|
ICYMI:
Mitt
Romney
Pledge to Veto DREAM Act a disqualifier for many Latino voters
In local contests, Marcy Kaptur’s vote against the DREAM Act may
mean the difference in her contest with Dennis Kucinich
Jan. 12, 2012: Last week, Republican presidential contender Mitt
Romney offered a fresh reminder that his pandering to the far
right on immigration during the primary season will hurt his
potential general election chances.
In response to a question in Le Mars, IA,
Romney pledged
that he would veto a federal DREAM Act if the legislation passed
Congress while he was President. His comments were widely
reported in Spanish media and put the nail in the coffin of any
hope Romney may have had of competing for Latino voters in the
general election.
According to Frank Sharry, Executive Director of
America’s Voice, “Romney’s comments about the DREAM Act will
disqualify him among a large swath of Latino voters throughout
the nation. Millions of Latino voters see their own children
and family histories in the aspirations and ambitions of the
DREAM youth and don’t take kindly to those determined to slam
the doors of opportunity in their faces.
“If he becomes the Republican nominee, Romney will find it
virtually impossible to reach the 40 percent threshold among
Latino voters that Republican candidates need to win the White
House. This will make it much more difficult for Romney to be
competitive in the key swing states of Arizona, Colorado,
Florida, Nevada, and New Mexico.”
Polling
from impreMedia and Latino Decisions in February 2011 found that
85 percent of Latino voters across the political spectrum
support the DREAM Act. Matt Barreto of Latino Decisions
wrote
that, “Looking to 2012, it is clear that immigration and the
DREAM Act will still be on the minds of Latino voters…We broke
out support for the DREAM Act by intended vote choice in 2012
and found regardless of how Latinos will vote, a very strong
majority support the DREAM Act.
“Among Obama voters, 79 percent strongly support and 14 percent
somewhat support the DREAM Act – that’s 93 percent support for
seeing this bill passed among the President’s Latino base.
Further, among those who say they are undecided 62 percent
strongly support DREAM with 23 percent somewhat support, all
told 85 percent in favor.
“Even among those who plan to vote for a GOP candidate in 2012,
Republican contenders should take note, that Republican leaning
Latinos also supported the DREAM Act by a big margin: 52 percent
strongly support and 23 percent somewhat support, totaling to 75
percent approval of the bill.”
Candidates in local contests should, likewise, beware of the
Latino vote. For example, veteran Democrats Marcy Kaptur
and Dennis Kucinich are vying for victory in the Ohio
March 6th primary in the re-shaped 9th
U.S. Congressional District [a snake-shaped area joining Toledo,
Lorain, and Cleveland). Marcy Kaptur voted against the DREAM Act
whereas Kucinich voted for it—this vote may be the difference in
the contest since the 9th District has considerable
Latinos voters.
On the Internet:
www.americasvoiceonline.org
|
