispanics might make that their immigration restrictionist legislation is anti-Latino or anti-Hispanic. Additionally, two Hispanic Republicans who ran largely on immigration restrictionisit platforms were elected governors of New Mexico and Nevada. There already is talk in Washington of Senator-Elect Marco Rubio or Governor-Elect Susana Martinez (R-NM) being possible Vice Presidential running mates for whoever winds up winning the 2012 Republican Presidential nomination, an eventuality that could have a profound impact on that election.

Immigration certainly isn’t the only issue of interest to the Latino community but it is tied into to ALL other issues from the economy and unemployment to national security and education. Many if not all of the candidates above may be more likely to play divide and conquer good immigrant Latino vs bad immigrant Latino as they move their careers forward.

Con la Vista al Voto : In Nevada That Latino Vote Worked Out Better than Expected

10:43 am By Maegan La Mala · Con la Vista al Voto|Midterm Elections 2010|Nevada · 3 Comments

3 Nov 2010

Election day is finally over and the Republicans have taken the majority in the House of Representatives, the Democrats have held on to their majority in the Senate, and the Tea Party delivered in some races. What role did the Latino vote play in yesterday’s election? Did voter suppression efforts work to keep Latinos at home? Did Latinos vote by not filling out ballots?

While pundits and electoral analysts will be looking at the numbers for awhile, there are some early stats that show that the Latino vote played an important role in some key races. For example, in Nevada, where Democratic Senator Harry Reid faced a threat via the politics of hate of Sharon Angle, Reid held on to his seat. According to early exit polls reported by the Wall Street Journal, 16% of the Senate electorate yesterday was Hispanic and Reid’s magic number, if you will, to defeat Angle, was 15%. According to a poll sponsored by Latino Decisions, the National Council of La Raza, SEIU, and America’s Voice the breakdown looks like this:

Latino vote for Governor
Rory Reid: 84%
Brian Sandoval: 15%

Latino share of voters: 12%
Latino contribution to R. Reid: +8.5

Latino vote for Senate
Harry Reid: 90%
Sharron Angle: 8%

Latino share of voters: 12%
Latino contribution to H. Reid: +9.8

There will more to report later following some press conferences this afternoon.

Con la Vista al Voto : Think of Voting as the Least You Can Do

8:53 am By Maegan La Mala · Con la Vista al Voto|Midterm Elections 2010 · 1 Comment

2 Nov 2010

Every time elections roll around, I am reminded of the words and actions of my mentor (RIP) Richie Perez. He worked for years for Puerto Rican Rights, Latino Rights, and Voter Rights and he helped me think about revolution as a process and us as a people having many tools in our revolutionary toolbox to move the struggle(s) forward.

The speech below was a speech I made right before the 2008 presidential election, but I think it is still relevant, especially as I have had conversations with friends and loved ones who cannot vote, because of the their legal status, because of their once incarcerated status, because they are colonial subjects.

As long as we frame and allow the powers that be to frame voting as the end all and be all then we will never see change anywhere.

Con la Vista Al Voto : Protecting Your (or Someone Else’s) Right to Vote

6:09 am By Maegan La Mala · Con la Vista al Voto|Midterm Elections 2010 · 1 Comment

2 Nov 2010

It’s election day in the United States and whether you are voting or not today, we all have a responsibility to make sure that everyone who does want to vote and is eligible to do so is able to in a truly free way. There certainly have been efforts all across the country trying to suppress the vote.

Today, the focus will be on offering reports on what is happening across the U.S., with our focus on Latino communities but we also want to offer resources so that if you feel your right to vote is being challenged or if you see problems in your community, you have tools and options.

Please keep visiting this page today as we add resources and information.

Voto Latino has a Voting Resource Center a bilingual resource that answers the following questions:

1) Am I registered to vote?
2) Where do I vote in my area?
3) What’s on my local ballot?
4) What if I encounter voter fraud?
5) Can I get a reminder to vote?

Election Protection – The Nation’s Largest Nonpartisan Voter Protection Coalition.
If you have any questions or if your right to vote is being challenged, please call 1-866-OUR-VOTE

Con la Vista Al Voto : Vitter Defends Stereotypes

6:55 am By Maegan La Mala · Con la Vista al Voto|Immigration|Midterm Elections 2010 · Comments Off

1 Nov 2010

Con la Vista al Voto : From now until election day 2010, VivirLatino is going to have at least one post a day looking at the midterm elections and issues around the election including policy and the much hyped Latino vote.

Last week, we started pointed out some of the hateful and racist stereotypes featured in campaign ads across the the country. One of those ads belongs to Louisiana Senator David Vitter, who depicted undocumented immigrants as coming in under fences to collect government checks.

In a debate last Thursday, When Vitter was asked about the racist imagery, he chose to defend his ad saying the depiction was accurate. From Think Progress:

MODERATOR: Do you offer them an apology or do you stand by the ad?

VITTER: We have an illegal immigration problem and a huge part of that is the Mexican border. That is a fact, that is not a stereotype. Ninety seven percent of our apprehensions of illegals is at the Mexican border. That is a fact, that is not a stereotype. Over 80 percent of the 12-15 million illegals in this country have come through that border from Mexico and South American countries. That is a fact, that is not a stereotype. Now there’s one thing in that ad that is offensive and that is Mister Melancon’s votes that the ad highlights. [...]

MODERATOR: How do you respond to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Catholic Charities, the Archdiocese of New Orleans who say that this ad played into offensive racial stereotypes?

VITTER: Let me just ask you, what is the stereotype?

MODERATOR:They’re talking about the images seen in your ad.

VITTER: Is it a stereotype that folks coming across the border — that is a problem and they look like that? Dennis that is a fact, that is not a stereotype! Let’s get our heads out of the sand!

Con la Vista al Voto : Something Scary on Halloween. Look Who is Voting

9:05 am By Maegan La Mala · Con la Vista al Voto|Midterm Elections 2010 · Comments Off

31 Oct 2010

I really hope that those who have been celebrating Halloween and/or Dia de los Muertos are having a safe and beautiful time with their families (chosen or other).

Presente.org has just put out a scary video and I think a pretty effective video, showing who will be voting for sure on Tuesday.
While I think it’s an effective scare tactic to move people to the polls, it’s also pretty angering and I support well placed, righteous anger to move people into action through voting or any other tool in their revolutionary toolbox.

Con la Vista al Voto : Sheriff Joe’s Latino Voter Suppression Army

6:54 am By Maegan La Mala · arizona|Con la Vista al Voto|Immigration|Midterm Elections 2010|Politics · 2 Comments

31 Oct 2010

As if things in Arizona, especially in Maricopa County, weren’t hard enough for Latinos, Sheriff Joe Arpaio announced on Friday:

“STOP ILLEGALS FROM STEALING THE ELECTION! Our grassroots army of VOTER FRAUD PREVENTION VOLUNTEERS will stand vigilant across the nation. We will be the first and strongest line of defense to ensure that only legal citizens vote on November 2nd.”

We already know that Sheriff Joe decides who is and isn’t legal by looking at who looks Latino. And while the part of SB1070 that allows for asking for people’s papers based on their ethnicity, alleging voter fraud is just an attempt to make Latinos walk around with their “papers” and to intimidate people who may be voting against Jan Brewer.

Almost immediately after Arpaio’s shout out, America’s Voice launched a petition targeting Attorney General Holder, demanding that he send election monitors to Arizona.

On Friday afternoon, the Justice Department announced that its Civil Rights Division plans to deploy more than 400 federal observers and department personnel to 30 jurisdictions in 18 states for the Nov. 2, 2010, general election. One of those jurisdictions is Maricopa County in Arizona.

The other areas being monitored are:

o Autauga County, Ala.;
o Bethel, Alaska;
o Apache and Navajo Counties, Ariz.;
o Riverside County, Calif.;
o Randolph County, Ga.;
o Kane County, Ill.;
o Salem County (Penns Grove), N.J.;
o Cibola and Sandoval Counties, N.M.;
o Cuyahoga County, Ohio;
o Shannon County; S.D.; and
o Dallas, Fort Bend, Galveston and Williamson Counties, Texas.
o Maricopa County, Ariz.;
o Alameda County, Calif.;
o Seminole County, Fla.;
o Honolulu, Hawaii;
o Neshoba County, Miss.;
o Colfax County, Neb.;
o Passaic County, N.J.;
o Orange County, N.Y.;
o Lorain County, Ohio;
o Philadelphia, Pa.;
o Bennett and Todd Counties, S.D.;
o Shelby County, Tenn.; and
o Harris County, Texas.

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