“Hispanics” Are “Disillusioned”?

The New York Times is reporting on a poll that says Hispanics may skip the midterm elections. While “Latinos” support democrats 65 percent to 22 percent over republicans, the momentum this election is with the growing favorability of Arizona’s ‘controversial’ immigration law (SB 1070) and a growing support for such a law in other states. In addition a prominent public figure Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, who has been very diligent in enforcing current state and federal immigration laws, seems to be bolstering republican candidates that seek his endorsement.

As conservatives across the country seek to burnish their tough-on-immigration credentials, Mr. Arpaio’s endorsement is much sought after. “Every day I get calls from candidates,” he said recently, acknowledging that he draws protesters, too.

“Tomorrow, I’m going up to Colorado to help out Tancredo; I helped that gal in Nevada, Angle,” Sheriff Arpaio said, referring to former Representative Tom Tancredo, who is running for governor in Colorado, and Sharron Angle, the Republican Senate nominee in Nevada. “I’m a poster boy on this issue.”

The American people want a good and stern immigration reform … not amnesty disguised as reform, and they know the difference. In this dangerous time of terrorism and the escalating Mexican drug cartel wars the security of our border(s) is crucial to maintaining law and order for the security of the entire nation.

Political analysts and candidates say the antiestablishment sentiment roiling the electorate, as well as widespread frustration over the country’s porous borders, seems to be boosting candidates who favor tougher immigration rules.

“In every single race I’m looking at, candidates are being asked, ‘Would you sign an Arizona-like immigration law?’ ” said Jennifer Duffy, an editor for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. “It’s now on the list of issues like a balanced budget amendment and a tax cut. It’s part of the political lexicon and it fires people up.”

Often to the chagrin of politicians in heavily Hispanic states. In Florida, for instance, both parties have typically tried to steer clear of immigration out of fear of angering either older white voters, who turn out in high numbers and tend to support stricter immigration enforcement, or Latinos, who are a growing segment of the electorate.

However, apparently those “Hispanics” that seem to support democrats over republicans, and who are not planning on heading out to the election booths on November 2nd, are more upset over the fact Obama and the dems haven’t done even more to shift us over to a socialist entitlement system in this country.

“Latinos feel that on many of their key issues, promises were made and not delivered on” by the Obama administration and Congressional Democrats, said Matt A. Barreto, a political science professor at the University of Washington who is a pollster for Latino Decisions, an advocacy and research group.

The PC paradox that politicians/elected officials have created in enabling illegal aliens to blend into the fabric of this country unchecked, and in some cases welcomed through “sanctuary cities”, has worn very thin with the American public as unemployment and crime rises, and government (state and federal) budgets are tapped-out.

But while each party seeks the Hispanic vote in this country’s elections, they erroneously use a blanket mentality when approaching “Hispanics” as Mexican. Cubans and Puerto Ricans seem to have a problem with that generalization. I don’t blame them. While my people are Hungarians it would be an error to the peril of your unblemished face if you lumped in Hungarians with, say, Romanians or Czechs where my Grandparents were concerned. Anyhow, most legal “Hispanics” in this country not only resent the generalization, but resent the idea of granting amnesty to people who broke the law to get here when they themselves, or by their parents/grandparents, did so the correct and legal way. The politicians fail to understand that Hispanics in this country want a secure border too. Arizona’s Gov. Jan Brewer’s favorable rating shot straight up, a state where there is a large Hispanic population, as she pushed through SB 1070, and still staunchly defends the law in the face of Obama’s and AG Eric Holder’s DOJ lawsuit against her and the state.

In the Arizona races, immigration hardliners have the clear upper hand. Gov. Jan Brewer is running a strong campaign against the Democratic nominee, Attorney General Terry Goddard, in large part to her decision in April to sign the law making illegal immigration a state crime. The fact that a federal judge blocked the most controversial parts of the law only seemed to have boosted her popularity as a foil to the Obama administration.

Hispanics want safety and security for themselves and their families, just as every other American citizen wants … and expects. In addition, in these financially tough times we all also expect the government spending of our tax dollars to go to people who are here legally. The biggest cause of California’s near-collapsed economic situation is due to the flood of illegals straining the schools, hospitals, prisons/jails, and government programs, while paying little if any taxes themselves. As California goes, there goes the nation.

The Pew poll also found that for Latinos, education, jobs and health care trump immigration as major issues, which could be bad news for Democrats hoping to capitalize from anger over the Arizona law.

Perhaps politicians and elected officials need to stop alienating “Latinos” by viewing them as a general racial group that needs coddling instead of being Americans. After all, is it really the legal Hispanics the politicians fear offending or alienating … or the illegal ones who have no legal business voting in our elections in the first place?