Tag: Hispanics

Hispanics And The Big Chill

One of the most confounding situations with the 2024 election, at least for me, was all the support Donny and his brand of racism got from the Hispanic community…..he got in the neighborhood of 45% of the Hispanic vote.

What bothered me was why would these voters go for Donny knowing that he had always labeled them as rapist, murderers, drug dealers and diseased….why?

A recent survey illustrates that Donny is losing his hold in the Hispanic community…..

President Trump’s favorability has fallen among Hispanic adults since the beginning of the year, a new AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll shows, a potential warning sign from a key constituency that helped secure his victory in 2024.

  • The October survey found that 25% of Hispanic adults have a “somewhat” or “very” favorable view of Trump, down from 44% in an AP-NORC poll conducted just before the Republican took office in January. The percentage of Hispanic adults who say the country is going in the wrong direction has also increased from 63% in March to 73% now.
  • The shift could spell trouble for Republicans looking to cement support with this group in future elections. Many Hispanic voters were motivated by economic concerns in last year’s election, and the new poll shows that despite Trump’s promises of economic revitalization, Hispanic adults continue to feel higher financial stress than Americans overall. Hispanic voters made up 10% of the electorate in 2024, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of interviews with registered voters, and the number of eligible Hispanic voters has been growing rapidly in recent decades.
  • Hispanic voters shifted toward Trump in the last election, though a majority still backed Kamala Harris: 43% of Hispanic voters nationally voted for Trump, according to AP VoteCast, up from 35% in the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Joe Biden.
  • But the poll found that Hispanic adults are now less likely to approve of Trump’s handling of the economy and immigration—two issues that were major strengths for him in last year’s election—and their views of his overall performance have slipped as well. In March, 41% of Hispanic adults approved of Trump’s job performance, but now that has fallen to 27%.
  • Alejandro Ochoa, a 30-year-old warehouse worker in California, identifies as a Republican and voted for Trump last year, but he’s now unhappy with the president. He criticized some of Trump’s budget cuts, adding that the cost of groceries is too high and buying a home is still unattainable for him. “He was kind of relying on essentially the nostalgia of, ‘Hey, remember, before COVID? Things weren’t as expensive,'” Ochoa said. “But now it’s like, OK, you’re in office. I’m still getting done dirty at the grocery store. … I’m trying to cut corners where I can, but that bill is still insanely expensive.”
  • Views of Trump have soured even among Hispanic Republicans. In the latest poll, 66% of Hispanic Republicans said they have a “very” or “somewhat” favorable view of Trump. That’s down from an AP-NORC poll in September 2024, when 83% of Hispanic Republicans viewed him at least “somewhat” favorably. White Republicans, by contrast, did not change their opinion of Trump over the same period.

Great news!  It is about time that these voters woke the Hell up….just what the Hell were they thinking in 2024?

I Read, I Write, You KNow

“lego ergo scribo”

 

Tell Me Again Who Is The “Smarter” Brother

I recall back in the 2000 election and the rise of GW Bush, a candidate I did not like, when the media was telling the country that Jeb was the smarter brother and could not understand why he was not on the ticket…..to be honest I bought into the crap as well……I thought that GW was an easily manipulated idiot and his brother would have been a better choice for the GOP……

Fast forward to the 2016 election and Jeb is running……and after about 6 months of his pre-campaign and after has done very little to show that he is tuly the smarter of the brothers…..

Believe it or not….I may have been….mistaken!

Ever since he has become a serious candidate he has put one foot after another into his mouth and has spent more time trying to “clarify” is words than campaign….not the act of a smart brother.

It has been one faux pas after another……it mostly began with him screwing up e-mails that he released from his time as governor of Florida….it seems his campaign released those e-mails with personal and private information on them…..a bit embarrassing……

And the faux pas kept coming……his latest is his words on “anchor babies”…..

Jeb Bush really, really wants to catch up to Donald Trump, and he seems to believe the best way to accomplish that is to become Donald Trump. Bush’s desperation begat a spat between the two candidates over who loves the racist phrase “anchor baby” more.

How do you use an offensive phrase like “anchor babies” without offending Latinos? Bush has one idea: Say you were talking about Asians.

So…….Jeb was not talking about Hispanics but rather Asians……this oughta get his butt in even more hot water……and he started tap dancing as fast as he could…..

“What I’m talking about is the specific case of fraud being committed where there’s organized efforts — frankly it’s more related to Asian people — coming into our country, having children in that organized effort, taking advantage of that noble concept, which is birthright citizenship,” Bush said.

A campaign spokesperson later clarified Bush was referring to widely reported federal probes into “birth tourism.”

Nothing more humorous than watching a politician dance frantically trying to find a way out of an embarrassing moment…..

The more Jeb talks the more I believe we may have already elected the smarter brother………

Tell me again who was the “smarter” brother…….

But They Are Stealing Our Jobs!

How many times have you heard that tired old talking point?

If you truly believe that then …how many of you want to pick lettuce or harvest apples or…….well you get the point……back during Katrina my company hired 10 people for debris removal paying $10 an hour……at the end of a week we had 4 people left…all Hispanic…the Americans could lower themselves to pick up debris…….

But are they stealing jobs?

(Newser) – Odilia Chavez, a 40-year-old undocumented migrant farm worker based in California, is the first person to tell her story in a new Modern Farmer “Farm Confessional” feature, and she has a message for anyone who thinks people like her are stealing American jobs: “We’re not taking their jobs. In the 14 years I’ve been here, I’ve never seen an American working in the fields. I’ve never seen anyone work like Mexicans,” she writes. “Agriculture is dependent on undocumented workers. We need the money from the farmers, and the farmers need our hands.”

She tells her story and describes the low pay and difficult conditions that leave her exhausted by 9pm and awake again by 3am. Even so, she says, she would keep her job even if immigration reform passed. She’d be able to get a driver’s license and social security card and see her mom in Mexico for the first time since 2008, but in terms of a job, she and a lot of her fellow workers don’t know how to do anything else, don’t know how to use a computer, and never got far in school. “We can’t get a better job. They were farmworkers in Mexico and we’re going to die as farmworkers.” Her full column is worth a read.

As far as I have seen…they are not stealing jobs….but rather accepting jobs that Americans find demeaning and boring…….

Have yet to see an American in the crowd of day laborers at 5 am in the parking lot of a building supply company…….Americans want to be the CEO not the laborer…….

Self-Inflicted Wounds

We hear from the chairperson of the RNC just how the GOP will win elections…..and that tactic is to be positive.  After making that statement he fires off a whole diatribe of negativity on Obama.  And then there was the “autopsy” the RNC put out after their dreadful showing in the last election…..and so far all they have is the same extreme issues that gave them a horrendous lose……their biggest situation they want to rectify is the loss of Hispanic votes……..and how is that going for the GOP?

Here’s how that outreach effort has worked out over the past few months:

1. Voted to deport DREAMers: With DREAMers standing in the room and booing, 221 House Republicans voted to defund the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which would effectively resume deportations. Meanwhile, comprehensive immigration reform has come to a grinding halt in the House, which has split on whether to include a path to citizenship.

2. Suppressed minority votes: Immediately after the Supreme Court struck down part of the Voting Rights Act, Texas moved to enact a voter ID law and North Carolina rolled out a series of voter suppression bills. Texas has now joined a case to permanently undo Voting Rights Act protections. It doesn’t help matters that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia called the Voting Rights Act a perpetuation of “racial entitlement.”

3. Dismissive and racist language: Republicans haven’t figured out a way to keep Rep. Steve King (R-IA) quiet, since the congressman refuses to apologize for calling immigrants drug mules. But it’s not just Steve King. In private King insists his colleagues agree with him, while Rep. Don Young (R-AK) used the word “wetbacks” to describe Hispanics. Meanwhile, Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) has made a case against multiculturalism, saying, “there’s only one race here, it’s the American race.”

4. Boycotting Spanish-language TV: Due to its invented controversy involving networks broadcasting Hillary Clinton documentaries, the RNC said it will boycott Spanish-language networks Telemundo and CNN Espanol for 2016 debates, too.

5. Insensitivity on Trayvon Martin: Texas Governor Rick Perry reacted to George Zimmerman’s not guilty verdict for the death of a black teen by insisting the justice system is “color blind.” Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) told African-Americans to “get over it.” King blamed Obama for Zimmerman even having to stand trial for Martin’s death. And Florida Governor Rick Scott has refused to even open debate on the state’s controversial Stand Your Ground law.

6. Tea Party condescendingly talks race: Even as he attempted to broaden the Republican party’s appeal to black voters, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) condescendingly discussed the history of civil rights and discrimination during his April speech at Howard University. Paul, who once admitted he opposes the Civil Rights Act of 1964, recently explained he doesn’t “think there is any particular evidence” of black voters being prevented from voting.

7. Relied on racist author’s Heritage study to fight immigration reform That former Heritage author Jason Richwine earned his Ph.D for a racist dissertation linking race and IQ has not stopped Republicans from heralding Heritage’s discredited findings on immigration.

8. Pursued rabidly anti-LGBT agenda: Gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli has stood by his position of viewing LGBT people as “soulless” and “self-destructive.” The RNC also unanimously passed anti-LGBT resolutions without any debate in April. Neither shows Republicans are serious about showing LGBT Americans “we care about them too,” like the RNC stated.

9. Ignored uninsured voters: Latinos have among the lowest rates of health coverage in the U.S., and also back Obamacare 2 to 1. The GOP has ignored this issue, and haven’t offered any alternatives for the uninsured, even as many of them threaten to shut down the government to block Obamacare.

10. Still arguing for self-deportation: Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, invited by Republicans to testify on immigration, is still arguing for self-deportation. Even RNC chairman Reince Priebus slammed this approach as “horrific.”

To me it looks like they believe if they offer Hispanics a Rubio or a Cruz then they will rush to support the surnames.  The problem is that Hispanic voters are not as stupid as the GOP would like them to be………

Has GOP Turned The Corner?

After poor Mitt took it in the butt…there was lots of finger pointing and condemnation when the GOP tried to explain their humiliating loss……about the only voting bloc they took hands down were old white guys…they lost the Hispanics, Blacks,  most women and the younger voters……and with that loss all the high mucky mucks decided that the GOP had to be a big tent party and that they would reach out to the very groups that they lost……….and here is their outreach program…..

They have made Marco Rubio the man to beat for the nomination…he has traveled extensively making his appearances and his new stances…he started this makeover in Iowa (go figure) and moved on to several “liberal” MSM sources….Meet The Press, CBS news, etc……his makeover is a present to the Hispanic community……

And now with the departure of Jim DeMint from the Senate we have the second part of the party makeover hovering on the sidelines…Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina will do her part to make over the party by nominating Rep. Tim Scott as DeMint’s replacement the second part of the new p[arty will be in place….now the Afro-American community will have a single senator to look up to……….. and the party danced……

Let’s look at Rep. Scott….

(Newser) – South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has chosen GOP Rep. Tim Scott to take over Jim DeMint’s Senate seat, CNN reports by way of GOP sources. She’s set to make the announcement today at noon. Scott will be the state’s first black senator since the late 1800s, the New York Times notes. Says a fellow rep from the state, “There is not a kinder, more humble, sweet-spirited person … That is somewhat antithetical to what you’d expect at this level of politics.”

It would be another auspicious step in the life of a man that the Times describes as having a “unique story”: Scott was raised in a single-parent home and nearly flunked out of high school; but after a Chick-fil-A franchise owner became his mentor, things turned around for him.

A compelling story and will surely turn the GOP’s dismal track record all around (sarcasm)……

I do think the Scott will be a good senator…I mean if he only sponsors one bill he has done a 100% improvement over DeMint……..

I hate to tell the GOP this….but Hispanics and Afro-American voters are not as stupid as they think….token candidates does not a big tent party make……

Self-Deportation?

This line got a huge chuckle when Mitt Romney made it in one of the thousand GOP debates……basically it means that an illegal immigrant would voluntarily go back across the border to their home….but Mitt’s idea was that they would do this because of laws that would make it more difficult for them to find work….so without the glamor of picking lettuce they would not feel that they could find employment and that home would be a better place to be……

It seems that Mitt may have been onto something with his idea of self-deportation…..not that his idea was so scary that the illegals immediately started running for the border…….but instead the economy is the culprit……..the economy has done what so many millions of dollars could not…….Let us see how many Americans jump on those low paying picking lettuce jobs…..

From the WaPo…….

A four-decade tidal wave of Mexican immigration to the United States has receded, causing a historic shift in migration patterns as more Mexicans now leave the United States for Mexico than the other way around, according to a report from the Pew Hispanic Center.

It is the first reversal in the trend since the Depression, and experts say that a declining Mexican birthrate and other factors may make it permanent.

“I think the massive boom in Mexican immigration is over and I don’t think it will ever return to the numbers we saw in the 1990s and 2000s,” said Douglas Massey, a professor of sociology and public affairs at Princeton University and co-director of the Mexican Migration Project, which has been gathering data on the subject for 30 years.

So all those darn pesky immigrants are now returning home…..it seems that they would rather be in dangerous Juarez with a job than in the US without one…..but beyond that….if this trend holds who will the neocons  choose to demagogue if they do not have the Hispanics to pick on anymore?

Is Immigration Reform A Wise Move?

The Obama Adimn has decide to tackle yet another controversial issue in its first 100 days, but is it a wise move?  He has the political capital and he already has much on his plate, but this move could be a bit premature.

Obama plans to speak publicly about the issue in May, administration officials said, and over the summer he will convene working groups, including lawmakers from both parties and a range of immigration groups, to begin discussing possible legislation for as early as this fall.

But with the economy seriously ailing, advocates on different sides of the debate said that immigration could become a polarizing issue for Mr. Obama in a year when he has many other major battles to fight.

Opponents, mainly Republicans, say they will seek to mobilize popular outrage against any effort to legalize unauthorized immigrant workers while so many Americans are out of jobs.

Administration officials said that Mr. Obama’s plan would not add new workers to the American work force, but that it would recognize millions of illegal immigrants who have already been working here. Despite the deep recession, there is no evidence of any wholesale exodus of illegal immigrant workers, independent studies of census data show.

The Obama administration favors legislation that would bring illegal immigrants into the legal system by recognizing that they violated the law, and imposing fines and other penalties to fit the offense. The legislation would seek to prevent future illegal immigration by strengthening border enforcement and cracking down on employers who hire illegal immigrants, while creating a national system for verifying the status of new employees.

In my opinion, this subject should be approached very carefully, this could become a hot button issue, the one that the Repubs have been waiting for.  I realize that the Hispanic community feels betrayed by the President for the lack of Latinos in his cabinet and he wants to try and settle them down before the next election cycle.  But this could be a shot in the foot.  The GOP is  RUDDERLESS….do not help them find their way.

Hispanics Gaining

Hispanics now account for more than half the U.S. population growth this decade, indicating a powerful new sign of their demographic clout, according to a Pew Hispanic Center report released Thursday.

The Hispanic population also expanded dramatically in the 1990s, but in that decade its growth accounted for less than 40 percent of the nation’s total population increase.

Hispanics now represent 50.5 percent of the U.S. population growth since 2000, although they were only 15 percent of the population in 2007.

The Pew report also highlights a significant new driver of the population increases for the nation’s largest minority: Unlike the 1990s when immigration was the major factor in Hispanic population growth, births in the U.S. are mostly responsible for the increases this decade.

Jeffery Passel, senior demographer at the Pew Hispanic Center, said Census data shows the Hispanic population has increased 10.2 million, from 35.3 million in 2000 to 45.5 million by July 2007.

A natural demographic increase — births minus deaths — is responsible for 6 million of the new Hispanic residents this decade. International migration — which among Hispanics has been calculated in the past to be two-thirds undocumented — accounts for 4.2 million of the increase, Passel said.

The Census Bureau’s figures do not distinguish whether immigrants are legal or illegal.

Do Not Tell Lou Dobbs!

Or maybe we should.  Then he can take credit for the good news.

A report released Thursday by the Pew Hispanic Center indicates that fewer people are trying to enter the United States illegally and that there has been no growth over the last year in the number of illegal immigrants living here.

Experts said the loss of low-wage jobs in the American economy, combined with intensified enforcement at the border and at workplaces across the country, had caused those who might be considering an illegal border crossing to think twice before risking what has become an increasingly dangerous journey. The result has been a significant reversal after a decade of rapid growth in illegal immigration.

The Pew report found that illegal immigration to the United States had dropped to about 500,000 annually since 2005 from an average yearly rate of 800,000 from 2000 to 2004. Since 2000, the average number of legal immigrants entering the United States each year has remained steady at about 600,000 to 700,000.

The Pew study was not devised to explain why the inflows of illegal immigrants had declined. He speculated, however, that the trend was the result of a combination of factors, led primarily by a weakening economy and rising rates of unemployment in the construction and service industries, which rely heavily on immigrant labor.

The Deterrence Strategy Of Homeland Security

When the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) refers to its new deterrence strategy, the agency is not talking about nuclear arsenals, missile defense, or border security. For DHS, deterrence is a strategy of immigration control that relies on what U.S. law enforcement does best: imprisonment.

The United States has more people in jail—2.3 million—than any other nation. Although the United States has less than 5% of the world’s population, it holds almost a quarter of the world’s prisoners. One of every 100 adults in the “land of the free” is locked up.

Immigrants are the fastest-growing sector of the U.S. prison population. The DHS agency Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detains 300,000 immigrants annually, with some 32,000 immigrants in ICE detention centers on any given day. ICE’s budget for its Detention and Removal Operations has jumped from $959 million in 2004 to $2.3 billion today.

The rise in the number of immigrants detained or incarcerated by the federal government for immigration-related offenses dates back to the mid-1990s when Congress passed the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act and the Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act.

The combined effect of the two acts was to dramatically expand the definition of a “criminal alien” to include immigrants—legal and illegal—who falsify their identity documents and Social Security numbers, or who have been convicted of any misdemeanor or crime, as minor as shoplifting or disturbing the peace.

An immigrant who does not appear at a scheduled immigration hearing is labeled a “fugitive alien” and is subject to immediate detention and deportation, or, as ICE’s Homeland Security deterrence strategy increasingly kicks in, possibly sentencing, imprisonment, and then “removal.”

From the start DHS adopted military terminology—security, surges, protection, operations, deterrence, etc.—for its immigration initiatives and strategies. As part of the department’s strategic plan, the newly created Detention and Removal Operations (DRO) set forth its Operation Endgame strategy. DRO is component of ICE.

The DRO strategic plan “sets in motion a cohesive enforcement program with a 10-year time horizon that will build the capacity to “remove all removable aliens,” eliminate the backlog of unexecuted final order removal cases, and realize its vision.”

Operation Endgame sees the detention and removal of aliens as a fundamental component of a national security strategy: “Moving toward a 100% rate of removal for all removable aliens allows ICE to provide the level of immigration enforcement necessary to keep America secure.”